Automotive Battery Managers Set Safety Bars

Embarking as the industry’s first two-chip protection solution including all necessary functionalities, the ATA6870/71 chipset requires less external components than comparable offerings because it includes a hot plug-in capability, six integrated ADCs with a cut-off frequency lower than 30 Hz, and a stackable microcontroller power supply. Reportedly, the ATA6870 is the industry's first battery management IC to include all functionalities required to control a high-cell-count Li-Ion battery including six precise 12-bit ADCs for voltage monitoring, cell balancing, cell temperature measuring, and unique features such as the stackable integrated power supply for a microcontroller or hot plug-in capability. To prevent Li-Ion batteries from overcharging and deep discharge, the ATA6871 monitors the battery cells' voltage and temperature and protects them against thermal runaway or exploding. With integrated self-test routines that run without an external microcontroller or software and its hardware-implemented monitoring thresholds, the ATA6871 may offer the highest available safety level for Li-Ion battery monitoring. Both the ATA6870 and the ATA6871 monitor six-battery cells and can be stacked up to 16 times. The ATA6870 also includes an eight-bit checksum monitor and a dedicated ADC for each battery cell. Available in small QFN48/SSO28 packages, prices for the ATA6870 and ATA6871 are $2.95 and $1.31 each/10,000, respectively. ATMEL CORP., San Jose, CA. (408) 441-0311.