On behalf of a major car manufacturer, the consulting and engineering company umlaut is testing the fuse elements of battery systems. The modular short-circuit tester used comes from Smart Testsolutions.
With its short-circuit tester for battery systems, the Stuttgart-based measurement and test system specialist Smart Testsolutions remains true to its modular development approach: the test system is divided into two cabinets, one of which contains only the short-circuit switch. This allows it to be operated very close to the test object. The other contains the measurement technology. The system developed for umlaut is the first of its kind.
Umlaut tests the battery protection elements for a major car manufacturer: "In the event of an accident, the battery must be disconnected from the vehicle electrical system as quickly as possible so that the high electrical voltage is not conducted to the car body. On the other hand, faulty disconnections should of course be avoided," explains Smart Testsolutions Managing Director Wolfgang Neu. For this reason, comprehensive testing of the fuse elements is necessary.
The short-circuit switch in the smaller cabinet of the test system simulates the unintentional short circuit. It is designed for very high currents. It can carry up to 45,000 amperes for a short time - even several times in succession. The advantage of being housed in a separate enclosure is that the connection paths to the test object, i.e. the battery system, can be kept very short, thus avoiding higher contact resistances. In addition, the switch is designed for an extended temperature range so that it can also be operated in a climate chamber.
The measurement technology, on the other hand, can be operated in a safe environment a few meters away from the short-circuit switch and the battery system. "After all, there is always a residual risk that the battery will explode if the safety elements do not respond quickly enough," says Neu. The measurement technology measures the voltage and current curves at various points in the battery system - with high precision and very quickly. After all, measurements have to be taken at the speed at which the fuse triggers, which is just a few milliseconds. The system has a total of 16 high-resolution, analog measuring channels.
"Another special feature of the system is that we measure the short-circuit currents both resistively and via a Rogowski coil, so that we can optimally record both the dynamic and static behavior," adds Neu. For this purpose, a very powerful and highly accurate measuring shunt was integrated into the short-circuit test system.
Numerous applications in the eMobility sector
Smart Testsolutions is primarily known in the eMobility sector for its cell voltage monitoring (CVM) systems for fuel cells. The Stuttgart-based company also develops test systems for other eMobility applications, such as the end-of-line testing of complete battery systems. Depending on customer requirements, both the company's own high-voltage-capable system modules for measured value acquisition, load and sensor simulation as well as third-party components are used.
All test systems generally have a modular approach in common. This is also the case here, as the two-part design makes it possible to combine the short-circuit switch with less complex measurement equipment for other tests instead of the complete measurement technology for testing the fuse elements of a battery system.
About Smart Testsolutions
The Stuttgart-based company Smart Testsolutions GmbH is a solution provider for testing tasks on automotive control units, electronic systems and renewable energy systems such as batteries and fuel cells. Customer-specific system applications are implemented based on a standard range of optimized system assemblies for measured value acquisition, load and sensor simulation. Numerous automotive manufacturers and suppliers use Cell Voltage Monitoring solutions.
About umlaut
The company, which operates globally and across industries and is organized as a network, offers its customers technological and organizational consulting and engineering services. In-depth expertise, broad practical knowledge and interdisciplinary cooperation enable the company to add value, quality and focus to its customers' companies, services and products. In a competent and agile collective of 20 consulting firms and engineering offices in over 50 locations around the world, 4,200 specialized experts and engineers offer innovative solutions and transformations for all industries and their various interfaces as well as for the public sector and the development of corporate cultures, structures and processes.
