What Are Rotary Encoders?
Rotary Encoders are sensors that detect position and speed by converting rotational mechanical displacements into electrical signals and processing those signals. Sensors that detect mechanical displacement for straight lines are referred to as Linear Encoders.
Features of Rotary Encoders
(1) The output is controlled according to the rotational displacement of the shaft.
Linking to the shaft using a coupling enables direct detection of rotational displacement.
(2) Returning to the origin is not required at startup for Absolute Encoders.
With an Absolute Encoder, the rotational angle is output in parallel as an Absolute value.
(3) The rotation direction can also be detected.
The rotation direction is determined by the output timing of phases A and B with an Incremental Encoder, and by the code increase or decrease with an Absolute Encoder.
(4) Choose the optimal Sensor from a wide lineup of resolutions and output types.
Select the Sensor to match the requirements for precision, cost, and connected circuits.
Operating Principles
Item / Classification |
Features |
Structure and output form |
Incremental Encoders
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• This type of encoder outputs a pulse string in response to the amount of rotational displacement of the shaft. A separate counter counts the number of output pulses to determine the amount of rotation based on the count.
• To detect the amount of rotation from a certain input shaft position, the count in the counter is reset at the reference position and the number of pulses from that position is added cumulatively by the counter. For this reason, the reference position can be selected as desired, and the count for the amount of rotation can be unlimited.
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* When high resolution is necessary, a 4-multiplier circuit is generally used. |
When a disk with an optical pattern revolves along with the shaft, light passing through two slits is transmitted or blocked accordingly.
* Even if resolution changes, the number of phases does not change. |
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Absolute Encoders
E6J-A |
• This type of encoder outputs in parallel the rotation angle as an Absolute value in 2ncode.
• When the Encoder is incorporated into a machine, the zero position of the input revolution shaft is fixed, and the rotation angle is always output as a digital value with the zero position as the coordinate origin.
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When a disk with a pattern rotates, light passing through the slits is transmitted or blocked according to the pattern. The received light is converted to electrical currents in the detector elements, takes the form of waves, and becomes digital signals. |