Smart Battery Charge Controller

Abstract
Batteries used for all the commercial applications need a proper monitoring. The
charging and discharging cycles are not properly monitored. This causes battery to fail.
The change of batteries requires cost implications which may not be feasible for the
customer end. Thus a low cost and smart solution has to be provided which will help the
customer at reducing the maintenance cost.
The project aims at providing healthy environment for the Lead acid battery during
its operation cycle. The best way to achieve the above aim is by controlling the battery’s
charge and discharge. In this project we will be charging the batteries via a regulated
power supply and monitoring it continuously by using a microcontroller. The controller
will be controlling the charge and discharge cycles of the battery thereby increasing the
life cycle. This project will provide healthy environment by monitoring temperature of the
battery which eventually will help in increasing the life span of the battery.

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Introduction.
In this project we will be using arduino UNO as an microcontroller in order to
monitor the battery conditions. The microcontroller will receiver various inputs from the
sensors (Voltage Sensor, Current Sensor and Temperature Sensor) and help in charge control
and discharge control of the battery.
The Range of Current Sensor is 0-10A. The range of voltage sensor is 25VDC.The
current sensor has the range 0-150 Deg Celsius. The inputs received are displayed for
information. This also helps to override the system in case the control unit fails. This can
widely be used in for solar applications or wherever there are large battery banks and whose
charge is unpredictable. Especially in wind applications we do not have control over input
power. Thus we can use it in this application to protect the battery.

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Literature Survey
1. Microcontroller based smart charge controller for standalone solar photovoltaic
power systems," 2009 34th IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC),
Philadelphia, PA, 2009, pp. 001094-001097.

This paper presents a cost efficient PV charge controller with the function to
disconnect and reconnect battery and load during battery overcharging or under
discharging. The proposed charge controller is equipped with LCD to display the
temperature, battery voltage and current flow through the battery.

2. "Design real time Battery Monitoring System using LabVIEW Interface for

Arduino (LIFA)," A. Jamaluddin, L. Sihombing, A. Supriyanto, A. Purwanto

and M. Nizam, 2013 Joint International Conference on Rural Information
& Communication Technology and Electric-Vehicle Technology (rICT &
ICeV-T),Bandung,2013,pp.1-4.doi: 10.1109/rICT-ICeVT.2013.6741525

The voltage divide was used for sensing of battery voltage and the
ACS712 based on effect hall sensor was used for current sensing. Similarly other
sensors can also be interfaced using the suitable program which serves the
purpose.

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Methodology.

In the first place we will be programming the Arduino Uno microcontroller so as to

receive the inputs from various sensors. The sensors include current sensor, Voltage sensor
and temperature sensor. The sensors will be calibrated as required for the battery standards.
In this case we will be using 4 No’s of Lead acid battery of 3.7 V each in series. The full
charge voltage of this battery bank will be 14V.The charging of each battery in the bank will
be monitored individually. While supplying to load, the battery will be in series. The
optimum operating temperature for a battery is 33⁰C. For every 8⁰C rise in temperature, the
battery backup reduces to half. Thus temperature monitoring is as important as monitoring
the charge. The voltage and current are to be controlled so as to not allow the acid to
evaporate and make the battery dry.

Block Diagram

Control Unit Lead Acid or Li ion

Power Supply
battery bank

Temperature sensor
Microcontroller to each battery
Arduino Uno

Current Sensor
to each battery

Voltage Sensor
to each battery

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Components
The main components of the projects include

1. Battery.
The battery used here is a Lead acid battery. The capacity may vary from
7.2Ah to 42Ah. In This case battery used will be 32Ah.

Figure 1: 32Ah Lead Acid battery.

2. Sensors.
The sensors to be used are Voltage sensor, Current Sensor and Temperature
Sensor. These sensors are used to take feedback from the battery and give it to
Microcontroller. The feedback helps to control the charging and Discharging unit.

Figure 4: Temperature Sensor

Figure 2: Current Sensor Figure 3: Voltage Sensor

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3. Arduino Uno Board.

The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328
(datasheet). It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM
outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator, a USB connection, a power
jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the
microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a
AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.
4.

Figure 5.1 Arduino Uno Front Side

Figure 5.2 Arduino Uno Back Side

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Advantages
1. Enhances battery life by about 25%.
2. AMC of the Battery can be properly designed.
3. The Electrolyte levels of the battery can be maintained without any mismanagement.
4. The over-charge and discharge of the battery can be prevented.
5. Economical in terms of application.
6. Uses Open source. Thus it does not involve any implications.

Disadvantages.
1. The control and charge unit will vary as the battery capacity increases.
2. An auxiliary supply will be needed to keep the microcontroller powered on.
3. Sensors have to be properly calibrated with the time so as to avoid malfunction.

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