TI Korea (CEO Kent Chon, www.ti.com/ww/kr ) July 4, 2013 – TI (CEO Kent Chon) announced the launch of the bq27421, the industry's smallest lithium-ion battery gauge IC boasting the highest accuracy. The bq27421 enables extended battery life for portable medical devices such as wearable health monitors, industrial products such as inventory scanners and portable emergency lights, and other consumer electronics.

The bq27421 system-side battery gauge device, utilizing TI’s Impedance Track™—an advanced battery technology already widely used in tablets and smartphones—accurately reports remaining battery capacity, charge status, and battery voltage, enabling portable devices to extend battery life by more than 50%. This product is available in a 9-ball chip-scale (WCSP) package. (For information on samples and development kit modules, please refer to www.ti.com/bq27421-pr-kr )

Steve Lambouses, General Manager and Vice President of TI’s Battery Management Solutions Group, said, “Users of portable medical devices and other electronic devices must be able to accurately predict the remaining battery level to efficiently manage mobile devices and determine when to charge and replace batteries. “Products such as blood glucose meters, wearable patient monitoring bracelets, and portable inventory scanners must receive accurate information to make the right decisions. TI’s battery gauge provides users with reliable battery information, maximizing the usability of battery-powered products and enabling extended battery life,” he explained.

Gauge Studio for simpler battery gauge design
Battery gauge design can be simplified by using TI’s pre-configured “plug-and-play” bq27421 battery gauge with the new Gauge Studio software tool. The Gauge Studio design tool can drastically simplify and minimize configuration and system firmware development with file sizes approximately 10 times smaller than TI’s existing software. The bq27421EVM-G1A evaluation development kit is available for $49.

Key advantages of bq24721
• Achieved the smallest solution size compared to competitors with a small 1.5mm x 1.5mm x 0.5mm WCSP package integrating a sense resistor.
• Supports built-in or removable lithium-ion batteries with a single-cell battery fuel gauge
• Compared to competing products, the simple “plug-and-play” design minimizes the designer’s system configuration and firmware development requirements.
• Impedance Track™ technology provides 99% accurate battery capacity measurement information and features automatic adjustment based on battery aging, self-discharge, temperature, and charge rate fluctuations.

TI's Industrial Analog
As a leader in battery fuel gauge technology, TI pioneered the introduction of battery level measurement technology, starting with the laptop and smartphone sectors. Furthermore, TI is a leader in industrial semiconductors, offering a diverse portfolio of analog ICs for a wide range of applications, including smart grids, factory automation, high-voltage power, LED lighting, and control. TI’s data converters, amplifiers, interfaces, isolation, clocking, and power management devices support customers in differentiating their products, while TI’s software, design tools, and reference designs can streamline and accelerate design cycles. You can learn how TI’s analog products improve industrial safety, efficiency, and reliability at www.ti.com/industrial-pr .

Supply timing and price
The bq27421 battery gauge is currently supplied in a 1.5mm x 1.5mm x 0.5mm 9-ball WCSP package at a price of $1.2 per 1,000 units. Samples of the QFN package version are currently being shipped to key customers, and mass production supply is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter.

Detailed information on TI's battery management portfolio
• Easy-to-use bq27421 development kit
• Q&A and troubleshooting on the TI E2E™ Community Battery Forum: www.ti.com/batteryforum-pr
• Download TI's Battery Management Solution Guide: www.ti.com/bmsguide-pr
• Block diagram of TI's HealthTech finished products, including blood glucose meters and other health and fitness designs