The battery management solutions with ready-to-use software help make batteries for e-bikes, drones, and other devices safer and more efficient.
Renesas Electronics Corporation has introduced all-in-one solutions for managing lithium-ion battery packs in various battery-powered consumer products, including e-bikes, vacuum cleaners, robotics, and drones. The R-BMS F (Ready Battery Management System with Fixed Firmware) includes pre-validated firmware, reducing the learning curve for developers and enabling faster design of safe, power-efficient battery management systems.
Designed for lithium-ion batteries in 2-4 and 3-10 cell series (S), R-BMS F solutions integrate Renesas’ fuel gauge ICs (FGICs), a microcontroller (MCU), an analog battery front end, pre-programmed firmware, software, development tools, and full documentation. Complete evaluation kits are now available for shipping.
Battery management firmware is essential for monitoring state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), current, and temperature, while also balancing cell voltages and detecting faults. However, some consumer electronics developers may lack the specialized expertise needed to develop control algorithms that ensure safe operation and long battery life.
R-BMS F solutions include built-in, pre-tested firmware designed for the FGIC’s on-board MCU. The firmware handles key functions like cell balancing, current control, and voltage and temperature monitoring. Developers can adjust parameters and configure the system for different cell chemistries using a graphical user interface (GUI), eliminating the need for a full integrated development environment (IDE).
The analog section measures cell voltage, current, and temperature, controls external MOSFETs, and converts data to digital signals. The digital section handles synchronous operations, including the main CPU, clocks, timers, and serial interfaces.
“One of the biggest bottlenecks for designing advanced power management solutions is the complex task of firmware development and validation,” said Chris Allexandre, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Power at Renesas. “Not everyone has the expertise or in-house resources to write their own algorithms. Our all-in-one R-BMS F battery management system eliminates this process and provides market-ready power solutions that work without requiring specialized technical knowledge of MCU programming or advanced battery management design.”
