ADI’s Monitor ICs Prolong Auto Battery Life

The ADuC703x family of precision automotive battery monitors measures voltage, current, and temperature to determine the battery's state-of-charge and state-of-health. These values are subsequently used to control battery charging and discharging profiles in order to ensure battery dependability and prolong battery life, while providing priority to critical functions. The devices integrate up to three 16-bit a/d converters, an ARM7 microcontroller, LIN transceiver, flash memory, programmable gain amplifier, and attenuation resistors. Connecting directly to the battery, power consumption is as low as 300 µA in low-power mode and less than 10 mA at 10 MHz in operation. The 16-bit sigma-delta a/d converters measure battery voltage in the range of 3.5V to 18V and current from less than 1 mA to 1.5 kA. The family also includes a dual a/d converter version, the ADuC7030/3, that monitors voltage and temperature in series, and the ADuC7032 with three converters that allows simultaneous voltage and temperature monitoring. All devices in the ADuC703x family are sampling now with production scheduled for November. Prices range from $6.73 to $7.55 each/1,000. ANALOG DEVICES INC., Wilmington, MA. (800) 262-5643.