SMART TESTSOLUTIONS wins another order for a series CVM

SMART TESTSOLUTIONS has acquired another major customer for series development in the field of cell voltage monitoring for fuel cells. As in a project for cell voltage monitoring systems (CVM) won in 2020, the focus is on monitoring fuel cell stacks in trucks. The Stuttgart-based company is thus continuing its CVM success story, which will soon celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Over the coming years, the new series development project will go through the various component sample phases of the automotive industry, right up to the C sample. The solution is based on the CVM-G6S cell voltage measurement module. In addition to high measurement accuracy and robustness, this module offers significant cost savings compared to its predecessor, the G5S.

One of the requirements to be met in the current project is a guaranteed operating life of at least 25,000 hours for the CVM system. "Another important feature is the operating temperature range of -40 to +105 °C required for automotive applications," reports Dr Markus Schuster, Business Line Manager e_Cell Electronics at SMART TESTSOLUTIONS. These requirements necessitate intensive environmental testing.

The CVM-G6S is available in two versions. The first is a modular version, with one module comprising 54 measurement channels and several modules that can be connected in series. In addition, the measurement system offers various communication interfaces, such as CAN, Modbus TCP/IP, EtherCAT or PROFINET. In the second version, all the required measurement channels are housed on a single circuit board. This is used when the number of channels required is fixed and the CVM systems are to be produced in large quantities.

On request, SMART TESTSOLUTIONS also supplies the necessary mounting parts for the mechanical integration of the CVM near the cell stack, the necessary connection cable harnesses and the cell contacts required for tapping the voltages at the individual bipolar plates. In addition to automotive manufacturers and suppliers, the Stuttgart-based company has recently also acquired several manufacturers of electrolysis stacks, companies from the aerospace industry and marine equipment suppliers as customers.