A battery charger is a device used to put energy into a secondary cell or rechar geable battery by forcing an electric current

through it. The charge current depends upon the technology and capacity of the battery being charged. For example, the current that should be applied to recharge a 12 V car battery will be very different from the current for a mobile phone battery. Contents [hide] * 1 Types of battery chargers o 1.1 Simple o 1.2 Trickle o 1.3 Timer-based o 1.4 Intelligent + 1.4.1 Universal battery charger analyzers o 1.5 Fast o 1.6 Pulse o 1.7 Inductive o 1.8 USB-based o 1.9 Solar chargers o 1.10 Motion-powered charger * 2 Charge rate * 3 Applications o 3.1 Mobile phone charger o 3.2 Battery charger for vehicles o 3.3 Battery electric vehicle o 3.4 Use in experiments * 4 Prolonging battery life * 5 See also * 6 References [edit] Types of battery chargers [edit] Simple A simple charger works by supplying a constant DC or pulsed DC power source to a battery being charged. The simple charger does not alter its output based on ti me or the charge on the battery. This simplicity means that a simple charger is inexpensive, but there is a tradeoff in quality. Typically, a simple charger tak es longer to charge a battery to prevent severe over-charging. Even so, a batter y left in a simple charger for too long will be weakened or destroyed due to ove r-charging. These chargers can supply either a constant voltage or a constant cu rrent to the battery. Simple AC-powered battery chargers have much higher ripple current and ripple vo ltage than other kinds of battery supplies. When the ripple current is within th e battery-manufacturer-recommended level, the ripple voltage will also be well w ithin the recommended level. The maximum ripple current for a typical 12 V 100 A h VRLA battery is 5 amps. As long as the ripple current is not excessive (more t han 3 to 4 times the battery-manufacturer-recommended level), the expected life of a ripple-charged VRLA battery is within 3% of the life of a constant DC-charg ed battery.[1] [edit] Trickle Main article: Trickle charging A trickle charger is typically a low-current (500 1,500 mA) battery charger. A tri ckle charger is generally used to charge small capacity batteries (2 30 Ah). These types of battery chargers are also used to maintain larger capacity batteries ( > 30 Ah) that are typically found on cars, boats, RVs and other related vehicles . In larger applications, the current of the battery charger is sufficient only to provide a maintenance or trickle current (trickle is commonly the last chargi

ng stage of most battery chargers). Depending on the technology of the trickle c harger, it can be left connected to the battery indefinitely. Some battery charg ers that can be left connected to the battery without causing the battery damage are also referred to as smart or intelligent chargers. [edit] Timer-based Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improv e this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may b e challenged and removed. (June 2010) The output of a timer charger is terminated after a pre-determined time. Timer c hargers were the most common type for high-capacity Ni-Cd cells in the late 1990 s for example (low-capacity consumer Ni-Cd cells were typically charged with a s imple charger). Often a timer charger and set of batteries could be bought as a bundle and the c harger time was set to suit those batteries. If batteries of lower capacity were charged then they would be overcharged, and if batteries of higher capacity wer e charged they would be only partly charged. With the trend for battery technolo gy to increase capacity year on year, an old timer charger would only partly cha rge the newer batteries. Timer based chargers also had the drawback that charging batteries that were not fully discharged, even if those batteries were of the correct capacity for the particular timed charger, would result in over-charging. [edit] Intelligent Example of a smart charger for AA and AAA batteries A "smart charger" should not be confused with a "smart battery". A smart battery is generally defined as one containing some sort of electronic device or "chip" that can communicate with a smart charger about battery characteristics and con dition. A smart battery generally requires a smart charger it can communicate wi th (see Smart Battery Data). A smart charger is defined as a charger that can re spond to the condition of a battery, and modify its charging actions accordingly . Some smart chargers are designed to charge "smart" batteries. Some smart charg ers are designed to charge "dumb" batteries, which lack any internal electronic circuitry. The term "smart battery charger" is thoroughly ambiguous, since it is not clear whether the adjective "smart" refers to the battery or only to the ch arger. The output current of a smart charger depends upon the battery's state. An intel ligent charger may monitor the battery's voltage, temperature and/or time under charge to determine the optimum charge current at that instant. Charging is term inated when a combination of the voltage, temperature and/or time indicates that the battery is fully charged. For Ni-Cd and NiMH batteries, the voltage across the battery increases slowly du ring the charging process, until the battery is fully charged. After that, the v oltage decreases, which indicates to an intelligent charger that the battery is fully charged. Such chargers are often labeled as a ?V, "delta-V," or sometimes "delta peak", charger, indicating that they monitor the voltage change. The problem is, the magnitude of "delta-V" can become very small or even non-exi stent if (very) high[quantify] capacity rechargeable batteries are recharged.[ci tation needed] This can cause even an intelligent battery charger to not sense t hat the batteries are actually already fully charged, and continue charging. Ove rcharging of the batteries will result in some cases. However, many so called in telligent chargers employ a combination of cut off systems, which should prevent overcharging in the vast majority of cases.

A typical intelligent charger fast-charges a battery up to about 85% of its maxi mum capacity in less than an hour, then switches to trickle charging, which take s several hours to top off the battery to its full capacity.[2] [edit] Universal battery charger analyzers The most sophisticated types are used in critical applications e.g.: military or aviation batteries. These heavy-duty automatic intelligent charging systems can b e programmed with complex charging cycles specified by the battery maker. The be st are universal (i.e.: can charge all battery types), and include automatic cap acity testing and analyzing functions too. [edit] Fast Fast chargers make use of control circuitry in the batteries being charged to ra pidly charge the batteries without damaging the cells' elements. Most such charg ers have a cooling fan to help keep the temperature of the cells under control. Most are also capable of acting as standard overnight chargers if used with stan dard NiMH cells that do not have the special control circuitry. Some fast charge rs, such as those made by Energizer, can fast-charge any NiMH battery even if it does not have the control circuit. [edit] Pulse Some chargers use pulse technology in which a series of voltage or current pulse s is fed to the battery. The DC pulses have a strictly controlled rise time, pul se width, pulse repetition rate (frequency) and amplitude. This technology is sa id to work with any size, voltage, capacity or chemistry of batteries, including automotive and valve-regulated batteries.[3] With pulse charging, high instanta neous voltages can be applied without overheating the battery. In a Lead acid batt ery, this breaks down lead-sulfate crystals, thus greatly extending the battery service life.[4] Several kinds of pulse charging are patented.[5][6][7] Others are open source ha rdware.[8] Some chargers use pulses to check the current battery state when the charger is first connected, then use constant current charging during fast charging, then u se pulse charging as a kind of trickle charging to maintain the charge.[9] Some chargers use "negative pulse charging", also called "reflex charging" or "b urp charging".[10] Such chargers use both positive and brief negative current pu lses. There is no significant evidence, however, that negative pulse charging is more effective than ordinary pulse charging.[11][12] [edit] Inductive Main article: Inductive charging Inductive battery chargers use electromagnetic induction to charge batteries. A charging station sends electromagnetic energy through inductive coupling to an e lectrical device, which stores the energy in the batteries. This is achieved wit hout the need for metal contacts between the charger and the battery. It is comm only used in electric toothbrushes and other devices used in bathrooms. Because there are no open electrical contacts, there is no risk of electrocution. [edit] USB-based See also: USB#Power Pay-per-charge kiosk, illustrating the variety of mobile phone charger connector s Since the Universal Serial Bus specification provides for a five-volt power supp ly, it is possible to use a USB cable as a power source for recharging batteries . Products based on this approach include chargers for cellular phones and porta ble digital audio players. They may be fully compliant USB peripheral devices ad hering to USB power discipline, or uncontrolled in the manner of USB decorations

. [edit] Solar chargers Further information: Solar charger and energy harvesting Solar chargers convert light energy into DC current. They are generally portable , but can also be fixed mount. Fixed mount solar chargers are also known as sola r panels. Solar panels are often connected to the electrical grid, whereas porta ble solar chargers are used off-the-grid (i.e. cars, boats, or RVs). Although portable solar chargers obtain energy from the sun only, they still can (depending on the technology) be used in low light (i.e. cloudy) applications. Portable solar chargers are typically used for trickle charging, although some s olar chargers (depending on the wattage), can completely recharge batteries. The Kinesis K3 is a handheld charger for charging small personal devices like cellp hones, gps's, digital cameras, gaming devices, etc. It contains a small wind gen erator, a small solar panel and batteries. The batteries can be charged by the p anel, the wind generator or by connection to a power source (120V, 12V, or USB). It can then be used to recharge a small personal device. [edit] Motion-powered charger Several companies have begun making devices that charge batteries based on regul ar human motion. One example, made by Tremont Electric, consists of a magnet hel d between two springs that can charge a battery as the device is moved up and do wn, such as when walking. Such products have not yet achieved significant commer cial success.[13] [edit] Charge rate Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improv e this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may b e challenged and removed. (June 2010) Charge rate is often denoted as C or C-rate and signifies a charge or discharge rate equal to the capacity of a battery in one hour.[14] For a 1.6Ah battery, C = 1.6A. A charge rate of C/2 = 0.8A would need two hours, and a charge rate of 2 C = 3.2A would need 30 minutes to fully charge the battery from an empty state, if supported by the battery. This also assumes that the battery is 100% efficien t at absorbing the charge. [edit] Applications Since a battery charger is intended to be connected to a battery, it may not hav e voltage regulation or filtering of the DC voltage output. Battery chargers equ ipped with both voltage regulation and filtering may be identified as battery el iminators. [edit] Mobile phone charger See also: USB#Power Micro USB mobile phone charger A charging station for various brands of mobile phones. Most mobile phone chargers are not really chargers, only power adapters that pro vide a power source for the charging circuitry which is almost always contained within the mobile phone.[15] They are notoriously diverse, having a wide variety of DC connector-styles and voltages, most of which are not compatible with othe r manufacturers' phones or even different models of phones from a single manufac turer. Users of publicly accessible charging kiosks must be able to cross-reference con nectors with device brands/models and individual charge parameters and thus ensu re delivery of the correct charge for their mobile device. A database-driven sys tem is one solution, and is being incorporated into some designs of charging kio sks.

Mobile phones can usually accept a relatively wide range of voltages[citation ne eded], as long as it is sufficiently above the phone battery's voltage. However, if the voltage is too high, it can damage the phone. Mostly, the voltage is 5 v olts or slightly higher, but it can sometimes vary up to 12 volts when the power source is not loaded. There are also human-powered chargers sold on the market, which typically consis ts of a dynamo powered by a hand crank and extension cords. There are also solar chargers. China, the European Commission and other countries are making a national standar d on mobile phone chargers using the USB standard.[16] In June 2009, 10 of the w orld's largest mobile phone manufacturers signed a Memorandum of Understanding t o develop specifications for and support a microUSB-equipped common External Pow er Supply (EPS) for all data-enabled mobile phones sold in the EU.[17][18] On Oc tober 22, 2009, the International Telecommunication Union announced a standard f or a universal charger for mobile handsets (Micro-USB).[19] [edit] Battery charger for vehicles Further information: Charging station There are two main types of charges for vehicles: * To recharge a fuel vehicle's starter battery, where a modular charger is u sed. * To recharge an electric vehicle (EV) battery pack. [edit] Battery electric vehicle These vehicles include a battery pack, so generally use series charger. EV converted electric vehicle battery chargers come in a variety of brands and c haracteristics. Zivan, Manzanita Micro, Elcon, Quick Charge, Rossco, Brusa, Delt a-Q, Kelly, Lester and Soneil are the top 10 EV chargers in 2011 according to EV Album.com. These chargers vary from 1 KW to 7.5 KW maximum charge rate. Some use algorithm charge curves, others use constant voltage, constant current. Some ar e programmable by the end user through a CAN port, some have dials for maximum v oltage and amperage, some are preset to specified battery pack voltage, amp-hour and chemistry. Prices range from $400 to $4500.[20]. A 10 Ampere-hour battery could take 15 hours to reach a fully charged state from a fully discharged condition with a 1 Ampere charger as it would require roughl y 1.5 times the battery's capacity. Public EV charging[21] heads (aka: stations) provide 6 kW (host power of 208 to 240 VAC off a 40 amp circuit). 6 kW will recharge an EV roughly 6 times faster t han 1 kW overnight charging. Rapid charging results in even faster recharge times and is limited only by avai lable AC power and the type of charging system.[22] On board EV chargers (change AC power to DC power to recharge the EV's pack) can be: * Isolated: they make no physical connection between the A/C electrical main s and the batteries being charged. These typically employ some form of Inductive charging. Some isolated chargers may be used in parallel. This allows for an in creased charge current and reduced charging times. The battery has a maximum cur rent rating that cannot be exceeded

* Non-isolated: the battery charger has a direct electrical connection to th e A/C outlet's wiring. Non-isolated chargers cannot be used in parallel. Power Factor Correction (PFC) chargers can more closely approach the maximum cur rent the plug can deliver, shortening charging time. Charge stations Main article: Charging station There is a list of public EV charging stations in the U.S.A. and worldwide[21] Project Better Place is deploying a network of charging stations and subsidizing vehicle battery costs through leases and credits. Auxiliary charger designed to fit a variety of proprietary devices Portable chargers comes in various capacities: 3400 11200 mAh Non-contact magnetic charging Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) ha ve developed an electric transport system (called Online Electric Vehicle, OLEV) where the vehicles get their power needs from cables underneath the surface of the road via non-contact magnetic charging, (where a power source is placed unde rneath the road surface and power is wirelessly picked up on the vehicle itself. As a possible solution to traffic congestion and to improve overall efficiency by minimizing air resistance and so reduce energy consumption, the test vehicles followed the power track in a convoy formation[23] [edit] Use in experiments A battery charger can work as a DC power adapter for experimentation. It may, ho wever, require an external capacitor to be connected across its output terminals in order to "smooth" the voltage sufficiently, which may be thought of as a DC voltage plus a "ripple" voltage added to it. Note that there may be an internal resistance connected to limit the short circuit current, and the value of that i nternal resistance may have to be taken into consideration in experiments. [edit] Prolonging battery life What practices are best depend on the type of battery. Nickel-based cells, such as NiMH[citation needed] and NiCd, need to be fully discharged occasionally, or else the battery loses capacity over time in a phenomenon known as "memory effec t". Once a month (once every 30 charges) is sometimes recommended.[citation need ed] This extends the life of the battery since memory effect is prevented while avoiding full charge cycles which are known to be hard on all types of dry-cell batteries, eventually resulting in a permanent decrease in battery capacity. Most modern cell phones, laptops, and most electric vehicles use Lithium-ion bat teries. These batteries last longest if the battery is frequently charged; fully discharging them will degrade their capacity relatively quickly.[24] When stori ng however, lithium batteries degrade more while fully charged than if they are only 40% charged. Degradation also occurs faster at higher temperatures. Degrada tion in lithium-ion batteries is caused by an increased internal battery resista nce due to cell oxidation. This decreases the efficiency of the battery, resulti ng in less net current available to be drawn from the battery.[citation needed] Internal combustion engine vehicles, such as boats, RVs, ATVs, motorcycles, cars , trucks, and more use lead acid batteries. These batteries employ a sulfuric acid electrolyte and can generally be charged and discharged without exhibiting memo ry effect, though sulfation (a chemical reaction in the battery which deposits a layer of sulfates on the lead) will occur over time. Keeping the electrolyte le

vel in the recommended range is necessary. When discharged, these batteries shou ld be recharged immediately in order to prevent sulfation. These sulfates are el ectrically insulating and therefore interfere with the transfer of charge from t he sulfuric acid to the lead, resulting in a lower maximum current than can be d rawn from the battery. Sulfated lead acid batteries typically need replacing. Lead acid batteries will experience substantially longer life when a maintenance c harger is used to "float charge" the battery. This prevents the battery from eve r being below 100% charge, preventing sulfate from forming. Proper temperature c ompensated float voltage should be used to achieve the best results.[citation ne eded] [edit] See also Crystal energy.svg Energy portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Battery charger * * * * * * * * * * * Battery eliminator Battery holder Battery management system List of battery sizes Charge controller Lithium-ion battery Recharging alkaline batteries Solar energy Solar lamp Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certification. Alternator battery charging device in car

[edit] References 1. ^ "Effects of AC Ripple Current on VRLA Battery Life" by Emerson Network P ower 2. ^ Dave Etchells. "The Great Battery Shootout". http://www.imaging-resource .com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM. 3. ^ "AN913: Switch-Mode, Linear, and Pulse Charging Techniques for Li+ Batte ry in Mobile Phones and PDAs". Maxim. 2001. http://www.maxim-ic.com/appnotes.cfm /appnote_number/913/. 4. ^ "Lead acid battery sulfation". Archived from the original on 2007-04-02. h ttp://web.archive.org/web/20070402140958/http://www.dallas.net/~jvpoll/Battery/a aPictures.html. 5. ^ ""fast pulse battery charger" patent". 2003. http://www.wipo.int/pctdb/e n/wo.jsp?wo=2003088447. 6. ^ "Battery charger with current pulse regulation" patented 1981 United Sta tes Patent 4355275 7. ^ "Pulse-charge battery charger" patented 1997 United States Patent 563357 4 8. ^ http://www.dallas.net/~jvpoll/Battery/aaPictures.html Pulse-charger/desu lfator circuit schematic 9. ^ "Pulse Maintenance charging."[dead link] 10. ^ "The pulse power(tm) battery charging system" 11. ^ "Negative Pulse Charge, or "Burp" Charging: Fact or Fiction?" 12. ^ Tech Brief: Negative Pulse Charging Myths and Facts and Negative Pulse C harging: Myths and Facts 13. ^ Martin LaMonica, CNET. "Motion-powered gadget charger back on track." Ju l 1, 2011. Retrieved Jul 1, 2011. 14. ^ A Guide to Understanding Battery Specifications, MIT Electric Vehicle Te am, December 2008 15. ^ Mobile phone battery care 16. ^ China to work out national standard for mobile phone chargers. English.s ina.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-11. 17. ^ "Cellphone charger harmonization". ec.europa.eu. http://ec.europa.eu/ent

erprise/sectors/rtte/chargers/index_en.htm. Retrieved 2011-01-21. 18. ^ PC World:Universal Chargers are a Good Start Jan 2009 19. ^ Oct 22, 2009, ITU press release Universal charger for mobile phone hands ets 20. ^ EV Lithium Battery Charger Options (2011-11-19) 21. ^ a b Home. EV Charger News (2010-08-28). Retrieved on 2011-11-11. 22. ^ Fuji Heavy Speeds Up Recharging of R1e EV. Green Car Congress (2007-09-1 8). Retrieved on 2011-11-11. 23. ^ Korean electric vehicle solution. Gizmag.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-11. 24. ^ "How to prolong lithium-based batteries". September 2006. http://www.bat teryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm. Retrieved November 21, 2009. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battery_charger&oldid= 463421043" View page ratings Rate this page Rate this page Page ratings What's this? Current average ratings. Trustworthy Objective Completely unbiased Complete Well-written I am highly knowledgeable about this topic (optional) I have a relevant college/university degree It is part of my profession It is a deep personal passion The source of my knowledge is not listed here I would like to help improve Wikipedia, send me an e-mail (optional) We will send you a confirmation e-mail. We will not share your e-mail address wi th outside parties as per our feedback privacy statement. Submit ratings Saved successfully Your ratings have not been submitted yet Your ratings have expired Please reevaluate this page and submit new ratings. An error has occured. Please try again later. Thanks! Your ratings have been saved. Please take a moment to complete a short survey. Start survey Maybe later Thanks! Your ratings have been saved. Do you want to create an account? An account will help you track your edits, get involved in discussions, and be a part of the community. Create an accountorLog in Maybe later Thanks! Your ratings have been saved. Did you know that you can edit this page? Edit this page Maybe later Categories: * Energy conversion * Battery chargers Hidden categories: * All articles with dead external links * Articles with dead external links from November 2011 * Articles needing additional references from June 2010

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