Li-ion battery fuel gauge IC boosts battery run-time in portable medical and industrial devices

The device is ideal for wearable health monitors, inventory scanners and portable emergency lights and other consumer electronics.

TI’s proven Impedance Track advanced battery technology typically used in tablets and smartphones, the bq27421 system-side fuel gauge in a 9-ball chipscale (WCSP) package accurately reports remaining battery capacity, state-of-charge and battery voltage, allowing portable devices to extend run-time by 50 percent or higher.

Designers can use the pre-configured ‘plug-and-play’ bq27421 fuel gauge with TI’s new Gauge Studio software tool to simplify battery gauging design. The file size of the Gauge Studio design tool is about ten times smaller than TI’s previous software, minimizing configuration and system firmware development. The bq27421EVM-G1A evaluation development kit is available for $49.

The integrated sense resistor and 1.5-mm by 1.5-mm by 0.5-mm WCSP package result in the smallest possible total solution size compared to competing gauges. The single-cell battery fuel gauge supports embedded or removable Li-Ion batteries.

The simple-to-design ‘plug-and-play’ gauge requires minimal user configuration and system microcontroller firmware development versus competitive devices.

The impedance track technology provides battery capacity measurement with 99-percent accuracy, and automatically adjusts for battery aging, self-discharge, temperature and rate changes.