Specialized battery emulator for automotive electrical systems

Complexity of the automotive electrical power system is continuously increasing. Greater amount of higher loads is added and active energy management is being introduced. The whole design of such power systems depends on the batteries being used. Since safety-related systems also need power to function, special care has to be taken considering voltage quality. However, there are a lot of parameters that can be modified, and all configurations need to be tested. Since testing is time consuming, the right tools must be used during different phases of the design process. Specialized battery emulator is a combination of a power electronics device with an advanced battery model. It is used for testing and verification of the vehicle electrical system at various battery behavior or ambient conditions. Design requirements for the hardware were identified by observing occurring current and voltage ranges as well as considering special needs in the automotive environment.