A Wireless Battery-Management Chip for Every Cell

One of the key challenges for a battery-management system (BMS) remains the ability to accurately monitor each battery down to the cell level. Dukosi has developed what it calls a “chip-on-cell” architecture that can more closely manage battery cells by bringing the sensors directly to each cell. The startup said this presents a more reliable, safe, and scalable approach than traditional methods, which typically involve wiring battery cells to a multichannel battery-management chip.

At the core of Dukosi’s innovation is a single-channel analog front-end (AFE) mounted directly on each cell. Each chip continuously monitors key parameters, including cell voltage and temperature. Unlike traditional wired methods of monitoring battery cells, data is sent wirelessly through a proprietary antenna system: PCB trace antennas on the cells transfer data a short distance to a bus antenna. At the end of the bus antenna is a wire that conveys everything into the BMS host processor.

With its modular architecture, the company said expanding a battery pack requires little more than incorporating additional cells and linking them wirelessly. As a result, the one-chip-per-cell design simplifies scaling from a single cell to hundreds or even thousands. That gives it the flexibility to be deployed in a diverse range of electric vehicles (EVs) as well as battery energy storage systems (BESSs) that connect to the larger electric grid or local microgrids.

A Wireless BMS: Managing Battery Cells Without Managing Wires

At Embedded World, the startup rolled out a new reference design developed in collaboration with STMicroelectronics. The platform integrates 16 cells, a battery module configuration appropriate in automotive, commercial, and industrial applications (see video above).

By capturing synchronized data at the cell level, it can deliver accurate estimates of state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH). That, in turn, helps with safely and efficiently extracting more usable energy from each cell, optimizing overall performance and reliability.

One key to Dukosi’s technology is its C-SynQ protocol, which transfers data through a synchronized, star-network architecture. Traditionally, battery-cell monitoring requires extensive copper wiring between cells and the BMS, adding complexity and weight on top of the already heavy, complex battery packs in EVs and elsewhere. But a wireless BMS significantly simplifies integration, and the company said its approach uses a single bus antenna to monitor multiple cells simultaneously, stripping out a lot of the wiring.

The new reference design combines Dukosi’s wireless cell-monitoring technology with a microcontroller (MCU) and secure element from STMicro. Together, these building blocks create a secure connection between the battery and the cloud, enabling battery-pack authentication and encrypted data transmission. According to Dukosi, automakers and Tier-1 suppliers can use it to build battery packs that are tracked and monitored throughout their full lifecycle, helping improve safety, security, and long-term reliability.

By collecting data from the cells and storing it in the cloud, the system can assign each battery with a tamper-proof digital identity. This helps strengthen supply-chain transparency, improve repairability, and extend the useful life of the battery through safer reuse and recycling.

The technology is also form-factor and chemistry-agnostic. It supports prismatic, cylindrical, and pouch cells, as well as a wide range of battery chemistries, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC). The company’s cell-monitoring IC is powered by the battery cell itself.

Regardless of the cell type, Dukosi said its chip-on-cell system accurately monitors and reports essential cell performance data, giving it flexibility for different applications. At Embedded World, the company also showed a 54-channel cell-monitoring solution designed for BESSs.

Cell-Level Wireless Connectivity Comes to Battery Modules

While the technology can enhance battery reliability, safety, scalability, and flexibility, one of the issues with the chip-on-cell architecture is that it requires a fundamentally different battery-pack design.

Dukosi is trying to tackle the issue with a new module-level communication solution called DK-NFLNK, which was also on display at Embedded World. It leverages the same near-field wireless connectivity as the company’s cell-level solution but pushes it out to the module level. This leads to more secure, reliable batteries than traditional wired and other wireless designs while preserving compatibility with existing module-based platforms.

The solution delivers synchronized, module-level measurements to the main controller in the BMS. “This connectivity solution eliminates complex wiring and fault-prone connectors between modules and the BMS host processor, while ensuring data integrity and synchronicity,” said Joseph Notaro, Dukosi’s chief revenue officer, in a statement. “DK-NFLNK is also AFE adaptable, enabling seamless integration with a wide range of cell-monitoring solutions.”

The startup showed the technology at work with a standard 12-cell battery-module configuration typical of 400- to 800-V battery packs prevalent in EVs and smaller BESSs that provide supplemental power for facilities such as data centers. The module incorporates Dukosi’s DK8503 evaluation board, which acts as a “node.” Instead of connecting to the company’s cell-monitoring ICs, the node interfaces with a third-party, multichannel AFE monitoring device within the module.

Using the C-SynQ contactless communication protocol, the node transfers the most important data about the module synchronously and securely through a bus antenna to a system hub that sends it on to the BMS host processor.