Scale configuration for inductive position encoder

An electronic position encoder usable to measure a relative position between two elements along a measuring axis direction, the electronic position encoder comprising:

• a scale extending along the measuring axis direction which includes a periodic scale pattern comprising at least a first type of signal modulating elements, wherein the periodic scale pattern has a spatial wavelength W1 and signal modulating elements of the first type comprising conductive plates that are located along the measuring axis direction corresponding to the spatial wavelength W1, and wherein the signal modulating elements of the first type each have a same shape and each have a same average dimension DSME along the measuring axis direction, for which the average dimension DSME is an edge to edge value that includes the entire width of a respective conductive plate of the conductive plates, wherein the entire width is a dimension in the measuring axis direction, and wherein non-signal modulating spaces between the signal modulating elements of the first type each have a same shape and a same average dimension DSPC along the measuring axis direction which is equal to W1 minus DSME;
• a detector portion configured to be mounted proximate to the periodic scale pattern and to move along the measuring axis direction relative to the periodic scale pattern, the detector portion comprising:
• a field generating coil fixed on a substrate, the field generating coil surrounding an interior area configured to be aligned with the periodic scale pattern of the signal modulating elements during operation, the field generating coil configured to generate a changing magnetic flux in the interior area in response to a coil drive signal;
• and
• a set of sensing elements arranged along the measuring axis direction and fixed on the substrate, members of the set of sensing elements comprising conductive loops having a nominal sensing element width dimension DSEN along the measuring axis direction for that portion of the sensing element that is aligned with or overlaps the interior area, for which the nominal sensing element width dimension DSEN is an edge to edge value that includes the entire maximum width of a respective conductive loop of the conductive loops, wherein the entire maximum width is a dimension in the measuring axis direction, and wherein the set of sensing elements are configured to provide detector signals which respond to a local effect on the changing magnetic flux provided by adjacent signal modulating elements of the signal modulating elements of the scale pattern;
• and
• a signal processing configuration that is operably connected to the detector portion to provide the coil drive signal and is configured to determine a relative position between the detector portion and the scale pattern based on the detector signals input from the detector portion,
• wherein DSME is greater than DSEN, and DSME is at least 0.7*W1 and at most 0.8*W1.