Renesas Electronics launches complete lithium-ion battery management platform with pre-verified firmware

Renesas Electronics, a global supplier of semiconductor solutions, announced the introduction of R-BMS F, a one-stop management solution for lithium battery packs for a variety of consumer products powered by lithium batteries, such as electric bicycles, vacuum cleaners, robots and drones. Thanks to the pre-verified firmware provided, R-BMS F (ready-to-use battery management system with fixed firmware) will significantly shorten the learning cycle for developers and help them quickly design safe and efficient battery management systems.

Designed for lithium-ion cells in series (S) of 2-4 and 3-10 segments, the R-BMS F solution includes Renesas' industry-leading meter IC (FGIC), integrated microcontroller (MCU) and analog battery front end, pre-programmed firmware, software, development tools and complete documentation - all in the form of a complete evaluation kit. It is now ready for shipment.

Pre-programmed firmware simplifies development

Firmware plays a critical role in the battery management system, monitoring the battery's state of charge (SoC), health (SoH), current and temperature, and actively balancing the voltage of each cell and detecting faults. In some cases, however, consumer electronics developers may lack the highly specialized knowledge required to develop control algorithms that ensure that batteries operate within a safe temperature range and maintain adequate service life over multiple charge and discharge cycles.

Renesas' R-BMS F solution includes built-in pre-test firmware that works with FGIC's integrated MCUS. The firmware includes key pre-programmed features to maximize battery life and ensure safe operation: These include cell balancing, current control, and voltage and temperature monitoring. To further increase flexibility, the battery management system allows developers to set numerous parameters through a graphical user interface (GUI) to meet specific requirements and adapt the solution to different cell chemistry without the need for a full integrated development environment (IDE).

Chris Allexandre, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Power at Renesas, said: "A key bottleneck in designing advanced power management solutions is the complexity of firmware development and validation tasks. Not all developers have the expertise or in-house resources needed to write custom algorithms. To this end, we are introducing the one-stop R-BMF battery management system, which simplifies the development process and provides power solutions that can be brought directly to market without requiring MCU programming or advanced battery management design expertise."

Full evaluation kit, shipped immediately

Both R-BMS F solutions for different cell numbers come with a complete evaluation kit that includes all the hardware, software, tools and documentation needed to start development. The core hardware of the R-BMS F is Renesas' FGIC solution, which integrates the analog battery front end and ultra-low power RL78 MCU into a single chip in a small package: the analog part provides accurate cell voltage, current and temperature measurements and controls external MOSFETs while converting analog data to digital signals; The digital part performs synchronous functions, including the main CPU, clock, timer, and serial interface.

The evaluation kit also includes: Pre-programmed firmware stored in the embedded flash memory for flexible battery pack and cell chemistry parameters, USB System Management Bus (SMBus) interface, GUI-based software, cables to communicate with the host system, dedicated parameter setting development tools, and complete documentation (including circuit diagrams and component bill /eBOM). With these rich resources, developers can confidently inject innovative features into smart power management systems, safely monitor battery usage, extend battery life, and reduce environmental impact. Renesas plans to integrate the turnkey R-BMS F solution in all future FGIC products.

2-4 cells series solution (RTK0EF0163DK00002BU)

R-BMS F solution for 2 to 4 cells in series (approximately 8V to 16V) (for small vacuum cleaners, vacuum cleaners, consumer and medical devices), running on Renesas RAJ240055 lithium-ion battery FGIC. By integrating this FGIC with other devices in its portfolio, Renesas is further introducing a comprehensive solution for intelligent robot cleaners.

3-10 cells series solution (RTK0EF0136DK00002BU)

The R-BMS F solution for 3 to 10 series cells (approximately 12V to 40V) runs on Renesas RAJ240100 and RAJ240090 lithium-ion battery FGIC and is targeted for applications including electric bicycles, electric mobility vehicles, vacuum cleaners, robots, drones, as well as industrial, consumer and medical systems.

Renesas combined these FGics with other devices in its portfolio to launch the "Wall to Battery Low-Power Energy Storage System" and the "USB-PD all-in-one battery and charging solution." Renesas' Portfolio of successful products relies on compatible devices that work seamlessly together, coupled with a technologically proven system architecture that results in optimized, low-risk designs and faster time-to-market. Based on the various products in its product lineup, Renesas has now launched more than 400 "Success portfolios" designed to help users drive the design process and accelerate the time to market.