Battery Management System Head Unit

fall '18-spring '19

technical skills: Altium, HV electronics
soft skills: iterative design review, team coordination

For the 2019 FSAE car I worked on the BMS head unit. Its role is to monitor all cell voltages and thermistor temperatures when powered. After receiving this information through an isolated communication protocol (LT's ISOSPI), it reports the minimum cell voltage and maximum thermistor temperature over CAN. Additionally there is an SD card on the chip to log every cell voltage and thermistor, enabling a data based thermal design to improve the battery's performance.

In addition to this main funtion the BMS head unit interfaces with other high voltage electronics like the contactors, monitors battery coolant flow rate, and the temperatures of various HV electronics.