The 48V BM-ICs improve battery safety with fault diagnosis, reduce costs by removing external circuits, and extend battery life with lower power consumption.
Nuvoton Technology Corporation Japan (NTCJ) has developed the 17-cell BM-ICs “KA49701A” and “KA49702A” for 48V batteries. These ICs improve battery system safety and simplify safe system construction.
By incorporating fault diagnosis and fail-safe functions within the battery monitoring IC (BM-IC), a safe system can be built without the need for external protection circuits. This enhances the safety of the Battery Management System (BMS) while reducing system costs.
The BM-IC achieves industry-leading voltage measurement accuracy of ±2.9mV, allowing maximum utilization of battery capacity.
It also reduces current consumption during operation, extending battery drive time. Additionally, by lowering current consumption during shutdown, self-discharge is minimized, enabling long-distance transportation and long-term storage of battery packs.
The adoption of renewable energy is expanding, and the development of data centers for generative AI is accelerating. To ensure a stable power supply, energy storage systems require larger capacity and higher-output batteries. As a result, the shift from traditional lead-acid batteries to smaller, lighter, and higher-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is gaining momentum. However, LIBs are more expensive and require fire prevention systems, increasing manufacturing costs.
To address this challenge, the company claims to develop the “48V BM-IC for Industrial Equipment,” incorporating fault diagnosis and fail-safe functions. This innovation leverages years of experience in automotive battery control technology to enhance battery system safety while reducing costs for LIB-equipped storage systems. With industry-leading voltage measurement accuracy of ±2.9mV and 90% lower power consumption during operation and shutdown compared to previous models, the BM-IC maximizes battery capacity utilization.
