Innoscience announces BMS reference designs
Battery Management Systems (BMS) are the central intelligence of modern energy storage, responsible for monitoring cell voltage, current, temperature, and other parameters to ensure safe and reliable charging and discharging.
To support the use of GaN in BMS applications, Innoscience has now introduced a portfolio of VGaN products, and BMS reference designs using its 30V to 120V bi-directional GaN platform,
A key feature of VGaN technology for BMS applications is bi-directional conduction and turn-off to support both forward and reverse current flow and switching in a single device. In addition Innoscience says that VGaN's ultra-low on-resistance enables up to 40 percent reduction in charge/discharge power loss compared to conventional silicon MOSFETs, significantly reducing heat generation.
A single VGaN replaces two back-to-back Si MOSFETs, reducing solution size by over 30 percent. In terms of system-level cost optimisation, cost savings can exceed 20 percent due to reduced cooling and component count, according to the company.
Target applications for the reference designs (which are detailed on the company website) include over-voltage protection (OVP); battery pack switching and protection; USB port protection in mobile devices; high-side load switches in bi-directional converters; and multi-power rail switching in embedded systems.
