Rohm has developed a battery charger semiconductor designed for low voltage charging wearables such as wireless ear buds, smart displays or compact internet of things (IoT) devices.
According to Rohm, the need for this device came from the lack of safe, high density rechargeable batteries on the market. Many of the current rechargeable batteries are small and thin as well as require low voltage charging in the 2 V to 3 V range with no battery charger ICs able to handle the wide voltage range.
Rohm’s battery charger chip supports low voltage charging of not just lithium-ion but also new types of rechargeable batteries such as all-solid or semi-solid state. Additionally, the BD71631QWZ achieves low voltage charging over a wide range from 2.0 V to 4.7 V by improving the stability of the internal circuit.
The semiconductor allows for charge voltage to be set by changing the external resistor, reducing design load when changing batteries. The packaging technology results in a 60% lower than conventional products on the market, Rohm said.