Position Encoder Sensor Rows for Faster Readout and Scale Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing position measurement encoders face challenges in flexibility, manufacturing ease, and installation complexity due to the limitations of sensor configurations, particularly in handling elongate pixels and adapting to different scale types and alignments.
Innovation Solution
A position measurement encoder with a readhead featuring a sensor comprising a one-dimensional array of columnar pixels divided into individually activatable rows, allowing selective activation of sensing sections on a row-by-row basis, enhancing flexibility and reducing readout time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the sensor uses a one-dimensional array of elongate pixels to improve photometry, then the pixel length must be increased, but this increases the distance to readout lines and slows charge read-off time
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is divided into multiple rows of individually activatable pixels, allowing selective reading of charge from different rows. This segmentation enables parallel readout paths, reducing the time required to read off charge from long photodiodes while maintaining their length for improved photometry.
2Ease of manufacture
If the sensor configuration is made fixed to simplify manufacturing, then manufacturing ease improves, but adaptability to different scale types and alignments is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor configuration is made dynamic through individually activatable rows that can be selectively enabled or disabled based on the scale type and alignment requirements. This allows the same sensor to adapt to different applications (face-read vs. edge-read rotary scales) without requiring physical reconfiguration or multiple sensor types.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration improves manufacturing ease, installation simplicity, and encoder performance by enabling faster readout and accurate position measurement, particularly in handling different scale types and alignments, such as face-read and edge-read rotary scales.
Implementation Method 1
the pixels of the one-dimensional sensor of the RESOLUTE readhead available from Renishaw plc each comprise one photodiode which is approximately 1 mm long and 7 μm wide
Data Source
AI summary
A position measurement encoder including a scale and a readhead, the readhead including a sensor for sensing the scale, the sensor including a one-dimensional array of columnar pixels, configured such that the one-dimensional array of columnar pixels is divided into a plurality of rows wherein each columnar pixel has at least one individual sensing section in each row arranged to contribute to the columnar pixel's output. Each row is individually activatable so that which one or more of the individual sensing sections in the columnar pixels contribute to each columnar pixel's output can be selectively chosen and changed on a row-by-row basis.