TW202340679A - Dual absolute encoder assembly and actuator assembly using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An exemplary encoder assembly includes a substrate, a first encoder, and a second encoder. The substrate has two or more position sensors, each position sensor being configured for detecting a rotary position of a shaft or other rotating element of a machine. The first encoder includes at least one first position sensor of the two or more position sensors. The at least one first position sensor is disposed on the substrate for off-axis alignment with the shaft or other rotating element of the machine. The second encoder includes a second position sensor of the two or more position sensors, the second position sensor being disposed on the substrate for on-axis or off-axis alignment with the shaft or other rotating element of the machine. Each position sensor is configured to detect different or common signal types, and a signal type of the second position sensor excludes optical signals.

Description

Dual absolute encoder assembly and actuator assembly using the same

The present invention generally relates to an absolute encoder, and more particularly to a dual magnetic absolute encoder.

Encoders are used in a wide variety of products that require speed and/or position control of motors. An encoder is a sensor that converts linear mechanical motion or angular mechanical motion into an electrical signal. Linear encoders can be used to measure and indicate the position of a movable component. Rotary encoders are used to measure the angular position of rotating components in a device or system. In robotic systems, for example, a rotary encoder can be used to detect the position of a rotary axis that can be connected to move a robotic arm. Absolute encoders are quite popular in these types of systems because of their ability to determine actual or absolute position. Absolute encoders provide a reliable indication of the true position of the motor shaft of the component to which they are attached at any time.

Absolute encoders use a sequence of position codes stored in binary form on a code disk and a single or multiple sensors that read the position codes. Linear encoders use a long strip element with longitudinally parallel encoder tracks. Rotary encoders use a code wheel with one or more concentric tracks. The sensor is used to read the code. The sensor can read the code using any optical, magnetic, inductive, capacitive, or direct contact method. The type of sensor used may depend on the application and/or the environment in which the system will operate.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to an encoder assembly, including: a substrate with two or more position sensors, each position sensor is configured to detect the rotational position of a shaft or other rotating component of a machine ; A first encoder, including at least one first position sensor among the two or more position sensors, the at least one first position sensor is configured on the substrate to communicate with the axis of the machine or other rotating components for off-axis alignment; and a second encoder including a second position sensor among the two or more position sensors, the second position sensor is disposed on the substrate to Aligned with the axis or other rotating parts of the machine on or off-axis, wherein each position sensor is configured to detect a different or common signal type, and the signal type of the second position sensor does not include an optical signal .

An exemplary encoder assembly includes: a code wheel configured to be attached to the shaft or other rotating component of the machine, wherein the at least one first position sensor and the second position sensor are disposed on the substrate The encoder is parallel to an axial surface of the code wheel, and the code wheel, the at least one first position sensor, and the second position sensor form a dual multi-turn absolute encoder.

An exemplary encoder assembly includes: a code wheel disposed for attachment to the shaft or other rotating component of the machine, wherein the base plate includes a first portion disposed parallel to an axial surface of the code wheel; and a second part disposed parallel to a radial surface of the code wheel, and wherein the at least one first position sensor is disposed on the second part of the base plate, and the second position sensor is disposed on the base plate first part.

An exemplary encoder assembly includes: a code wheel including: a first code wheel disposed within a hollow volume of the shaft or other rotating component of the machine; and a second code wheel configured to be attached to the machine The surface of the shaft or other rotating component, wherein the at least one first position sensor is disposed on the base plate to detect the signal from the second code wheel, and the second position sensor is disposed on the base plate to Aligned with the shaft or other rotating component of the machine to detect signals from the first code wheel, and wherein the at least one first position sensor is configured to detect one from the second code wheel Signal on an axial surface or a radial surface.

An exemplary encoder assembly includes: a code wheel including: a first code wheel disposed within a hollow volume of the shaft or other rotating component of the machine; and a second code wheel configured to be attached to the machine The surface of the shaft or other rotating component, the base plate includes: a first part disposed parallel to the axial surface of the first code disk; and a second part disposed parallel to a diameter of the second code disk to the surface, and the at least one first position sensor is disposed on the second part of the substrate to detect the signal from the radial surface of the second code disk, and the second position sensor is disposed on the on a first portion of the substrate to detect signals from an axial surface of the first code disc.

An exemplary encoder assembly includes: a code wheel, including a first code wheel and a second code wheel, configured to be attached to a surface of the shaft or other rotating component of the machine, wherein the base plate includes: a first portion , disposed parallel to a radial surface of the first code disc; a second portion disposed parallel to the radial surface of the second code disc; and a third portion extending between the first and second portions time, wherein the at least one first position sensor is disposed on the first part of the substrate to detect the signal from the radial surface of the first code disk; the second position sensor is disposed on the second part of the substrate part to detect the signal from the radial surface of the second code wheel; and the circuit system is mounted on the third part of the base plate, and wherein the first and second parts of the base plate are parallel to the axis of the shaft and with the third part. The three parts are orthogonal.

An exemplary encoder assembly wherein at least one first position sensor and the second position sensor are embedded in layers of a substrate.

An exemplary encoder assembly wherein the two or more position sensors are connected to a common bus or independent data lines, and wherein the common bus and independent data lines are configured to communicate position data and/or clock signals and/or other information.

An exemplary encoder assembly, wherein the first encoder is a magnetic encoder, a capacitive encoder, an inductive encoder, or an optical encoder, and is disposed on the substrate to communicate with the machine. The second encoder is a magnetic encoder, a capacitive encoder, or an inductive encoder that is aligned with the positive axis or off-axis of the shaft or other rotating component.

An exemplary encoder assembly connected for combination with a controller, wherein: the controller is configured to detect a fault based on the rotational position detected by the two or more position sensors, and the controller is configured The rotational positions detected by the two or more position sensors are compared, and when the compared rotational positions exceed a predetermined tolerance value, a fault signal is generated.

An exemplary encoder assembly wherein the substrate includes a power circuit connected to the first and second encoders, the power circuit configured to provide circuit protection against at least power surges.

Another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to an actuator assembly including: a motor having a motor shaft and an output shaft coaxial with the motor shaft; and an encoder assembly including: a first encoder, A second encoder is arranged to be aligned with the motor shaft with an offset axis; a second encoder is aligned with the motor shaft with a positive axis or an offset axis; and a common substrate is provided with the positions of the first encoder and the second encoder. Sensors are mounted thereon, wherein the common substrate is configured to communicate position data from the position sensors, and wherein each position sensor is configured to detect different or the same signal type, and the second code The signal type of the transmitter does not include optical signals.

An exemplary actuator assembly, wherein if the second encoder is axially aligned with the motor shaft, the second encoder includes a first encoder disposed in a hollow volume of the output shaft; and the second encoder is An encoder includes a second disc attached to the surface of the motor shaft.

An exemplary actuator assembly wherein the second encoder includes a second position sensor configured to detect a signal from the first encoder if the second encoder is off-axis aligned with the motor shaft. Axial surface signal.

An exemplary actuator assembly, wherein the common substrate includes: a first portion on which a second position sensor of the second encoder is mounted to detect an axial direction from an axial surface of the first encoder. signal; and a second part on which a first position sensor of the first encoder is mounted to detect a signal from a radial surface of the second code wheel, and wherein the second part of the common substrate part perpendicular to the first part of the common substrate.

An exemplary actuator assembly, wherein the encoder assembly includes a controller configured to control operation of the actuator assembly based on position data detected by the position sensors, wherein the controller is mounted on the on a common substrate.

an exemplary actuator assembly, wherein the controller is configured to detect a fault based on the rotational position of the motor shaft detected by the second encoder and the rotational position of the output shaft detected by the first encoder, And wherein the controller is configured to compare the rotational positions of the motor shaft and the output shaft, and generate a fault signal when the compared rotational positions exceed a predetermined tolerance value.

An exemplary actuator assembly wherein the first encoder is a magnetic encoder, a capacitive encoder, an inductive encoder, or an optical encoder, aligned with the motor on a positive or off-axis The second encoder of the shaft is a magnetic encoder, a capacitive encoder, or an inductive encoder.

An exemplary actuator assembly wherein the first encoder and the second encoder are absolute encoders.

An exemplary actuator assembly wherein each position sensor is disposed on the common substrate to detect signals from an axial surface of a corresponding code disk.

An exemplary actuator assembly, wherein: the first encoder includes a first position sensor disposed on the common substrate to detect signals from a first code wheel radial surface; and the second encoder The device includes a second position sensor disposed on the common substrate to detect signals from an axial surface of a second code disk, wherein the substrate includes: a first part on which a second position sensor is mounted a detector to detect signals from the axial surface of the second code wheel; and a second portion on which the first position sensor is mounted to detect signals from the radial surface of the first code wheel .

An exemplary actuator assembly, wherein: the first encoder includes a first position sensor disposed on the common substrate to detect signals from the radial surface of the first encoder; the second encoder including a second position sensor disposed on the common substrate to detect signals from the radial surface of the second code wheel, wherein the common substrate includes: a first part on which the first position sensor is mounted to detect signals from the radial surface of the first code wheel; and a second portion on which a second position sensor is mounted to detect signals from the radial surface of the second code wheel; and A third part extending between the first and second parts on which the encoder circuit system is mounted, wherein the first and second parts of the base plate are parallel to the axis of the motor shaft and normal to the third part pay.

An exemplary actuator assembly, wherein the position sensors are connected to a common bus or independent data lines, and wherein the common bus and independent data lines are configured to communicate position data and/or clock signals and /or other information.

An exemplary actuator assembly connected for combination with a controller, wherein the controller is configured to detect a fault based on rotational position detected by two or more position sensors, and wherein the controller is configured to The rotational positions detected by the two or more position sensors are compared, and when the compared rotational positions exceed a predetermined tolerance value, a fault signal is generated.

An exemplary encoder assembly wherein the common substrate includes a power circuit connected to the plurality of encoders, the power circuit being configured to provide circuit protection.

An exemplary dual absolute encoder may be configured to include two encoders, each encoder having a rotational position sensor disposed on a common substrate. An encoder may include a position sensor arranged (eg, configured, placed, mounted) on a base plate to be centered or positive relative to the motor shaft when the base plate is mounted to the motor. A second encoder may include a position sensor arranged on the base plate to be eccentric or off-axis relative to the axis of the motor shaft. The dual encoder arrangement provides better resolution and redundancy in determining the position or rotation of the motor shaft.

Figure 1 illustrates an actuator assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The actuator assembly 100 may include an actuator housing 102 having an enclosure 106 in which an actuator output flange 104 rotates. The actuator output flange 104 includes features (eg, holes) 108 for mounting the output end of the actuator assembly 100 to an external mount (not shown). A hollow motor shaft 110 is coaxial with an actuator output shaft 112. The hollow motor shaft 110 has a front end 114 and a rear end 116 extending along the central axis (X) of the housing 102 . The front end 114 is connected to a gear input 118 (such as the inner diameter of an elliptical harmonic generator) to create a magnification reduction between two internal splines (not shown) connecting the frame 102 to the motorized assembly. . The actuator output flange 104 is supported by a bearing 120 . The actuator assembly 100 also includes a stator 122 fixed to the inner surface of the housing 102 and separated from the motor shaft 110 by a gap 124 surrounding the motor shaft 110 .

An encoder assembly 126 is configured to detect the position and rotation of the rear end 116 of the motor shaft 110 that is coaxial with the end of the actuator output shaft 112 . Encoder assembly 126 may be configured as an absolute rotary encoder that is at least partially mounted or attached to stator 122 and/or housing 102 of actuator assembly 100 via a mounting bracket or spacer 128 . The mounting bracket 128 may be securely attached to the actuator assembly 100 by screws or bolts 130 or other suitable support mechanisms as desired.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the encoder assembly 126 includes: a code wheel 132A for generating a position signal related to the motor shaft 110 ; and a code wheel 132B for generating a position signal related to the actuator output shaft 112 , which may include a gear output where gear input 118 is attached to motor shaft 110 . Also included is a substrate 134 that contains at least circuitry for monitoring the position of the motor shaft 110 and the actuator output shaft 112 . The substrate 134 may be implemented as a printed circuit board, a planar 3D printing material, a flexible circuit board, or any other known component configured as required to mechanically support and electrically connect the electrical components of a single modular board. The substrate 134 may have a multi-layer construction in which the wiring portions and components and circuit layout meet specific performance power and thermal characteristics. The substrate 134 may include a plurality of position detection sensors 136A, 136B to detect the rotational positions of coaxial axes or other rotating parts, and be connected to a common bus to communicate data with a controller. The position detection sensors 136A and 136B can be installed on the surface of the substrate 134 and/or embedded in the inner layer of the substrate 134 as required. The position detection sensors 136A, 136B may be electrically connected and/or connected to each other through the use of conductive rails, conductive pads, vias, and other known methods for establishing the required electrical connections to the substrate. to other components and circuits on the substrate. The position detection sensor 136A is disposed on the substrate 134 to detect the signal from the code wheel 132A, wherein the combination of the position detection sensor 136A and the code wheel 132A forms an encoder. The position detection sensor 136B is disposed on the substrate 134 to detect the signal from the code wheel 132B. The combination of the position detection sensor 136B and the code wheel 132B also forms an encoder.

The position detection sensors 136A, 136B may be non-contact and configured to detect the position of the motor shaft 110 and/or the actuator output shaft 112 through magnetic or inductive signals emitted by the associated code disk. location, as shown in Figure 1. According to other exemplary embodiments disclosed herein, the position detection sensor may be configured to use optical or capacitive signal transmission methods, or a mixture of both. These alternative embodiments are disclosed in further details in relation to Figures 2a and 2b.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the code wheel 132A is provided with a plurality of alternating magnetic poles (N, S) provided in an axial plane relative to the axis of the motor shaft 110 (as shown in FIG. 1 ) or on the radial surface (as shown in Figure 3a). The position detection sensors 136A and 136B can be implemented as Hall effect components to magnetically detect the position of the rotation axis through the code disks 132A and 132B respectively. The combination of the position detection sensors 136A, 136B and the code wheels 132A, 132B can be configured as a single-turn absolute encoder that measures the displacement or rotation of the shaft in a 360° range from a specific position at startup. Under such a setting, the outputs of the position detection sensors 136A and 136B repeat according to each revolution or rotation cycle of the motor shaft 110 . The use of an absolute encoder in such a configuration generally provides redundancy for increased safety in controlling the operation of the motor, and more specifically in determining the position of the motor shaft 110 . According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more encoders of encoder assembly 126 may be configured as a multi-turn absolute encoder. In the multi-turn absolute encoder setup, the encoder assembly 126 may include multiple code wheels as well as a battery (not shown) and/or a counter (not shown) to maintain power when the power is turned off. Location information. As already described, the actuator output shaft 112 may include gearing 118 . Therefore, the motor shaft 110 may rotate a certain number of revolutions according to the gear ratio to accumulate one revolution of the actuator output shaft 112 . Since the absolute starting position of each sensor can be determined at startup, no battery assistance is required to store the absolute position data within one revolution of the actuator output shaft 112 .

Figures 2a and 2b illustrate an exemplary optical or capacitive encoder assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 2a and 2b, the position detection sensors 236A and 236B can be implemented as optical or capacitive photoelectric sensors and used in combination with the code wheels 232A and 232B respectively. The code wheels 232A and 232B may be provided with a plurality of opaque or transparent areas for light to penetrate their surfaces. A light source (not shown in the figure) may be disposed adjacent to the corresponding code wheel 232A, 232B and on the side opposite the position detection sensor 236A, 236B to illuminate the code wheel 232A, 232B. When the code wheels 232A and 232B rotate, the position detection sensors 236A and 236B detect the modulated light penetrating through the transparent and/or opaque areas. A controller is provided to access memory to determine a predetermined position or rotation of the shaft associated with the detected modulation signal. The exemplary encoder assembly 226 shown in Figure 2a may also include any number of optical components to focus the light onto the position detection sensors 236A, 236B. The optical components may include collimated light-emitting diodes, mirrors, lenses, lenses, optical fibers, laser diodes, optical slits, diffraction gratings, or any other suitable light guides as required. parts or mechanisms. As shown in Figure 2a, an optical or capacitive encoder assembly can be configured such that each sensor is mounted on a single substrate 234 formed in a ring shape, on the rear-facing surface 116 or the front-facing surface of the substrate as desired. 114 on the surface. FIG. 2b illustrates an exemplary embodiment in which the single position detection sensor 236A mounted on a single substrate 234 is an optical sensor for detecting light passing through each code wheel 232A.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the position detection sensors 236A, 236B may be used in combination with code disks 232A, 232B configured to have predetermined sinusoidal patterns etched on corresponding surfaces. According to the exemplary embodiment, encoder assembly 226 includes a transmitter (not shown) that generates a high frequency signal for input to motor shaft 110 . As the code wheels 232A, 232B rotate with the motor shaft 110, the sinusoidal pattern modulates the high frequency signal from the transmitter. The position detection sensors 236A and 236B may be configured as capacitive sensors to detect modulation signals from the code wheels 232A and 232B and provide the signals to the driver/controller. The driver/controller converts the modulated signals received from position detection sensors 236A, 236B into rotational motion and uses the rotational motion value to determine the position of the motor shaft. As shown in Figure 2b, the encoder assembly 226 may include an optical or capacitive position detection sensor 236A located at an off-axis position relative to the motor shaft 110 and a magnetic position detection sensor located at a positive axis position. The combination of device 236B.

Figures 3a-3c illustrate an encoder assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3a, the encoder assembly 326 may be configured so that two mated annular base plates serve as code wheels 332A, 332B. The code wheel 332B can be attached to the motor shaft 110 so that it can rotate synchronously with the motor shaft 110 during operation. The code wheel 332A is mounted on the actuator output shaft 112 of the actuator assembly 100 . Code wheel 332B is configured to include position detection sensor 336B and other components including, for example, power circuitry (not shown) embedded in its internal structure. During operation of the motor assembly, the code disk 332B rotates with the motor shaft 110 , and the position detection sensor 336B detects changes in the inductive coupling generated when the code disk 332B rotates with the motor shaft 110 . The magnetic signal detected by the position detection sensor 336B is compared with a predetermined magnetic signal measurement to determine the position of the motor shaft 110 . As shown in Figure 3a, the substrate 334 may include a first portion 334A and a second portion 334B. The position detection sensor 336A may be mounted on the first substrate portion 334A to be aligned off-axis with the motor shaft 110 to detect signals from the code wheel 332A mounted on the output shaft 112 . The position detection sensor 336B may be mounted on the second substrate portion 334B to be aligned off-axis with the motor shaft 110 to detect signals from the code wheel 332B mounted on the motor shaft 110 . The position detection sensor 336B is arranged to detect signals from the radial surface of the code wheel 332B. As shown in Figure 3b, the same design can be implemented on the actuator output shaft 112 and its annular base plate 334, wherein the position detection sensor 336B is installed on the base plate 334 with redundancy and position. Detect the side opposite to sensor 336A. Figure 3c illustrates the encoder assembly of Figure 3b without redundancy. According to an exemplary embodiment, the encoder assembly 326 of Figures 3b and 3c may be configured to use magnetic or inductive position detection.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the encoder assembly 326 may be configured to include any combination of magnetic, optical, inductive, and/or capacitive encoders as disclosed herein. For example, the encoder assembly 326 may include an encoder having a magnetic encoder 332B disposed within the hollow volume of the motor shaft 110 on a side of the hollow volume facing the rear end 116 . Another example encoder may be configured with an optical disc 332A attached to the actuator output shaft 112 such that it rotates during operation of the actuator assembly. The position detection sensors 336A, 336B may be aligned on the substrate 334 at an off-axis position relative to the axis (X) of the motor shaft 110 . The position detection sensor 336A is configured to detect the light reflected from the optical code wheel 332A, and the position detection sensor 336B is configured to detect the signal emitted by the magnetic code wheel 332B.

4a-4c illustrate an exemplary controller circuit in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The controller 450 may be configured as a servo driver, including a hardware device such as a processor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). These devices may each be specifically programmed with software or program code to perform operations to process, analyze, and/or manipulate the driving and/or control of the actuator assembly 100, and/or by the position detection sensor 436A, The data detected by 436B, and/or other components or circuits of the actuator assembly 100. The controller 450 may include components and circuitry that may be directly integrated on the substrate 434 and position detection sensors 436A, 436B that detect the rotation of the actuator output shaft 112 and the motor shaft 110 respectively. For example, the circuit may include a power circuit 402, a fault detection circuit 404, a driver/controller 450, and so on. As shown in Figure 4a, the circuit may be mounted on one or more sides or surfaces of the substrate. For example, the power circuit 402, fault detection circuit 404, and driver/controller 450 may be mounted on the A side of the substrate 434, and the position detection sensors 436A, 436B may be mounted on the B side of the substrate 434. Position detection sensors 436A, 436B are provided to share the power signal output from the power circuit 402 . Figure 4b illustrates an embodiment in which the position detection sensors 436A, 436B are embedded in the substrate 434. It should be understood that any other components and/or circuits may be combined with or instead of the position detection sensors 436A, 436B and embedded in the substrate. According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller 450 can be mounted on the substrate 434 in any suitable arrangement, so that the components and circuits can be mounted on either side A or B of the substrate in any combination as required, or embedded within the substrate. .

In an alternative embodiment, the controller 450 may be mounted on a separate substrate within the motor assembly or outside the actuator assembly housing 102 . The controller 450 may be configured to determine whether there is a fault based on the rotational position of the shaft detected by at least two of the plurality of position detection sensors 436A, 436B. For example, the controller 450 may be configured to compare the rotational positions of the shaft detected by at least two position detection sensors 436A, 436B, and when the compared rotational positions are determined to exceed a predetermined tolerance value, a fault signal is generated. For example, if a 15-bit (32,768 counts per revolution) position detector monitors the position of the motor shaft 110, and a 14-bit (16,384 counts per revolution) position detector monitors a 100:1 reduction factor The position of the actuator output shaft 112, and when the motor rotates 50.75 revolutions, the motor shaft position detector will output a position of 0.75 of 1 revolution as 24756 counts, and the actuator output will be 100:1 Using the reduction factor, the 50 revolution and 0.75 revolution counts are 8192+123 or 8315 counts. The conversion of one motor shaft revolution or 32768 counts to 164 actuator position detection counts can be used by this controller because in this example the motor shaft to actuator output position detection ratio is 200, if A fault is determined by a motor position within 1000 counts that does not correspond to an actuator position within 5 counts (depending on the accuracy and reproducibility of the integrated position detector).

4c and 4d illustrate a circuit diagram of a position sensor and substrate assembly according to an exemplary embodiment. According to one embodiment, the encoder component may be provided with multiple position sensors, where each position sensor includes individual data and clock lines or signals. For example, position detection sensors 436A, 436B, 436C may be configured with data lines 408 and clock lines 410 connected to the driver/controller 450 and a shared power and ground 412 from the power circuit 402 . The exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 4c is different from and provides advantages over the previous embodiments in that it provides for connecting the position detection sensors 436A, 436B, 436C in a daisy chain arrangement such that An example diagram of sensors sharing a common data bus. Due to this arrangement, the number of necessary bus lines for connecting the position detection sensors 436A, 436B, and 436C of the encoder assembly can be significantly reduced. For example, the exemplary technology of the present disclosure eliminates eight redundant data communication lines. (Data+, Data-, Clock+, Clock- of the two sensors). The exemplary encoder component 126 of the present disclosure is configured to provide position data or other required motor component data as a multi-bit character on a common data bus. The encoder assembly can be configured to communicate data via a parallel or serial interface. Serial data can be output according to a synchronous serial interface (SSI) protocol or a bidirectional/serial/synchronous (BiSS) interface protocol. As shown in Figure 4d, the position sensors 436A and 436B of the position detection sensor are connected through a differential line transmitter and receiver. For each sensor 436A and 436B, two lines are used for the differential data receiver (SLO+ and SLO-). Two lines are used for differential clock and data transmission signals (MA+ and MA-). The position sensors are connected in a master (MA)/slave (SLO) arrangement. The arrangement can be scaled to include any desired number of sensors.

Figures 5a-5c illustrate magnet types of an encoder assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figure 5a, code wheel 532 represents the code wheels 132A, 332A and 332B discussed in relation to Figures 1 and 3a-3c as applicable. Code wheel 532 may be configured as a multi-pole magnet that may be coaxially secured to one or more motor shafts 110 or other rotary components whose rotation is to be detected. Code wheel 532 and position detection sensor 136A provide for off-axis rotation detection relative to the actuator output shaft or motor shaft 110 as shown in FIG. 1 . Code wheel 532 may have an annular or circumferential shape and is configured to include a plurality of alternating N and S pole pairs 525 . The pole pairs N and S may be arranged on an axial face 515 of the code wheel 532 relative to the axis of the motor shaft 110 . According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the code wheel 532 may have any of 16, 32, and 64 pole pairs, or any other suitable number of poles as desired. The axial face 515 of the code wheel 532 may include one or more tracks 520, where each track 520 includes a plurality of N and S poles 525 arranged in an alternating pattern along the circumference. For each track 520, a plurality of N and S poles 525 may be spaced equidistantly or angularly around the circumference of the code wheel 532. Figure 5a illustrates a code wheel 532 that includes two (2) tracks 520A, 520B and has a resolution of up to 18 bits (ie, 262144 counts). For optical encoder assemblies, transparent or opaque areas are used to replace the N and S pole pairs of the magnetic encoder disk. However, it should be understood that the code wheel 532 may have any suitable number of tracks depending on the desired resolution of the detected position.

As shown in Figure 5b, the code wheel 532 may be arranged so that N and S pole pairs are formed on the radial surface 510 or outer edge.

As shown in Figure 5c, the encoder assembly 126 may include a two (2) pole magnet 535 configured to attach to the hollow volume of the actuator output shaft 112 for which rotation is detected or configured in it. According to another exemplary embodiment, the two-pole magnet 535 may be disposed within the hollow interior volume of the motor shaft 110 proximate the rear end 116 . A magnet 535 is provided in combination with a position detection sensor 536 for positive axis detection relative to the actuator output shaft 112 .

6a-6g illustrate various mounting arrangements of position detection sensors according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in Figure 6a, the encoder assembly 126 may include a position detection sensor 636B disposed on a base plate 634 such that when the base plate 634 is mounted on the actuator assembly, the position detection sensor 636B is relative to the positive axis position of the code disk 632B mounted within the hollow interior volume of the motor shaft 110 or other rotating component whose position is being sensed. In this on-axis position, position detection sensor 636B is positioned to sense mounting within the hollow interior volume of motor shaft 110 closest to rear end 116 or behind actuator output shaft 112 as shown in FIG. 1 The magnetic pole of the code plate 632B on the end. A code wheel 632A can be installed on the motor shaft 110, and a position detection sensor 636A can be installed on the base plate 634 at an off-axis position relative to the motor shaft 110 to detect signals from the code wheel 632A. The placement and orientation of this position detection sensor provides redundancy and better accuracy than known encoder assembly designs.

As shown in Figure 6b, the encoder assembly 126 may include a position detection sensor 636B disposed on the base plate 634 in a positive axis position relative to the motor shaft 110 as shown in Figure 6a, and may also include one or more positions The detection sensor 636A is disposed on the base plate 634 at an off-axis position relative to the motor shaft 110 . As already discussed, position detection sensor 636A is placed off-axis to sense the N and S poles 525 of code wheel 632A. In an arrangement using at least two position detection sensors 636A, the sensors 636A may be configured at an angle of 90°, 180°, or other suitable angular offset positions as desired. Position detection sensors 636A, 636B are located on the same substrate surface and are therefore mounted at the same axial position, with position detection sensor 636B being centrally located.

As shown in Figure 6c, the encoder assembly 126 may include one or more position detection sensors 636A disposed on the base plate 634 at respective off-axis positions relative to the motor shaft 110. Increasing the number of position detection sensors 636A creates redundancy or better accuracy. According to this embodiment, no positive axis position detection sensor 636B is used to detect the position of the motor shaft 110 .

As shown in Figure 6d, the encoder assembly 126 may include one or more position detection sensors 636B disposed radially relative to the motor shaft 110 and mounted on a first portion 634A of the base plate 634, and the A second portion 634B of the base plate 634 extends in a plane perpendicular to the first base plate portion 634A. The first base plate portion 634A is disposed adjacent an axial surface of the code wheel 632B, and the second base plate portion 634B is disposed adjacent a radial surface of the code wheel 632B. The position detection sensor 636C may be mounted on the surface of the vertical second substrate portion 634B. The position detection sensor 636C is aligned with the code wheel 632C, which has N and S pole pairs 525 arranged on the radial surface 610 or outer edge. The first base plate portion 634A may be mounted to the stator assembly 122 (as shown in FIG. 1 ) and thus stationary during operation. Code wheel 632B is mounted on actuator output shaft 112 .

6e and 6f illustrate an exemplary encoder assembly in which the base plate 634 may be mounted to the stator assembly 122 shown in FIG. 1 . The single base plate 634 is formed with a central hole or aperture 635 that allows the actuator output shaft 112 to pass completely. The substrate 634 has one or more position detection sensors 636A, 636B mounted thereon. As shown in FIG. 6e , the position detection sensors 636A and 636B may be mounted on one of the surface of the substrate 634 facing the front end 114 or the surface facing the rear end 116 . According to the position detection sensors 636A, 636B, the position of the motor shaft can be detected based on the rotation of the code disks 632A, 632B mounted on the motor shaft 110 and the actuator shaft 112. As shown in Figure 6f, the position detection sensors 636A and 636B can be installed on both sides of the single substrate, so that the accuracy and redundancy of detecting the position of the motor based on the rotation of the code wheels 632A and 632B are increased. .

Figure 6g illustrates an exemplary encoder assembly having a single substrate containing a radial off-axis encoder and a positive axis encoder, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6g, the encoder assembly 126 may include a base plate 634 having a first portion 634A and a second portion 634B extending in a direction perpendicular to the first portion 634A. Position detection sensor 636B may be mounted to first base plate portion 634A for positive alignment with code disk 632B mounted in the hollow volume of actuator output shaft 112 . The position detection sensor 636C may be mounted on the second base plate portion 634B to be aligned off-axis with the code disk 632C mounted on the outer surface of the motor shaft 110 . Position detection sensor 636C is aligned to detect signals from N and S pole pairs 525 disposed on the radial surface 610 or outer edge of code wheel 632C.

The exemplary rotary encoder assembly of the present disclosure is mounted on a single substrate, allowing for smaller space requirements than known implementations. Therefore, an encoder assembly as described herein can be mounted closer to the motor/actuator, allowing length reduction for improved torque density. Therefore, when the encoder assembly using a dual encoder combination on a single substrate is integrated directly into an integrated servo drive, the encoder wiring can be completely eliminated. In addition, the position detectors can be connected in a daisy-chain configuration, creating space and thermal efficiency and reducing the number of wires connected to the servo drive or controller. Encoder assemblies with components and circuit systems mounted on both sides of a double-sided substrate not only lead to space savings but also cost savings. To further improve the performance of the encoder assembly, the motor/actuator shaft can be formed from aluminum to reduce the amount of crosstalk and noise from magnetic interference, improve torque density, and reduce inertia or eliminate shaft deflection. The use of other known mounting techniques and materials related to magnets can be used to improve tolerances, electrical deflection, and overall performance of the encoder assembly.

Accordingly, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The embodiments of the present disclosure are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended patent application scope rather than the foregoing description, and all changes within its meaning, scope and equivalence are included therein.

100: Actuator assembly 102: Shell frame 104: Actuator output flange 106:Seal 108: Features (such as holes) 110:Motor shaft 112:Actuator output shaft 114:Front end 116:Backend 118:Gear input (gear device) 120:Bearing 122:Jingzi 124: Gap 126: Encoder component 128:Mounting bracket 130:Screws or bolts 132A: code plate 132B: code plate 134:Substrate 136A: Position detection sensor 136B: Position detection sensor 226: Encoder component 232A: code plate 232B: code plate 234:Substrate 236A: Position detection sensor 236B: Position detection sensor 326: Encoder component 332A: code plate 332B: code plate 334:Substrate 334A: First (substrate) part 334B: Second (substrate) part 336A: Position detection sensor 336B: Position detection sensor 402:Power circuit 404:Fault detection circuit 408:Data line 410: Clock line 412: Shared power and ground 434:Substrate 436A: Position detection sensor 436B: Position detection sensor 436C: Position detection sensor 450:Driver/Controller 510: Radial surface 515: Axial surface 520:Orbit 520A:Track 520B:Track 525: N and S pole pair (N and S magnetic poles) 532: code plate 535: Two (2) pole magnet 536: Position detection sensor 610: Radial surface 632A: code plate 632B: code plate 632C: code plate 634:Substrate 634A: First (substrate) part 634B: Second (substrate) part 635: Center hole or aperture 636A: Position detection sensor 636B: Position detection sensor 636C: Position detection sensor

The scope of the present disclosure is best understood from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments that follows when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates an actuator assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figures 2a and 2b illustrate an exemplary optical or capacitive encoder assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

3a-3c illustrate an exemplary encoder assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figures 4a and 4b illustrate an exemplary controller circuit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

4c and 4d illustrate circuit diagrams of a position sensor and substrate assembly according to an exemplary embodiment.

Figures 5a-5c illustrate magnet types of an encoder assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

6a-6g illustrate mounting arrangements of various position detection sensors according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

100: Actuator assembly

102: Actuator housing

104: Actuator output flange

106:Seal

108: Features (such as holes)

110:Motor shaft

112:Actuator output shaft

114:Front end

116:Backend

118:Gear input (gear device)

120:Bearing

122:Jingzi

124: Gap

126: Encoder component

128:Mounting bracket

130:Screws or bolts

132A: code plate

132B: code plate

134:Substrate

136A: Position detection sensor

136B: Position detection sensor

Claims (17)

An encoder component consisting of: The first encoding element is installed on the first rotation axis; The second encoding element is installed on the second axis; one or more substrates; The first position detection sensor is installed on the surface of the one or more substrates in a manner aligned with the first rotation axis in an on-axis or off-axis manner. The first position The detection sensor detects the signal from the first code plate installed on the first rotation axis; and The second position detection sensor is installed on the surface of the one or more substrates in a manner aligned with the second axis on the positive axis or off-axis. The second position detection sensor detects the The signal of the second encoder on the second axis. Such as the encoder component of request item 1, where: The one or more substrates include a first substrate and a second substrate. The first substrate is mounted parallel to the axis of the first rotation axis, and the second substrate is mounted orthogonally or parallel to the third axis. The second substrate is mounted in a manner parallel to the axis of the second axis, wherein the second substrate is connected to the first substrate when the second substrate is mounted parallel to the axis of the second axis, and The first encoding element includes a first code wheel and the second encoding element includes a second code wheel. The encoder assembly of claim 2, wherein the first rotation axis and the second axis are coaxial. The encoder assembly of claim 2, wherein the first position detection sensor detects a signal from a radial surface of the first code wheel. The encoder assembly of claim 2, wherein the first rotation axis is a motor shaft, and the second axis is an actuator output shaft. The encoder assembly of claim 2, wherein the first rotation axis and the second axis are motor shafts. The encoder assembly of claim 1, wherein the first rotation axis and the second axis are motor shafts. The encoder assembly of claim 1, wherein the first position detection sensor and the second position detection sensor are respectively combined with the first code wheel and the second code wheel to form a dual single-turn absolute type. Encoder (dual single-turn absolute encoder). The encoder assembly of claim 1, wherein the first position detection sensor and the second position detection sensor are respectively combined with the first code wheel and the second code wheel to form a dual multi-turn absolute type. Encoder (dual multi-turn absolute encoder). For example, the encoder component of request item 1 further includes: At least one redundant position detection sensor is installed on the one or more substrates, wherein the at least one redundant position detection sensor is relative to the first position detection sensor and the second position detection sensor. At least one of the sensing sensors is mounted on the surface of the one or more substrates. For example, the encoder component of request item 2 further includes: At least one redundant position detection sensor is installed on each of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the at least one redundant position detection sensor is relative to the first position detection sensor At least one of the second position detection sensor and the second position detection sensor is mounted on the respective radial surface of the substrate. The encoder assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more substrates are elastic. The encoder assembly of claim 2, wherein the first base plate is mounted radially away from the axis of the first rotation shaft. The encoder assembly of claim 1, wherein the first position detection sensor or the second position detection sensor is mounted on the radial surface of the one or more substrates. The encoder assembly of claim 2, wherein the first position detection sensor or the second position detection sensor is mounted on the axial surface of the one or more substrates. The encoder assembly of claim 14, wherein the first position detection sensor and the second position detection sensor are mounted on opposite sides of the one or more substrates. For example, the encoder component of request 14 further includes: At least one redundant position detection sensor, wherein the at least one redundant position detection sensor is relative to at least one of the first position detection sensor and the second position detection sensor and mounted on the radial surface of the one or more substrates.