Renesas Introduces Complex Device Driver Software to Ease Development of Battery Management Systems for Electric Vehicles
June 06, 2022
News
Renesas Electronics introduced an AUTOSAR-compliant complex device driver (CDD) software module for designers of automotive battery management systems (BMS) in electric vehicles (EVs).
The new software pairs with Renesas’ ISL78714 Li-Ion battery management IC to speed design and optimize performance of next-generation systems.
The CDD software is designed to work with Renesas’ BMS reference design hardware kit, which includes the ISL78714 IC and the RH850/P1M MCU. The CDD includes configuration and integration of required microcontroller abstraction layer (MCAL) modules provided by Renesas for the RH850 MCU. It provides an entire low-level software solution for collecting battery cell voltage and temperature measurements and controlling cell balancing functions of the ISL78714. Configurable parameters determine the number of cells in the BMS system and the desired rate of battery cell data collection.
The CDD software has a simple but full-featured API that allows the end-user’s application software to receive battery cell measurements in real time. Software interfaces and protocol management needed to operate the ISL78714 are built into the CDD software and operate on top of existing lower-level SPI, GPIO, and General Purpose Timer (GPT) drivers included in the MCAL modules. The CDD software provides customers with a practical architecture for simplifying their software design and allows them to focus efforts on their unique application features.
The new ISL78714 CDD software follows ISO26262 ASIL D (the highest level of automotive functional safety) development processes. The RH850/P1M MCU and MCAL modules also achieve ASIL D. The ISL78714 CDD software, as a template for successful ASIL D software development, is an enormous asset. Customers who desire assistance with their design can work under contract with Renesas partner TATA Elxsi to develop their system.
The new CDD software and the Renesas BMS reference design hardware kit (ISL78714BMS5XBEKIT1Z) are available now to qualified customers. Renesas has published a blog post with additional details about this solution at https://www.renesas.com/blogs/jump-start-bms-asil-software-development-isl78714-complex-device-driver.
For more information, visit: www.renesas.com/isl78714.
Tiera Oliver is the assistant managing editor at Embedded Computing Design. She is responsible for web content editing, product news, and story development. She also manages, edits, and develops content for ECD podcasts, including Embedded Insiders.
She utilizes her expertise in journalism and content management to oversee editorial content, coordinate with editors, and ensure high-quality output across web, print, and multimedia platforms. She manages diverse projects, assists in the production of digital magazines, and hosts company podcasts by conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders to deliver engaging and insightful discussions.
Tiera attended Northern Arizona University, where she received her bachelor's in journalism and political science. She was also a news reporter for the student-led newspaper, The Lumberjack.
