What is pulse rate charging and what is its advantage when charging rechargeable batteries ?
Answer 8: The pulse rate charging method applies pulses of current to the battery as it charges. When the current is interrupted, the cells current voltage is measured. The open-circuit voltage (OCV) measurement during the pulse off-time compensates for the internal resistance component of the voltage during charge. As the battery cell’s open-circuit voltage increases above a certain point, subsequent pulses are blocked until the OCV decreases. As the battery charges, a greater portion of the pulses are blocked because the OCV stays above the given level for the type of battery being charged for a longer period of time. This pulse-skipping causes the average current to taper to zero as the battery fills up, with power. This charging method is most often used in most smart chargers, and will usually extend the useful life of most rechargeable batteries since it is a very controlled and precise type of charging and prevents overcharging.
