Maxim Integrated MAX17301 and MAX17311 one-cell fuel gauges

Designers concerned about battery safety now have access to battery protectors with integrated fuel gauges from Maxim Integrated Products.

The MAX17301 and MAX17311 one-cell, pack-side ICs offer configurable settings for battery safety and allow fine-tuning of voltage and current thresholds based on various temperature zones. The ICs also offer two-level Li-ion protection, providing an additional layer of security in case the primary protector fails. This permanently disables the battery by overriding a secondary protector or blowing a fuse in severe fault conditions.

All ICs in the family are equipped with Maxim’s ModelGauge m5 EZ algorithm that delivers high state-of-charge (SOC) accuracy without requiring battery characterisation, eliminating several weeks of time required for sending a battery to a lab for characterisation and analysis. The fuel gauges also offer low quiescent current (I_Q), extending battery shelf life for compact electronics, and feature SHA-256 authentication to safeguard the systems from counterfeit batteries.

The fuel gauges offer an integrated protection capability that helps system makers meet product safety standards such as IEC 62368-1/UL 62368-1. They also offer low-state-based protectors as an alternative to simple low-voltage thresholds, which prevents nuisance tripping in the case of short-duration voltage dips due to pulse loads on the battery.