CIE Components in Electronics
Maxim Integrated Products is sampling the MAX17050 which it claims is the most accurate battery fuel gauge currently available. It uses Maxim’s patented ModelGauge m3 algorithm to provide enhanced levels of accuracy, uses 4x less power, and shrinks solutions by 3x when compared to other, similar devices. It has been designed to target portable applications where battery capacity and state-of-charge accuracy is seen as critical, including smartphones, tablets, mobile radios, battery backup, and portable medical/fitness equipment.
Battery fuel gauge designs often depend on coulomb-counting technology. Although coulomb counting is highly accurate for a short period of time, it tends to drift over time. The MAX17050 uniquely integrates the short-term accuracy and linearity of a coulomb counter with the long-term stability of a ModelGauge fuel gauge. The ModelGauge m3 technology makes continuous microcorrections and eliminates sudden jumps in a battery’s state of charge (SOC). Users can trust the resulting battery capacity and state information, including the health and maximum battery usage. The MAX17050 functionality is also integrated into the company”s TINI Power System-on-Chip (SoC) to make it easier to upgrade designs to more complex systems.
“Mobile device manufacturers are increasingly paying attention to enhancing user experience to set themselves apart from their competition,” said Bakul Damle, Business Director at Maxim Integrated. “Having a trustworthy fuel gauge to correctly inform the user about the battery status, as well as the health of the battery, helps achieve this goal. Moreover, this best-in-class fuel gauge IP block is available for integration in Maxim Integrated’s highly integrated Power SoC.”
