ZMDI, a Global Semiconductor Company, Launches the World's Smallest Intelligent Battery Sensor IC for Automotive, Industrial and Medical Markets

DRESDEN, Germany, April 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

ZMD AG (ZMDI), a Dresden-based semiconductor company that specializes in enabling energy-efficient solutions, today announces the ZSSC1856. As a global supplier of analog and mixed-signal solutions for automotive, industrial, medical, information technology and consumer applications, ZMDI introduces the first member of a new Battery Power Management product line. The ZSSC1856 features two high-precision 18-bit Sigma/Delta ADCs with an on-chip voltage reference. Designed for ultra-low power consumption, the ZSSC1856 uses less than 100μA in Sleep Mode and comes in a PQFN32 5mm x 5mm package only 0.85mm high.

"ZMDI's goal is to enable our customers to deliver systems that address the demand for energy," says Frank Schulze, ZMDI. "The ZSSC1856 Intelligent Battery Sensor effectively offers automotive, industrial and medical customers a smaller, high-resolution and low-current alternative to present battery power management offerings."

Originally designed for automotive applications such as start/stop systems, the ZSSC1856 lends itself perfectly to industrial and medical systems that require precise battery state-of-health (SOH), state-of-charge (SOC) or state-of-function (SOF) monitoring, such as emergency lighting, uninterruptable power supplies, hospital equipment and alarm systems.

The ZSSC1856 is a dual-channel ADC with an embedded microcontroller. One of the two input channels measures the battery current IBAT via the voltage drop at the external shunt resistor. The second channel measures the battery voltage VBAT and the temperature. An integrated flash memory is provided for customer-specific software. The device communication interface supports LIN 1.3, 2.0 and 2.1 specifications. The ZSSC1856 is AEC-Q100 qualified and specified for temperatures from -40°C to +125°C.

This product is priced at 4,06 EUR (5.48 USD) for 1k pieces and evaluation kits, application notes and samples are available.

• Smallest footprint in the industry: PQFN32 5mm x 5mm package
• Lowest power consumption without sacrificing performance: During Sleep Mode (e.g., engine off), the system makes periodic measurements to monitor the discharge of the battery. Measurement cycles are software-controlled and include various wake-up conditions. The ZSSC1856 is optimized for ultra-low power consumption and draws only 100μA or less in this mode.
• 18-bit resolution for higher accuracy

About ZMDI

Zentrum Mikroelektronik Dresden AG (ZMDI) is a global supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors solutions for automotive, industrial, medical, information technology and consumer applications. These solutions enable our customers to create the most energy-efficient products for power management, lighting and sensors.

For over 50 years, ZMDI has been globally headquartered in Dresden, Germany. With over 300 employees worldwide, ZMDI serves its customers with sales offices and design centers throughout Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States.

See more at http://www.zmdi.com.

The URL for this news release is http://www.zmdi.com/news/press-releases-news.

The URL for the product photos is http://www.zmdi.com/news/photos-logo

The URL for further product information is http://www.zmdi.com/battery_management.

For further information:

Daniel Aitken, ZMDI Global Director of Marketing and Communications, T +1-514-831-6722, daniel.aitken@zmdi.com