Towards a Wireless Battery Management System: Evaluation of Antennas and Radio Channel Measurements Inside a Battery Emulator

The Battery Management System (BMS) is designed to monitor and control the traction lithium-ion battery for hybrid and electric vehicles. Within the battery pack, a communication network is established between the Battery Control Unit (BCU) and the Cell Sensor Units (CSU) to collect the information measured from each individual cell. The current BMS communications systems employ standard bus systems (like CAN-Bus) and therefore require the installation of a very large amount of additional wiring, which creates a negative impact on cost, weight, construction complexity, and the galvanic isolation of the cells. In the context of the IntLiIon project, we study different alternatives to solve this problem. In this work, we are presenting a feasibility study of a wireless approach for the BMS communications system. This study comprises the evaluation and measurement of different antenna types and frequency ranges for the wireless channel inside the battery pack.