A method for producing an optical position encoder including an optoelectronic component and a measuring scale which is illuminated by an LED light source of the optoelectronic component. The LED light source is molded not a mold housing such that a light outlet surface of the LED light source is outwardly exposed, and the light outlet surface has a coating and is uncoated in some regions in order to provide a light outlet window. The disclosure additionally relates to an optical position encoder including an optoelectronic component with a mold housing in which an LED light source is arranged such that a light outlet surface of the LED light source is outwardly exposed, the light outlet surface being coated and having an uncoated light outlet window, and including a measuring scale which is illuminated by the LED light source of the optoelectronic component.

There is provided a light control circuit including a light detector, a frequency detector, an error amplifier, an NMOS driver and a light source. The frequency detector identifies a signal frequency according to detected voltage signals outputted by the light detector and generates a control signal accordingly. The NMOS driver changes a drive current of the light source according to an output of the error amplifier. The error amplifier changes a bandwidth thereof according to the control signal from the frequency detector to regulate a response time of the drive current of the light source.

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.

In an optical position measuring device for determining the position of two objects movable relative to each other along a measuring direction, a measuring standard includes a reflective measuring scale extending along the measuring direction and having scale regions with different reflectivities. A scanning unit arranged at a scanning distance relative to the measuring standard. Light source(s) and a detector arrangement including optoelectronic detector elements arranged periodically along the measuring direction are also provided. A signal processing unit is adapted to generate position signals relating to the relative position of the objects from the photocurrents generated by the detector elements, to determine a total photocurrent in a middle region and edge region(s) of the detector, and to determine the scanning distance from the photocurrent ratio of the total photocurrents formed in the middle region and edge region(s) of the detector.

An optical position-measuring device includes a scale and a scanning unit. The scale is connected to a first object, extends along a measurement direction and includes a first track having an incremental measuring graduation, and a second track having an absolute measuring graduation. The scanning unit is connected to a second object and includes a light source, a detector having an absolute detector arrangement configured to detect an aperiodic light pattern transmitted from the absolute measuring graduation onto a detection plane and an incremental detector arrangement configured to detect a periodic light pattern transmitted from the incremental measuring graduation onto a detection plane, and a fiber-optic plate arranged as a continuous component in front of the absolute detector arrangement and the incremental detector arrangement, wherein both absolute track information and incremental track information in the respective detection planes are transmitted via the fiber-optic plate in this manner.

An encoder system includes a configurable detector array, wherein the configurable detector array includes a plurality of detectors. The encoder system may also include a memory operable to store a partition map that defines a state for each of the plurality of detectors. The encoder system may also include an emitter operable to generate a flux modulated by a motion object, wherein the configurable detector array is operable to receive the flux and generate respective current outputs for each of the detectors in response to the flux. In an embodiment, the current outputs from detectors having a same state are grouped together. The encoder system may also include one or more current duplicators to duplicate the current outputs from detectors having one state to group with the current outputs from detectors having a different state. The encoder system may also adjust weights of the current outputs.

In this optical rotary encoder, detection tracks of a rotating disc are irradiated with detection light emitted from a light-emitting element. An optical signal obtained via slits in the detection tracks passes through a slit pattern in a fixed slit plate and is received by light-receiving surfaces of a light-receiving element. The slit pattern in the fixed slit plate is formed so as to fit into a range of an effective spot of the detection light. An LED or other light-emitting element that has a small effective spot diameter can be used, which is advantageous in terms of reducing costs and making the device more compact.

A driving apparatus includes a shift barrel, a first guide unit including a first rolling member, a second guide unit including a second rolling member, a first movable member movable in a first direction orthogonal to the optical axis direction movable in a second direction orthogonal to the optical axis direction and the first direction, a first driving unit configured to drive the first movable member in the first direction, a third guide unit including a third rolling member, a second movable member guided by the third guide unit so as to move in the second direction relative to the base and biased against the shift barrel via a fourth rolling member, a second driving unit configured to drive the second movable member in the second direction, and a biasing member biased in the optical axis direction. The first and third guide units include different members.

Provided is an encoder capable of suppressing a decrease in detection accuracy. The encoder includes a moving plate, a light irradiator that irradiates a code pattern with light, and a light receiver. The code pattern includes a light guider and a non-light guider. A code pattern array is an array in which an error correction code for correcting an error is inserted into a position information data string that can specify a position. The light receiver includes a position detecting light receiving element that reads a position array of a code pattern and a position correcting light receiving element that outputs information for correcting an error.

There is provided an optical encoder including a phase shifter circuit, two multiplexers, two digital circuits and four comparators. The phase shifter circuit receives signals from an amplifier and outputs multiple phase shifted signals. Each of the two multiplexers receives a half of the multiple phase shifted signals and outputs two pairs of phase shifted signals, each pair having 180 degrees phase difference, respectively to two comparators connected thereto. Each of the two digital circuits controls the corresponding multiplexer to select the two pairs of phase shifted signals from the half of the multiple phase shifted signals.