A Scalable Active Battery Management System With Embedded Real-Time Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Electrochemical energy storage is critical for a range of applications spanning electrified transportation and grid energy storage, and there is a need to further improve both the active management and diagnostic capability of current battery management systems. Lithium-based battery chemistries have been favored for their high energy and power densities but require precise management to prevent premature degradation and failure. This work presents an efficient power converter (based on a switched-inductor ladder topology), instrumentation, and an embedded control platform that can provide both active balancing and real-time diagnostic capability through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A digital proportional-integral controller enforces sinusoidal reference signals from a direct digital synthesizer, enabling the power converter to perturb the cells and extract their impedance. Cell-level diagnostics allow for noninvasive measurement of physical electrochemical battery properties that can be used to assess the state of charge and state of health of a battery. A ladder converter prototype was implemented on a printed circuit board to perform EIS on two Panasonic 18650 cells in series. Experimental results showed balancing converter efficiency of 95%, and the accuracy of the prototype was validated through comparison to a state-of-the-art commercial benchtop system.