BMS for high voltage applications

Sensata Technologies’ Lithium Balance n3-BMS is for applications with power up to 1000V/2000A, especially for battery makers and manufacturers of electric trucks, buses, and other heavy commercial vehicles. An off-the-shelf, Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL C) certified solution, the Lithium Balance n3-BMS offers customers the option to customize the BMS with their own code and algorithms without impacting the ASIL C certification. The BMS software architecture consists of a “Base Software Layer” (BSW) and an “External Software Layer” (ESW) which are connected by an open API link layer. The safety-critical functionalities of the BMS are in the BSW layer of the software, so developers can implement their own software code and algorithms in the ESW without any risk to the ISO 26262 certification of the system. The Lithium Balance n3-BMS and its previous generation, the n-BMS, are distributed systems consisting of up to 30 Cell Monitoring Units (CMUs) for monitoring individual cells and a Master Control Unit (MCU), which consolidates the information and controls the battery functions. The n-BMS’ MCU is fully compatible with the n3-BMS’ CMUs, so it’s easy to upgrade from n-BMS to n3-BMS with the replacement of a single PCB board in any size battery system. For heavy electric vehicles that expect to need an ISO 26262 certified system in the future, this provides a convenient and cost-effective pathway to achieve an ASIL C certified BMS with a simple upgrade.

Sensata Technologies | www.sensata.com