Robot drive with isolated optical encoder
AssigneePersimmon Technologies Corporation
InventorsDennis Poole, Martin Hosek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus including a frame, an optical sensor connected to the frame, and an environment separation barrier. The frame is configured to be attached to a housing of a motor assembly proximate an aperture which extends through the housing. The optical sensor comprises a camera. The environment separation barrier is configured to be connected to the housing at the aperture, where the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and located relative to the camera to allow the camera to view an image inside the housing through the environment separation barrier and the aperture.
Claims32
An apparatus comprising:
- a frame, where the frame is configured to be attached to another member proximate an aperture which extends through the another member;
- at least one light emitter connected to the frame;
- an array of optical sensors connected to the frame;
- and
- an environment separation barrier configured to be connected to the another member proximate the aperture, where the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and located relative to the array of optical sensors to allow the array of optical sensors to view an image through the environment separation barrier and the aperture.
A method comprising:
- providing a read-head comprising a frame, at least one light emitter connected to the frame, and an array of optical sensors connected to the frame;
- connecting the read-head to another member, where the frame of the read-head is connected to the another member proximate an aperture which extends through the another member;
- and
- locating an environment separation barrier at the aperture to separate a first environmental area inside the another member from a second environmental area in which the array of optical sensors is located, where the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and located relative to the array of optical sensors to allow the array of optical sensors to view an image through the environment separation barrier and the aperture.
An apparatus comprising:
- a frame, where the frame is configured to be attached to a housing proximate an aperture which extends through the housing;
- at least one light emitter connected to the frame;
- at least one optical sensor connected to the frame;
- and
- an environment separation barrier configured to be connected to the housing proximate the aperture, where the environment separation barrier is at least partially transparent and located relative to the at least one optical sensor to allow the at least one optical sensor to view an image through the environment separation barrier and the aperture;
- and
- a seal configured to be located directly between the environment separation barrier and the housing proximate the aperture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.