Switching regulator circuits and methods are provided for regulating
output voltage that include an adjustable minimum peak inductor current
level for Burst Mode in current-mode DC-DC regulators. Minimum peak
inductor current level control is achieved during Burst Mode by allowing
external control for adjusting the burst threshold level. A single pin
can be used to distinguish between forced continuous and Burst Mode as
well as set the burst threshold level during Burst Mode, or an alternate
method of setting a variable burst threshold level can be implemented in
which two pins are used, one for selecting the mode of operation and the
other for setting the burst threshold level during Burst Mode. The above
principles can be applied to both step-up and step-down regulator circuit
configurations, as well as both synchronous switching regulators and
non-synchronous switching regulators.