ABSTRACT:

This project is designed to ensure that our cell phones never run out of
juice by letting us charge it while we are on our daily walk and getting
some exercise and thereby getting two jobs done at the same time. The
basic idea is about converting a part of the bio-mechanical energy spent
in our day-to-day lives (while walking) into a usable form and storing it
to charge low-power battery-operated devices.

INTRODUCTION:
Mobile phones are used widely in our everyday lives giving
us the freedom to communicate anywhere and at anytime. Equipped with
various facilities, it is available to people of all classes. The affordable
price range and the easy application make it a pleasure to use. Besides
communication, they also have various other services programmed in
them. The latest mobile phones are incorporated with features like MP3
players, high resolution camera, high sound quality, 3G technology and
the list goes on. The mobile phones have become a hit among all classes
of people from kids to teenagers to adults allowing them to enjoy a tech-
savvy lifestyle. These phones are considered as style statement and give
a sophisticated touch to your profile.
The utility of this device is no longer unknown. The rate of
sales growth in India shows that nearly six million people buy cells
every month in India. In fact this is the largest growing market in the
world. An expected target of 800 million buyers by 2011, does not seem
to be impossible.
Although the extensive use of mobile phones have placed us in a
completely new arena but the core of all the mobile phones have
remained constant and that’s the battery and the charging of this battery.
The majority of cell phones use built-in batteries that can be recharged
with a charger and an electrical outlet. But if the charger is improperly
used, it may stop operating and even cause dangerous situations. We
rely heavily on our cell phones for various applications, so we need to
realize how important it is to have enough battery power to make
accomplish our needs. Fortunately, companies have created so many
different types of cell-phone chargers so that we can easily and
conveniently charge our batteries.
These chargers come in five basic varieties:
• Wall chargers,
• Car chargers,
• Desktop chargers,
• Emergency chargers and
• Green chargers.

Wall Chargers

 Of all the types of cell-phone chargers, wall chargers are the most
common. An AC wall adapter is included with your cell phone when you
purchase it.

Car Chargers
 Car chargers plug into the cigarette lighter outlet or accessory outlet
in your vehicle, allowing you to charge your cell phone while you drive.
Car chargers come in three varieties: fast chargers, rapid chargers and
trickle chargers. All three types allow you to use your cell phone while
the battery is charging. The primary difference is the speed of charge.
Use fast chargers with caution. If you do not unplug your cell phone as
soon as the battery is charged, the battery can overheat and become
damaged.

Desktop Chargers

 Desktop chargers, also known as docking stations, contain a base

with one or more slots to hold your cell phone or other electronic
devices. These chargers typically connect to your computer with a USB
cable. One drawback of desktop chargers is that you cannot use your cell
phone while it is charging.

Emergency Chargers

 Emergency chargers generally require AAA batteries. They do not

give enough power to charge your cell-phone battery completely, but
you can get at least a half-hour of talk time in the event of an emergency.

Green Chargers

 Some companies have begun manufacturing green chargers.

Numerous companies, such as ElectroHiFi and IST SideWinder, produce
crank chargers that permit you to charge your cell phone by turning a
crank. These chargers typically produce small amounts of power, enough
to make an emergency call. Solio has a solar-powered charger that can
also use USB ports or wall outlets if there is not enough sunlight. Nokia
has created a bicycle charger that allows you to charge your cell phone
as you pedal your bike.

The disadvantages of using conventional portable chargers for the

purpose of charging mobile phones include the conventional portable
chargers' requirement of a power supply, which is very impossible in the
conditions of no power or low voltage. This causes fluctuation in the
electromagnetic field of the battery. Since it uses electricity, you should
be very careful while handling the charger. Thus the user’s safety is not
guaranteed while using a conventional portable charger.

Turning apart from the conventional methods of charging the battery of

our mobile phones, this project aims at introducing a new way of mobile
phone charging and also conserving energy.

WORKING PRINCIPLE:
This device has to be worn below the knee cap on one leg and a light
string is attached to the other leg. The strides taken help in pulling and
retracting the string, which is further attached to a dynamo that generates
about 3.5 Watts; enough to charge low-powered devices such as our
mobile phones. This device captures the energy by connecting an
electrical generator to leg movements. When the person extends the gap
between the legs, power is generated by a gear that turns and spins the
generator. The flexion of the leg turns off the gear so as not to
discomfort the person.
Walking involves a change in relative displacement of around 35 cm
between legs. This repeated linear motion could be converted to rotary
motion with the help of a pulley and string. Thus, the bio-mechanical
work is converted into mechanical form and eventually stored as
chemical energy in batteries to store electric energy. The device is
clamped on one leg and a hole lets out a string that is attached to the
other leg that helps in the conversion of the displacement into rotary
motion. Even a slight displacement pulls the string out, thereby rotating
the pulley, which turns the central shaft. The shaft is common to the
gearbox, the dynamo and the recoil mechanism. So, when the
displacement reduces, there is a slack in the string, which is removed by
the tension produced by the recoil system. Since the electricity produced
is bi-directional and contains spikes, an electronic circuit encompassing
a rectifier and a filter converts it into a unidirectional, spike-free wave
and stores the energy produced in rechargeable batteries. This stored
energy is used as an input supply to mobiles with the help of different
adapters.
This new device is motion sensitive, being auto-activated by leg
movements and it does not increase the energy spent with walking.

OPERATION:
The mechanism involves three basic stages:

 Conversion of mechanical to electrical energy

 Storing the electrical energy

 Using this energy to charge mobile phones

Mechanical to Storing the

Electrical Energy electrical energy

Using this energy

to charge Mobile
Phones
Conversion of mechanical to electrical energy:
People are an excellent source of portable power. An average-sized
person stores as much energy in fat as a 1,000-kilogram battery. People
recharge their body batteries with food and, lucky for us, there is about
as much useful energy in a 35-gram granola bar as in a 3.5-kilogram
lithium-ion battery. The device could be used to power computers in
remote regions where electricity is scarce.
The repeated linear motion could be converted to rotary motion with the
help of a pulley and string. Thus, the bio-mechanical work is converted
into mechanical form and eventually stored as chemical energy in
batteries to store electric energy. The device is clamped on one leg using
a Velcro strap and a hole lets out a Nylon string that is attached to the
other leg that helps in the conversion of the displacement into rotary
motion. Even a slight displacement pulls the string out, thereby rotating
the pulley, which turns the central shaft. The shaft is common to the
gearbox, the dynamo and the recoil mechanism. So, when the
displacement reduces, there is a slack in the string, which is removed by
the tension produced by the recoil system.

A dynamo generally means a generator that produces direct current with

the use of a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators
capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundation upon which
many other later electric-power conversion devices were based,
including the electric motor, the alternating-current alternator, and the
rotary converter.

Storing the electrical energy:

Since the electricity produced is bi-directional and contains spikes, an
electronic circuit encompassing a rectifier and a filter converts it into a
unidirectional, spike-free wave and stores the energy produced in
rechargeable batteries. This stored energy is used as an input supply to
mobiles
Using this energy to charge mobile phones:
Most mobile phone chargers are not really chargers, only adapters that
provide a power source for the charging circuitry which is almost always
contained within the mobile phone. They are notably diverse, having a
wide variety of DC connector-styles and voltages, most of which are not
compatible with other manufacturers' phones or even different models of
phones from a single manufacturer.
• P1 = 20K
• P2 = 20K
• R1 = 390R
• R2 = 680R
• R3 = 39R-1W
• R4 = 27K
• R5 = 47K
• R6 = 3.3K
• R7 = 100R-1W
• C1 = 4.7uF-25V
• C2 = 0.01uF
• C3 = 0.001uF
• D1 = 5.6V-1W Zener
• D2 = 3mm. Red LED
• Q1 = SL100
• S1 = On/Off Switch
• B1 = 1.5vx8 AA Cells in Series
 • IC1 = NE555 Timer IC

Timer IC NE555 is used to charge and monitor the voltage level in

the battery. Control voltage pin 5 of IC1 is provided with a reference
voltage of 5.6V by Zener diode D1. Threshold pin 6 is supplied with a
voltage set by P1 and trigger pin 2 is supplied with a voltage set by P2.
When the discharged cell phone battery is connected to the circuit, the
voltage given to trigger pin 2 of IC1 is below 1/3Vcc and hence the flip-
flop in the IC is switched on to take output pin 3 high. When the battery
is fully charged, the output terminal voltage increases the voltage at pin
2 of IC1 above the trigger point threshold.

This switches off the flip-flop and the output goes low to terminate the
charging process. Threshold pin 6 of IC1 is referenced at 2/3Vcc set by
P1. Transistor Q1 is used to enhance the charging current. Value of R3 is
critical in providing the required current for charging. With the given
value of 39-ohm the charging current is around 180 mA. The circuit can
be constructed on a small general-purpose PCB.

For calibration of cut-off voltage level, use a variable DC power source.

Connect the output terminals of the circuit to the variable power supply
set at 7V. Adjust P1 in the middle position and slowly adjust P2 until
LED (D2) goes off, indicating low output. LED should turn on when the
voltage of the variable power supply reduces below 5V. Enclose the
circuit in a small plastic case and use suitable connector for connecting
to the cell phone battery.

COMPONENT SPECIFICATION:

NE555 TIMER IC:

The 555 Timer IC is an integrated circuit (chip) implementing a variety

of timer and multivibrator applications.
The 555 Timer has three operating modes:

• Monostable mode: In this mode, the 555 functions as a "one-shot".

Applications include timers, missing pulse detection, bounce free
switches, touch switches, frequency divider, capacitance
measurement, pulse-width modulation (PWM) etc.

• Astable - free running mode: The 555 can operate as an oscillator.

Uses include LED and lamp flashers, pulse generation, logic
clocks, tone generation, security alarms, pulse position modulation,
etc.

• Bistable mode or Schmitt trigger: The 555 can operate as a flip-

flop, if the DIS pin is not connected and no capacitor is used. Uses
include bounce free latched switches, etc.

The connection of the pins is as follows:

PIN NAME PURPOSE

1 GND Ground, low level (0 V)
2 TRIG OUT rises, and interval starts, when this input
 falls below 1/3 VCC.
3 OUT This output is driven to +VCC or GND.
4 RESET A timing interval may be interrupted by driving
this input to GND.
5 CTRL "Control" access to the internal voltage divider
(by default, 2/3 VCC).
6 THR The interval ends when the voltage at THR is
greater than at CTRL.
7 DIS Open collector output; may discharge a
capacitor between intervals
8 V+,Vcc Positive supply voltage is usually between 3
and 15 V.

These specifications apply to the NE555.

Supply voltage (VCC) 4.5 to 15 V

Supply current (VCC = +5 V) 3 to 6 mA
Supply current (VCC = +15 V) 10 to 15 mA
Output current (maximum) 200 mA
Maximum Power dissipation 600 mW
Power Consumption (minimum operating) 30 mW@5V, 225 mW@15V
Operating temperature 0 to 70 °C
ADVANTAGES and FUTURE PROSPECTIVES:

• Increasing the effectiveness of mobiles in rural India by providing

a portable means of charging of mobiles, torches, radios.

• Helping military personnel charge their GPS devices and other

low-power electronic gadgets while on the move.
• Providing an alternate means to wall-based charging for MP3
players, mobiles, etc in cities, thereby, helping today’s fast
generation to move faster without mobile battery problems.

• India has signed the Kyoto Protocol – an acknowledgement that we

share the concern of global warming, which also expresses our
commitment to slow down climate change. Walk-N-Charge would
just add to the efforts put in by India in various innovative ways.

• Charging your cell phone might soon be as simple as taking a walk

around the block.

Even if 0.1% of the Indian population uses this device, it can

generate 1500 kW/h of energy and can help reduce carbon
emission by 2.25 tonnes per day. Thus, Walk-N-Charge promises
us a source of energy that is not only clean, portable and
inexpensive, but also charges our mobile while you get charged up!