No-fuse Switch for HVDC Wins R&D 100 Award

TOKYO

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that its No-fuse Switch for HVDC (high-voltage direct current), which incorporates power-switching technology, has won a 2015 R&D 100 award from R&D Magazine. This is Mitsubishi Electric’s 25th R&D 100 Awards. The awards, commonly known as the “Oscars of Invention,” underline Mitsubishi Electric’s continuing status as a global leader in industrial innovation.

The awards ceremony took place at Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. on November 13.

The switch, the most compact switch of its type, incorporates proprietary ARC SWEEPER^® DC-power interrupting technology to achieve superior safety in HVDC equipment and facilities, such as solar power plants. The switch has a high breaking capacity to quickly shut off arc discharge in open power circuits, regardless of electrical polarity. Also, the switch’s operating life is extended significantly by its permanent magnets’ resistance to demagnetization.
Mitsubishi Electric’s award-winning No-fuse Switch for HVDC helps to prevent accidents due to incorrect wiring. It is suitable for use in equipment such as batteries in which the current direction changes. The switch’s long life contributes to increased safety in HVDC systems.

About the R&D 100 Awards
The R&D 100 Awards recognize the top technology products of the year. Past winners have included sophisticated testing equipment, innovative new materials, chemistry breakthroughs, biomedical products, consumer items and high-energy physics. The Awards span industry, academia and government-sponsored research. Established in 1963, the program initially was named the I-R 100s in keeping with the original name of the sponsoring magazine, Industrial Research. In the first year, winners were picked by a panel of outside judges selected by the publisher and editor. No entries were required, and only U.S. companies could win. A formal entry procedure was established in 1964 and final judging was performed by the magazine’s editors, with the advice of outside experts. The first non-U.S. winners came along in 1965.

Patents
Pending patents for the technology announced in this news release number five in Japan and two abroad in seven countries.

About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
With over 90 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electrical and electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment. Embracing the spirit of its corporate statement, Changes for the Better, and its environmental statement, Eco Changes, Mitsubishi Electric endeavors to be a global, leading green company, enriching society with technology. The company recorded consolidated group sales of 4,323.0 billion yen (US$ 36.0 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015. For more information visit:
http://www.MitsubishiElectric.com
*At an exchange rate of 120 yen to the US dollar, the rate given by the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on March 31, 2015

ARC SWEEPER is a registered trademark of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation.

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