Intersil, a subsidiary of Renesas Electronics, Inc., a leading global supplier of semiconductor solutions, today announced the launch of the ISL942023 to 8-cell battery pack monitor, It supports systems such as vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, hand-held power tools, electric bicycles, scooters, electric toys, and electrical energy storage that require lithium-ion and other chemical batteries. In order to use lithium-ion batteries safely, it is necessary to monitor and protect them systematically. The highly integrated ISL94202 battery pack monitor helps achieve an ultra-small 2-terminal design and accurately monitors and protects the rechargeable battery pack for cell equalization and safe system operation.

As a standalone battery protection system, the ISL94202 uses a built-in state with five pre-programmed modes to accurately balance and control each cell. It monitors the battery pack and protects it from catastrophic events such as hardware failures, short circuits and overcharge/overdischarge of cell voltage, provided that the battery pack safety requirements specified in UL2054, UL2271/72 and IEC62133 are met. Design engineers can also program the ISL94202 battery monitor's protection Settings without the need for an external microcontroller to achieve the industry's smallest, cost-effective battery pack design. If required, the ISL94202 can also communicate with an external microcontroller via the I2C serial bus to provide additional coulometer measurements, including charge status and health status information. Accurate coulometer status is provided by the high side current measurement characteristics of the device.

The ISL94202 integrates a high-side charge/discharge FET driver circuit, making it easy to connect to a variety of tools or electric devices. In addition, the device can also control the external passive cell equalization switch, allowing good cell energy matching, while protecting the battery pack cell life from long-term undercharging. In addition, the ISL94202 can withstand factory battery pack assembly hot-swap events, greatly simplifying the manufacturing process.