Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage, the semiconductor and storage solutions subsidiary of Japanese electronics company Toshiba, has announced the release of an automotive photorelay called the TLX9161T with an output withstand voltage of 1500V.
The company said that reducing battery charging times and improving the cruising range of vehicles are factors needed to popularise EVs. Both functions are done by the battery management system (BMS).
The BMS makes sure that the battery operates efficiently by monitoring the charge status and the isolation between the battery and the vehicle battery. This is to make sure the high-voltage batteries are used safely. Electrically isolated photorelays are used in BMS to handle high voltages.
The TLX9161T can also be used to replace mechanical relays.
It is a miniaturised version of the firm’s TLX9160T photorelay, which includes its built-in MOSFET chip and has allowed for its integration into the SO12L-T package.
It has a mounting area approximately 25% smaller than the TLX9160T’s SO16L-T package. The size reduction allows for a cost reduction in the BMS.
The new photorelay uses a resin with a comparative tracking index (CTI) going over 600, which is classified under Material Group I of the IEC 60664-1international standard.
The company said that the pin configuration ensures a creepage distance of more than 5mm on the detector side. This makes the photorelay complaint with IEC 60664-1, supporting an operating voltage of 1,000V.
Toshiba said it will continue to expand its lineup of automotive photorelay products, and that volume shipments have already started for the TLX9161T.
Image: A composite image with the TLX9161T. Credit: Toshiba.
