The Intelligent Battery Sensor: Key Component for a Scaleable Motor-Vehicle-Independent Energy Management System

In modern motor vehicles 90% of all innovations involve electronics. An ever increasing number of electrical loads accompanied by a decrease of alternator output power, due to idle speed reduction of the combustion engine, result in a significant number of breakdowns caused by empty batteries. Supplying the necessary energy with larger alternators and batteries is unsatisfactory because of limiting factors such as fuel-consumption, package, and cost.

A viable and goal-orientated solution however, is intelligent energy management, which has the capability to actively regulate the flow of electrical and mechanical energy in the motor vehicle. Primary objective is to be able to start the engine at any time and under all conditions. To guarantee this two types of information are essential:

• the amount of energy required for the next engine start
• the amount of energy which the battery can supply momentarily

Foundation for the exact regulation of the flow of energy is the extremely accurate acquisition of physical battery parameters needed for the State of Charge (SoC) and State of Health (SoH) calculations.

For this purpose the BMW Group developed the key component for intelligent power management of the future. The Intelligent Battery Sensor (IBS) distinguished by its precision measurement technology combined with an electronic control unit, forms a globally unique mechatronic component. It's innovative concept and construction permits the employment in any motor vehicle.