LikeAbird launches new Battery Management System for Unmanned Systems

LikeAbird S.L. has launched a modular and scalable off-the-shelf smart battery pack manager that reduces the need for manufacturers in the mobile, portable electronic equipment, robotic (air/land/sea), and many other ground equipment related industries to develop their own custom solutions.

LikeAbird QSBMS™ is a new battery management system (BMS) for 1 to 120 smart battery packs with outputs in the 11VDC to 16VDC range. The LikeAbird QSBMS is an ultra-high efficiency SMBus and SBS smart battery management system (BMS), designed to cost-effectively provide high levels of battery power availability while simplifying the power management of electronic equipment or robotic applications. QSBMS is a modular system consisting of a stackable intelligent management module (the Controller), up to 4 swappable battery packs, a power conditioning and distribution module, and various configuration and data visualization modes that facilitate easy and efficient integration, operation and service.

This architecture can scale power and runtime as demand grows or as higher levels of availability are required. The QSBMS systems can scale in increments of 360W (four battery packs) up to 10 kW (120 battery pack in a battARRAY™ configuration).

With industry-leading power density, the QSBMS has the ability to fit seamlessly inside your robotic application (ROV, UGV, GCS), on your desktop to power various electronic equipments, or in a compact Portable Energy Storage Unit (rugged 19” and Pelicase also available) to be a standalone portable energy source in the field or a lead acid replacement for various civil and military applications.

Highly manageable, the QSBMS features self-diagnostic capabilities, various auto-shutdown and power on modes that mitigate the risk of human error. Other features include remote data visualization, command & control of power conditioning modules, seamless customer application integration, and on-the-fly firmware upgrades resulting in increased overall application availability and reliability. Available options in our Battery Management Systems include communication of key battery parameters over the controller area network (CAN) and/or serial line. LikeAbird also offers a wireless add-on that can broadcast battery pack parameters wirelessly for easier monitoring without having to directly access each QSBMS controller.

“We designed this BMS in response to client requests for an off-the-shelf BMS that would eliminate the need for them to continuously design and redesign custom systems for their various low-voltage applications,” said Jarno Puff, LikeAbirds’s CEO. “It can manage anywhere from a few to 120 of smart packs and has a variety of I/O, including a wireless option, to support remote data collection and diagnostics. In addition to all this flexibility it includes an advanced processor, which enables it to provide highly accurate state of charge monitoring, and it has various safety features to prevent battery pack damage. LikeAbird QSBMS can be supplied as an off-the-shelf product or can be customized for specialty and high volume applications by our team of engineers.”