2007-02-23 21:07:58 · 5 answers · asked by tony 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
As the name says, it is a "connection through light."
An optocoupler is a pair of electrical-to-optical and optical-to-electrical transducers connected back to back so that from the outside what comes in is an electrical signal and what goes out is also an electrical signal--but there is no electrical connection. The output voltage waveform replicates the input voltage waveform except that the average values of the two waveforms could be few hundred or thousand of volts apart.
Without the optical link, if the two equipment's terminals were connected electrically by a metal wire, the connecting wire would become a ground loop which may have to conduct a very large current to balance the voltage difference between the two ends. This ground loop current could overwhelm the information signal waveforms, or it could damage the equipment.
2007-02-23 22:42:27 · answer #1 · answered by sciquest 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An optocoupler is a combination of a light source and a
photosensitive detector. In the optocoupler, the coupling is achieved by light being generated on one side of a transparent insulating gap and being detected on the other side of the gap without an electrical connection between the two sides (except for a minor amount of coupling capacitance).
The use of optocoupler ensures complete isolation of the one circuit from another circuit. Use were one circuit uses high voltage to operate and the other low voltage to operate, thus the low voltage circuit will not get damaged. They are uses use with computerized circuits controlling high voltage elctrical equipments.
2007-02-24 06:01:28 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"Optocoupler is used to provide both electrical insulation and signal isolation. The popularity of our optocouplers is due to cost effective innovations in these areas. The optocouplers can be used in an array of isolation applications ranging from power supply and motor control circuits to data communications and digital logic interface circuits."
http://www.avagotech.com/products/category-detail.jsp?navId=H0,C1,C5231,C4945
2007-02-24 05:49:00 · answer #3 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a semiconductor. Check the site for more information
www.fairchildsemi.com/products/opto/oc_ssr.html
2007-02-24 05:26:50 · answer #4 · answered by Tiger Tracks 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are power converters
2007-02-24 06:37:33 · answer #5 · answered by montepicayo 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋