Rotary encoder facts for kids
Imagine you have a spinning wheel or a motor. A rotary encoder is a clever device that helps us measure exactly how much that wheel or motor has turned. It's like a special sensor that keeps track of its spinning position.
Knowing how much something has turned is super important in many places! For example, in robotics, robots need to know precisely how far their arms or wheels have moved. In manufacturing, machines use these encoders to make sure parts are made perfectly.
Types of Rotary Encoders
Rotary encoders come in a couple of main types, each working a bit differently.
Absolute Encoders
Think of an absolute encoder like a compass that always knows exactly where North is. Even if you turn it off and then back on, it remembers its exact position. This means it always knows where it is, no matter what.
Incremental Encoders
An incremental encoder is a bit different. It's more like a step counter. It doesn't know its exact position when it starts, but it counts every step or turn it makes from that point. It sends out signals each time it moves, telling you if it turned a little bit one way or the other.
Images for kids
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A Gray code absolute rotary encoder with 13 tracks. At the top, the housing, interrupter disk, and light source can be seen; at the bottom the sensing element and support components.
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Hall effect quadrature encoder, sensing gear teeth on the driveshaft of a robot vehicle.
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An incremental encoder
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Conceptual drawing of a rotary incremental encoder sensor mechanism, with the corresponding logic states of the A and B signals
See also
In Spanish: Codificador rotatorio para niños
