Low-cost, high efficient, precision electro-mechanical device. Proceeds amount and direction of mechanical movement into electric impulses with high resolution.

For providing synchronous movement on technological lines, transporters, labeling equipment, for printing on moving objects.

Description

The Idea is to implement optical sensor of computer mouse to the rotation disk, which mechanically connected with moving part of any kind apparatus. Important characteristic is that it is possible to adjust impulse/revolution ratio by simple radial moving the sensor parallel the disk surface.

Optical CMOS sensor in IC provides a non-mechanical tracking engine. On the chip images are captured, digitized, and then digitally processed.

Using an optical navigation technology, the sensor measures changes in position by optically acquiring sequential surface images (frames) and mathematically determining the direction and magnitude of movement. The sensor is mounted in a plastic optical package and is designed to be used with a high intensity LED. Hence, it provides a complete and compact tracking engine. This optical tracking engine has no moving parts and requires no precise optical alignment. Thus, it enables high volume system assembly. It offers a quadrature output mode for interface flexibility.

The tracking resolution is specified at 400 counts per inch at rates of motion up to 16 inches per second.

This Encoder generates output signals for two channels quadrature (?X and ?Y), which emulates ordinary encoder phototransistors. Sensor IC generates ?X and ?Y relative displacement values that are converted into two channel quadrature signals. The two channel quadrature outputs are 3.5V signals. The ?X and ?Y counts are used to generate the X1, X2 and Y1, Y2 quadrature signals. The quadrature signals can change at a maximum rate of 25 KHz. The following diagrams show the timing for positive X motion, to the right direction. Quadrature output also may be used for direct step motor control.

Most often only one dimension and accordingly one channel are used.

Technical characteristics (for simplest optical sensor):
- Impulses Number per revolution