Battery monitor IC delivers ASIL-D compliance in a single chip

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. has released the MAX17853  battery monitor IC that can deliver ASIL-D compliance for automotive applications in a single chip, resulting in a more cost-effective battery management system by eliminating the need for extra components such as redundant comparators. The MAX17853 reduces system bill-of-materials (BOM) costs by up to 35 percent compared to competitive solutions, said Maxim.

The MAX17853 targets mid-to-large cell count configurations for automotive applications, such as battery packs for electric and hybrid vehicles.  Contributing to the device’s safety is its advanced battery cell balancing system, which automatically balances each cell by time and voltage to minimize risk of overcharging, said Maxim.

Flexibility is  important as engineers typically must design and qualify separate boards and BOMs for each different module configuration, said Maxim. The chip, based on a flexible architecture called Flexpack, allows customers to rapidly make changes to their module configurations.

Maxim claims the MAX17853 is the industry’s only IC supporting multiple channel configurations (8 to 14 cells) with one board. This allows customers to reduce design time by up to 50 percent through reduced validation and qualification time, according to the company.

An evaluation kit, the MAX17853EVKIT#, is available for $250. Contact Maxim for pricing of the MAX17853.