A highly customisable battery management system (BMS) with ASIL-C certification will make larger vehicles such as buses and trucks more safer.
Sensata Technologies has released a battery management system (BMS) IC, the Lithium Balance n3-BMS. The BMS is developed for high voltage applications with power up to 1000 volts/2000 amps, especially for battery makers and manufacturers of electric trucks, buses, and other heavy commercial vehicles. The BMS comes with functional safety certification, significantly reducing the time to market and costs associated with the ISO 26262 certification process. This BMS is a distributed system that is capable of monitoring a large number of cells using Cell Monitoring Units (CMU). The n3-BMS employs 30 CMUs for monitoring individual cells and a Master Control Unit (MCU), which acts as the host system and consolidates the information and controls the battery functions.
Due to many battery-related accidents that have happened in the EVs, both government and consumers are demanding for a more robust battery pack. And BMS being the most essential component requires special attention. Therefore, the demand for ISO 26262-certified components is on the rise as battery packers and electric commercial vehicle OEMs prioritize functional safety in their platforms while striving for faster time-to-market. Since the Lithium Balance n3-BMS is Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL C) certified, it reduces the development time and associated costs.
According to the company, the BMS firmware has a unique layered software structure that enhances the ease of customization of the battery management system with its own code and algorithms without impacting the ASIL C certification. The BMS software architecture consists of a “Base Software Layer” (BSW) and an “External Software Layer” (ESW) which are connected by an open API link layer.
The BMS is compatible with the company’s previous generation BMS, so developers working on next-generation, heavy electric vehicles this BMS provides a convenient and cost-effective pathway to achieve an ASIL C certified BMS with a simple upgrade
Key features of the n3-BMS:
- Up to 1000V / 2000A
- 24 – 360 cells in series
- 3 CAN ports
