Renesas claims smallest photocouplers for industrial automation

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Renesas Electronics Corp. recently introduced five 8.2-mm creepage photocouplers , claiming the industry’s smallest isolation devices for industrial automation equipment and solar inverters.

The RV1S92xxA and RV1S22xxA photocouplers, with a package width of 2.5 mm, reduce PCB mounting area by 35% compared to competitive couplers, according to Renesas. The RV1S92xxA photocouplers’ electric isolation and high CMR noise rejection (50 kV/µs) protects low-voltage microcontrollers and I/O devices from high-voltage circuits when transferring high-speed signals.

They also help shrink equipment size and increase robot axes while meeting the needs of the zero-energy house that requires smaller solar equipment for more installations in limited space. These photocouplers target DC-to-AC power inverters, AC servo motors, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), robotic arms, solar inverters, and battery-storage and -charging systems.

Renesas said the RV1S9260A 15-Mbits/s communications coupler and RV1S9213A intelligent power module (IPM) driver are the first photocouplers to use tiny LSSO5 packages with a 0.65-mm pin pitch, half the pitch of conventional packages. Thanks to a package height of 2.1 mm, the photocouplers can be directly mounted on the backside of a PCB, freeing up space for topside mounted components.

The RV1S22xxA devices also provide 8.2-mm creepage distance, 2.5-mm package width, and 2.1-mm package height. They come in LSSOP packages with a 1.30-mm pin pitch. The RV1S2281A and RV1S2211A are DC input and low DC input, transistor output photocouplers, and the RV1S2285A is an AC input, transistor output coupler.

All five photocouplers deliver 5,000-Vrms reinforced isolation and high temperature operation to withstand harsh operating environments. They adhere to the UL61800-5-1 standard for motor drive equipment and the UL61010-2-201 standard for control devices such as PLCs, as well as support 200-V and 400-V systems with reinforced insulation to meet industrial safety standards. The RV1S92xxA and RV1S22xxA photocouplers are available now from Renesas’s global distributors.