Many of us can relate to battery-powered devices that display how much power or run time is available in that particular device, especially because we have been surrounded by a multitude of gadgets on the home front. From electric shavers to tablets, we rely on all sorts of battery indicators to help determine if and how these devices will be used. In time, we become somewhat familiar with each device’s level of accuracy and know how much confidence to place in a device reporting, for example, 10% power left.
In higher-power multicell applications, situations can be more critical if users are found without adequate power, such as the case with ebikes, battery-backup systems, power tools, or medical instrumentation. A spare battery pack may not always be available or continuous operation for a specific length of time may be required. Thus, we can better appreciate accurate battery gas gauging (aka fuel gauging) or assessing how much charge a battery or battery pack has at any point in time.
Handling Battery-System Challenges
Battery gas gauging is just one of many functions typically found in a smart multicell battery system, in addition to charging, protection and cell-balancing circuitry. Regardless of function, battery systems present a unique set of design challenges simply because batteries are always changing in electrical nature.