TI power management ICs have increased functionality
24 Aug 2004
Promising to provide increased power management functionality in smaller ICs, the two new families of single-chip, battery charge and power management ICs from Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) offer more efficient charging capabilities for single-cell Li-ion applications.
The bqTINY III (or bq2403x) series of Li-ion linear charge and system power path management devices is the latest advancement in TI´s bqTINY line of battery management charge ICs. In addition to integrated PowerFETs, high-voltage protection, current sensor, reverse-blocking protection, thermal regulation, high accuracy current and voltage regulation, the IC also offers a dynamic power-path management (DPPM) feature.
According to the company's press release, this DPPM feature allows bqTINY III to power a smart phone, PDA, MP3 player or digital still camera while independently charging the battery. It autonomously selects the USB port or the ac adapter as the power source for the system when either input source is connected. And in the absence of input sources, the bqTINY III powers the system from the battery through an integrated low RDSon power FET. The chip ensures a continuous and uninterrupted flow of power to the system, while reducing the number of charge and discharge cycles on the battery.
The bq2501x devices also integrate a 150mA dc-dc converter that provides up to 95 percent power conversion efficiency and can operate directly from a single-cell Li-ion or Li-Poly battery. The output voltage is either adjustable (bq25010) or fixed at 3.3 V (bq25011), or at 1.8 V (bq25012).
All bqTINY III devices are housed in a 3.5-by-4.5mm QFN package, and are priced at $2.30 each in quantities of 1,000 units. The bq2501x comes in a 20-pin, MLP package (3.5-by-4.5mm) and is available for $2.05 each, also in quantities of 1,000.
