An encoder includes scale and detection head. The detection head includes light source (transmitting unit) and light-receiving unit (receiving unit). The light-receiving unit includes light-receiving surface (receiving surface) and converts light received at the light-receiving surface 50 into differential detection signals with two phases and outputs the same. The light-receiving surface includes element array group including four element arrays provided in a parallel manner along an orthogonal direction, with each element array including a plurality of light-receiving elements (receiving elements). The plurality of element arrays in the element array group are disposed at positions where the sum of: (i) a distance in the orthogonal direction from a reference position to a positive phase signal element array; and (ii) a distance in the orthogonal direction from the reference position to the negative phase signal element array, is the same for all the phases of the at least two phases.

An apparatus is provided and includes a rotary encoder that comprises a stator, a rotor, and a controller. The stator has an opening adapted to surround a first portion of a rotatable shaft, a transmit region, and a receive region. The rotor has an opening adapted to surround a second portion of the rotatable shaft, an annular conductive region, and at least one conductor electrically coupled with the annular conductive region. The controller has an input coupled to the receive region and has an output coupled to the transmit region. The controller is configured to transmit a first signal on the output of the controller and to the transmit region of the stator, receive a second signal on the input of the controller and from the receive region of the stator, and determine, based on the second signal, a proximity of the at least one conductor to the receive region.

A braking device of a fishing reel comprises: a braked part made of a conductor, the braked part being attached to a spool designed to wind a fishing line; a braking part generating braking force by providing a magnetic field for the braked part; a part being detected that is provided on the braked part; and a rotation detection sensor sensing rotation of the spool by detecting the part being detected.

The present disclosure provides an electrostatic self-powered displacement grid sensor used for measuring the displacement of a component to be measured. The device structure includes a sliding chute and a sliding sheet, wherein the sliding chute is fixed to a fixed end, and the bottom of the inner side of the sliding chute is provided with a sensing array; the sliding sheet is fixedly connected with the component to be measured, and the lower end of the sliding plate is in contact with the bottom of the inner side of the sliding chute. When the sliding sheet slides over the sensing array; a corresponding electrical signal is produced, and the number of segments and the distance on sensing units on a single sensing array over which the sliding sheet slides can be obtained according to numbers and output current of sensing units in the sensing array indicated by the signal, and therefore the structural displacement is obtained. Compared with other displacement measurement devices, a segmented displacement meter has the advantages of simple structure, wide application range, high measurement precision and no additional power supply; moreover, the present disclosure creatively solves the problem of unstable results of calibrating displacement according to electrical signals.

A rotary encoder for capturing angular position of a target rotating over capacitive sensors. The rotary encoder includes a source plate. The rotary encoder includes a pair of capacitive sensors coupled to the source plate, and a target plate separated from the source plate by a gap. The target plate includes a spoke and a flange. The spoke is capacitively coupled to the pair of capacitive sensors and the flange is capacitively coupled to a ground pad. Each capacitive sensor of the pair of capacitive sensors is configured to detect a change in a capacitive value corresponding to an angular position of the spoke to the capacitive sensor. The target plate is mechanically coupled to a joystick. A movement of the joystick causes a rotation of the target plate about an axis to change the angular position of the spoke to the pair of capacitive sensors.

There is provided a displacement measuring apparatus capable of being used in a vacuum environment. The displacement measuring apparatus includes a scale and a detection head part disposed in such a manner as to be relatively displaceable to the scale and as to face the scale with a predetermined gap. The detection head part detects a displacement or position relative to the scale. The scale is disposed in a vacuum. The detection head part is housed in a housing holder separating an atmospheric environment side from a vacuum environment side. In a gap between the detection head part and the scale, the housing holder includes a relay means for passing a detection signal between the detection head part and the scale,

There is provided a displacement measuring device that minimize unnecessary power consumption and improves power efficiency. A displacement measuring device includes a main scale and a detection head that is provided in such a manner as to be relatively displaceable to the main scale and outputs a periodic signal having a phase to be changed according to relative displacement to the main scale. The detection head outputs, as the periodic signal, a coarse scale signal having a coarse period and a fine scale signal having a fine period. A coarse phase detector calculates, from two pieces of phase information acquired from the coarse scale signal, the average phase of the coarse scale signal. A fine phase detector calculates, from four pieces of phase information acquired from the fine scale signal, the average phase of the fine scale signal. The coarse phase detector calculates the average phase of the coarse scale signal from the two pieces of phase information and, then, stops operating without the completion of the operation of the fine phase detector.

Methods and apparatus to determine a position of a rotatable shaft of a motor are disclosed. An example apparatus to determine a position of a rotatable shaft of a motor includes a sensor printed circuit board (PCB) structured to be mounted to a motor, the sensor PCB including a plurality of capacitive sensors, the plurality of capacitive sensors having respective ones of a plurality of capacitances that independently change as a conductor moves relative to the sensor PCB in conjunction with a rotatable shaft of the motor during an operation of the motor, and a controller electrically coupled to the sensor PCB, the controller configured to determine a position of the rotatable shaft based on the plurality of capacitances.

The present disclosure provides an electrostatic self-powered displacement grid sensor used for measuring the displacement of a component to be measured. The device structure includes a sliding chute and a sliding sheet, wherein the sliding chute is fixed to a fixed end, and the bottom of the inner side of the sliding chute is provided with a sensing array; the sliding sheet is fixedly connected with the component to be measured, and the lower end of the sliding plate is in contact with the bottom of the inner side of the sliding chute. When the sliding sheet slides over the sensing array; a corresponding electrical signal is produced, and the number of segments and the distance on sensing units on a single sensing array over which the sliding sheet slides can be obtained according to numbers and output current of sensing units in the sensing array indicated by the signal, and therefore the structural displacement is obtained. Compared with other displacement measurement devices, a segmented displacement meter has the advantages of simple structure, wide application range, high measurement precision and no additional power supply; moreover, the present disclosure creatively solves the problem of unstable results of calibrating displacement according to electrical signals.

In a method for operating an operating device for a household appliance, an operating element of the operating device is actuated with a first actuation type from a first resting position to a first operating position to set a first function of the household appliance. A setting parameter of a second function of the household appliance is set by actuating the operating element with a second type of actuation different from the first type of actuation from a second resting position into at least one of a plurality of intermediate positions of the operating element. The first function of the household appliance is actuated in response to a sensing of a first capacitance value of the operating device, and a second capacitance value is sensed while taking into account a correction value in dependence on the sensed first capacitance value for determining the setting parameter of the second function.