BMS and ECU for Electric Vehicles
Objective 1:
Battery Management System (BMS)
Abstract:
Battery management systems (BMS) is used in electric vehicle to monitor and control the
charging and discharging of rechargeable batteries which makes the operation more economical.
Battery management system keeps the battery safe, reliable and increases the senility without
entering into damaging state. In order to maintain the state of the battery, voltage, current, ambient
temperature different monitoring techniques are used. For monitoring purpose different
analog/digital sensors with microcontrollers are used. This paper addresses state of charge, state
of health, and state of life and also maximum capacity of a battery. By reviewing all these
methodologies future challenges and possible solutions can be obtained.
Introduction:
Electric vehicles (EV) are playing a key role because of its zero-emission of harmful gases
and use of efficient energy. Electric vehicles are equipped by a large number of battery cells which
require an effective battery management system (BMS) while they are providing necessary power.
The battery installed in an electric vehicle should not only provide long lasting energy but also
provide high power. Lead-acid, Lithium-ion, -metal hydride are the most commonly used traction
batteries, of all these traction batteries lithium-ion is most commonly used because of its
advantages and its performance. The battery capacity range for an electric vehicle is about 30 to
100 KWH or more. Battery management system (BMS) makes decisions based on the battery
charging and discharging rates, state of charge estimation, state of health estimation, cell voltage,
temperature, current etc.
BATTERY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (BMS):
Battery management system (BMS) is the crucial system in electric vehicle because
batteries used in electric vehicle should not be get overcharged or over discharged. If that happens,
it leads to the damage of the battery, rise in temperature, reducing the life span of the battery, and
sometimes also to the persons using it. It is also used to maximize the range of vehicle by properly
using the amount of energy stored in it.
Battery management system is essential for following reasons
1. Maintain the safety and the reliability of the battery
2. Battery sate monitoring and evaluation
3. To control the state of charge
4. For balancing cells and controlling the operating
temperature
5. Management of regenerative energy
Main components of the BMS:
Mainly, there are 6 components of battery management system.
1. Battery cell monitor
2. Cutoff FETs
3. Monitoring of Temperature
4. Cell voltage balance
5. BMS Algorithms
6. Real-Time Clock (RTC)
Let’s look at the significance and the application of each component of battery management
system:
1. Battery cell monitor
A battery cell monitor primarily monitors the voltages for battery systems. It is a high-speed
system that offers a low overall cost for high voltage measurements.
• The easiest way to determine the battery pack’s charge is to monitor individual cell voltage
with reference to the set voltage level.
• When the voltage of the first cell reaches the voltage limit, the charging automatically trips.
It indicates that the battery charging limit has been reached.
• If the battery pack has a lesser charge than the average cell, then the least charged cell will
reach the limit first, and the rest of the cells will be left partially charged.
2. Cutoff FETs
FET driver is accountable for connection and isolation between load and charger of the battery
pack. The behavior prediction is done through voltage, current measurements, and real-time
detection circuitry.
• They can be connected to a battery pack’s low or high side.
• NMOS FETs activation is needed for enabling high-side connection and requires a charge
pump driver. A reference for the solid ground is set using a high-side driver for the rest of
the circuitry.
• We use a low-side FET driver to reduce costs in integrated solutions since a charge pump
is not needed. High voltage devices are not required in such cases.
• The ground connection of the battery pack floats using low-side cut-off FETs. This can
affect the IC performance, making it more sensitive to insinuated noise measurement.
3. Monitoring of Temperature
With the increase in product requirements, the batteries have been on a constant surge in
delivering currents at fixed voltages. The continuous operation processes may cause a catastrophic
event such as fire or explosion.
• We can identify whether battery charging or discharging is desirable using temperature
measurements.
• Temperature sensors monitor the energy storage system or cell grouping for compact
portable applications.
• The circuit temperature is monitored by the internal ADC voltage-powered thermistor.
Employing the internal voltage reference helps reduce the temperature inaccuracies and
improves the overall measurement system.
4. Cell voltage balance
It is crucial to determine the health of the battery pack. That is why cell voltage monitoring is
done to ensure that the cells are in a proper running condition for attaining a long battery life.
• The operating voltage ranges from 2.5V to 4.2V in a lithium-ion battery.
• The battery life is significantly affected while performing battery operations beyond the
voltage range. This reduces the life of a cell, which may even make it unfit for use.
• Connecting the battery pack in parallel increases the overall drive current, whereas series
connection adds the overall voltage.
5. BMS Algorithms
To make quick and effective decisions in real-time based on the information received. For this
purpose, a microcontroller for Battery management system is needed to collect, organize and
assess the information from the sensing circuitry.
• Renesas’ ISL94203 is the most famous example of employing a battery management
system algorithm. It is a standalone digital solution embedded in a single chip with
programmable capabilities.
• The memory space and microcontroller for battery management system clock cycles can
be cleared using these standalone solutions.
6. Real-Time Clock
Allowing the user to know the battery pack’s behavior before any alarming event, the real-time
clock acts as a black box system for time-stamping and memory storage.
• The BMS electronics is kept away from synchronizing with a third-party battery pack
through battery authentication.
• The peripheral power circuitry is used around the components of battery management
system through voltage reference/regulator.
The primary functions of BMS for an EV battery:
The battery management system tracks the status of each cell in the battery pack.
Determining the SOC (State of Charge) and SOH (State of Health) helps estimate the amount of
current needed for a safe charge and discharge operation without harming the battery. The current
limits act as a cut-off and prevent the battery from overcharging. This safeguards the cell voltages
of the battery pack from high or low fluctuations, which immunes the battery life. The BMS
consistently tracks the charge and discharge activities for the battery pack and monitors cell
voltages. This data is useful in deciding if the battery is drained, sustaining passive cell balancing.
The CAN (Controller Area Network) bus is the reliable unit for internal communications,
driving most of the messaging protocols. The IEM (Intelligent Electric Meter) estimates the state
parameters of the battery pack, total current, and battery pack voltage. It transfers the information
to the CMU (Central Monitoring Unit) or the sub-controller [Link] sub-controller unit quickly
checks the temperature and voltage signals and sends data to the CAN bus. The BCU (Battery
Control Unit) obtains the signals from the CAN bus and responds by transmitting back the control
signals required in battery pack managing and modeling.
Types of Battery Management Systems:
Based on the topology of the battery packs, there are 4 types of battery management
systems. They are:
Centralized Battery Management System Architecture:
It is clear in the figure below, that all the battery packages are connected directly with the
central BMS.
Advantages of Centralized BMS
1. Compactness
2. Feasibility
Disadvantages of a Centralized BMS
The more the number of batteries, the more the number of ports required to support the same,
leading to many wirings, cabling, and connectors. It can cause complications while
troubleshooting and maintenance.
Modular Battery Management System:
The BMS is grouped into various duplicate modules, just like the centralized
implementation wherein every module is associated with a separate wire bundle and connect to
the battery pack’s adjacent assigned portion.
Advantages of Modular BMS
1. Reduces computational efforts
2. Increases the room for adding more functionalities
Disadvantages of a Modular BMS
1. Higher overall costs
2. Duplicated unused functionalities as per application
Primary Battery Management System:
The concept is almost similar to the modular topology, but here, slaves are more confined to just
transferring measurement information, and the master is assigned for computation, control, and
external communication.
Advantages of Primary Battery Management System
1. Lower costs
2. Simpler functionalities
Disadvantages of Primary Battery Management System
1. Less feature options
2. Not suitable for scaling operations
Distributed Battery Management System Architecture:
The architecture of distributed battery management system comprises of modules wherein
the software and hardware are embedded in the form of modules attached through wiring. All the
electronic hardware is synchronized with the cell or module under monitoring on a control board.
Advantages of Distributed Battery Management System
1. Reduces cable bundling
2. Autonomously handles communications and processing
Disadvantages of Distributed Battery Management System
1. High maintenance
2. Higher cost
3. Difficult to troubleshoot because of its deep routing
The advent of cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) has assured the EV
industry that testing and product development have a long way to go. Through an IoT based battery
management system, having high data storage capabilities, computation time, and efforts decrease
exponentially. All the data captured during the battery operations can be analyzed and seamlessly
transmitted to the cloud platform. Through advanced diagnostic algorithms, the data is measured
by battery pack sensors, analyzing the state of each battery cell. With big data collection in a single
base, the battery management system algorithms for machine learning can attain system prediction
and optimizations, revolutionizing our approach towards battery life cycle and performance.
Additionally, the BMS’s reliability increases by substituting wired communication with wireless
IoT communication.
Here are the 4 major benefits of employing IoT for battery management systems
1. Remote monitoring
Consistent monitoring and maintaining the accuracy of the battery state through advanced
diagnostic algorithms, equipped with high power in computation.
2. Lifecycle prediction
Accurate prediction of the trends in depletion with machine learning based on full life-cycle
operation data.
3. Fault prediction and detection
Timely system fault detection of different levels through big data analysis increases system safety
and reliability.
4. Evaluation and optimization
Optimize the design for the systems and adopt operation strategies by assessing the big data from
battery systems through different operation cases.
Objective 2:
Electronic Control Unit (ECU)
Abstract:
A gateway is a central hub that securely and reliably interconnects and transfers data across
the many different networks found in vehicles. It provides physical isolation and protocol
translation to route signals between functional domains (powertrain, chassis and safety, body
control, infotainment, telematics, ADAS) that share data. Vehicles are increasingly dependent on
electronic control units (ECU) to manage the advanced features that enhance the driving
experience. The gateway controller plays a fundamental role as a communication bridge between
the various ECU networks used by these different applications, managing the exchange of data
with external interfaces including CAN (low, high speed), LIN, ISO-9141, FlexRay, and Ethernet
protocols.
Types Of ECU
With vehicles having multiple ECU they are divided on what tasks they perform. Some of
these types are as follows.
1. Engine Control Module
With its sensors, the ECM ensures the amount of fuel and ignition timing necessary to get
the most power and economy out of the engine.
2. Brake Control Module
Used in vehicles with ABS, the BCM makes sure that the wheels are not skidding and
determine when to trigger braking and let go of the brake to ensure the wheels don’t lock
up.
3. Transmission Control Module
Used on an automatic vehicle, the TCM ensures you get the smoothest shifts possible by
assessing the engine RPM and acceleration of the car.
4. Telematic Control Module
Another one with the same abbreviation this TCU ensures the car onboard services are up
and running. It controls the satellite navigation and Internet and phone connectivity of the
vehicle.
5. Suspension Control Module
Present in Cars with active suspension systems, the SCM ensures the correct ride height
and optimal changes to suspension depending on the driving condition.
Working Of an ECU:
Working of an ECU is actually not complicated as one might assume. It is an electronic
device which has base numbers and parameters filled in its memory. With multiple sensors around
a vehicle feeding the ECU data it can manage and control the electronic systems efficiently by
giving orders to improve their output. Let’s take an example of how ECU controls something by
looking at how airbags are deployed during an accident.
The car has sensors located around itself called the crash sensors which inform the ECU
when a crash has occurred. The ECU then measures the speed of the vehicle when it undergoes
accident and then using its onboard memory compares the data of whether it should launch the
airbags or not. If the data provides enough reason the ECU deploys the airbags. Note that all this
happens in mere milliseconds.
Reference design of ECU for an ADAS subsystem:
Abstract:
The automotive industry has seen major changes over recent years. Autonomous driving
and driver assistance functions are getting better every year along with the steady spread of
connected car services that utilize communications to deliver new value. Alongside these
developments, Hitachi Group has been working hard to develop and commercialize the vehicle
electronic control units required by these autonomous and connected cars. This article describes
the product features of the central gateway units, AD-ECUs, and map position units that play a
core role in vehicle architectures, and also looks ahead to the future of automotive E/E
architectures.
Above figure shows one architecture used for vehicle systems. This is called a “domain
architecture,” because it is made up of functional units called domains with multiple electronic
control units (ECUs) and a domain controller to coordinate the operation among the individual
ECUs. Examples of domains include the chassis, powertrain, and autonomous driving/advanced
driver assistance system (AD/ADAS) domains. The domains interconnect via a central gateway
unit that controls inter-domain communications and monitors the network for unauthorized access.
The autonomous driving electronic control unit (AD-ECU) domain controller performs
supervisory control of the vehicle based on large amounts of information about the surrounding
environment acquired by stereo cameras, radar, and other sensors. Along with numerous sensors,
AD and ADAS functions also require a map position unit (MPU) to provide topographical and
other information about the road ahead for a distance of several hundred meters to several
kilometers. This map information needs to be regularly updated to keep it up to date.
By connecting to data centers via the central gateway unit, vehicle systems have access to
a wide range of center services for things like software and map updating. It is important that the
central gateway unit also has cybersecurity functions to ensure that interoperation with center
services is secure. The following sections go into more detail about the central gateway unit at the
heart of the vehicle architecture, the AD-ECU, and the MPU.
Central Gateway Unit:
Greater use of automotive electronics and the emergence of autonomous driving have
dramatically increased the volume of communications handled by onboard networks. To cope with
this increase, the central gateway unit is equipped not only with multi-channel Controller Area
Network (CAN), which is one of the main network standards used in automotive applications, but
also with automotive Ethernet, which enables wider bandwidth communications. In addition, to
protect the vehicle from threats arising both internally and externally and to prevent attacks from
outside penetrating the onboard network, the central gateway unit is also equipped with functions
for: (1) filtering out unauthorized communications, (2) secure boot to detect unauthorized software
updating, and (3) bus load monitoring to detect denial of service (DoS) attacks and other
unauthorized access.
The central gateway unit receives updates from the OTA center and manages the process
of upgrading the vehicle control software. Along with the ability to roll-back an update in the event
of a problem, to maintain software integrity, the system is also designed to complete upgrades
quickly and to keep the period of vehicle unavailability as short as possible by downloading
updates in the background before applying them. To ensure that software upgrading is highly
reliable, security risks such as updates being leaked or the unauthorized overwriting of software
are minimized by encrypting updates and verifying their digital signatures.
In anticipation of the likely future evolution of vehicle architectures, Hitachi is looking to
move to the use of integrated ECUs that are equipped with higher performance microcomputers to
consolidate vehicle control functions other than communications and security.
AD-ECU:
Integrated vehicle control involves the use of stereo cameras and other sensors to monitor
the area around the vehicle, combining data from these different sensors (“sensor fusion”) to
identify nearby objects such as other vehicles or traffic signs, generating a trajectory for the vehicle
based on these sensing results, and then controlling the vehicle to follow this trajectory.
As more advanced autonomous driving means a significant increase in the total number
and different types of sensors, high-speed data transmission is needed to handle the huge volume
of sensor data that results. A high level of processing performance is also needed to interpret all
this sensor data. Moreover, if autonomous driving is to be safe, the control processing must be
completed within the allotted time and the resulting control signals must be passed reliably to the
actuators. The AD-ECU must satisfy all of these varied requirements.
Map Position Unit:
Advanced forms of integrated vehicle control include things like assisting drivers with
overtaking or automatically following the route specified by a car navigation system. These
features all require topographical information about the road ahead as well as accurate vehicle
positioning right down to the level of lanes. This in turn requires precise maps acquired by the
lane-level measurement of roads and the ability to determine vehicle position with this level of
accuracy. However, while vehicle positioning is typically performed using a global navigation
satellite system (GNSS) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), vehicle positions provided
by a GNSS are usually only accurate to within a few meters. As positioning is also unreliable in
urban, mountainous, or other such areas with poor GNSS signal reception, relying on GNSS alone
to obtain lane-level positioning accuracy is problematic.
Overcoming this challenge requires use of the location information provided by the map
together with sensor fusion to improve vehicle positioning accuracy by combining sensor and
GNSS data. Hitachi’s MPU enables precise control of driving by using a precision positioning
technique to translate the route information from the navigation system into lane-level
recommendations for how to reach the destination that can be passed to the integrated vehicle
control function. The positioning technique augments the precise mapping information contained
in the MPU with gyroscope and acceleration sensors as well as the GNSS. This precise mapping
information needs to be kept up to date, and this is done by automatic OTA updates to enhance
user convenience.
Future Outlook for E/E Architectures:
The ongoing addition of new functions such as AD and ADAS means that each vehicle
now contains more than 100 ECUs. One issue with this is the added weight and assembly cost for
the more extensive wire harnesses (power supply and signal cabling) needed to accommodate this
higher number of ECUs. As a result, most vehicles now use a domain architecture whereby
functions are consolidated and integrated into separate domains to keep the number of wire
harnesses and ECUs to a minimum. It is anticipated that this will be succeeded in the future by a
new generation of zone architectures that further integrate the different domains.
Zone architectures feature integrated ECUs that run software for a number of different
domains and zone ECUs that collect information from different regions of the vehicle (front or
rear, left or right) regardless of domain. This cross-domain integration of ECUs is expected to cut
the cost of the electric/electronic (E/E) architecture by around 25 to 50% compared to past domain
architectures. As the information collected by zone ECUs combines all the different domains, an
Ethernet backbone network is required with a higher bandwidth and better timing control than past
architectures. Similarly, integrated ECUs will need to overcome new problems such as how to
concurrently host many software packages with very different safety requirements. On the other
hand, the ability of a zone architecture to consolidate information and integrate control across
different domains also offers benefits such as new forms of vehicle control that have been difficult
to implement in standalone domains, vehicle diagnosis based on a combination of information,
and efficient OTA software updating.
References:
1. [Link]
2. (PDF) Battery Management System in Electric Vehicles ([Link])
3. Components of Battery Management System for Li-ion battery ([Link])
4. What Is An ECU? Electronic Control Unit (ECU) Explained ([Link])
5. Automotive Gateway - STMicroelectronics
