Adding to its range of tools for electrical systems development, German specialist dSpace is to launch a modular system for testing battery management systems. At its core is a high-precision, cell voltage emulation board, which the company states will let users test modern battery systems of up to 1,500V.
“With the new cell voltage emulation board and the scalable system concept, we present a powerful solution for testing BMS systems at the high-voltage level that satisfies even the most demanding test requirements. Our customers will be able to effectively validate and optimize their BMS, thereby benefiting from shorter time to market,” said Stefan Walter, product manager for electromobility and electric drives at dSpace.
The BMS solution is said to integrate seamlessly into the company’s tried-and-tested Scalexio HiL test system and can also be combined with its ASM Electric Components simulation software, which provides a comprehensive library of battery models.
The modular system design has been engineered specifically for high-energy applications. Notably, low-latency, real-time-capable integration of the cell voltage emulation to the Scalexio system via an input/output carrier network allows for fast updates of the individually emulated cell voltages, independent of the number of cells and size of the battery. It is also possible to integrate FPGA applications for faster interaction with the BMS under test.
The design of the cell voltage emulation board also ensures cell voltage generation with high precision, down to 300µV. With the support of peak currents of up to 20A per channel and high-precision current measurement, the company states that even the most sophisticated cell balancing scenarios can be emulated. For example, integrated fault simulation modes let users simulate electrical faults such as short circuits or cable breaks as well as defective battery cells.
dSpace says it will add further modular components in future, including additional emulation boards, for example, for emulating temperatures and high voltages.
