Helpful Definitions/Acronyms

*Note: If you’re going through the pages and find any words or acronyms not defined, add it to the list and fill it in or ask a lead to!

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations:

ADC – Analog to Digital Convertor: Converts analog signals to digital signals.

AFE – Analog Front-end: A type of integrated circuit.

ASIC – Application Specific Integrated Circuit: An integrated circuit chip customized for a particular use.

BLDC – Brushless Direct Current: In the context of electric motors, BLDC motors are brushless direct current motors. Brushless motors are more energy efficient than brushed motors as there are no brushes to generate any heat due to friction as they rotate.

BMS/BPS – Battery Management System/Battery Protection System: Monitors the voltage, temperature, and current of a battery pack, ensuring operation within safe thresholds.

CAN – Controller Area Network: An automotive communication protocol used in most modern cars. These networks define standards for efficient and reliable communications between components such as sensors, actuators, controllers in real-time application. CANs tailored for automotive use serve as a fault-tolerant protocol, using a differential signal and built-in CRC for robustness.

CRC – Cyclic Redundancy Check: An error detecting code used in CANs to detect accidental modifications to raw data.

DC – Direct Current: An electric current that is one-directional, the flow of charge is always in the same direction.

DRC – Design Rule Checking: Design rules are geometric constraints imposed on circuit boards and integrated circuits (IC) designers to ensure that the circuit designs function properly, reliably, and can be produced with a valid yield.

DSP – Digital Signal Processor: A specialized microprocessor chip used for digital signal processing. Applications include control systems and sensor array processing.

GPIO – General Purpose Input/Output: A digital signal pin on an integrated circuit (IC) or electronic circuit board which can act as an input, output, or both. GPIOs are controllable by its user at runtime.

I2C – Inter-Integrated Circuit (Hence I2): A synchronous serial communication protocol that is used to allow multiple peripheral digital integrated circuits (chips) to communicate with one or several controller chips.

isoSPI – Isolated SPI: A synchronous serial data bus allowing for data exchanges between devices and controllers over long distances.

LAN – Local area network: A type of network that interconnects a group of devices within a limited area. These components share a common communications line or wireless link to some server within a distinct geographic region.

LPF – Low Pass Filter: A filter which passes signals with a frequency lower than a specific cut-off frequency.

MCU – Microcontroller unit:

MPPT – Maximum Power Point Tracker: An electronic DC to DC converter that maximizes power extraction from photovoltaic (PV) solar systems.

NMC – Nickel-Manganese-Cobalt: A type of electrode material composed of lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt. A specific type of a lithium-ion battery uses NMC material as the cathode material of the battery cell. Lithium-ion NMC battery cells are highly successful lithium-ion batteries.

NO Relay – Normally Open Relays: Circuits that are by default open.

PCB – Printed Circuit Board: Printed Circuit Boards are the foundational boards used in most electronics. These boards mechanically support and connect electronic components via conductive tracks, pads, and other forms of connection that are etched onto layers of non-conductive material. Components may be mounted onto these boards with conductive substrates such as solder.

PID – Proportional, Integral, Derivative: A PID controller is a control loop mechanism used to calculate error values, comparing actual values with desired set values (set point).

PR – Pull Request:

PV Array – Photovoltaic Array: Power generating units which collect energy from the Sun as a source of power for the car.

QFN pads – Quad-flat-no-leads: A type of surface mount technology (SMT) consisting of a thermal conductive pad

SMT – Surface Mount Technology: Method in which electrical components are mounted onto PCBs.

SoC – State of Charge: The available capacity as a percentage or the rated or maximum effective capacity of a lithium-ion battery to monitor its voltage to its remaining lifespan.

SOP – Small Outline Package:

SPI – Serial Peripheral Interface: Serial Peripheral Interface is a synchronous serial communication interface primarily used in embedded systems to send data between controllers.

TSOP – Thin Small Outline Package:

UART – Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter: A physical circuit in a microcontroller used for serial communications.