What is the function of a switching voltage regulator IC?
A switching voltage regulator accepts a dc input voltage and converts it to a switched voltage that can extend into the MHz region. Then, it converts the switched voltage to a dc output using a rectifier and low pass filter. Because the switched voltage is on only part of the time, the switching operation results in higher efficiency than is possible with a linear regulator that is always on. Using output voltage feedback, this regulator generates a fixed output voltage that remains constant regardless of changes to its input voltage or load conditions. There are two main types of control for switching regulators: pulse width modulation (PWM) and hysteretic.
