Scale reading apparatus

• US 7,421,800 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renishaw PLC
• Original Assignee: Renishaw PLC
• Inventors: Howley, Colin Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Fulton; Christopher W
• Application Number:
  US11/629,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20070227438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 337/06, 33/1.PT, 33/1.N, 337/07, 337/08
• US Class Current: 33/706
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2451 Incremental encoders G01D5/2454 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2457 Incremental encoders having reference marks

Abstract

A scale for a scale reading apparatus has a scale track with scale marks which form an incremental scale. The scale also has a set of reference marks. The scale has at least one additional track and different combinations of markers in the at least one additional track have different functions, for example reference mark enablers and right and left limit switches.

Claims

1. A scale for a scale reading apparatus comprising:

a track having scale markings;

markers of two or more different states;

wherein a marker of a first state has a first function, a marker of a second state has a second function and markers of both first and second states have a third function and wherein at the position with markers of both first and second states, the marker of the second state extends further than the marker of the first state on at least one side.

2. A scale according to claim 1 wherein the track comprises an incremental track.

3. A scale according to claim 2 wherein the incremental track includes at least one reference mark.

4. A scale according to claim 2 wherein at least one reference mark is provided in an additional track parallel to the incremental track.

5. A scale according to claim 1 wherein two states of markers are combined to produce four output states.

6. A scale according to claim 5 wherein the functions of the different marker combinations comprise a reference mark enabler and at least one limit switch.

7. A scale according to claim 1 wherein markers of a first state are provided on a first additional track and markers of a second state are provided on a second additional track.

8. A scale according to claim 7 wherein the first and second markers are otherwise identical.

9. A scale according to claim 1 wherein markers having different states are provided on a single track.

10. A scale according to claim 1 wherein at the position with markers of both first and second states, the marker of the second state extends further than the marker of the first state on at least one side by a distance less than x, and at the position of a marker only of the second state, the marker has a length of greater than x.

11. A scale according to claim 1 wherein the first function is a first limit switch, the second function is a reference mark enabler and the third function is a second limit switch.

12. A scale according to claim 1 wherein no marker of either state has a fourth function.

13. A scale according to claim 12 wherein the fourth function is no reference mark enabler or limit switch.

14. A scale according to claim 1 wherein the position of the markers is adjustable.