Battery Life Certifiable Claims

Electronic lock battery life claims shall be inclusive of the following information for the lab to certify them:

Part One:

Power source _____[1] power capacity _____[2] operates to _____[3] peak current _____[4].

Part Two:
Product life of ______[5] monthswhen used:
______[6] ingress cycles per day
______[7] egress cycles per day
______[8] environmental condition
______[9] frequency of other events that use power periodically

Manufacturers shall be permitted to certify multiple claims for the same product to suit the diversity of customer’s applications. Claim examples:

Using 4 AA Alkalinebatteries having 2600 milliamp-hourcapacity while operatingdown to 3.2 volts and peak current of 400 mA, abattery life oftwenty-fourmonths is expected when using twenty-fouringress cycles per day, twenty-fouregress cycles per day, is installed locked side outdoors,batteries indoors, andautomatically communicatesthreetimes per hour automatically.

Using 4 AA Alkalinebatteries having 2600 milliamp-hourcapacity while operatingdown to 3.2 volts and a peak current of 400 mA, a battery life offortymonths is expected when usingtwelveingress cycles per day, twelveegress cycles per day, and is installed indoors.

Test Methods for Certification
Part One:

The manufacturer shall provide the battery technical data sheet to the test lab to validate the milliamp-hour rating claimed given the minimum voltage, peak current, and temperature conditions. Actual test data may also be provided by the manufacturer. Having experience with battery testing of other products, the test lab may accept the data if deemed reasonable, but reserves the right to question or audit the data as they see fit to validate part one.

Part Two:

  1. The product shall be connected to a power supply capable of the peak current and is set for the minimum transient voltage claimed by the manufacturer. The lock must operate as intended when a credential is presented for an ingress cycle.
  2. The lock shall be installed on a sample block with a fresh battery in the installed environmental conditions and connected to a metering device capable of an average power consumption over the prescribed time of the test. The test time shall be sufficient to witness all events, and operational uses may be pro-rated to validate the average measurement.[10]
  3. The average power (milliamps) is multiplied by 24 hours to calculate the consumption per day (milliamp-hours/day).
  4. The power available in the battery pack (calculated mAH) is divided by the consumption per day (mAH/d) to predict the number of days. This shall be divided by 31 to predict the average life in months, or by 365 for years.
  5. The product’s battery life claim shall be certified when validated by the lab.

Commercial Claims

Given that customers are not necessarily concerned with all of the elements in the laboratory verifiable claims, an abbreviated claim structure shall be permitted for use in literature and technical data sheets. Those commercial battery life claims shall at least include the following elements, with values equal to, and as described, in the laboratory claim for the certified product.

Power source, battery power capacity, battery life between changes, ingress and egress cycles per day, environmental condition, and (if applicable) the assumed frequency of other events that use power periodically.

[1] Shall include the number of cells, cell size, and cell chemistry of the OEM battery provided and (or) recommended in manufacturer’s instructions. Example: 4 AA Alkaline.

[2] The calculated capacity of the OEM battery provided and (or) recommended in manufacturer’s installation instructions.

[3] The minimum transient voltage where the product operates as intended.

[4] The maximum current draw, usually at the onset of output device action. (Motor start up).

[5]Calculated average product life in between battery changes.

[6] Presenting credential to the lock and operating knob or lever.

[7] Rotating inside knob or lever.

[8] Refer to ANSI A156.25 for environmental options; e.g., Indoor, Full Outdoor, or locked side outdoor.

[9] The frequency of other significant events that are automatically generated.

[10] A lock that is intended to be used twelve times a day would need to be hooked up for two hours and used once in that period. A lock that is intended to be used 24 times a day, and communicates every four hours, would need to be hooked up for four hours and used four times in that period.