Japanese conglomerate Panasonic will launch mass production of Turquoise Stroke Mini Switches with Built-in Resistors. The small waterproof switches with wiring failure detection function will help improve the safety of automobiles, as well as enable the use of fewer components and smaller mounting area.
Given the progress in the electrification of vehicles and advancement towards technologies such as autonomous driving and self-parking, automobiles require a higher level of safety than ever before. Automotive switches, which detect the state of door opening and closing and the shift lever position, are also required to improve their performance in detecting wiring disconnections and short circuits caused by vibrations, as well as detecting the target objects.
The conventional mainstream method of detecting wiring failures was to identify the wiring state based on the voltage changes of resistors mounted in the vicinity of switches. "Since resistors, which were conventionally mounted in the vicinity of switches, are now built into the body, the newly developed switches are capable of detecting wiring failures, in addition to their original functions. This will improve the safety of automobiles and enable the use of fewer components and smaller mounting areas," said Panasonic.
The switches can be used not only with automobiles but also with industrial robots, electric mobility, home appliances, etc., which operate continuously and are susceptible to disconnections due to vibrations.
Panasonic's new Turquoise Stroke Mini Switches with Built-in Resistors features built-in wiring failure detection function that detects disconnections and short circuits in addition to switch ON/OFF, high operating-position precision, offer quiet operation and waterproof performance.
Explaining about the suitable operations, in the automobile segment, it can be used for opening/closing detection of side doors, hood latches, flush door handles, recharge outlets, and shift lever position detection, etc., of hybrid vehicles (HEVs), electric vehicles (EV), gasoline cars, etc.
For industrial use, it can be used for joint part detection in robots, movable part detection in forklifts, lock detection in electric bicycles, etc. The switches can be used for air conditioner panel detection, washing machine lid detection, vacuum cleaner robot position detection, toilet lid/seating detection, etc. in home appliance category.