What is a photoelectric encoder?

The photoelectric code disk is made of optical glass, on which many concentric code tracks are engraved, and each code track has light-transmitting and light-impermeable parts arranged in a certain pattern, as shown in the figure below. When working, light is projected onto the code disk, and the code disk rotates with the moving object. The light passing through the bright area passes through the slit and is received by the photosensitive element. The arrangement of the photosensitive elements corresponds to the code channel one by one. For the signals output by the photosensitive elements in the bright area and the dark area, the former is "1" and the latter is "0". When the code disk rotates to different positions, the combination of the output signals of the photosensitive elements reflects a digital quantity with a certain pattern, which represents the angular displacement of the code disk axis. Photoelectric encoder angular displacement measurement system structure diagram: Introduction to the working part of the photoelectric encoder angular displacement measurement system.

Photoelectric code disks are divided into three types according to their encoding methods: binary, decimal and cyclic code: