The bq2018 is a low-cost charge/dis
charge counter peripheral packaged in
an 8-pin TSSOP or SOIC. It works
with an intelligent host controller, pro
viding state-of-charge information for
rechargeable batteries.
The bq2018 measures the voltage
drop across a low-value series sense
resistor between the negative termi
nal of the battery and the battery
pack ground contact. By using the ac
cumulated counts in the charge,
discharge, and self-discharge registers, an intelligent host controller can
determine battery state-of-charge information. To improve accuracy, an
offset count register is available. The
system host controller is responsible
for the register maintenance by resetting the charge in/out and selfdischarge registers as needed.
Pin ConnectionsPin Names
The bq2018 also features 128 bytes
of NVRAM registers. The upper 13
bytes of NVRAM contain the capac
ity monitoring and status informa
tion. The RBI input operates from
an external power storage source
such as a capacitor or a series cell in
the battery pack, providing register
nonvolatility for periods when the
battery is shorted to ground or when
the battery charge state is not suffi
cient to operate the bq2018. During
this mode, the register backup cur
rent is less than 100nA.
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Packaged in an 8-pin TSSOP or
SOIC, the bq2018 is small enough
to fit in the crevice between two Asize cells or within the width of a
prismatic cell.
-
-
-
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REG
V
CC
V
SS
HDQ
SLUS003–JUNE 1999 C
1
2
3
4
8-Pin TSSOP or Narrow SOIC
8
7
6
5
PN-201801.eps
WAKE
SR1
SR2
RBI
REGRegulator output
V
CC
V
SS
HDQData input/output
Supply voltage input
Ground
1
WAKEWake-up output
SR1Current sense input 1
SR2Current sense input 2
RBIRegister backup input
bq2018
Pin Descriptions
REG
V
CC
V
SS
SR1–
SR2
HDQ
RBI
WAKE
Regulator output
REG is the output of the operational trans
conductance amplifier (OTA) that drives an
external pass n-channel JFET to provide an
optional regulated supply. The supply is
regulated at 3.7V nominal.
Supply voltage input
When regulated by the REG output, VCCis
3.7V ±200mV. When the REG output is not
used, the valid operating range is 2.8V to
5.5V.
Ground
Current sense inputs
The bq2018 interprets charge and discharge
activity by monitoring and integrating the
voltage drop (V
The SR1 input connects to the sense resistor
and the negative terminal of the battery.
The SR2 input connects to the sense resistor
and the negative terminal of the pack. V
<V
indicates discharge, and V
SR2
indicates charge. The effective voltage drop,
V
, as seen by the bq2018, is VSR+VOS.
SRO
Valid input range is±200mV.
Data input/output
This bi-directional input/output communicates the register information to the host
system. HDQ is open drain and requires a
pullup/down resistor in the battery pack to
disable/enable sleep mode if the pack is re
moved from the system.
Register backup input
This input maintains the internal register
states during periods when V
minimum operating voltage.
Wake-up output
When asserted, this output is used to indi
cate that the charge or discharge activity is
above a programmed minimal level.
) across pins SR1 and SR2.
SR
SR1>VSR2
is below the
CC
Functional Description
General Operation
A host can use the bq2018 internal counters and timers
to measure battery state-of-charge, estimate selfdischarge, and calculate the average charge and dis
charge current into and out of a rechargeable battery.
The bq2018 needs an external host system to perform all
register maintenance. Using information from the
bq2018, the system host can determine the battery
state-of-charge, estimate self-discharge, and calculate
the average charge and discharge currents. During pack
storage periods, the use of an internal temperature sen
sor doubles the self-discharge count rate every 10° above
25°C.
To reduce cost, power to the bq2018 may be derived using
a low-cost external FET in conjunction with the REG pin.
The bq2018 operating current is less than 80µA. When
the HDQ line remains low for greater than ten seconds
and V
SRO(VSR+VOS
tween SR1 and SR2 and VOSis the offset voltage) is below
the programmed minimal level (WAKE is in High Z), the
bq2018 enters a sleep mode of <10µA where all operations are suspended. HDQ transitioning high reinitiates
the bq2018.
SR1
A register is available to store the calculated offset, allowing current calibration. The offset cancellation register is
written by the bq2018 during pack assembly and is available to the host system to adjust the current measurements. By adding or subtracting the offset value stored
in the OFR, the true charge and discharge counts can be
calculated to a high degree of certainty.
Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the bq2018, and Table
1 outlines the bq2018 operational states.
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REG Output
The bq2018 can operate directly from three or four
nickel-chemistry cells or a single Li-Ion cell as long as
VCCis limited to 2.8 to 5.5V. To facilitate the power sup
ply requirements of the bq2018, a REG output is present
to regulate an external low-threshold n-JFET. A micro
power VCCsource for the bq2018 can inexpensively be
built using this FET.
-
where VSRis the voltage drop be-
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-
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2
bq2018
SR1
SR2
Optional
(External)
Dynamically
Balanced VFC
Bandgap
Voltage
Reference
ds
g
Differential
V
CC
REG
Temperature-
Compensated
Precision
Oscillator
WAKE
Calibration
and Power
Control
Timer
Temperature
Sensor
VDD (Internal)
System
I/O
and
Control
RAM
and
Counters
128 x 8
Counter
Control
HDQ
RBI
V
ref
V
SS
Figure 1. bq2018 Block Diagram
Table 1. Operational States
HDQ PinDCR/CCR/SCRWOEWAKEOperating State
HDQ Highyes|V
HDQ Highyes|V
HDQ Lowno|V
Note:V
is the voltage difference between SR1 and SR2 plus the offset voltage VOS.
SRO
SRO
SRO
SRO
| > V
| < V
| < V
3
WOE
WOE
WOE
LowNormal
High ZNormal
High ZSleep
BD201801.eps
bq2018
BAT+
d
Q1
SST113
s
C5
0.01µF
VCC
1
2
3
45
VCC
C1
0.1µF
R5
HDQ
100
2
D1
BZX84C5V6
Figure 2. Typical Application
RBI Input
The RBI input pin is used with a storage capacitor or external supply to provide back-up potential to the internal
RAM when VCCdrops below 2.4V. The maximum discharge current is 100nA in this mode. The bq2018 outputs VCCon RBI when the supply is above 2.4V, so a diode is required to isolate an external supply.
Charge/Discharge Count Operation
Table 2 shows the main counters and registers of the
bq2018. The bq2018 accumulates charge and discharge
counts into two main count registers, the Discharge
Count Register (DCR) and the Charge Count Register
(CCR). The bq2018 produces charge and discharge
R6
R2
100K
R3
100K
1K
R1
0.05
1W
2
D2
U1
8
WAKE
REG
7
SR1
VCC
6
SR2
VSS
RBI
HDQ
BQ2018
BZX84C5V6
C2
0.1µF
C3
0.1µF
D3
R4
C4
BAV99
0.1µF
1M
2018typAp.eps
counts by sensing the voltage difference across a lowvalue resistor between the negative terminal of the battery pack and the negative terminal of the battery. The
DCR or CCR counts depending on the signal between
SR1 and SR2.
During discharge, the DCR and the Discharge Time
Counter (DTC) are active. If V
cating a discharge, the DCR counts at a rate equivalent to
is less than V
SR1
12.5µV every hour, and the DTC counts at a rate of 1
count/0.8789 seconds (4096 counts per 1 hour). For exam
ple, a -100mV signal produces 8000 DCR counts and 4096
DTC counts each hour. The amount of charge removed
from the battery can easily be calculated.
During charge, the CCR and the Charge Time Counter
(CTC) are active. If V
a charge, the CCR counts at a rate equivalent to 12.5µV
every hour, and the CTC counts at a rate of 1
count/0.8789 seconds. For example, a +100mV signal produces 8000 CCR counts and 4096 CTC counts each hour.
The amount of charge added to the battery can easily be
calculated.
The DTC and the CTC are 16-bit registers, and roll over
beyond ffffh. If a rollover occurs, the corresponding bit in
the MODE/WOE register is set, and the counter will subsequently increment at 1/256 of the normal rate (16
counts/hr.).
Whenever the signal between SR1 and SR2 is above the
Wakeup Output Enable (WOE) threshold and the HDQ
pin is high, the bq2018 is in its full operating state. In
this state, the DCR, CCR, DTC, CTC, and SCR are fully
operational, and the WAKE output is low. During this
mode, the internal RAM registers of the bq2018 may be
accessed over the HDQ pin, as described in the section
“Communicating With the 2018.”
If the signal between SR1 and SR2 is below the WOE
threshold (refer to the WAKE section for details) and
HDQ remains low for greater than 10 seconds, the
bq2018 enters a sleep mode where all register counting is
suspended. The bq2018 remains in this mode until HDQ
returns high.
For self-discharge calculation, the self-discharge count
register (SCR) counts at a rate equivalent to 1 count
every hour at a nominal 25°C and doubles approximately
every 10°C up to 60°C. The SCR count rate is halved
every 10 °C below 25°C down to 0°C. The value in SCR is
is greater than V
SR1
, indicating
SR2
7f
Discharge count high byte
7e
Discharge count low byte
7d
Charge count high byte
7c
Charge count low byte
7b
Self-discharge high byte
7a
Self-discharge low byte
79
Discharge time high byte
78
Discharge time low byte
77
Charge time high byte
76
Charge time low byte
75
Mode/wake output enable
74
Temperature/clear
73
Offset register
FG201801.eps
useful in determining an estimation of the battery selfdischarge based on capacity and storage temperature
conditions.
The bq2018 may be programmed to measure the voltage
offset between SR1 and SR2 during pack assembly or at
any time by invoking the Calibration mode. The Offset
Register (OFR) is used to store the bq2018 offset. The 8bit 2’s complement value stored in the OFR is scaled to
the same units as the DCR and CCR, representing the
amount of positive or negative offset in the bq2018. The
maximum offset for the bq2018 is specified as±500µV.
Care should be taken to ensure proper PCB layout. Using OFR, the system host can cancel most of the effects of
bq2018 offset for greater resolution and accuracy.
Figure 3 shows the bq2018 register address map. The
bq2018 uses the upper 13 locations. The remaining
memory can store user-specific information such as
chemistry, serial number, and manufacturing date.
WAKEOutput
This output is used to inform the system that the voltage
difference between SR1 and SR2 is above or below the
Wake Output Enable (WOE) threshold programmed in
the MODE/WOE register. When the voltage difference
between SR1 and SR2 is below V
goes into High Z and remains in this state until the dis
charge or charge current increases above the specified
value. The MODE/WOE resets to 0eh after a power-on
reset. V
tween 1 and 7 (1–7h) according to Table 3.
is set by dividing 3.84mV by a value be
WOE
, the WAKE output
WOE
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5
bq2018
T ab le 3. WOE Thresholds
WOE
(hex)V
3–1
WOE
(mV)
0hn/a
1h3.840
2h1.920
3h1.280
4h0.960
5h0.768
6h0.640
7h*0.549
* Default value after POR.
Temperature
The bq2018 has an internal temperature sensor which is
used to set the value in the temperature register
(TMP/CLR) and set the self-discharge count rate value.
The register reports the temperature in 8 steps of 10°C
from <0°C to >60°C as Table 4 specifies. The bq2018 temperature sensor has typical accuracy of
2°Cat 25°C.
±
See the TMP/CLR register description for more details.
Clear Register
The host system is responsible for register maintenance.
To facilitate this maintenance, the bq2018 has a Clear
Register (TMP/CLR) designed to reset the specific counter or register pair to zero. The host system clears a register by writing the corresponding register bit to 1. When
the bq2018 completes the reset, the corresponding bit in
the TMP/CLR register is automatically reset to 0, which
saves the host an extra write/read cycle. Clearing the
DTC register clears the STD bit and sets the DTC count
rate to the default value of 1 count per 0.8789s. Clearing
Table 4. Temperature Steps
TempValue (hex)SDR Count Rate
<0°0h
0–10°1h
10–20°2h
1/8
×
1/4
×
1/2
×
20–30°3h1 count/hr.
30–40°4h
40–50°5h
50–60°6h
>60°7h
2
×
4
×
8
×
16
×
the CTC register clears the STC bit and sets the CTC
count rate to the default value of 1 count per 0.8789s.
Calibration Mode
The system can enable bq2018 VOScalibration by setting
the calibration bit in the MODE/WOE register (Bit 6) to
1. The bq2018 then enters calibration mode when the
HDQ line is low for greater than 10 seconds and when
the signal between SR1 and SR2 is below V
tion: Take care to ensure that no low-level external signal is present between SR1 and SR2 because
this affects the calibration value that the bq2018
calculates.
If HDQ remains low for one hour and |V
the entire time, the measured VOSis latched into the
OFR register, and the calibration bit is reset to zero, indi
cating to the system that the calibration cycle is com
plete. Once calibration is complete, the bq2018 enters a
SR
WOE
|<V
. Cau-
for
WOE
-
-
Written by Host to bq2018
Break
MSB
LSB
01234567
110
LSB
73h = 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1
Figure 4. Typical Communication with the bq2018
CMDR = 73h
01110
MSB
Received by Host from bq2018
LSB
0
1
Data (OFR) = 65h
123456
010011
MSBLSB
MSB
7
0
65h = 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1
TD201801.eps
6
Table 5. bq2018 Command and Status Registers
Symbol
CMDR
DCRH
DCRL
CCRH
CCRL
SCRH
SCRL
DTCH
DTCL
CTCH
CTCL
MODE/
WOE
TMP/CLR
OFR
RAM
Notes:1. MODE/WOE register bit 0 is set to zero at startup and should not be