Li-ion battery management platform with pre-validated firmware
Renesas Electronics Corporation has launched all-in-one solutions for battery management for lithium-ion packs used in various battery-powered consumer products, including e-bikes, vacuum cleaners, robotics, and drones.
With pre-validated firmware included, the R-BMS F (Ready Battery Management System with Fixed Firmware) will significantly reduce the learning curve for developers, facilitating the rapid design of safe, power-efficient battery management systems. Designed for lithium-ion batteries in both 2-4S and 3-10S series (S) cell configurations, R-BMS F includes industry-leading fuel gauge ICs (FGICs) with an integrated microcontroller (MCU) and an analogue battery front end, pre-programmed firmware, software, development tools and full documentation — all available in complete evaluation kits that are ready to ship.
Firmware plays a crucial role in battery management systems, as it monitors the batteries’ state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), current, and temperature, while also actively balancing the voltages of individual cells and detecting faults. The R-BMS F features built-in, pre-tested firmware specifically designed to function with the FGIC’s onboard MCU. This firmware includes essential pre-programmed functions aimed at maximising battery life and ensuring safe operation, which encompass cell balancing, current control, as well as voltage and temperature monitoring. For greater flexibility, the battery management system allows developers to set numerous parameters to address specific requirements and tailor the solution for different cell chemistries using a graphical user interface (GUI) without the need for a fully integrated development environment (IDE).
The R-BMS F battery management platform includes a comprehensive evaluation kit containing all the necessary hardware, software, tools, and documentation required to start developing. The underlying hardware of the R-BMS F is the Renesas FGIC, which integrates an analog battery front end and an ultra-low-power RL78 MCU into a single, small package. The analogue portion provides accurate measurements of cell voltage, current, and temperature, while also controlling the external MOSFETs and converting analog data into digital signals. The digital section is where synchronous functions reside, including the main CPU, clocks, timers, and serial interfaces. The evaluation kits also come with pre-programmed firmware stored in embedded flash memory, allowing for flexibility in setting battery pack and cell chemistry parameters; a USB System Management Bus (SMBus) interface; GUI-based software; cables for communication with the host system; dedicated development tools for parameter configuration; and comprehensive documentation, including schematics and an engineering bill of materials (eBOM).
The R-BMS F for 2 to 4S cell ( around 8-16 V) configurations (RTK0EF0163DK0002BU) targets small vacuum cleaners, robotic vacuums, and consumer and medical devices and runs on the RAJ240055 Li-ion battery FGIC.
The R-BMS F for 3 to 10S cell ( approximately 12-40 V) configurations (RTK0EF0136DK0002BU) runs on Renesas RAJ240100 and RAJ240090 Li-ion battery FGICs, with target applications including e-bikes, e-mobility, vacuum cleaners, robotics, drones and industrial, consumer and medical systems.
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