Feature: Batteries
A battery emulator works in multiple
steps: First is the loading of a battery profile, i.e., the data from a plot of the battery voltage and internal resistance versus the SoC. A battery profile is created with battery modelling soſtware for specific measurements, or supplied by the battery’s supplier. Tis profile will state the current use for a specific battery, which is more accurate than a generic profile supplied by its maker. For example, a generic profile is not helpful if based on constant current draw when the device under test uses dynamic current. Te next emulation step is to select the
starting SoC and cutoff voltage. Battery emulators continuously measure current and charging/discharging to dynamically calculate the emulated SoC. Te emulator continuously changes its output (voltage and resistance) based on the SoC to conform to the loaded battery profile. If the emulator is discharging, the test ends when the emulator reaches the cutoff voltage. Deep insight is quickly gained into a device's behaviour by rapidly
emulating the battery at different SoCs. Measurements from this analysis are used to adjust the design of the IoT device for better runtime.
Visual tracking to determine capacity For any battery-powered device it is crucial to understand the energy its battery can store and deliver. Battery test and emulation soſtware help to visually track battery charging and discharging to determine its capacity. Soſtware must support both constant
current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) modes for charging batteries. As the battery reaches full capacity using CC mode, the soſtware needs to move from CC mode into a combination of CC and CV, necessary because a battery can’t be charged at the same rate when it gets close to its peak voltage or peak capacity. It is also important for the soſtware
to support constant current, constant resistance and constant power modes when discharging a battery. Test and emulation soſtware are used to create
a current consumption profile generated directly from a device. Tis allows to easily discharge the battery with a profile that closely aligns with the real-world current drain during use.
Determining capacity loss and reduction of battery life Battery performance declines significantly over its lifetime of charging and discharging, which is why it is vital to simulate battery cycling. Battery test and emulation soſtware are an easy solution for this, but the soſtware must support data logging. Also, being able to create varying charge and discharge profiles is of real value. It is possible to combine disparate
charge and discharge sequences to simulate complex charging and discharging cycling profiles, which can confirm the battery’s performance degradation over time. Emulation software easily allows this, up to one-thousand-cycle operation, determining the battery’s ageing effect and reliability under sequence test conditions.
24 June 2023
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
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