Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01D—MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G01D5/00—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable
  • G01D5/26—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable characterised by optical transfer means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light
  • G01D5/32—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable characterised by optical transfer means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light with attenuation or whole or partial obturation of beams of light
  • G01D5/34—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable characterised by optical transfer means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light with attenuation or whole or partial obturation of beams of light the beams of light being detected by photocells
  • G01D5/347—Mechanical means for transferring the output of a sensing member; Means for converting the output of a sensing member to another variable where the form or nature of the sensing member does not constrain the means for converting; Transducers not specially adapted for a specific variable characterised by optical transfer means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light with attenuation or whole or partial obturation of beams of light the beams of light being detected by photocells using displacement encoding scales
  • G01D5/34707—Scales; Discs, e.g. fixation, fabrication, compensation
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR TOOLS FOR ARTISTIC WORK, e.g. FOR SCULPTURING, GUILLOCHING, CARVING, BRANDING, INLAYING
  • B44B5/00—Machines or apparatus for embossing decorations or marks, e.g. embossing coins
  • B44B5/0004—Machines or apparatus for embossing decorations or marks, e.g. embossing coins characterised by the movement of the embossing tool(s), or the movement of the work, during the embossing operation
  • B44B5/0009—Rotating embossing tools
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR TOOLS FOR ARTISTIC WORK, e.g. FOR SCULPTURING, GUILLOCHING, CARVING, BRANDING, INLAYING
  • B44B5/00—Machines or apparatus for embossing decorations or marks, e.g. embossing coins
  • B44B5/02—Dies; Accessories
  • B44B5/026—Dies

Definitions

• the present invention relates to producing a scale for use in opto-electronic scale reading apparatus.
• a known form of opto-electronic scale reading apparatus for measuring relative displacement of two members comprises a scale on one of the members, having scale marks defining a periodic pattern, a read head provided on the other member, means for illuminating the scale, periodic diffraction means for interacting with light from the scale marks to produce interference fringes having movement relative to the read head and detecting means in the read head responsive to the fringes to produce a measure of the displacement.
• US-A-4 926 566 discloses a method of producing a scale, in the form of a flexible tape produced by rolling, the pitch of the scale marks being 20 ⁇ m or 40 ⁇ m for example.
• the illuminating means, the diffraction means and the detecting means responsive to the fringes may be integrated in the read head in the manner described in US-A-5 302 820.
• Such a scale may have reference marks along its length, as disclosed in WO94/25830 in which a depression is provided on the scale by stamping the scale at appropriate intervals with a cylindrical roller.
• a method of producing a length of scale for use in opto-electronic scale reading apparatus comprising subjecting a length of scale to an embossing process to form a profile which is a sequence of troughs and crests, wherein after the embossing process the length of scale is subjected to a further process which acts on the crests to make more regular their shapes.
• the further process could comprise passing the embossed length of scale between first and second rollers to render the crests more regular as regards their shapes.
• one of the rollers could be a driven roller to pass the length of scale between the rollers.
• the length of scale could be pulled through the rollers.
• Each of the rollers could be a plain roller.
• a method of providing reference marks or identification marks on the scale during the embossing process or the process which acts on the scale to make their shapes more regular in a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of providing reference marks or identification marks on the scale during the embossing process or the process which acts on the scale to make their shapes more regular.
• the reference marks or identification marks may be imprinted on the scale in either process by providing the relevant roller with suitable marks.
• Fig 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of an embossing process on a length of scale
• Fig 2 is a diagrammatic illustration of two rollers acting on a length of scale
• Fig 3 shows the rollers of Fig 2 with laser etching on the upper roller
• Fig 4 shows the rollers of Fig 2 with embossing means on the upper roller
• Fig 5 shows the profile of a finished scale.
• a length of scale 1 for use in opto-electronic scale reading apparatus is produced, for example, by a method as described in US-A-4 926 566, in which the scale is passed between upper and lower rollers 10,12 as shown in Fig 1, in which the upper roller 10 has a profile 14 which is the counterpart of the desired scale profile.
• the lower roller 12 may be plain, or it may also have a profile, as described in US
• the embossed length of scale 1 is passed between an upper cylindrical roller 2 and a lower, backing cylindrical roller 22, the latter, for example, being a driven roller.
• roller 20 could be made up of a steel core with a smooth electroless nickel coating.
• the length of scale 1 could be pulled through the rollers.
• the effect of the above process is to make more regular the shapes of the crests of the profile of the length of scale 1 as regards their shapes, increasing and making more predictable the signal achieved by reflection from the crests in use of the length of scale and substantially eliminating plating imperfections and disturbances from the earlier embossing process.
• the crests 16 may be flattened as shown at 30 in Fig 5. Such flattened crests give improved light reflection, even when lit from the side.
• the upper cylindrical roller 20 is a plain roller.
• the lower cylindrical roller 22 is either a plain roller or a profiled roller, as with the roller 12.
• the operation could instead be done with a suitably marked top roller which leaves appropriate marks on the scale crests. These might simply be a part number or other identification, but equally could be used to perform some function, like providing reference marking, providing for absolute position encoding or providing for automatic read head configuration.
• the marks may be applied to the crests of the scale by laser etching the desired marks 24 in reverse on the upper roller as in Fig 3.
• the mark is imprinted onto the scale crests, each revolution of the roller producing a repeat of the mark on the scale. This method is particularly suitable for adding identification numbers etc on the scale.
• Reference marks may also be added to the scale by incorporating an embossing device with the upper roller, such as a flat-ended chisel 26 as shown in Fig 4. As the chisel hits the scale it flattens some of the crests and creates a reflective feature 28 on the scale, such as a bright plane mirror.
• Another method of producing marks on the scale is by chemical etching. For example using a spring steel scale coated with first copper and then gold, some of the gold outer layer is removed mechanically to expose the copper underneath. The exposed copper is chemically treated to blacken it, for example using sodium sulphate.
• a 200 ⁇ m-wide dark line produced by this method in a 40 ⁇ m period incremental scale results in that the incremental signal only suffers a 20% drop in size as it passes the reference mark. This is a result of the filtering effect of the readhead, as described in
• the marks could be added to the scale in a similar manner at other steps of the scale- making process, such as a subsequent step or the initial embossing step.
• Adding the reference marks in the subsequent step has the advantage that a stamping device other than a roller may be used allowing the reference marks to be added in an irregular pattern.
• a scale which has been marked in the initial embossing step may be passed through the plain rollers with very little effect on the scale.
• the mark is an identification number, it may be imprinted on the full width of the scale or alternatively just on a fraction of the width of the scale (i.e. along one edge).
• Reference marks on the scale may be single, periodic or in specific sequences.
• a pseudorandom pattern of dark or bright lines of different widths can be formed in the longitudinal direction of the scale to make an autocorrelator reference mark that can be detected with a matching detector pattern.
• a series of bright and dark lines in the scale can be arranged to form a zone plate that will act as a lens and can be used to image a reference pattern onto a matching detector.
• a pattern of marks can also be provided (by the above methods) which encodes information about the absolute position along the scale.
• any of the above methods of marking the scale may be used independently, even without the further process for making the crests 16 more regular.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Shaping Of Tube Ends By Bending Or Straightening (AREA)
• Optical Transform (AREA)
• Knitting Machines (AREA)
• Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)
• Credit Cards Or The Like (AREA)

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Citations (3)

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• 1999
  • 1999-10-15 GB GBGB9924332.1A patent/GB9924332D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2000
  • 2000-10-13 AT AT00968083T patent/ATE394650T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2000-10-13 US US09/857,710 patent/US6588333B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-10-13 DE DE60038787T patent/DE60038787D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2000-10-13 WO PCT/GB2000/003928 patent/WO2001029516A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2000-10-13 JP JP2001532060A patent/JP4571768B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2000-10-13 EP EP00968083A patent/EP1147377B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime

Patent Citations (3)

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