This paper proposes a new battery management system （BMS） based on a master-slave control mode for multi-cell li-ion battery packs. The proposed BMS can be applied in li-ion battery packs with any cell number. The whole system is composed of a master processor and a string of slave manager cells （SMCs）. Each battery cell corresponds to an SMC. Unlike the conventional BMS, the proposed one has a novel method for communication, and it collects the battery status information in a direct and simple way. An SMC communicates with its adjacent counterparts to transfer the battery information as well as the commands from the master processor. The nethermost SMC communicates with the master processor directly. This method allows the battery management chips to be implemented in a standard CMOS （ complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor transistor） process. A testing chip is fabricated in the CSMC 0.5 μm 5 V N-well CMOS process. The testing results verify that the proposed method for data communication and the battery management system can protect and manage multi-cell li-ion battery packs.
