TI Introduces Single-Chip Battery Fuel Gauge with Protection
Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) introduced what it describes as the industry’s smallest, full-featured battery fuel gauge integrated circuit for portable consumer, commercial and industrial applications. The bq3060 turns a battery into a "smart battery" that measures and maintains an accurate record of available capacity, voltage, current, temperature and other critical parameters for lithium-based batteries. The single chip also provides robust battery safety, including authentication, short-circuit and discharge protection.
In addition to maximizing functionality and safety, the bq3060 dramatically reduces cost and size for smart batteries. The device comes in a 24-pin, 7.8 x 6.4mm TSSOP package, and is a 50% smaller solution when compared to a high-end fuel gauge. The small size allows the chip to reduce the form factor of battery packs in many portable designs, including portable commercial, medical and test equipment.
Key features of the bq3060 include: advanced compensated end-of-discharge voltage (CEDV) gauging to provide precise gas gauging; ultra-low power consumption mode (<69µA) extends battery run time and shelf life; SHA-1 authentication provides a high degree of safety by helping OEMs ensure host-battery compatibility; and supports two-wire SMBus 1.1 interface with a high-speed 400-kHz programming option, which speeds design and testing of battery packs.
The bq3060 is available in volume now from TI and its authorized distributors. Suggested resale pricing is $3.55 in 1,000-unit quantities.
