POSITION DETECTOR

• US 20090106997A1
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MORI Seiki Company Limited (Dmg Mori Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Onoe, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 7,743,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 33/706
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/02 Bearings or suspensions for moving parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/24442 by mounting means

Abstract

The present invention Provides a position detector includes a scale provided with a recording medium recorded with information for position detection; a slider disposed to face the recording medium of the scale and to relatively travel along an elongate direction of the scale and provided with a detection sensor for detecting the information of the recording medium, a carrier for carrying the slider, and a posture control mechanism disposed between the carrier and the slider to control slider posture relative to the scale. The posture control mechanism is located on a straight line being vertical to a plane provided with the recording medium facing the detection sensor and passing the detection sensor and biases the slider toward the scale in the direction of the straight line for posture control. The slider is provided with a guide restricting section slidably contact with the scale to restrict a biasing force of the posture control mechanism.

Claims

1. A position detector comprising:

a scale provided with a recording medium recorded with information for position detection;

a slider disposed to face the recording medium of the scale and to relatively travel along an elongate direction of the scale and provided with a detection sensor for detecting the information of the recording medium;

a carrier for carrying the slider, and

a posture control mechanism disposed between the carrier and the slider to control a posture of the slider relative to the scale,

wherein the posture control mechanism is located on a straight line being vertical to a plane provided with the recording medium facing the detection sensor and passing the detection sensor and biases the slider toward the scale in the direction of the straight line for posture control, and

the slider is provided with guide restricting means brought into slidable contact with the scale to restrict a biasing force of the posture control mechanism.

2. The position detector according to claim 1,

wherein the posture control mechanism includes a carrier side coupling member secured to the carrier and composed of a plate-like member formed with an engaging hole at a general center thereof;

and a slider side coupling member secured to the slider and formed with a spherical protrusion engaged with the engaging hole.

3. The position detector according to claim 2,

wherein the carrier side coupling member is formed by folding both ends of the plate-like member along corresponding folding lines parallel to a longitudinal direction of the scale.

4. The position detector according to claim 1,

wherein the carrier is further provided on a side opposite to the recording medium of the scale with restriction means for restricting deformation of the scale resulting from a biasing force applied to the scale of the posture control mechanism.