Using Inclination Angles of Marker Stripes on a Scale Band to Measure a Position

A measuring device, comprising:

• a first object;
• a scale band disposed along the first object in a longitudinal direction, wherein the scale band is formed by a plurality of marker stripes, wherein each of the marker stripes extends in a generally transverse direction from one side of the scale band to an opposite side of the scale band, and wherein the scale band is divided in the transverse direction by a longitudinal center axis into a first path and a second path;
• and
• a second object to which a first marker detection sensor and a second marker detection sensor are attached, wherein the first marker detection sensor passes over the first path and the second marker detection sensor passes over the second path as the second object slides over the scale band in the longitudinal direction by a longitudinal distance from a first position to a second position, wherein each transition between adjacent marker stripes is a straight line that is oriented at an inclination angle relative to the transverse direction that ranges from zero to sixty degrees, wherein except for a first inclination angle of a first transition at the first position each of the inclination angles of the transitions between adjacent marker stripes over the longitudinal distance has a magnitude that differs from that of every other transition within the longitudinal distance, wherein as the second object slides over the scale band the measuring device determines the inclination angle of each transition by comparing when the first marker detection sensor along the first path passes over the transition relative to when the second marker detection sensor along the second path passes over the transition, and wherein the measuring device determines where the second object is located along the scale band within the longitudinal distance based on the inclination angle determined for the transition over which the first marker detection sensor and the second marker detection sensor are located.

A measuring device, comprising:

• a first object;
• a scale band disposed along the first object in a longitudinal direction, wherein the scale band includes a plurality of marker stripes and is divided in a transverse direction into a first path and a second path, and wherein each of the marker stripes extends from one side of the scale band to an opposite side of the scale band;
• and
• a second object to which a first marker detection sensor and a second marker detection sensor are attached, wherein the first marker detection sensor passes over the first path and the second marker detection sensor passes over the second path as the second object slides over the scale band in the longitudinal direction from a first position to a second position, wherein each transition between adjacent marker stripes is a straight line that is oriented at an inclination angle relative to the transverse direction, wherein except for a first inclination angle of a first transition at the first position each of the inclination angles of the transitions between adjacent marker stripes has a magnitude that differs from that of every other transition from the first position to the second position, wherein as the second object moves over the scale band the measuring device determines the inclination angle of each transition by comparing when the first marker detection sensor along the first path passes over the transition relative to when the second marker detection sensor along the second path passes over the transition, and wherein the measuring device determines where the second object is located along the scale band based on the inclination angle determined for the transition over which one of the first marker detection sensor or the second marker detection sensor is located.

A position measuring device, comprising:

• a first object;
• a scale band disposed along the first object in a longitudinal direction, wherein the scale band includes a plurality of marker stripes and is divided in a transverse direction into a first path and a second path, and wherein each of the marker stripes extends from one side of the scale band to an opposite side of the scale band;
• and
• a second object to which a first marker detection sensor and a second marker detection sensor are attached, wherein the first marker detection sensor passes over the first path and the second marker detection sensor passes over the second path as the second object moves over the scale band in the longitudinal direction from a first position to a second position, wherein each transition between adjacent marker stripes is a straight line that is oriented at an inclination angle relative to the transverse direction, wherein except for a first inclination angle of a first transition at the first position each of the inclination angles of the transitions between adjacent marker stripes has a magnitude that differs from that of every other transition from the first position to the second position, wherein as the second object moves over each transition the measuring device determines the inclination angle of that transition based on how the first marker detection sensor detects the transition along the first path and how the second marker detection sensor detects the transition along the second path, and wherein the measuring device determines that the second object is located at that transition based on the determined inclination angle associated with that transition.