Reference Design

Battery Management

Complete battery management reference design with cell balancing, state-of-charge estimation, and comprehensive safety monitoring systems.

Overall Project Overview

What We Built

Production-ready Battery Management System (BMS) with advanced cell balancing, state-of-charge estimation, and comprehensive safety monitoring for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

• Multi-chemistry battery support (Li-ion, LiFePO4)
• Real-time SOC and SOH estimation algorithms
• Active/passive cell balancing up to 16S configuration
• Comprehensive safety monitoring and protection
• CAN bus communication for vehicle integration

Requirements & Design Philosophy

Safety Critical: Multiple layers of protection with redundant monitoring and fail-safe operation

Accuracy: High-precision measurements with temperature compensation and calibration algorithms

Efficiency: Optimized balancing algorithms to maximize battery life and performance

Reliability: Automotive-grade components with extensive validation and testing

Flexibility: Configurable for different battery chemistries and pack configurations

System Architecture

Distributed BMS architecture with master-slave configuration for scalable battery pack management:

• Master Controller: Central processing unit for system coordination and high-level algorithms
• Slave Modules: Distributed cell monitoring units for voltage and temperature measurement
• Current Sensor: High-precision Hall-effect sensors for charge/discharge monitoring
• Communication Bus: Isolated CAN bus for reliable data transmission
• Power Management: Low-power sleep modes with instant wake-up capability
• Safety Circuitry: Hardware-based protection with independent watchdog monitoring

Hardware

Platform Choice

Zion Platform (Xilinx Zynq-7000) - Selected for its FPGA capabilities and real-time processing power for battery algorithms.

Why chosen: FPGA acceleration for parallel cell monitoring and balancing algorithms, dual-core ARM for system control

Hardware parameters: XC7Z020 SoC, 512MB DDR3, programmable logic for custom interfaces

Design Considerations

Form Factor: Compact PCB design (100mm x 80mm) with high-voltage isolation barriers

Power Requirements: Ultra-low power consumption (<100mW standby) with wide input voltage range (8-60V DC)

Environmental Constraints: -40°C to +85°C operation, 95% humidity resistance, shock/vibration per MIL-STD-810

Requirements & Design Philosophy: Galvanic isolation for high-voltage safety, EMC compliance for automotive environments

OS/Firmware

OS Chosen & Configuration

Bare-metal firmware with FreeRTOS - Selected for deterministic real-time performance and minimal overhead.

Why chosen: Predictable timing for safety-critical battery monitoring, small footprint for resource-constrained environment

Kernel configuration: Preemptive scheduling with priority-based task management, optimized for low-power operation

OS configuration: Static memory allocation, no dynamic memory to prevent heap fragmentation

Drivers & Requirements

Drivers developed: High-precision ADC drivers for voltage measurement, isolated CAN transceiver drivers, temperature sensor interfaces

Requirements & Design Philosophy: Redundant measurement channels with automatic fault detection, calibration routines for long-term accuracy, watchdog protection for continuous operation

Middleware

Middleware Chosen

Battery Management Protocol Stack - Custom lightweight middleware optimized for battery system communication and data processing.

Why chosen: Purpose-built for battery systems with proven reliability and efficiency

Requirements & Design Philosophy: Minimal overhead for real-time operation, robust error handling with automatic recovery

Interfaces

Cell Interfaces: Differential voltage measurement with noise filtering and ESD protection

Communication Interfaces: CAN 2.0B and CAN-FD for vehicle integration, UART for debugging

Data Interfaces: Standardized APIs for SOC/SOH data access and configuration parameters

Application

Applications Developed

BMS Control Application - Comprehensive battery management software with advanced algorithms and safety features.

• Kalman filter-based SOC estimation with temperature compensation

• Active/passive balancing algorithms for capacity optimization

• Safety monitoring with multiple fault detection mechanisms

• Thermal management with predictive heating/cooling control

Interfaces & Requirements

Interfaces: CAN bus APIs for vehicle communication, diagnostic interfaces for service tools, configuration APIs for customization

Requirements & Design Philosophy: Fault-tolerant design with redundant calculations, comprehensive logging for diagnostics, modular architecture for easy maintenance

Support Apps

Desktop

Battery analysis and configuration software for parameter tuning, capacity testing utilities, and diagnostic tools with data visualization.

Cloud

Battery fleet monitoring platform for performance analytics, predictive maintenance alerts, and remote firmware updates.

Mobile

Field service apps for battery diagnostics, configuration tools for technicians, and monitoring apps for battery testing.

Other Support

Cloud Interface & Diagnostics

Advanced cloud connectivity for battery performance monitoring, diagnostics, and fleet management.

• Secure data transmission with encryption and authentication

• Real-time battery telemetry for performance monitoring

• Automated diagnostics with machine learning-based anomaly detection

• Historical data analytics for battery aging and optimization

Profiling & Requirements

Performance Profiling: Current consumption analysis, thermal profiling, and efficiency optimization tools

Requirements & Design Philosophy: Comprehensive testing framework with automated validation, detailed logging for failure analysis, continuous monitoring for long-term reliability

Final Overview

What Will Be Delivered

Complete production-ready BMS solution with hardware, software, documentation, and support tools.

• Assembled and tested BMS hardware modules
• Complete firmware and application software
• Comprehensive testing and validation reports
• Configuration and diagnostic tools
• Integration guides and API documentation
• Technical support and maintenance services

Requirements & Design Philosophy

Production Ready: All components meet industry standards and are validated for mass production

Customizable: Flexible architecture supports different battery chemistries and configurations

Reliable: Multiple safety layers ensure safe operation under all conditions

Efficient: Optimized algorithms maximize battery life and performance