Patent · US Expired

Photoelectric position encoder using diffraction imagery

US4971442A · kind A · utility

6Cited by
5References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 20, 1989
Grant dateNov 20, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 20, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01D5/38
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A photoelectric position encoder using diffraction imagery has a laser light source emitting parallel, coherent light. As least one light sensing device senses the light amount received from the light source and provides an output signal corresponding thereto. A transfer slit plate having periodic slits is disposed between the light source and the light sensing device. The light sensing device thus senses the variation in the received light amount caused by the movement of the transfer slit plate. The light sensing device also senses brightness and darkness fringes of a diffraction image caused by the periodic slits of the transfer plate. Circuitry is coupled to the light sensing device and issues a position signal corresponding to the position of the transfer slit plate.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.