The linear conveyor device includes a position detecting device including a scale attached to a slider, and a sensor structural body including a sensor and a driver. The driver is provided with a first and a second signal processing units, and a signal comparison processing unit. The first signal processing unit performs predetermined first interpolation processing on an output signal from a first sensor, generates and outputs first positional data. The second signal processing unit performs predetermined second interpolation processing on an output signal from a second sensor, generates second positional data, and outputs the second positional data. The signal comparison processing unit recognizes the first positional data as positional information of the slider, generates identification information unique to the slider, and outputs the identification information, where the identification information corresponds to a difference between the first positional data and the second positional data.

An improved optical encoder uses an optical pick-up unit that provides for degrees of freedom in the tracking and focus axes that are unavailable in conventional optical encoders thereby improving the encoders' performance. In an embodiment the encoder employs an optical disc marked with pits and lands which may be arranged in a spiral pattern. The optical disc is mounted on the shaft whose motion is to be monitored by the optical encoder. The encoder may be arranged to read the markings on the optical disc using the three-beam pickup method.

An encoder apparatus includes an encoder and a processor. The encoder includes a scale portion, a light emitting portion, and a light receiving portion. The scale portion includes a first track and a second track. The processor obtains a plurality of candidate values of a gap between the light emitting portion and the scale portion on a basis of an amplitude of a first signal obtained by receiving light reflected on or transmitted through the first track by the light receiving portion. The processor determines a measured value from among the plurality of candidate values on a basis of an amplitude of a second signal obtained by receiving light reflected on or transmitted through the second track by the light receiving portion.

A scale includes a scale grating formed with a period P. A light source grating includes a grating formed with a period 2P, the light source grating being disposed between a light source and the scale. Interference fringe detection means is configured to be able to detect a bright part of an interference fringe with the period P, the interference fringe being generated by the light source grating and the scale. The interference fringe detection means detects a first interference fringe formed by light coming from the scale and a second interference fringe formed by light coming from the scale, a position of a bright part of the second interference fringe being shifted from a position of a bright part of the first interference fringe by a half of the period P (i.e., P/2).

An actuating device for selecting a gear of a shift-by-wire gearshift transmission may include a housing, a selection lever movable along at least one shift gate between at least a driving position and a parking lock position, a mechanical transfer element for transferring the movement of the selection lever to the gearshift transmission for actuating the parking lock, and a coupling system arranged between the selection lever and the transfer element, where the coupling system includes a slider element embodied to move in accordance with the movement of the selection lever. The actuating device may include an optical sensor arrangement arranged within the housing and including at least one transmitter/receiver pair having a transmitter and a receiver.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an optical encoder for an electronic device. The optical encoder comprises an elongated shaft having an encoding pattern made up of axial markings and radial markings. The encoding pattern may be disposed around a circumference of the elongated shaft. The optical encoder also includes an optical sensor. In embodiments, the optical sensor includes an emitter and a photodiode array. The emitter causes light to shine on the encoding pattern. The encoding pattern reflects the light back to the photodiode array and the photodiode array determines movement of the shaft based on the reflected light.

A measurement device has: a slider which holds a substrate and is movable parallel to the XY plane; a drive system that drives the slider; a position measurement system which emits beams from a head section to a measurement surface in which grating section are provided on the slider, which receives respective return beams of the beams from the measurement surface, and which is capable of measuring position information in at least directions of three degrees of freedom including the absolute position coordinates of the slider; a mark detection system that detects a mark on the substrate; and a controller which detects the marks on the substrate using the mark detection system while controlling the drive of the slider, and which obtains the absolute position coordinates of each mark based on the detection result of each mark and measurement information by the position measurement system at the time of detection.

In implementations of a linear encoder force transducer, an encoder component generates light that enters a light input window of an encoder strip, and reflective surfaces disperse the light internally within the encoder strip. The encoder strip has etched lines formed cross-width of the encoder strip for emitted light that exits the encoder strip. The encoder component has gradated slots through which the emitted light from the encoder strip is detected by an array of photo transistors, each of the gradated slots corresponding to one of the photo transistors in the array of photo transistors. An encoder module can determine a linear displacement, such as representative of a force applied to a pen tip of a computer input pen, based on one or more of the photo transistors detecting the emitted light as the etched lines of the encoder strip move relative to the gradated slots of the encoder component.

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.

To enable a displacement measurement apparatus to detect its own environment and discover, in advance, a worsening in the environment or a cause of a drop in measurement precision. The displacement measurement apparatus includes a scale contained within a scale housing, and a slider capable of moving relative to the scale, the slider measuring displacement relative to the scale. Furthermore, at least one of the slider and the scale housing is provided with a second sensor. The second sensor detects at least one of hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, oxygen, vibration, sound, and magnetism.