FEATURE Automated warehousing
Battery management systems reduce downtime in warehouses
By Dr. Daniel König, strategic business development, TE Connectivity A
s today’s warehouse operations rely on electric forklifts to improve effi ciency and provide energy and
cost savings, manufacturers face a new challenge – that of charging downtime. That’s why it’s essential to use battery management systems (BMS) and power distribution units (PDU), to enable distribution and fulfi lment centre managers ensure that the vehicles they rely on operate as close to 24/7 as possible.
BMS and PDUs A BMS uses integrated fi rmware and hardware to manage lithium-ion battery packs. It provides real-time data of the health and status of a forklift battery, when paired with telematics.
The PDU, on the other hand, provides electrical protection for the lithium-ion battery and communicates directly with the BMS to safely distribute power. In eff ect, the BMS is the brain of the battery and the PDU second-in- command. Operators depend on the BMS to monitor battery status and health, optimise charging and recharging, connect and disconnect the load and charger automatically, and the PDU to maintain battery power safely.
The functions of a typical BMS include:
• Cell voltage monitor; • Cell voltage balance; • Fuel-gauge monitor; • Temperature monitor. The features of a PDU include: • Power monitoring; • Autonomous trip capabilities; • Current sensing; • Fast switching. Together these components play a critical role in safeguarding a lithium- ion battery from various performance, operational and safety problems.
Essential to warehouse operations? With their high energy density and low memory eff ect, lithium-ion batteries can survive more charging cycles independent of the state of charge (vs traditional lead- acid batteries). This allows lithium-ion batteries to reach a usable charge faster and to tolerate shorter, more frequent bouts of charging. Workers can charge the batteries whenever possible – whenever there’s a good moment – to keep the equipment at full charge. This “opportunistic charging” has driven several warehouse trends, including increasing demand for more powerful energy infrastructure, more docking stations for vehicles to charge whenever and wherever they need to,
and more sophisticated BMS. But, why a BMS? An advanced, high-quality BMS goes beyond simple monitoring functions to provide operators with real-time data on their fl eet of electric forklifts. Distribution and fulfi lment centre managers can use this data to: • Anticipate preventive maintenance needs across the fl eet, which can dramatically reduce downtime and improve effi ciency; • Provide valuable insights into forklift use patterns (when paired with a telematics unit), which enables more informed decision-making about better workload distribution; • Track battery usage, temperature and charging status to glean insights about opportunistic charging habits and where and how effi ciently docking stations are being used.
Building a sophisticated BMS The typical BMS is compact and complex. Engineers can choose from a choice of cell packs, the quantity of wire-to-board signal connections, and the number of positions (anywhere from four to 34). All this can be overwhelming. Ideally, here’s what to consider: • Flexibility to handle a variety of functions and applications; • Vibration resistance due to the operating conditions within an electric forklift;
• Ruggedised design for harsh industrial environments;
• Ultra-compact yet powerful design; • Secure system to protect operation; • Seamless, high-speed communications and data transfer. Just as the brain relies on strong neural connections to operate properly, the BMS relies on dependable signal and data connectors to function optimally. To get the best, most-advanced performance out of a BMS requires selecting the best, most- reliable connectors to power it.
CONTACT:
TE Connectivity
www.te.com
34 September 2023 | Automation
automationmagazine.co.uk
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