Patent ID: 7304464

Claim:
A voltage regulator for regulating a voltage applied to a load drawing a load current, the regulator comprising: a switching regulator portion, the switching regulator portion comprising: a first controller that receives a feedback signal related to an output voltage of the regulator and switches a first transistor at a duty cycle necessary to maintain an output voltage of the regulator at a regulated voltage when load currents exceed a first threshold current, the first controller intermittently applying a first drive signal to the first transistor for turning on the first transistor during times when load currents exceed the first threshold current, and a non-switching, non-linear regulator portion comprising: a second controller that detects when a load current is below the first threshold current and, in response, stops switching the first transistor and applies a constant second drive signal to the first transistor, different from the first drive signal, to cause the first transistor to conduct a trickle current that is below the first threshold current, the constant second drive signal not varying with changes in the output voltage as the first transistor conducts the trickle current.