BMS (Battery Management System) chip is the core component of the battery pack. It is mainly responsible for key tasks such as monitoring battery status, ensuring battery safety, and extending battery life.
1. Main functions of BMS chip
① Battery voltage monitoring: BMS chip monitors the battery voltage in real time through the built-in voltage sensor to ensure that the battery operates within a safe voltage range
② Current monitoring: Monitor the battery charge and discharge current to ensure the stability of the battery charge and discharge process
③ Temperature monitoring: Monitor the battery temperature to prevent overheating and overcooling, and protect the safety and life of the battery
④ Battery capacity estimation: Estimate the remaining capacity of the battery by monitoring the battery power and discharge characteristics
⑤ Charge and discharge control: Control the battery charge and discharge process according to the battery status and demand to ensure the battery charge and discharge efficiency and safety
⑥ Protection function: When the battery has abnormal conditions such as overvoltage, overcurrent, overtemperature, etc., the BMS chip will take protection measures in time to disconnect the connection between the battery and the load to prevent accidents
2. Main BMS chips
The chips used in BMS are mainly AFE (Anlalog Front End) chip, microcontroller (MCU), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), isolation chip, etc.
①AFE chip:
It is the core chip of BMS, responsible for real-time acquisition of accurate information such as voltage, current, stability, etc., and feeds this information back to the main controller (such as MCU) for monitoring and management of battery status. The specific functional applications in BMS are as follows:
A. Real-time monitoring:
The AFE chip monitors key parameters such as voltage, current and temperature of the battery pack in real time through the built-in acquisition module. These data are crucial for monitoring battery status and ensuring safe operation of the battery
B. Data processing:
The collected data is processed by a specific algorithm to calculate important information such as the battery's state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH). This information helps to understand the performance and life of the battery and provide a basis for decision-making in battery management
C. Balance control:
If the capacity difference between the cells in the battery pack is detected, the AFE chip will start the balance module to adjust the power of each cell to ensure the overall performance of the battery pack and extend the service life
D. Abnormal detection and protection:
The AFE chip has multiple protection mechanisms and can respond in time by cutting off the charging and discharging circuits when abnormal conditions (such as overcharging, overdischarging, overheating, etc.) are detected to protect the battery from damage
②MCU chip
It is the core calculation and control unit of BMS, and its functions are as follows:
A. State technology:
MCU is responsible for calculating key parameters of the battery, such as state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), etc. These parameters are crucial for evaluating the remaining power and service life of the battery
B. Data processing:
MCU receives analog signals such as voltage and current from the analog front-end chip (AFE), and performs data processing and analysis after analog-to-digital conversion. It also processes data input from other sensors to achieve comprehensive monitoring of the battery status
C. Communication control:
MCU transmits and communicates data with other systems (such as vehicle control unit VCU) through communication interfaces (such as CAN, LIN, etc.). It is responsible for sending the status information and alarm information of the BMS system to other systems to achieve coordination and control of the entire vehicle system
③Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) chip
The main function of the ADC chip is to convert continuous analog signals (such as battery voltage, current, etc.) into discrete digital signals so that digital systems (such as MCU) can process and analyze them. In the BMS system, the ADC chip is responsible for converting the collected analog signals such as battery voltage and current into digital signals, thereby achieving accurate monitoring and management of the battery status
It works in conjunction with components such as AFE and MCU
AFE is responsible for collecting analog signals such as battery voltage, current and temperature, and transmitting these signals to the ADC chip for conversion. The converted digital signal is processed and analyzed by the MCU to calculate key parameters such as the battery's SOC (state of charge) and SOH (state of health), and to realize functions such as charge and discharge control, thermal management, and fault diagnosis of the battery pack.
3. BMS chip brand
①Texas Instruments (TI)
A world-leading semiconductor company, its BMS chips are highly accurate and reliable, with rich performance, and can meet the needs of various application scenarios
②Analog Devices (ADI)
A semiconductor company focusing on high-performance analog signal processing technology, its BMS chips are known for high accuracy, low power consumption and excellent stability. The company's AFE (analog front-end chip) plays a key role in the BMS system, used to collect information such as battery cell voltage and temperature, and supports battery balancing
③STMicroelectronics (STM)
A well-known semiconductor manufacturer focusing on embedded systems and power management. Its BMS chip combines advanced analog and digital technologies to provide comprehensive battery management functions. Its MCU, as the core computing and control unit of BMS, is responsible for data processing, battery status monitoring, control algorithm execution, fault diagnosis and communication management.
④Infineon
Focuses on power semiconductors, microcontrollers and safety solutions. Its BMS chips are known for their high reliability, high performance and flexible design. The BMS solutions provided by the company cover multiple aspects from battery sampling, fuel gauges to MCU and ADC.
⑤Renesas Electronics
Its BMS chips combine advanced analog and digital technologies to provide comprehensive battery management functions. Its AFE chips and MCUs and other products have high visibility and competitiveness in the market.
4. Future development trends of BMS chips
① Technological innovation
A. High precision and low power consumption:
With the continuous advancement of battery technology, the accuracy and power consumption requirements of BMS chips are also getting higher and higher. In the future, BMS chips will pay more attention to improving sampling accuracy while reducing power consumption to meet higher demands for battery management systems.
B. Integration and intelligence:
Integration is a major trend in the semiconductor industry, and BMS chips are no exception. In the future, BMS chips will pay more attention to improving integration, integrating more functions into one chip to reduce system costs and improve reliability. Intelligence is also an important development direction of BMS chips. By integrating AI algorithms and machine learning technologies, BMS chips can achieve more accurate prediction and management of battery status, improve battery safety and service life. C. High reliability and safety Safety is the primary task of the battery management system. In the future, BMS chips will pay more attention to improving reliability and safety, and ensure the stable operation of the battery system by adopting technical means such as redundant design, fault detection and diagnosis.
