Compact Li-ion battery protection for wearables and mobile devices
Nisshinbo Micro Devices has launched two new 1-cell Li-ion battery protection ICs, the NB7123 and NB7130, designed to improve the safety, accuracy, and compactness of portable electronics. Housed in ultra-small WLCSP packages, the ICs are aimed at applications such as hearing aids, wearables, smartphones, and handheld terminals.
For eeNews Europe readers designing ultra-compact, battery-powered products, these new ICs could offer not only a smaller footprint but enhanced reliability and protective functionality that can help meet tighter safety requirements for consumer and medical devices.
Improved Battery Protection Accuracy
The NB7123 and NB7130 include a full set of protection functions: overcharge and over-discharge voltage (OVP/UVP), overcurrent (OCP), and short circuit detection. Nisshinbo said it has focused on enhancing the accuracy of these detections, which plays a critical role in safely managing Li-ion cells in body-worn and high-density electronics.
Among the key improvements listed by Nisshinbo:
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Overcharge and over-discharge voltage detection is highly accurate, which allows battery voltage operation closer to limits without triggering errors, maximizing battery life.
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Overcurrent detection benefits from a low current sense voltage, enabling use of a smaller Rsens resistor for lower heat dissipation and better precision at high current levels.
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A high-resolution 0 V charging inhibition voltage, adjustable in 1 mV steps, prevents damage when attempting to recharge deep-discharged batteries.
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A TIN pin is provided for temperature monitoring of the battery cell, enabling further protection against thermal events.
High-Side and Low-Side MOSFET Options
A standout feature of the NB7123 is its support for high-side MOSFETs, allowing the protection circuit to share a common ground with the system, simplifying signal referencing. Despite the traditional gate drive complexity of high-side switches, Nisshinbo has integrated a charge pump, eliminating the need for external components.
For designs preferring low-side switching, the NB7130 provides the same protection functionality, but configured for low-side MOSFETs. Both variants support a Forced Standby Mode via a dedicated STB input, allowing significant power savings when idle and automatic wake-up upon charger detection.
Both ICs are available now in WLCSP-8-ZA2 (NB7123) and WLCSP-8-ZA1 (NB7130) packages. For datasheets, design guides, and distribution details, engineers can visit Nisshinbo’s official product pages.
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