Encoder, motor with encoder, and servo system

US2016003646A1 · US · A1

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-2016003646-A1
Application numberUS-201514850899-A
CountryUS
Kind codeA1
Filing dateSep 10, 2015
Priority dateMar 11, 2013
Publication dateJan 7, 2016
Grant date

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

This disclosure discloses an encoder. The disk is fixed to a rotating body. The one or more first slits are arranged on the disk in a part in a circumferential direction around a rotation center of the disk. The light source is configured to emit light to a region that encompasses at least a rotational locus of the first slit by rotation of the disk. The plurality of first light receiving elements is arranged extending along a circumferential direction around the rotational axis and is configured to receive light that is reflected by or transmits through the first slit.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1 . An encoder comprising: a disk fixed to a rotating body; one or more first slits arranged on the disk in a part in a circumferential direction around a rotation center of the disk and each configured to reflect or transmit light; a light source arranged approximately on a rotational axis of the rotating body and configured to emit light to a region that encompasses at least a rotational locus of the first slit by rotation of the disk; and a plurality of first light receiving elements arranged extending along a circumferential direction around the rotational axis and configured to receive light that is reflected by or transmits through the first slit. 2 . The encoder according to claim 1 , further comprising: a positional data generator configured to identify a position within one rotation of the rotating body based on a light receiving signal of the first light receiving element and to generate positional data. 3 . The encoder according to claim 2 , wherein: the first slit is configured to reflect light emitted from the light source, and the first light receiving element is configured to receive the light reflected by the first slit. 4 . The encoder according to claim 3 , wherein: the plurality of first light receiving elements is arranged on a first track that is a region over an entire circumference around the rotational axis corresponding to the first light receiving elements, and the positional data generator identifies the position within one rotation without using the light receiving signal, when the light emitted from the light source is reflected to a specific region of the first track by the first slit. 5 . The encoder according to claim 4 , wherein: each of the plurality of first light receiving elements is arranged on rest of split tracks, the split tracks being obtained by equally dividing the first track in the circumferential direction by a number set based on a resolution of the encoder, the rest of the split tracks being obtained by excluding any one of the split tracks from the split tracks, and the positional data generator identifies the position within one rotation without using the light receiving signal, when light emitted from the light source is reflected by the one split track. 6 . The encoder according to claim 5 , further comprising: a slit track provided on the disk and including a plurality of second slits that is arranged so as to have an incremental pattern along a circumferential direction around the rotation center; and a light receiving array including a plurality of second light receiving elements arranged concentrically with the plurality of first light receiving elements about the rotational axis and arranged extending along a circumferential direction around the rotational axis, the light receiving array being configured to receive light that is reflected by or transmits through the slit track, wherein: the light source is configured to emit light to a region that encompasses at least both a rotation locus of the first slit and the slit track. 7 . The encoder according to claim 6 , wherein: the one or more first slits are arranged on one track that is a region over an entire circumference around the rotation center, and the second light receiving element is arranged in the number of two or four in an angle range corresponding to one pitch of the first light receiving element. 8 . The encoder according to claim 7 , wherein: the plurality of first light receiving elements is arranged closer to the rotational axis than the light receiving array. 9 . The encoder according to claim 7 , wherein: the plurality of first light receiving elements is arranged on an opposite side of the rotational axis from the light receiving array. 10 . The encoder according to claim 6 , wherein: the light receiving array is configured in a manner such that each of the second light receiving elements is arranged on rest of split tracks, the split tracks being obtained by equally dividing, in the circumferential direction, a second track that is a region over an entire circumference around the rotational axis corresponding to the light receiving array, by a number set based on a resolution of the encoder, the rest of the split tracks being obtained by excluding any one or more of the split tracks from the split tracks. 11 . The encoder according to claim 10 , wherein: the light receiving array is configured in a manner such that each of the second light receiving elements is arranged on rest of the split tracks, the rest of the split tracks being obtained by excluding a plurality of the split tracks that is arranged at every 90° or 60° in a circumferential direction around the rotational axis from the second track. 12 . The encoder according to claim 6 , wherein: the plurality of first light receiving elements is arranged spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the light receiving array in a radial direction about the rotational axis. 13 . The encoder according to claim 6 , wherein: the plurality of first light receiving elements is arranged so as to contact the light receiving array in a radial direction about the rotational axis. 14 . The encoder according to claim 5 , further comprising: a slit track provided on the disk and including a plurality of second slits that is arranged so as to have an incremental pattern extending along a circumferential direction around the rotation center; and a light receiving array including a plurality of second light receiving elements that is overlappingly arranged on the plurality of first light receiving elements so as to expose a part of the plurality of first light receiving elements and that is arranged extending along a circumferential direction around the rotational axis, the light receiving array being configured to receive light that is reflected by or transmits through the slit track, wherein: the first slit is a plurality of second slits adjacently arranged in a part in a circumferential direction around the rotation center in the slit track, and the light source is configured to emit light to a region that encompasses at least the slit track. 15 . A motor with encoder comprising: a motor whose rotor rotates with respect to a stator; and an encoder configured to detect at least one of a position and speed of the rotor, the encoder including: a disk fixed to a rotating body; one or more first slits arranged on the disk in a part in a circumferential direction around a rotation center of the disk and each configured to reflect or transmit light; a light source arranged approximately on a rotational axis of the rotating body and configured to emit light to a region that encompasses at least a rotational locus of the first slit by rotation of the disk; and a plurality of first light receiving elements arranged extending along a circumferential direction around the rotational axis and configured to receive light that is reflected by or transmits through the first slit. 16 . A servo system comprising: a motor whose rotor rotates with respect to a stator; an encoder configured to detect at least one of a position and speed of the rotor, the encoder including: a disk fixed to a rotating body; one or more first slits arranged on the disk in a part in a circumferential direction around a rotation center of the disk and each configured to reflect or transmit light; a light source arranged approximately on a rotational axis of the rotating body and configured to emit light to a region that encompasses at least a rotational locus of the

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • Electricity · mapped topic

  • with only analogue scales or both analogue and incremental scales · CPC title

  • Optical devices · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US2016003646A1 cover?
This disclosure discloses an encoder. The disk is fixed to a rotating body. The one or more first slits are arranged on the disk in a part in a circumferential direction around a rotation center of the disk. The light source is configured to emit light to a region that encompasses at least a rotational locus of the first slit by rotation of the disk. The plurality of first light receiving eleme…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Yaskawa Denki Seisakusho Kk
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification G01D5/34784. Mapped technology areas include Physics.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Thu Jan 07 2016 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (A1). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).