In an exposure apparatus, on a substrate holder (34), a plurality of grating areas (RG) is arranged mutually apart in the X-axis direction, and a plurality of heads (66a to 66d) that irradiates a measurement beam with respect to the grating area and can move in the Y-axis direction is arranged outside of the substrate holder. A control system controls movement of the substrate holder in at least directions of three degrees of freedom within an XY plane, based on measurement information of at least three heads of the plurality of heads facing the grating area and measurement information of a measurement device that measures position information of the plurality of heads. The measurement beam of each of the plurality of heads, during the movement of substrate holder in the X-axis direction, moves off of one of the plurality of grating areas and switches to another adjacent grating area.

A length measuring instrument for measuring length with a measure includes: a measure on which a code is printed, a plurality of patterns each allotted to a different number being arranged, each of the patterns having digits to which an N-notation number (N being 3 or greater) is allotted, each of the digits having a different color corresponding to the allotted numerical value, the patterns being arranged in ascending order or descending order, a Hamming distance between patterns adjacent to each other in an array direction being 1, an amount of change in numerical value at the same digit between the adjacent patterns being 1 in the code; a reading unit that optically reads patterns printed on the measure; and a measuring unit that measures a length of a measurement target from a result of the reading by the reading unit.

Scale pattern in a scale of an optical encoder includes a first scale mark that blocks a first light from being guided to an image capturer and guides a second light to the image capturer, and a second scale mark that guides the first light and the second light to the image capturer. Second scale mark is arranged in an ABS pattern and the first scale mark is arranged in an INC pattern by incorporating the second scale mark. Image capturer includes a first image capturing section that captures an image of the ABS pattern from the first light that arrives via the second scale mark, and a second image capturing section that captures an image of the INC pattern from the second light that arrives via the first scale mark and the second scale mark. Calculator calculates a position of a head relative to the scale.

An encoder of a terahertz (THz)-based absolute positioning system used for decoding patterns from THz-band measurements. The encoder includes a scale with a multi-layer reflective/transmissive structure having a matrix with rows. Each row of the matrix corresponds to a plurality of patterns, such that each pattern is used to form a measurement. An emitter emits a THz waveform to the scale. A receiver is used to measure amplitudes of the THz waveform reflected from the scale. A memory stores data including predetermined positions of the emitter based on the patterns of the layers from the scale. Wherein one or more processors can determine a position of the emitter from the measurements of the amplitudes received by the receiver, based on the stored data. An output interface can be used to render the position of the emitter.

A drug delivery device comprising: a housing; a cylindrical member rotatably supported within the housing; and a plurality of sensors; wherein: the outer surface of the cylindrical member is provided with a single track, the track forming an encoder and having a plurality of first track segments and a plurality of second track segments arranged along the length of the track which are respectively capable of inducing first and second responses in the sensors; and in each rotational position of the cylindrical member relative to the housing at least one different first track segment is capable of inducing a first response in at least one said sensor, thereby enabling the rotational position of the cylindrical member relative to the housing to be determined.

In one example, an optical position sensing system includes a linear encoder strip, an optical limit switch having an actuator on the encoder strip to activate the limit switch, and an optical reader to read the encoder strip.

An optical encoder includes a scale; a head that includes a light source, an image capturer, and a lens array having a first lens and a second lens; and a calculator. The calculator includes a signal generator that generates a sine wave signal; an analysis region extractor that extracts a first analysis region and a second analysis region; a signal combiner that, based on an inter-regional distance, uses a sine wave signal of the second analysis region to generate a sine wave signal that extends to a first end of the first analysis region such that the generated sine wave signal overlaps with a sine wave signal of the first analysis region, and combines the sine wave signal of the first analysis region with the generated sine wave signal; and a displacement amount calculator that calculates an amount of relative displacement based on the sine wave signal that is combined by the signal combiner.

A semiconductor device comprising a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements arrayed on a substrate, a readout unit configured to read out signals from the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements, and a light source unit driver configured to drive a light source unit, wherein the plurality of photoelectric conversion elements include a first element configured to receive incident light and a second element configured to be shielded from the incident light, and the light source unit driver drives the light source based on both a signal from the first element and a signal from the second element read out by the readout unit.

An encoder scale includes a plate-shaped base mount and an optical pattern that is provided on one surface of the base mount and has alternately arranged first regions and second regions. The first regions are each primarily formed of a first surface a normal to which extends in the thickness direction of the base mount, and the second regions are each primarily formed of a second surface that inclines with respect to the first surface.

An optical position-measuring device for determining the relative position of two objects includes two scanning units which are connected to one of the objects and each include a light source, one or more gratings and a detector assembly. A scale is connected to the other object and has two tracks each containing incremental graduations extending along a first one of the measurement directions. The incremental graduations each are composed of graduation regions which have different optical properties and are periodically arranged along an incremental graduation direction. The two incremental graduation directions form an angle of between 0 and 90 relative to each other. Each of the two incremental graduations has a reference mark integrated therein such that scanning of the reference mark allows a reference signal to be generated at a defined reference position along each of the measurement directions. The reference marks include both aperiodic and periodic portions.