Motor encoders serve as components for collecting information about the motor's operating status and are mechanically mounted to the motor. In most cases, it is necessary to add an encoder mount and terminal shaft to the motor. To ensure the effectiveness and safety of motor operation and the data acquisition system, the coaxiality requirement of the encoder terminal shaft and the main shaft is critical to the manufacturing process.
Encoders can be classified into contact and non-contact types according to their readout method. Based on their working principle, encoders can be divided into incremental and absolute types. Incremental encoders convert displacement into periodic electrical signals, and then convert these electrical signals into counting pulses, using the number of pulses to represent the magnitude of the displacement. Each position of an absolute encoder corresponds to a specific digital code, so its indication is only related to the start and end positions of the measurement, and is independent of the intermediate process.
The working principle of a motor encoder is as follows: after the encoder generates an electrical signal, the electrical signal is processed by a digital control unit (DCU), a programmable logic controller (PLC), and a control system.
Motor encoders are mainly used in the following fields: machine tools, material processing, motor feedback systems, and measurement and control equipment. The encoder's angular displacement conversion uses the photoelectric scanning principle. The reading system is based on the rotation of a radial index plate, which consists of alternating transparent and opaque windows. The entire system uses infrared light for vertical illumination, so the light projects the image on the optical disc onto the receiver surface. The receiver surface is covered with a grating called a collimating lens, and its window is the same as the optical disc. The receiver's function is to sense the changes in light generated by the disc's rotation and then convert these changes into corresponding electrical changes. Generally, rotary encoders can also obtain speed signals, which must be fed back to the inverter to adjust the inverter's output data.
The function of a motor encoder: Encoders are mainly used in CNC machinery that is connected to a computer, and are generally equipped with ordinary motors.
