OREANDA-NEWS. Toshiba Corporation announced that it has launched photocouplers supporting low- to mid-speed transmission rates for isolated communication interfaces for factory automation devices, home appliances, including air-conditioners, and smart meters.

Isolated communication interfaces for factory automation devices–such as PLC and inverters–as well as appliances and equipment in the home–such as air-conditioners and smart meters–communicate within a range, from several kbps to several tens of megabits per second, depending on the volume of information. However, the market has lacked for suitable photocouplers supporting low speed communications at 9.6 kbps and 19.2 kbps, represented by RS-232 communication, and the medium speed of 115.2 kbps, represented by RS-232C communication. Until now, developers had to choose either general-purpose transistor couplers, which sometimes provide insufficient performance, or 1Mbps-class IC couplers, which deliver superior performance but at a price premium.

Toshiba has now met these market needs by developing the 20kbps "TLP2301" and the 100kps "TLP2303", both of which achieve a high current transfer ratio (IC/IF) and switching under low input current conditions. The "TLP2303" achieves a notably high current transfer ratio of 800% (min.) at an input current of 1.6 mA.

By adding high cost-performance products to areas not covered by current products to its line-up, Toshiba will contribute to reductions in power consumption and costs in the wide range of products that use photocouplers.