A charge pump for generating an output voltage by whole-numbered or fraction-numbered multiplication of a DC operating voltage, said charge pump comprising - at least one pump stage comprising at least one pump capacitor and at least one stage switch and connected between the DC operating voltage (V SUP ) and a charging voltage, - wherein the charging voltage has a temporal development with rising and falling time sections starting in an alternating manner and, in each case, at points of time of commutations, - a buffer capacitor connected via a further switch to the at least one pump stage and having the output voltage applied to it, and - a controlling unit for generating at least one charging voltage and/or for detection of a voltage drop across the at least one stage switch or across one of the stage switches until below a presettable threshold value and for presetting the points of time for commutation for commutating the at least one charging voltage, characterized in that the controlling unit is operative to set the respective next point of time for commutation in accordance with at least one of the three preconditions mentioned hereunder of a respective corresponding mode that depends on the load state of the charge pump: - with expiration of a presettable minimum time period (t MIN ) from the last point of time of commutation, - with expiration of a presettable maximum time period (t MAX ) from the last point of time of commutation, or - upon reaching presettable maximum and minimum threshold values of the at least one charging voltage within its rising and respectively falling time sections and/or upon reaching a threshold value of a voltage drop across the at least one stage switch or across at least one of the stage switches if the respective threshold value is reached within a time period, beginning with the last point of time of commutation, which ends later than the minimum time period (T MIN ) and earlier than the maximum time period (tMAx). - at least one pump stage comprising at least one pump capacitor and at least one stage switch and connected between the DC operating voltage (V SUP ) and a charging voltage, - wherein the charging voltage has a temporal development with rising and falling time sections starting in an alternating manner and, in each case, at points of time of commutations, - a buffer capacitor connected via a further switch to the at least one pump stage and having the output voltage applied to it, and - a controlling unit for generating at least one charging voltage and/or for detection of a voltage drop across the at least one stage switch or across one of the stage switches until below a presettable threshold value and for presetting the points of time for commutation for commutating the at least one charging voltage, - with expiration of a presettable minimum time period (t MIN ) from the last point of time of commutation, - with expiration of a presettable maximum time period (t MAX ) from the last point of time of commutation, or - upon reaching presettable maximum and minimum threshold values of the at least one charging voltage within its rising and respectively falling time sections and/or upon reaching a threshold value of a voltage drop across the at least one stage switch or across at least one of the stage switches if the respective threshold value is reached within a time period, beginning with the last point of time of commutation, which ends later than the minimum time period (T MIN ) and earlier than the maximum time period (tMAx). <EOS>