Optocoupler vs optoisolator

摘要

Industrial terminology often blurs the lines between similar terms. Today we find that both the terms optocoupler and optoisolator are used interchangeably to refer to the same function. The distinguishing feature between these two terms is the amount of voltage being isolated. An optocoupler is used to transmit either analog or digital information from one voltage potential to another while maintaining isolation of the potentials of less than 5,000 V. The optoisolator is designed to isolate power systems while transmitting analog or digital data between the systems with isolation voltage between the power sys-tems from 5,000 to more than 50,000 V.