Shaft encoder with diffusely placed light sensitive elements

摘要

An optical transducer for detecting the angular position of a rotary member with respect to a fixed structure comprises a disc 13 mounted rotatably within a casing. The disc is provided with a plurality of opaque radial regions 19 which are spaced by transparent regions 18 which transmit the light emitted by a light source mounted on the casing. The light is received by a photodetector element 25 comprising a support plate 28 on which is disposed a multiplicity of photovoltaic cells 26 each having an area which is fraction of the area of each transparent region of the disc. The cells are subdivided into the groups A, B and C with different functions and phase positions and are distributed diffusely over the area encountered by the beam of light from the light source. The cells of each group are connected together in parallel to generate three electrical signals, one of which provides pilot control for the feed to the light source to stabilize the signals of the other two groups of photoelectric cells.