| MAX17301/11, Single Cell Fuel Gauge
| Provides 2-stage lithium-ion battery protection
| Anti-counterfeiting with SHA-256 authentication

As the market for battery-powered applications grows, there is increasing demand for small and simple solutions that prevent charging that causes a wide range of battery damage, such as overvoltage, short circuits, and temperature.

Maxim Integrated announced on the 3rd that it has released two fuel gauges, the MAX17301 and MAX17311. This allows designers to use battery protectors equipped with fuel gauges.

Conventional battery protectors primarily monitored voltage and current, and in some cases, temperature as well. In this scenario, the battery charge status was not considered when deciding on a low-voltage cutoff, which could leave the system vulnerable to unexpected crashes.

System and battery designers are continuously raising the limits of limited-capacity batteries to maximize operating time without damaging battery cells. At the same time, we are seeking a way to protect the system by eliminating stops and collisions caused by non-genuine batteries with reduced safety by using only genuine batteries.

The MAX17301 and MAX17311, single-cell pack-side ICs, provide easy configuration changes, allowing for adjustment of voltage and current thresholds across various temperature ranges.

It provides a secondary protection function that permanently disables the battery by cutting off power to the secondary protector in the event of a failure in the primary protection device, or cuts the fuse in the event of a severe failure. It also prevents forgery and duplication through SHA-256 authentication.

All ICs in the Maxim Fuel Gauge family prevent alarm errors with a low-voltage threshold-based protector when a momentary voltage drop occurs due to a pulsed battery load. They also comply with product safety standards such as IEC 62368-1 and UL 62368-1.

In addition, the battery life record stores the operating state throughout the battery pack's life. It enables low standby currents, such as 24µA in the active state with the protector FET turned on, 18µA in the low-power state, and 7µA when the protector FET is turned off, thereby extending the battery life and operating time of small electronic devices.

“Ensuring battery reliability and safety is one of the top priorities for portable electronics engineers,” said Bakul Damle, Business Management Director of Maxim Integrated’s Mobile Power Business Unit. “Maxim has simplified essential functions by integrating a fuel gauge with the highest accuracy that operates at the industry’s ultra-low standby current, in addition to providing industry-leading protection and security.”