A Customize Battery Management Approach for Satellite

Abstract

A low-cost and reliable battery management unit for a student satellite was designed under the Pakistan National Student Satellite Program. Lithium-ion batteries were chosen as the secondary storage, and safety measures were incorporated to monitor, balance, and safeguard the cells. The main challenge was accurately measuring the voltage of individual cells, which was addressed using a resistive-divider network. Fast multiplexers and de-multiplexers were used to overcome the problem of insufficient I/O pins on the microcontroller. The design’s only limitation is the dissipation of heat due to dissipative resistors, but it is an optimal solution due to its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. This unique solution meets specific requirements, but more advanced and expensive designs are available.