Lithium-Ion batteries are produced in a variety of form factors and capacities and are used to provide power in a range of applications from cell phones, laptop computers, electric vehicles, to energy storage. The cells used in these applications can have different chemistries and widely varying capacities that require a system capable of delivering different voltage and current requirements. The AD8452 Precision Integrated Analog Front End, Controller, and PWM for Battery Test and Formation Systems, can provide a flexible and scalable platform to adapt to various cell requirements.
ADI has developed a number of reference designs that have enabled customers to more easily adopt new formation & test capabilities. Now, the AD8452 4-Channel System Board is being developed to help accelerate the design of battery formation and test equipment while highlighting the versatility of the AD8452. This system will incorporate the adaptable feature set of the AD8452; allowing customers to quickly evaluate the performance benefits of a flexible multichannel system and reduce the time needed to bring new products to market.
This new reference design will demonstrate software configurability that allows multiple different operating modes. The Independent mode of operation will provide bidirectional operation of four power channels that can be individually adjusted to different current and voltage levels. This mode will allow energy from one or more batteries to be directly recycled to charge other batteries connected to the system. Parallel channel operating modes will also be enabled through software providing increased current output while maintaining energy recycling capabilities. All modes will allow the user to select various clock sources for synchronization between channels as well as adjust the individual phase of each channel to take advantage of decreased switching ripple and reduced Electromagnetic Interference (EMI).
Safety features will also be an important consideration of the AD8452 4-Channel System Board. The reference design will be able to disconnect the input bus voltage and battery during fault conditions. Faults such as overvoltage, overcurrent, reverse battery connections, and over-temperature will be detected and appropriate actions will be performed to protect the system.
Given the number of different requirements for the manufacturing and test of batteries, battery formation and test equipment manufacturers face significant challenges supporting the production demands of the industry and the wide variety of cell capacities. The AD8452 4-Channel System Board aims to deliver a flexible and scalable reference design that customers can leverage to develop products that meet the demanding requirements of the battery formation and test industry now and in the future.
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