2 Maximizing shelf life

A product can be in transit and on the shelf for months before its purchase by a consumer, who typically prefers to use the product right out of the box. With some countries adopting new shipping restrictions that restrict batteries to only a certain amount of charge before they’re shipped, it is crucial to conserve every bit of battery capacity.

In a non-power path topology, the system has to go into a low-power mode, as the system connects directly to the battery. Low-power mode often imposes requirements for a load switch or some other way to isolate the battery from the system.

In the power path topology, the battery FET can disconnect the battery from the system in ship mode – that is the state in which the product is consuming the lowest battery current. Ship mode also prevents the battery from powering the system by shutting off the battery FET. Designing your charging IC with power path and ship mode can enable instant turnon right out of the box when the consumer plugs in the adapter or presses the power button.