Patent ID: 7649346

Claim:
A switching regulator including an inductor and a switching transistor, the switching regulator having a normal operational mode and a light-load operational mode, the switching regulator comprising: an operational mode switching part configured to switch the normal operational mode and the light-load operational mode; and a light-load detection part configured to detect a light-load state of a load, wherein the light-load detection part is configured to detect the light-load state of the load by a change in a voltage at a connection of the switching transistor and the inductor when the switching transistor is OFF, the operational mode switching part is configured to switch the normal operational mode to the light-load operational mode in response to the detection of the light-load state of the load by the light-load detection part, the light-load detection part comprises a flip-flop circuit, the connection of the switching transistor and the inductor is connected to a clock input of the flip-flop circuit, and a control signal provided to a gate of the switching transistor is provided to an input of the flip-flop circuit and a reset input of the flip-flop circuit.