12-channel battery management IC targets electric vehicles

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Infineon Technologies AG has expanded its product portfolio for battery management systems (BMS) with a new sensing and balancing IC. The 12-channel TLE9012AQU device is designed for batteries in hybrid and electric cars but can also be used in other applications. To ensure that the capacity of the battery is optimally utilized, the sensing and balancing IC provides the necessary measurement data and ensures a balanced state of charge through integrated cell balancing. It also prevents the weakest cell from determining the total usable capacity of the battery, said Infineon.

The TLE9012AQU IC measures the voltage in up to 12 battery cells with an accuracy of ±5.8 mV over the entire temperature and voltage range as well as the operating life cycle. It supports up to five external temperature sensors and uses an iso-UART interface for communication.

Cell balancing is achieved through 12 balancing switches integrated on the chip — one per channel — and that are designed for currents up to 150 mA. The device supports external switches for higher balancing currents. Cell balancing can be programmed to stop without a signal from the microcontroller after a defined time of up to 32 hours or when the cell has reached a defined voltage, enabling the microcontroller to switch to sleep mode for energy savings.

The TLE9012AQU is particularly suitable for batteries that are partitioned with 12 cells per module. One device is required per module. The iso-UART interface for data exchange between these modules and with the microcontroller provides voltage isolation and data integrity.

The sensing and balancing IC supports more than 20 serially connected devices and a ring topology. This means that even if a single device fails, the rest of the system remains functional.

Infineon is also launching a matching iso-UART transceiver component (TLE9015QU). Both devices will be available in July 2020. More information about Infineon’s sensing ICs and transceivers can be found at www.infineon.com/battery-management-ics.