Integrated optical encoder
AssigneePreh GmbH
InventorsAnton Rüttiger, Markus Peschel, Thomas Ofenhitzer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotary switch including a control element, a light-emitting device arranged on a printed circuit board and configured to emit light, and at least two receivers arranged on the printed circuit board in correspondence with the light-emitting device and configured to detect switching positions of the rotary switch. Further, the light-emitting device is mounted radially at an outside portion of inside of a hollow cylindrical extension of the control element, and wherein on level with the light-emitting device, the extension includes orifices evenly distributed around a periphery of the extension, and that opposite the light-emitting device, on an exterior side of the extension, the at least two receivers are arranged.
Claims22
A rotary switch, comprising:
- a control element;
- a light-emitting device arranged on a printed circuit board and configured to emit light;
- and
- at least two receivers arranged on the printed circuit board in correspondence with the light-emitting device and configured to detect switching positions of the rotary switch,
- wherein the light-emitting device is mounted inside of a hollow cylindrical extension of the control element, and
- wherein on level with the light-emitting device, the extension includes orifices evenly distributed around a periphery of the extension, and that opposite the light-emitting device, on an exterior side of the extension, the at least two receivers are arranged,
- wherein the orifices in the extension are spaced to provide the following settings:
- each receiver is individually masked;
- both receivers are simultaneously masked;
- and
- neither receiver is masked.
A rotary switch, comprising:
- a control element;
- a light-emitting device arranged on a printed circuit board and configured to emit light;
- at least two receivers arranged on the printed circuit board in correspondence with the light-emitting device and configured to detect switching positions of the rotary switch,
- wherein the light-emitting device is mounted inside of a hollow cylindrical extension of the control element,
- wherein on level with the light-emitting device, the extension includes orifices evenly distributed around a periphery of the extension, and that opposite the light-emitting device, on an exterior side of the extension, the at least two receivers are arranged;
- and
- a stationary shadow mask arranged between the extension and the receivers and configured to focus light emitted by the light-emitting device in the direction of the at least two receivers.
A rotary switch, comprising:
- a light-emitting unit configured to emit light;
- a rotatable hollow cylindrical extension surrounding the light-emitting unit;
- at least two receivers arranged outside of the rotatable extension in correspondence with the light-emitting unit and configured to detect light transmitted from the light-emitting unit;
- and
- a control element configured to rotate the rotatable extension,
- wherein the rotatable extension includes orifices around a periphery of the extension such that as the control element rotates the extension to a particular position, the light emitted by the light-emitting unit either passes through the orifices of the extension or is blocked by the extension,
- wherein the orifices in the extension are spaced to provide the following settings:
- each receiver is individually masked;
- both receivers are simultaneously masked;
- and
- neither receiver is masked.
A rotary switch, comprising:
- a light-emitting unit configured to emit light;
- a rotatable hollow cylindrical extension surrounding the light-emitting unit;
- at least two receivers arranged outside of the rotatable extension in correspondence with the light-emitting unit and configured to detect light transmitted from the light-emitting unit;
- a control element configured to rotate the rotatable extension,
- wherein the rotatable extension includes orifices around a periphery of the extension such that as the control element rotates the extension to a particular position, the light emitted by the light-emitting unit either passes through the orifices of the extension or is blocked by the extension;
- and
- a stationary shadow mask arranged between the rotatable extension and the at least two receivers and configured to focus light emitted by the light-emitting unit in the direction of the at least two receivers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.