Battery-charging concerns for high-power portables

Cell phones are a good example of how functionality and performance have both increased significantly in portable devices over the last few decades. They have become more complex and can do many basic tasks as well as any computer. The extra functionality that has transitioned the smartphone from a phone-call-only device to a multipurpose portable device, which makes it more power hungry than ever before.

The internal battery pack is the main source of storing and delivering power to portable-device circuitry. Battery charger ICs are responsible for charging the battery pack safely and efficiently. They must also control the power delivery to the system to maintain normal operation while plugged in to wall power. The battery pack is required to store a large amount of energy and be charged in a short amount of time without sacrificing weight and volume. The increased charge and discharge currents, as well as the smaller physical size, make the packs vulnerable to physical and thermal stresses. Therefore, battery chargers are no longer required to perform just as a simple stand-alone charger.

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Originally published by Texas Instruments Inc. at www.ti.com as "Battery-charging considerations for high-power portable devices".