BFE optimises battery life and prevents catastrophic failures

Renesas Electronics RAA489206 16-Cell Battery Front End (BFE), available now from Mouser, is a crucial component of any Battery Management System that periodically scans battery status and the operating environment. This scanning is accomplished to optimise battery life and stop catastrophic failures. To manage the overall state of the battery pack, a differential multiplexer and 16-bit ADC provide for the accurate monitoring of cell voltage, temperature, and load current.

The BFE supports I2C, SPI, and SPI w/CRC protocols enabling customers to connect an MCU in a proprietary battery management solution. Low-current consumption with an average IDLE mode current of 200µA and a SHIP mode current of lower than 18µA maximises a battery pack's storage and discharge life. The device features internal cell balancing circuitry that delivers 8mA of balance current per cell. External cell balancing for higher currents is also supported. This 16-cell high voltage BFE IC is provided in an efficient 64 Ld QFN package with a thermal pad.

Typical applications areas include light electric vehicles such as e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles; home appliances; 24V, 36V, 42V, and 48V portable battery packs; cordless power and gardening tools; telecom and server farms; solar farms; and energy storage systems.