OREANDA-NEWS. Toshiba Corporation announced that it will launch a switch mode charger IC for lithium-ion battery chargers for mobile devices, such as smartphones and cellular phones. The new IC, TC7710WBG integrates a detection circuit compliant with "Battery Charging Spec. Rev. 1.2" and has a maximum charge current of 2A[1]. Samples will be available at the end of this month and mass production is scheduled for May 2013.

The new charger automatically detects USB port type for chargers defined in "Battery Charging Spec. Rev. 1.2", and restricts input current to efficient levels such as 100mA, 500mA, etc. Manufacturers can address the IC through the I2C interface and change the charge current and voltage, supporting design charger systems optimized to the specs of product it will be used with.

The IC can also be combined with an external thermistor to detect and automatically stop charging when temperature exceeds the specified range, a measure that greatly enhances safety during charging.