The new MAX17055 ModelGauge m5 from Maxim Integrated Products provides an easy way for developers of portable devices to design accurate and low power host-side battery gauges.
Traditionally, fuel gauges required extensive characterisation of each battery type, used in specific applications, for attaining good performance. This meant the customer had to perform complicated battery characterisation, adding weeks of time and resources to the design cycle. With the ModelGauge m5 EZ configuration of the MAX17055, battery characterisation requirement is effectively eliminated.
One of the main benefits of a fuel gauge is that the system designer can use it to decide when to shut down the device when the battery gets low. If the fuel gauge overestimates the battery life, the shutdown might not happen before the voltage falls below the minimum operating point, resulting in an unexpected crash. Alternately, if the designer shuts down the system prematurely, then the run-time becomes shorter, which is highly undesirable for the user. By offering accuracy within 1% state of charge (SOC) error for most cases, the MAX17055 allows the designer to plan for a shutdown that maximises the device run-time.
The device draws just 7 μA in the low-power operating mode, and is available in a 1,4 x 1,5 mm WLP for space constrained applications. Unlike other gas gauges, it does not have a minimum battery size limit, making it ideal for wearables, smartwatches, smartphones, health and fitness monitors, body cameras, portable medical devices, hearables, drones, virtual reality gear, and USB Type-C portable devices.
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