Patent ID: 8779741

Claim:
A DC voltage converter producing an output voltage at an output terminal from an energy source, the converter comprising: a selector switch comprising a first input coupled to the energy source, a second input coupled to a ground, and an output coupled to a first terminal of an inductor, a second terminal of which is coupled to the output terminal of the converter, a capacitor being coupled between the output terminal and the ground; a regulator to produce a control signal as a function of a result of a comparison of the output voltage with a reference voltage; a control circuit to couple the output of the selector switch to the first or second input of the selector switch, as a function of the control signal; and an inhibition circuit comprising a voltage comparator operable to control the regulator to place the DC voltage converter in a low power consumption mode of operation by inhibiting the production of the control signal when a voltage at the output of the selector switch exceeds a threshold voltage level, the inhibition circuit further adapted to keeping the control circuit inhibited so long as the output voltage is greater than a predefined value lower than the reference voltage; wherein the inhibition circuit reduces energy consumption in the regulator in the low power consumption mode over the duration from when the comparator detects no output current in the inductor until the output voltage falls a predefined amount below the reference voltage.