IDEC Corporation CW low-profile touchless switches

IDEC Corporation has introduced a line of CW low-profile touchless switches suitable for many hygienic industrial and public automation applications. The product is designed to address cleanliness concerns for protection against COVID-19 and other contamination.

With a 2 mm rise low-profile surface silhouette, the switches are built for an industry-standard 22 mm mounting hole and require only a shallow 35 mm space behind the panel face, plus room for the wiring connector. The typical installation pitch is 30 mm width and 50 mm height. Operating temperatures range from -25 to +55°C.

A rubber washer and locking ring ensure IP65/67 and NEMA Type 4X ratings are maintained. The CW1H housing and bezel is black plastic resin and the CW4H is silver aluminium alloy metal. Although the switches are rated for outdoor use, made from weather-resistant materials and highly resistant to visible light, excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays from direct sunlight can cause material degradation, colour fading and false signals. Additionally, dirt and water droplets can impact operation. Therefore, designers should check product performance before use and consider degrees of physical protection.

The switch front face contains a central emitter and receiver sensing lens and an LED indicator ring. Infrared LED diffuse reflection technology is used to detect objects. The detection distance is adjustable, typically ranging from 70 to 270 mm depending on the colour, material and surface condition of the object to be detected. When two switches are installed close together, their emitting frequencies are automatically adjusted for mutual interference prevention, ensuring the switches do not trigger each other.

Switch output is a non-contact photoMOS relay, available without a timer or with a 0.5 s on-delay and a 2.0 s off-delay. Reverse connection protection is included, and the switch operates at a nominal 12 to 24 VDC with 100 mA max load current. The two-colour LED ring, which can be externally controlled to illuminate in red or green, provides status feedback for users.