“Infineon Monitoring and Balancing ICs and Pressure Sensor ICs Lead to Optimization of Electric Vehicle Battery Performance”

Infineon Cell Balancing and Monitoring Solutions Provide Industry-Leading Precision and Sensing Speed
Recently, the demand for pressure sensors for battery thermal runaway detection has increased… Advantages of fast response characteristics and accuracy

[Editor's Note] The automotive battery management system (BMS) monitors, protects, and optimizes the performance of electric vehicle batteries to innovatively improve driving experience and energy efficiency. It is also an important system responsible for safety, which is the biggest requirement for batteries. Infineon is rapidly developing and mass-producing a family of pressure sensors suitable for BMS, and also has monitoring and balancing ICs specifically designed for lithium-ion battery packs. To learn more about Infineon's BMS solutions, our magazine will hold a webinar with Infineon on June 27th on the topic of 'Optimized Battery Management System and Infineon Solutions for Improved Electric Vehicle Battery Performance'. Ahead of the webinar, we heard from Infineon managers Kim Se-hwan and Park Jun-ha, who are participating as speakers.

▲(From left) Kim Se-hwan and Park Jun-ha, Infineon managers

■ What are the basic concepts of electric vehicle BMS and why is it attracting attention?

The electric vehicle battery management system (BMS) is a core system of an electric vehicle, and its role is to monitor and manage the status of the battery. There are various reasons why the BMS is attracting attention.

BMS can safely manage the batteries of electric vehicles to minimize the risk of fire and explosion.

Additionally, BMS plays a role in improving the driving range and performance of electric vehicles by maintaining the battery in optimal condition.

BMS extends battery life by preventing overload and over-discharge of the battery, and efficiently manages the battery to save energy and help in environmentally friendly driving.

In this way, electric vehicle BMS is a core element of electric vehicles and plays an important role in various aspects such as safety, performance, and energy efficiency.

■ As issues regarding electric vehicle batteries arise frequently, the demands on BMS are expected to become more demanding. I wonder what the market demands are and how Infineon is responding.

One of the biggest requirements for batteries is safety.

Specifically for electric vehicle batteries, Europe has a regulation called GTR 20 that requires warning of a battery fire at least five minutes before it occurs.

Accordingly, a battery thermal runaway detection system is being developed using various sensors in addition to existing voltage, current, and temperature.

Among them, the number of customers utilizing pressure sensors, which are sensors with fast response characteristics and have been verified in automobiles, is increasing.

This is because when a thermal runaway phenomenon occurs in a battery, a rapid chemical reaction occurs, generating gas, and the pressure inside the battery pack changes rapidly due to the generated gas.

This is because, compared to conventional electrical detection methods, pressure sensors have faster response characteristics and more accurate thermal runaway detection.

In line with this, Infineon is rapidly developing and mass producing a product line of pressure sensors suitable for battery systems, and plans to continuously develop and mass produce new product lines in line with future battery market requirements.

■ Introduction to cell balancing and monitoring solutions provided by Infineon

First, the multi-channel battery monitoring and balancing system IC is designed for lithium-ion battery packs used in a variety of applications across automotive, industrial and consumer products.

This IC performs four main functions: cell voltage measurement, temperature measurement, cell balancing, and isolated communication with the main battery controller.

Infineon has products in 9CH, 12CH, 16CH, and 18CH lineups.

Adopting a 16bit Parallel delta-sigma ADC, it provides industry-leading precision and sensing speed.

■ I understand that Infineon also provides high-sensitivity pressure sensor ICs specialized for high-voltage automotive batteries. Could you explain this?

Infineon pressure sensors are already part of a product family that is being mass-produced and applied in internal combustion engine vehicles around the world.

The basic MEMS technology of the pressure sensor and the performance and quality of the semiconductor package have already been verified in the market.

Recently, pressure sensors have been required to detect thermal runaway in batteries, and we are mass-producing digital output pressure sensor products with an appropriate pressure measurement range, low-power monitoring function, and functional safety response.

Infineon's KP466/KP467 pressure sensor products are the optimal pressure measurement solutions for battery systems.

There is also ongoing discussion about the need for continuous thermal runaway detection even when the vehicle is parked and not in motion.

Infineon's KP467 product, which implements continuous pressure monitoring and system wake-up functions with power consumption at the µA level by utilizing low-power monitoring functions in the pressure sensor itself, is scheduled to be mass-produced this year.

■ Optimized battery management systems and Infineon solutions for improved electric vehicle battery performance are the topics of this webinar. Ahead of the June 27 webinar, what are the key topics covered in this webinar?

This webinar will introduce Infineon's BMS solutions, a leader in the automotive semiconductor market.

Infineon has various components that make up BMS, such as cell balancing chipsets and sensors, MCUs, CAN Transceivers, and power devices, so it can provide optimized solutions from the user's perspective.

For cell balancing monitoring ICs, we will explain the latest trends in BMS and the functions of new ICs, and introduce how to optimize electric vehicle battery performance using the TLE90xx series monitoring and balancing ICs and KP466/KP467 pressure sensor ICs.

■ Please give a word to e4ds readers

We hope that this webinar will help e4ds readers understand BMS applications, and especially for engineers developing BMS, we hope that the Infineon product family will be of great help in pre-development and satisfying OEM requirements.

In the future, Infineon will continue to do its best to provide optimal solutions that meet customers' needs.

thank you