A method for optical measuring data acquisition of a component that moves in a rotary or translatory manner, in particular for optical angle, torque, or distance measurement, includes generation of a first pair of periodic line patterns extending in the movement direction of the component and a second pair of periodic line patterns extending in the movement direction of the component, which each have m periods, in particular n+1 periods, over the movement range of the moving component determinat...

A lumbar support pillow for supporting the lumbar spine of a person. The support pillow includes an elongate, fillable first chamber configured to engage and support a person along the longitudinal axis of the person's spine. The pillow may also include a fillable second chamber extending laterally on both sides of the first chamber, and configured to engage and support a person in a region laterally adjacent to the person's lumbar spine.

An optical sensor system and method for determining the position, displacement and/or angle of a member (for example, a seal plate or valve gate) within a system (for example, a valve assembly in an aircraft turbine engine system or environmental control system). The system has, in one embodiment, a controller in communication with an encoder via a fiber optic line or similar light transmitter and the encoder further has an optically layered element. The optically layered element has at least on...

A position encoder uses a track encoded with a pattern of bit-widths in accordance with a sequence. The sequence may be any sequence having unique subsequences, and may be a pseudo-random noise (PRN) sequence such that each N-bit subsequence occurs only once on the track. Sensors detect transitions between the bits and bit-widths as the track moves with respect to the sensors to provide in-phase and quadrature-phase pick-off signals. The pickoff signals are summed and absolute value thresholded....

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing position measurement information. For example, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a multiple-pitch grating is employed to receive one or more laser beams and provide an output laser beam encoded with position information of the grating.

A rotation information record surface of a rotary disk is disposed at an intermediate position between a fixing point of the rotary disk and a rotary shaft and a fixing position of a detection head, so that a stable gap can be obtained with a variation due to thermal expansion being reduced. In order to attain this, the fitting portion of the rotary disk is shaped to have a first fitting portion and a second fitting portion. The first fitting portion is provided for attaining satisfactory coaxia...

In an apparatus for displaying reference images of patients and slices to be measured in a displayed reference image for assisting the positioning of slices in preparation for a slice-by-slice measurement and a computer software product and corresponding method, a storage device stores at least one measured reference image of a current patient, a display screen displays a stored reference image, an input device allows entry of commands for displaying and positioning slices to be measured in a di...

An optical encoder including a graduation plate inscribed with a graduation line along a predetermined direction and an optical reader for optically reading the graduation line on the graduation plate in which a corresponding electric signal is outputted from the optical reader in accordance with movement of the graduation plate and the optical reader relative to each other, the optical reader includes a light projecting optical system for irradiating light from a light projecting source to the ...

An optical encoder includes an optical source, a scale, an optical detector and signal processing circuitry. The scale is operative with a light beam from the source to generate an optical pattern such as a line pattern extending in an X direction of relative movement between the scale and the source. The detector generates analog detector output signals indicative of the location of the optical pattern on the detector in an alignment direction orthogonal to the X direction. The detector may inc...

An integrated circuit for an optical encoder comprises a signal processing section for generating a position detection signal from a detection signal of a light receiving element, a belt-like power source potential layer which is formed at least between the signal processing section and the light receiving element and whose potential is pulled up to power source potential, and a plurality of conductive layers formed at various heights higher than the power source potential layer. A connection li...