Nikon Corporation

Denso Wave Corporation

Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Kou Ohno

Toru Morita

Tsuyoshi Matsumoto

Takeshi Ueda

Motokatsu Imai

Kenji Omata

Takashi Nagase

Yoshiji Takahashi

Hiroyuki Kishida

Yuuji Yamazaki

Yasuhiko Hashimoto

Tetsuo Hattori

Shintaro Hikichi

Tadashi Horikawa

Tohru Morita

Masami Kikyo

Hirofumi Takeuchi

Shigeki Yamauchi

An encoder for detecting rotation information of a first rotation shaft includes a first detector which detects a pattern provided in the first rotation shaft, a first housing case which houses the pattern provided in the first rotation shaft and the first detector, a second housing case which houses at least a part of a shaft portion different from a portion where the pattern is provided, of the first rotation shaft, and an adjusting mechanism which adjusts at least one of an atmospheric pressure and a temperature in the first housing case to be higher than at least one of an atmospheric pressure and a temperature in the second housing case. The inflow of the high-humidity air from a motor into the encoder is prevented or suppressed, so that the condensation in the encoder can be prevented or suppressed.

Encoder and drive device

An encoder includes: a first scale which has a first index portion; a second scale which has a second index portion; a first detection unit which outputs a first signal based on the first index portion, regarding first relative rotation between a fixing member and a first rotating member; a second detection unit which outputs a second signal based on the second index portion, regarding second relative rotation between the fixing member and a second rotating member; and a signal-processing unit which calculates information regarding the first relative rotation on the basis of the first signal and which calculates information regarding the second relative rotation on the basis of the second signal.

Encoder, driving device, and robot apparatus

An encoder includes a first rotator connectable to a rotating shaft and including a first pattern, and a first detection unit positioned at a non-rotatory member and configured to detect the first pattern. The encoder also includes a second rotator connectable to an output shaft that is rotatable around a predetermined axis and is configured to output rotation caused by the rotating shaft. The encoder also includes a second detection unit positioned at the non-rotatory member and configured to detect the second pattern, and a reference unit configured to position the first detection unit and the second detection unit by a common position reference.

Encoder, encoder installation method, torque-limiting mechanism, driving apparatus, and robot apparatus

A joint of a robot includes a driving motor, a speed reducer that reduces rotation of an output shaft of the motor, and an arm connected to the speed reducer. The joint includes an input encoder that detects a rotational position of the motor and an output encoder that detects a rotational position of the arm. A controller controls the motor based on data indicating the rotational positions of the motor and the arm detected by the input encoder and the output encoder, respectively. The input encoder is arranged with a register that latches and retains an input EC value. The output encoder includes a register that latches and retains an output EC value, and an edge pulse output section that outputs an edge pulse to both registers every time the output EC value changes. In response to the edge pulse, both registers concurrently output EC values to the controller.

Control apparatus for controlling rotation of joints of robot

An encoder system includes: a first single-rotation absolute encoder that outputs a first signal corresponding to an angular position of a first rotatable shaft; a power transmission device that transmits the power of the first shaft to a second rotatable shaft with a predetermined transmission ratio; a second single-rotation absolute encoder that outputs a second signal corresponding to an angular position of the second shaft; and a signal processing section that generates data related to the rotation count of the first shaft based on at least the first signal and the second signal.

Encoder system, signal processing method, and transmission signal generation and output device

Modular encoder and method of manufacturing the same

A disclosed multiple rotating absolute encoder comprises an encoding plate with a first pattern and a second pattern formed thereon, a first detection unit for reading the first pattern and outputting an information in one rotation of the encoding plate, a second detection unit for reading the second pattern and outputting a first rotation information of the encoding plate, a calculation unit for calculating a second rotation data based on the information in one rotation and the first rotation data, a selection unit for monitoring a rotation speed of the encoding plate and selecting either the first rotation data or the second rotation data in accordance with the rotation speed, and a data calculation unit for calculating rotation information of the encoding plate on the basis of either the first rotation data or the second rotation data selected by the selection unit and the information in one rotation.

Multiple rotating absolute encoder capable of accurately latching

An encoder includes a code plate, a detector, a transformer, and first and second calculators. The code plate is formed with an absolute pattern including a plurality of bit patterns, each bit pattern formed by a predetermined number of bits and representing one absolute position. The detector moves relatively with respect to the code plate, has a plurality of detecting elements arranged to be opposed to the predetermined number of bits, and reads the bit pattern from the absolute pattern to output a bit pattern signal representing the bit pattern. The transformer can transform only specific bit pattern signals corresponding to specific bit patterns out of a plurality of the bit pattern signals corresponding to the plurality of bit patterns, into the absolute positions. The first calculator calculates a relative, positional relation between the bit pattern corresponding to the bit pattern signal, read from the detector, and the specific bit pattern. The second calculator calculates information indicating a position of the code plate relative to the detector, based on the absolute position obtained by the transformer and the relative, positional relation obtained by the first calculator.

Absolute encoder

An absolute encoder having a coder in which an incremental pattern and an absolute pattern are arranged in parallel and a detector including sensors for detecting the incremental pattern and the absolute pattern respectively. The absolute encoder comprises a discriminater to discriminate a relative phase position of the coder and the detector in one pitch of the incremental pattern from an output of the sensor for detecting the incremental pattern, and a signal generator to generate a synchronizing signal when a discriminated phase position coincides with a predetemined phase position by means of an electric circuit in one pitch of the incremental pattern. The absolute pattern is read on the basis of the synchronizing signal at a position except for the boundary region between the minimum reading units.

Absolute encoder having absolute pattern graduations and incremental

An absolute position detection encoder includes a coder having a track provided with first graduations of an absolute pattern and second graduations of an incremental pattern, plural sensors movable relative to the coder along the longitudinal direction of the track, and a signal processing circuit for processing detection pulse trains, obtained upon reading the first graduations by the sensors, in synchronism with the time point corresponding to approximately the mid position of the minimum reading unit of the first graduation. The encoder outputs the relative position between the coder and the sensors in the form of parallel code signals as the absolute position read out from the absolute pattern graduations on the coder. By detecting the absolute pattern in synchronism with the time point corresponding to substantially the middle of the minimum reading unit of the first graduations, an absolute position detection signal of the correct code contents free of readout errors may be taken out for both the forward and reverse directions of the relative movement. On account of the signal selection function by the binary repetitive rectangular signal obtained from the incremental pattern reading results, the absolute position detection signal of the correct code contents may be taken out simultaneously with turn-on of the power source. The binary repetitive rectangular signal may also be used for generating a sub-scale signal for substantially improving the resolving power.

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Sendai, Japan

Kou Ohno