Feature: Batteries
obstacles were encountered, and how were they addressed? Designing effective cell monitoring
solutions requires balancing accuracy, reliability and scalability. When we started developing DKCMS, the aim was to enhance performance by capturing real- time, synchronous data on voltage and temperature at the cell level. But equally, it was critical to ensure both the reliability and scalability of the system, ensuring ease of assembly and broad compatibility with diverse battery configurations and chemistries. DKCMS cell-level monitoring surpasses
module-level monitoring by providing real-time and synchronous voltage and temperature data for each cell, allowing the BMS to maximise how the energy in each cell is deployed while also enhancing safety. However, the significant challenge faced in developing the platform was ensuring that the shiſt to cell-level sensing didn’t increase the complexity of batteries. Tis challenge spurred the creation of
our proprietary contactless communication protocol, C-SynQ. Fundamentally, DKCMS is built upon three elements: the cell- mounted DK8102 Cell Monitors, the DK8202 System Hub which facilitates bi-directional communication between the network of Cell Monitors with the BMS host processor, and C-SynQ communication protocol which has been built from the ground up for large networks in safety-critical environments. Instead of complex wired or a far field
wireless connection, DKCMS uses a simple bus antenna routed above each cell monitor to enable the near field contactless communication, providing enhanced security, an increase in reliability of up to 2x, and uses up to 10x fewer components than a typical wired BMS architecture. Furthermore, it is significantly easier to scale battery designs up or down in individual cell increments, rather than whole modules, with the only real design change being the length of the simple bus antenna. By combining C-SynQ and contactless
technology, there is no need to choose between improving flexibility, reliability, or scalability, you can achieve all three.
Moreover, DKCMS better facilitates battery design trends such as CTP and CTC.
As more applications look to integrate high-voltage batteries, safety becomes ever more paramount. What specific safety enhancements does DKCMS provide across different battery applications, and how does this system compare to traditional wired solutions? Fundamentally, contactless technology
removes a number of vulnerable wires and connectors which are oſten a source of failure in high-voltage batteries, but DKCMS also helps engineers to elevate battery safety by capturing real-time temperature and voltage data of each cell instead of at a module level. Cell-level voltage and temperature
readings of every cell in a pack facilitate more accurate estimations of a battery’s SoC and SoH, thereby ensuring accurate battery charge, range and life estimation. For instance, in a typical module-level design, not every cell temperature is measured. Tis lack of granular and localised temperature sensing can lead to the delayed detection of thermal anomalies, with potential damage to cells and their neighbors going unnoticed until the heat reaches a thermal sensor, by which time the pack could already be in thermal runaway. Dukosi chip-on-cell technology
provides up to three real-time temperature measurements per cell, drastically increasing cell-level insights. Tis can enhance battery reliability by facilitating earlier thermal event detection and improving the monitoring of safety
thresholds during operation. Furthermore, in BESS it can allow for safer maintenance operations thanks to the system's inherent isolation and the reduction in complex and cumbersome wiring looms.
How is DKCMS designed to support diverse global electrification efforts while contributing to greater manufacturing sustainability, especially in the context of battery recycling? DKCMS’ intrinsic adaptability makes
it a key enabler for advancing global electrification and sustainability. Its ability to seamlessly integrate with various cell types and designs ensures that automotive and industrial batteries can be better optimised for performance and longevity, reducing waste and improving energy efficiency. In the context of battery repurposing,
DKCMS can even facilitate a circular economy by maintaining a digital record throughout each cell’s life, from manufacturing through to end-of-life. Tis traceability supports initiatives such as the EU battery passport and simplifies the process of evaluating cells for second- life applications, such as energy storage systems, or for material recovery. By enhancing a battery’s operation to
ensure longevity and efficiency, alongside driving more effective battery reuse and recycling processes, DKCMS is designed to minimise the environmental impact of battery production and use of raw materials, contributing to a more sustainable and resource-efficient electric future.
www.electronicsworld.co.uk June 2025 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
