Switching Regulators
Highly efficient, cost-optimized switching voltage regulators from Infineon
Switching Regulators subcategories
Infineon Technologies offers DC/DC switching regulators that cater to the demands of a wide range of industrial applications. As the market leader in semiconductor and energy efficiency supplies, Infineon’s broad suite of best-in-class power management systems provide solutions to today’s consumer needs.
Our switching regulator integrated circuits (IC) are designed for use with a variety of applications including, industrial automation, building management, battery chargers, metering systems, motor drives and applications for the automotive industry. Our long-standing experience in power technologies enables us to constantly develop our products to ensure customer solutions within multimarket applications.
A switching regulator power supply is a highly efficient DC/DC converter that can convert an input direct current into an output direct current of a different voltage if required. Switching regulators have low quiescent currents (or standby currents), meaning they do not consume a lot of energy when they are not active. This makes switch regulators very cost effective, as they greatly reduce energy consumption and extend the operating time of battery-operated systems.
When compared to linear regulators, switching regulators benefit from a more complex design which affords them a greater capacity for power handling and the ability to produce a stabilized output voltage from varied input voltages. For this reason, switching voltage regulator ICs have become increasingly popular in recent times, as they provide greater efficiency and flexibility for the user.
Infineon Switching Regulator IC Product Portfolio
DC/DC switching regulators from Infineon provide a unique combination of technical performance and high quality. Our regulators are available in 12 V, 5 V, 3.3 V and adjustable output voltages, as well as high and low switching frequencies down to 2.2 MHz and offer several protection and control features designed to ensure reliability, power source protection and output voltage tolerance. They provide a wide supply voltage operation range as well as current limitation and overtemperature protection for increased safety and energy preservation. The integrated soft-start feature limits current peak as well as voltage overshot upon start-up.
Infineon switching voltage regulators are optimized for reliable, long-term performance and offer a robust and compact design, making them very suited to harsh environments. Our green industrial switching regulators are RoHS compliant and meet global standards for environmental safety.
Key features:
- Wide supply voltage operation range
- Low current consumption
- Current limitation and overtemperature protection
- Integrated soft start, sync features
- Green products are RoHS compliant
- Robust design for long-term performance
Types of Switching Regulators
There are three types of non-isolated DC/DC switching regulators offered by Infineon: step down (buck), boost (step up) and buck boost (step up/step down). These DC/DC regulators can generate a direct output current (DC) from a direct input current (DC) of a different voltage. The output result can either be higher or lower than the input voltage, or of an inverted polarity.
Buck, boost, and buck-boost voltage regulators consist of an inductor, a semiconductor switch, a diode, and a capacitator. Common applications for these types of switching regulators are systems, such as distributed power rails in PCs and laptops, battery chargers, solar chargers and more, where it is essential that power is locally converted with minimal loss.
The most widely used regulators, step down switching regulators (also known as a buck converter), convert an unregulated high input voltage into a stabilized low output voltage of the same polarity. This type of switching buck converter uses a transistor as a switch, which alternately connects and disconnects the direct input current to an inductor. The conversion involves the time division of the input current by employing the switch. The result is then smoothened by the capacitator to produce the desired output voltage.
Buck converters are particularly useful in cases where the voltage generated by a power supply is greater than the voltage required to power the load. For example, a 5 V buck switching voltage regulator could be used to convert an input voltage of 12 V into an output voltage of 5 V if needed.
Boost switching regulators (also known as step up switching regulators) convert an unregulated low input voltage into a stabilized high output voltage of the same polarity. They utilize the same components as buck regulators, but with a different configuration. When the switch is turned on, the input voltage is forced through the inductor and the current is increased or ‘boosted’ to achieve a higher output result.
Boost converters are particularly useful in cases where the voltage generated by a power supply is lower than the voltage required to power the load. For example, a 5 V boost regulator could be used to convert an input voltage of 3.3 V into an output voltage of 5 V if needed.
Buck boost switching regulators (also known as step up/step down regulators) are power converters that either lower, raise, or invert the input voltage depending on the controller. Available in 3.3 V, 5 V and 12 V, buck boost regulators combine the functions of buck and boost regulators and have a wide range to facilitate for both minimum and maximum input currents.
Buck boost converters are particularly useful in cases where a wide input voltage is required. For example, a 5 V buck boost converter could be used to convert an input voltage of either 12 V or 3 V into an output voltage of 5 V if needed.
For more information on Infineon switching voltage regulators, and other electronic components within our range, contact a member of the team today or explore our support section.
