DIGITAL DISPLACEMENT TRANSDUCERS

(Translational and Rotary Encoders)

 INTRODUCTION
 Transducers often interface with computers or digital
devices, transducers with digital output would be
particularly convenient.

 Very few such devices exist.

 Usually use analog transducer to produce a voltage

signal and an electronic analog-to-digital converter to
realize the desired digital output

 Digital transducers called encoders do exist for

translational and rotary displacement and are in wide
use.
 INTRODUCTION

An encoder is an electromechanical device that converts linear or rotary

displacement into digital or pulse signals.
 Tachometer Encoders
 A tachometer will enable you to calculate the RPM of
a motor.

 As an analogy, if you can imagine a trundle wheel

(ignoring the fact they’re actually designed to
measure distance), they make an audible click once
every full revolution. Count the time between clicks
and you can figure out how fast the wheel is spinning
– or its RPM.

 It has only a single output signal, which consists of a

pulse for each increment of displacement.

 The motion were always in one direction, digital

counter could accumulate these pulses to determine
 The Trundle wheel is a measuring device used to find the distance from
one location to another.
 The trundle wheel is made up of a wheel (usually with the
circumference of one metre), a handle which is attached to the axle of
the wheel, and a device which "clicks" every time the wheel makes one
complete turn.
 As the wheel moves along the ground (or other surface), the user counts
the number of "clicks". Since the circumference of the wheel is one
metre, every time the trundle wheel "clicks", one metre of distance has
been traveled.
 Trundle wheels are not as accurate as other devices used to measure a
distance but provide an easy way to get an estimate of a distance that
may be too long to measure using typically available measuring tools.
 Tachometer Encoders

 Any reversed motion would produce identical pulse, causing errors.

 This type of encoder usually is used for speed, rather than
displacement, measurement in situations where rotation never reverses
 The incremental encoder solves the reverse motion problem by
employing at least two signal generating elements.

 By mechanically displacing the two tracks, one of the electric signal is

shifted 1/4 cycle relative to other, allowing detection of motion direction
by noting which signal raises first.
This consists of a rotating disk, a light source, and a photo
detector (light sensor). The disk, which is mounted on the
rotating shaft, has patterns of opaque and transparent sectors
coded into the disk. As the disk rotates, these patterns
interrupt the light emitted onto the photo detector, generating a
digital or pulse signal output.
Slotted disk and Opto-Interrupter

Device is constructed of a circular disk (usually metal) mounted

on the machine shaft.

A small radial slot is cut in the disk so that light from an emitter
will pass through the slot to a photo-transistor when the disk is in
a particular angular position.

As the disk is rotated, the photo-transistor outputs one pulse per

revolution. The parameters like angular position, the rotating
speed of the machine, or how many revolutions the machine has
taken can be determined.
 Incremental Encoders
 Typically has four parts: (i) Light source (LED) (ii) a rotatory (or translatory) disc, a
stationary mask and a sensor (Photodiode)

 The disc has alternate opaque and transparent sectors (of equal width) which are
etched by means of a photographic process on to a plastic disc (slots are cut out in
case a metal disc is used).

 As the disc rotates, during half of the increment cycle the transparent sectors of
rotating and stationary discs come in alignment permitting the light from LED to reach
the sensor thereby generating an electrical pulse.
 Incremental Encoders
 Alternate transparent /opaque sectors of the disc produces a square wave pulse train
in synchronous with the disc.

 The basic Resolution = (360°/ N), N-number of sectors of disc; each sector is half
transparent and half opaque
 In a dual channel encoder two optoelectronic channels are
employed. These are installed on the same rotating disc and
the mask but displaced at 90° to each other such that the two
pulse output signals have a relative times phase
displacement of 90°. The output channel 2 is called the
quadrature output.
 An incremental encoder employs a quadrature encoder to generate
its A and B output signals. The pulses emitted from the A and B outputs are
quadrature-encoded, meaning that when the incremental encoder is moving at
a constant velocity, the duty cycle of each pulse is 50% (i.e., the waveform is
a square wave) and there is a 90 degree phase difference between A and B

Rotary encoder, with corresponding A/B signal

states shown on the right

Linear encoder; the R signal indicates the encoder is located at

its reference position
 At any particular time, the phase difference between
the A and B signals will be positive or negative depending on
the encoder's direction of movement. In the case of a rotary
encoder, the phase difference is +90° for clockwise rotation
and −90° for counter-clockwise rotation, or vice versa,
depending on the device design.
 The frequency of the pulses on the A or B output is directly
proportional to the encoder's velocity (rate of position
change); higher frequencies indicate rapid movement,
whereas lower frequencies indicate slower speeds.[1] Static,
unchanging signals are output on A and B when the encoder
is motionless. In the case of a rotary encoder, the frequency
indicates the speed of the encoder's shaft rotation, and
in linear encoders the frequency indicates the speed of linear
traversal.
Direction of Rotation

Direction of rotation is determined by the phase deference between the two

signals
• For example, if Channel A leads
Channel B, then the encoder is
rotating CCW (Counter Clock
Wise).

• If Channel B leads Channel A,

then the direction of rotation is CW
(Clock Wise)

Most encoders have an extra track, with just one window, that may be used for
alignment to determine absolute position at startup.
 Direction Changes

Two consecutive transitions on the same channel indicate a change in

direction.

Resolution of Incremental Encoder

Incremental encoders are specified by the number of pulses per revolution
(pulse/rev) that is produced by either the phase A or phase B output. By
dividing the number of pulses per revolution into 360 degrees, we get the
number of degrees per pulse (called the resolution). This is the smallest change
in shaft angle that can be detected by the encoder.
For example, a 3600 pulse (pulse/rev) incremental encoder has a resolution of
360 degrees / 3600 = 0.1 degree/pulse.
 By triggering on the rising and
falling edges of the pulse train, we
can double or quadruple the counts
per revolution from the same
quadrature encoder disc.
• Achieving higher resolution with Quadrature Encoders

• When more resolution is needed, it is possible for the counter to count

the leading and trailing edges of the quadrature encoder’s pulse train
from one channel, which doubles (x2) the number of pulses per
revolution. Counting both leading and trailing edges of both channels (A
and B channels) of a quadrature encoder will quadruple (x4) the number
of pulses per revolution. This technique is known as quadrature encoder
and will depend on how the signal is decoded through the users drive, PLC
or Controller.

• As a result, 10,000 pulses per turn can be generated from a 2,500 PPR
quadrature encoder. Typically with a Dynapar encoder, this 4x signal will
be accurate to better than ±1 count. Likewise, 40,000 pulses can be
generated from a 10,000 PPR quadrature encoder.
• This technique can be an effective way to increase resolution without
changing the code disc. However, it requires a well-behaved square wave
output for effective detection. Care should be taken with choice of output
driver; particularly over long cable runs or in noisy environments. The
accuracy of the quadrature encoder output should also be taken into
account as this will also be multiplied by the encoding factor.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zzHcsJDV3_o
 Absolute Encoders
 Absolute encoders have binary code etched on to the rotating disc which has
as many track as the number of bits in the code.

 Each least significant increment of resolution has a unique code: Transparency

regarded as 1 and opaqueness as 0.

 As many photodiode – LED pairs as the number of tracks are needed.

 Absolute encoders are a digital transducer in the true sense as its output does
not require any conditioning but can be directly read to get the
position information
 If higher resolution is required, then the
number of tracks be increased and length
of each coded segment should be reduced
The brushes or the contactors are kept stationary
The linear displacement is connected to the strip which is having metallic
conducting surfaces and non-conducting insulating portions.
The linear movement is attached to the coded strip which moves touching the
brushes.
When the brushes are touching column 1, the bulb 1 glows and all other do not.
If we consider glowing blub as 1 and non-glowing as zeroes, then the digital
number is 0001 Similarly, when the brushes are in column 2, bulb 2 glows and all
other do not, which is equivalent to a digital number 0010.
Similar way for all brush positions we can find the digital numbers.
The encoder converts the linear movement into 16 binary coded digital numbers.
If a movement of 7.5 cm of the coded strip goes through 16 positions (rows) of
the strip , then 7.5 cm motion is converted into 16 four bit numbers with a
resolution of 7.5/15 equal to 0.5
Shaft angle encoders
Can be used for a total angular displacement of 360°. To construct an angular encoder linear
encoder just can be bent to form a disc.
For four tracks disc shown the resolution is 360/15 equal to 24°.
Discs up to 10 tracks are used to have a resolution of 360/1024 equal to 0.3515°
Encoders

• Encoders are used to determine the angular position of a shaft or linear

position of guide way.
• In rotary encoder, both mechanical and optical encoders are available but
optical encoders are more popular. Both involve attaching an encoder disc to
the shaft. The disc has lines spaced around the perimeter of the disc.
• A mechanical encoder senses the presence or absence of the lines using a
conductive sensor referred to as a brush. When the brush is in contact with one
of the lines a current flows through the brush and when it is not in contact no
current flows.
• The optical encoder uses the lines as a mask to interrupt a beam of light as
with our beam sensor.

Types of Encoders
• Magnetic Incremental position encoders
• Electrical Encoder: Capacitive Encoder, Inductive and Contacting Encoder
• Optical Encoder: Opaque and Transparent , Reflective and Non Reflective
and Interference Fringes
Applications