Japanese semiconductor firm Renesas Electronics has introduced an all-in-one system for managing lithium-ion battery packs in consumer products, including e-bikes.
The Ready Battery Management System with Fixed Firmware (R-BMS F) comes with pre-validated firmware to reduce the learning curve for developers, enabling rapid designs of safe, power-efficient battery management systems.
Designed for lithium-ion batteries in 2-4 and 3-10 cell series, R-BMS F includes the company’s fuel gauge integrated circuits (FGICs), an integrated microcontroller (MCU) and an analog battery front end, pre-programmed firmware, software, development tools and full documentation.
Renesas’s FGIC solution combines an analog battery front end and an ultra-low-power RL78 MCU into a single, small package. The analog portion provides accurate measurements of cell voltage, current and temperature, as well as controlling the external MOSFETs and converting analog data to digital signals. The digital section includes the main CPU, clocks, timers and serial interfaces.
The R-BMS F includes built-in, pre-tested firmware designed to work with the onboard MCU. The firmware includes critical pre-programmed functions to maximize battery life and ensure safe operation, including cell balancing, current control and voltage and temperature monitoring. For added flexibility, the BMS lets developers set many parameters to meet specific requirements and adjust the system for different cell chemistries via a graphical user interface, without the need for a full integrated development environment.
“One of the biggest bottlenecks for designing advanced power management solutions is the complex task of firmware development and validation,” said Chris Allexandre, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Power at Renesas. “Not everyone has the expertise or in-house resources to write their own algorithms. Our all-in-one R-BMS F battery management system eliminates this process and provides market-ready power solutions that work without requiring specialized technical knowledge of MCU programming or advanced battery management design.”
The R-BMS F for 3 to 10S cell (~12-40 V) solutions runs on Renesas RAJ240100 and RAJ240090 lithium-ion battery FGICs for e-bikes and other e-mobility applications. Renesas has combined these FGICs with other devices from its portfolio to offer its Wall to Battery Low Power Energy Storage System and USB-PD All-in-One Battery and Charging Solution.
Source: Renesas Electronics
