Winding configuration for inductive position encoder

A measurement system configured to operate in conjunction with a scale, the scale extending along a measuring axis direction that coincides with an x-axis direction and including a signal modulating scale pattern, the scale pattern having a scale pattern width dimension along a y-axis direction that is perpendicular to the x-axis direction, and the scale pattern comprising a spatial characteristic which changes as a function of position along the x-axis direction, the measurement system comprising:

• a detector portion configured to be mounted proximate to the scale pattern and to move along the measuring axis direction relative to the scale pattern, the detector portion comprising:
• a field generating coil fixed on a substrate, the field generating coil including an input portion, first and second elongated portions and at least a first end portion, the field generating coil surrounding an interior area having a nominal coil area length dimension along the x-axis direction and a nominal coil area width dimension along the y-axis direction, the nominal coil area width dimension extending from the first elongated portion to the second elongated portion, the field generating coil generating a changing magnetic flux in the interior area in response to a coil drive signal;
• and
• a plurality of sensing elements arranged along the x-axis direction and fixed on the substrate, each of the sensing elements having a nominal sensing element width dimension along the y-axis direction, wherein at least a majority of the nominal sensing element width dimension is included within the nominal coil area width dimension along the y-axis direction and the sensing elements are configured to provide detector signals which respond to a local effect on the changing magnetic flux provided by an adjacent signal modulating portion of the scale pattern;
• and
• a signal processing configuration that is operably connected to the detector portion to provide the coil drive signal and that determines a relative position between the detector portion and the scale pattern based on detector signals input from the detector portion,
• wherein:
• the field generating coil comprises:
• the input portion comprising at least two connection portions that connect the coil drive signal from the signal processing configuration to the field generating coil;
• the first and second elongated portions each extending along the x-axis direction adjacent to a side of the interior area, the first and second elongated portions each comprising a conductive trace having a nominal generating trace width dimension along the y-axis direction;
• and
• the at least a first end portion spanning a y-axis direction separation between the first and second elongated portions to provide a connection therebetween near an end of the interior area;
• and
• the field generating coil is configured such that the nominal generating trace width dimension is at least 0.1 times the nominal coil area width dimension.

An electronic position encoder comprising:

• a scale extending along a measuring axis direction that coincides with an x-axis direction and including a signal modulating scale pattern, the scale pattern having a scale pattern width dimension along a y-axis direction that is perpendicular to the x-axis direction, and the scale pattern comprising a spatial characteristic which changes as a function of position along the x-axis direction;
• a detector portion configured to be mounted proximate to the scale pattern and to move along the measuring axis direction relative to the scale pattern, the detector portion comprising:
• a field generating coil fixed on a substrate, the field generating coil including an input portion, first and second elongated portions and at least a first end portion, the field generating coil surrounding an interior area having a nominal coil area length dimension along the x-axis direction and a nominal coil area width dimension along the y-axis direction, the field generating coil generating a changing magnetic flux in the interior area in response to a coil drive signal;
• and
• a plurality of sensing elements arranged along the x-axis direction and fixed on the substrate, each of the sensing elements having a nominal sensing element width dimension along the y-axis direction, wherein at least a majority of the nominal sensing element width dimension is included within the nominal coil area width dimension along the y-axis direction and the plurality of sensing elements are configured to provide detector signals which respond to a local effect on the changing magnetic flux provided by an adjacent signal modulating portion of the scale pattern;
• and
• a signal processing configuration that is operably connected to the detector portion to provide the coil drive signal and that determines a relative position between the detector portion and the scale pattern based on detector signals input from the detector portion,
• wherein:
• the field generating coil comprises:
• the input portion comprising at least two connection portions that connect the coil drive signal from the signal processing configuration to the field generating coil;
• the first and second elongated portions each extending along the x-axis direction and nominally located at an elongated portion z distance from a front surface of the detector portion that faces the scale pattern, along a z axis direction that is perpendicular to the x-axis and y-axis directions;
• and
• the at least a first end portion spanning a y-axis direction separation between the first and second elongated portions to provide a connection therebetween, the first end portion comprising a shielded end section that is nominally located at a shielded end section z distance from the front surface of the detector portion, wherein the shielded end section z distance is greater than the elongated portion z distance;
• and
• the detector portion further comprises a conductive shield region extending along the x-axis and y-axis directions and nominally located at a shield region z distance from the front surface, wherein the shield region z distance is smaller than the shielded end section z distance, and the shield region is located between at least part of the shielded end section and the front surface of the detector portion.