Automotive Charging system

Automotive Charging system

• Contents
I. Charging system functions
II. Purpose of charging system
[Link] of charging system
IV. Basic charging system parts
V. Principle of induced emf
VI. Alternator construction
[Link] operation
[Link] regulator
IX. Charge indicators
 Energy conversion
Convert mechanical energy into electrical energy
Purpose of charging system
It recharges the battery
It supplies electrical current after the engine has been started .
Types of charging circuits
 DC charging circuits, and
 AC charging circuits
All charging circuits operate in three stages
During starting: Battery supplies all load current
During normal operation: Alternator supplies all current and
recharges the
battery.
During peak operation: Battery helps generator supply current
 Principle

Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction

The induced electromotive

force across a conductor is
equal to the rate at which
magnetic flux is cut by the
conductor
 Principle....
• The working of AC generator is electromagnetic induction to
generate electrical energy from mechanical energy . This principle is
the basic principal of operation of transformers, motors and
generators.
Lenz’s law.
When an emf is generated by a
change in magnetic flux
according to Faraday's Law, the
polarity of the induced emf is
such that it produces a current
whose magnetic field opposes the
change which produces it..
The magnitude of the electromagnetic induction is directly
proportional to the flux density, β the number of loops giving a total
length of the conductor, l in meters and the rate or velocity, ν at which
the magnetic field changes within the conductor in meters/second or
m/s
Derivation
 Factors affecting the magnitude of the induced emf
1. Increasing the number of turns of wire in the coil – By increasing
the amount of individual conductors cutting through the magnetic
field, the amount of induced emf produced will be the sum of all the
individual loops of the coil, so if there are 20 turns in the coil there
will be 20 times more induced emf than in one piece of wire.
2. Increasing the speed of the relative motion between the coil and the
magnet – If the same coil of wire passed through the same magnetic
field but its speed or velocity is increased, the wire will cut the lines
of flux at a faster rate so more induced emf would be produced.
3. Increasing the strength of the magnetic field – If the same coil of
wire is moved at the same speed through a stronger magnetic field,
there will be more emf produced because there are more lines of force
to cut.
• With the right hand is held with the thumb, first finger and second
finger mutually perpendicular to each other (at right angles),:
I. The thumb is pointed in the direction of the motion of the
conductor relative to the magnetic field.
II. The first finger is pointed in the direction of the magnetic field.
III. The second finger represents the direction of the induced or
generated current within the conductor
Examples
Voltage-time graph of Ac
Major components of charging system

i. Battery

ii. Alternator.

iii. Rectifier
diodes

iv. Voltage
regulator
 The engine crankshaft pulley
drives the alternator through a belt
two to three times crankshaft
speed (3:1).
 Pulleys are either bolt on or are
pressed on the rotor shaft.
 Both 'V' and Multi-grove types are
used
 To calculate the actual alternator
RPM, determine the ratio between
the two pulley diameters.
 Alternator
Energy conversion
 Converts mechanical energy to electrical energy
(Driven by Crankshaft, with the help of a drive-belt)

 The output of alternator is DC, but actually AC voltage

is generated and then converted to DC.

With external fan With internal fan

Parts of an Alternator
 Rotor
• The rotor which is supported by bearings creates an
alternating magnetic field, Each end of the rotor field
winding is attached to a slip ring.
• The DC supply is given to the rotor winding through the
slip rings and brushes arrangement.
 …Rotor
• The fingers on one pole piece produce south
magnetic poles while the other piece produce north
magnetic poles
Brushes and i. Slip Rings
slip rings • A slip ring is a device that allows the
transmission of power from a stationary
to a rotating structure.
• Mounted on the rotor shaft (insulated
from it) Provide current to the rotor
windings.
• An external source of electricity is
needed to excite the field
ii. brushes
• Two stationary carbon brushes ride on
two rotating slip rings.
• Springs hold the brushes in contact with
the slip rings
• Bushes are either soldered or bolted.
 Stator
The stator is fixed to the shell of the alternator, and
does not turn. The stator assembly is composed of:
 laminated iron frame and ,
three sets of windings, wound into slots in the
frame.
• The alternating magnetic
field from the spinning
rotor induces an alternating
voltage into the stator
winding.
• The windings make a three
phase unit due to the
manner of their connection.
 …stator
The type of connection

I. Star and
ii. Delta connections
 Wye (Y) or Star wound stator

 Can be identified by 4 stator leads

 Star-wound stators produce a
higher voltage
 Two windings are in series at any
one time during charge output.
 Line voltage – between line to
line
 Phase voltage– between line to
neutral
 Delta_ connection

 Delta-wound stators
produce a higher current.
 The windings are in
parallel
 have only three stator lead
ends.
Diodes
• Alternator output must be
rectified (changed) from AC
to DC because automobile’s
electrical system requires
direct current (DC)
• A diode allows current flow
in only one direction.
• Several diodes are connected
into a rectifier circuit.
• Half of these diodes are used
on the positive side and the
other half are on the
negative side.(mounted on a
heat-sink)
 Rectification

halve wave rectification

Full wave rectification
 Rectification of AC to DC (full wave)

N.B. If the battery connections are reversed, the

diodes will be damaged due to a large current flow.
 Diode-trio or exciter or field diodes
• These are three field diodes in order to excite the
field coil.

• When the alternator starts to generate, a portion

of the generated current is supplied directly from
the three field diodes. The reduction in the field
current due to the resistance of external wiring
and the like becomes less.
 Therefore, it is possible to improve the output.
Diode-trio (exciter diodes)
 Factors that are affecting the alternator output
are:
• The speed of the rotor.
• Strength of the magnetic field, i.e.,
number of turns of wire in the rotor winding,
amount of electricity applied to the rotor coil,
the air gap between the rotor poles and the stator.
• The number of turns of wire in the stator coils, and.
 Circuits of the alternator
There are three standard circuits for the
alternator:
Pre- excitation circuit
Excitation circuit (self- excitation)
Generator or main circuit
 Pre-excitation circuit
• The battery current first flows through the charge
indicator lamp and to the excitation winding in the
rotor.
• This is necessary because the remenance in the
excitation winding of the iron core is very weak at
the instant of starting and at low speeds, and does
not suffice to provide the self-excitation needed for
building up the magnetic field.
 Excitation circuit

• The excitation current comes from the current flowing in the

three-phase windings. It comes from the alternator through
the regulator IG and F terminals or flows through the three
exciter diodes if present. Hence, no external power source is
required for self-excitation.

• The excitation current generates the magnetic field during

the operation of the alternator so that the required alternator
voltage can be induced in the stator windings.
Charging system circuit
 Generator circuit

• The induced voltage in the stator windings is

first rectified by the power diodes. Then, the
current flows to the battery and the loads in the
vehicle electrical system.

• The stator winding voltages are a function of

the angle of rotation of the rotor.
 Voltage regulator
• A voltage regulator regulates the charging voltage
that the alternator produces, keeping it between 13.5
and 14.5 volts to protect the electrical components
throughout the vehicle.
Changes the amount of current flowing through
the rotor windings
• Without voltage regulation, the alternator would
consistently produce too much voltage
overcharging the battery and possibly causing
damage to the electrical system.
 Charge indicator
• Informs the driver of the operating condition
or output of the charging system
• Types:
warning light
voltmeter indicator
ammeter indicator

If the battery light comes on and stays on while you

are driving, there is a problem in the charging system
Example broken alternator belt.
Types of voltage regulator
i. Point type
(electromechanical) and

ii. IC (electronic)
regulator
 Regulator types based on circuit
• Type-A circuit has the voltage regulator on the
ground side of the field coil.
• Type-B circuit has the voltage regulator located on
the power side of the field coil.
 Electromechanical Voltage Regulator With Voltage Relay (Charge Lamp Relay)

• If there were no voltage relay, there would occur a drop in

voltage in the magnetic coil because the voltage is applied
to a long circuit via the ignition switch.

• A reduction of voltage would cause a proportionate

decrease in magnetic force of magnetic coil so the moving
points would not pulled sufficiently. As a result, alternator
voltage would rise too high.
Operation of a regulator with voltage relay

regulator

voltage relay
a. Voltage regulator, when the ignition switch is ON, engine stopped.
b. Engine operation (low speed to middle)
C. Engine operating (Middle speed to high speed)
 2. IC-Regulator (solid state regulator)

 The solid-state regulator

allows battery current to
excite alternator field coils,
and also controls charging
voltage at safe values.
 It may be separately
mounted or inbuilt type.
 IC regulator…
 Here is a review of most components of a solid-state
regulator:
 Diodes, Transistors, Zener diodes, Thermistors &
Capacitors
 Diodes are one-way electrical check valves.
Transistors act as relays. A Zener diode is specially
doped to act as a one-way, electrical check valve until
a specific reverse voltage level is reached. At that
point, the Zener diode allows reverse current to pass
through it.
 The electrical resistance of a thermistor, or thermal
resistor, changes as temperature changes.
 Most resistors used in automotive applications
are called negative temperature coefficient
(NTC) resistors because their resistance
decreases as temperature increases.

 The thermistor in a solid-state regulator reacts

to temperature to ensure proper battery
charging voltage.

 Some manufacturers, in order to smooth out

any abrupt voltage surges and protect the
regulator from damage, use a capacitor.

 Diodes may also be used as circuit protection.

 Operating principles of IC regulator

Pre-excitation circuit
 General Regulator Operation

• Figure 8-42 is a simplified

circuit diagram of a solid-
state regulator. This A-
circuit regulator is contained
within the housing.
• Terminal 2 on the AC
generator is always
connected to the battery, but
battery discharge is limited
by the high resistance of R2
and R3. The circuit allows
the regulator to sense
battery voltage.
• When the ignition switch is
closed in the circuit shown
in Figure 8-43, current
travels from the battery to
ground through the base of
the TR1 transistor.
• This causes the transistor to
conduct current through its
emitter-collector circuit
from the battery to the low-
resistance rotor winding,
which energizes the AC
generator field and turns on
the warning lamp.
• When the AC generator
begins to produce current
(Figure 8-44), field
current is drawn from
unrectified AC generator
output and rectified by
the diode trio, which is
charging voltage.
• The warning lamp is
turned off by equal
voltage on both sides of
the lamp.
• When the AC generator has
charged the battery to a
maximum safe voltage level
(Figure 8-45), the battery
voltage between R2 and R3 is
high enough to cause Zener
diode D2 to conduct in
reverse bias.
• This turns on TR2, which
shorts the base circuit of TR1
to ground.
• When TR1 is turned off, the
field circuit is turned off at
the ground control of TR1.
• With TR1 off, the field current decreases and system
voltage drops.
• When voltage drops low enough, the Zener diode
switches off and current is no longer applied to TR2.
• This opens the field circuit ground and energizes
TR1. TR1 turns back on. The field current and system
voltage increase. This cycle repeats many times per
second to limit the AC generator voltage to a
predetermined value.
The other components within the regulator perform
various functions.
• Capacitor C1 provides stable voltage across resistor
R3.
• Resistor R4 prevents excessive current through TR1 at
high temperatures.
• To prevent circuit damage, diode D3 bypasses high
voltages induced in the field windings when TR1 turns
off.
• Resistor R2 is a thermistor, which causes the regulated
voltage to vary with temperature.
• R5 allows the indicator lamp to turn off if the field
circuit is open.
 Advantages over mechanical regulator
 It is almost fool proof
 It is smaller in size i.e., compact and light
 It can control higher field current with improved
durability and reliability (this is due to lack of
mechanical points).
 A narrower output voltage range and little or no
variation with alternator speed and input voltage i.e.,
no hysteresis characteristics. There is little variation
in output voltage. (Not more than 0.1 to 0.2 V)
 Voltage variation at the rated load, or at maximum
output current of the alternator is between 0.5-1v
 ...Advantages over mechanical regulator

• Good resistance to vibration, climatic effects

and high durability due to lack of moving parts.
• Voltage ouput becomes lower as its temperature
rises, hence proper charging of the battery can
be performed. This is because the Zener diode
become more conductive as temperature rises
• Spark free switching prevents radio interference
 Disadvantages
• Susceptible to unusually high voltage and
temperatures.