This invention relates to opto-electronic scale-reading apparatus of the kind wherein a read head and a scale are supported for movement one relative to the other for the incremental reading of marks provided on the scale, the scale is illuminated by incident light, the read head is arranged to view the scale in a given direction, and the scale comprises an elongate member having said marks spaced in the direction of the length thereof, spaces being defined between the marks.

It is an object of this invention to provide in a said scale improved optical contrast between the marks and the spaces especially where the marks and spaces are defined at a metallic surface.

The invention is specified in the claims hereto.

GB-932,481 discusses the difficulty of providing good contrast between the marks and spaces at a metallic surface and describes a scale wherein such contrast is sought to be achieved by marks having highly reflective

surfaces and spaces having diffusively reflective surfaces. However, the marks are applied to a flat surface of the scale member by a photo-resist process so that both the marks and the spaces have parallel surfaces and act as if they are substantially co-planar. This can still lead to difficulties in providing good contrast especially if the scale surface is contaminated.

GB-1,516,536 discusses the difficulty of contamination of the scale and describes apparatus wherein both the marks and the spaces are illuminated by diffuse light. However, such diffuse illumination necessarily reduces contrast, and contamination can reduce the contrast between the marks and the spaces still further because the marks and spaces would be at parallel substantially co-planar surfaces.

EP-0160811 describes a diffraction grating having regions of different periodicities with a view to forming diffraction fringes in correspondingly different positions. The different fringes define coded reference marks in an incremental opto-electronic scale-reading apparatus. The grating is a phase grating formed by a square or by a sawtooth profile illuminated by coherent light but the grating lines extend in the direction of the length of the incremental scale and do not themselves form the basis for an incremental count of position.

Embodiments of this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a first example of a scale-reading apparatus and shows a first example of a scale.

Fig. 2 is a view on the line II-II in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a second example of a scale-reading apparatus also shows a second example of a scale.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows the profile of a third example of a scale.

Fig. 6 shows the profile of a fourth example of a scale.

Fig. 7 shows the profile of a fifth example of a scale

In Fig. 1, the scale, 10, comprises an elongate scale member 11 having marks 12 and spaces 13 provided thereon alternately along the length of the member 11. A read head 20 includes a point source 21 for incident light rays 24. The source 21 is positioned to illuminate the scale 10 through the intermediary of a colli ating lens 22 and a transmissive grating 23. The read head 20 and the scale 10 are supported for relative movement in the direction of the length of the scale, i.e. the direction of the spacing of the marks 12, in a manner known per se. The grating 23 divides the incident light into individual light sources 25. The scale 10 constitutes a reflective diffraction grating which diffracts the light from the sources 25 in at least one order of diffraction and so as to produce diffraction fringes 26. The spacing between the scale 10 and the grating 23 is such that the fringes 26 occur in the plane 23A of the grating 23. The grating 23 cooperates to generate, at its side remote from the scale, light modulations 27 at the same rate as that at which the marks 12 pass the read head 20 during its movement relative to the scale 10. The

lens 22 focusses the reflected and modulated light, 28, onto an opto-electronic transducer 29 which generates corresponding electric signals 30. An incremental or decremental count of the signals 30 at a counter 31 provides a measure of the relative position of the read head 20 and the scale 10 during their relative movement.

The apparatus is further described with reference to the orthogonal directions X,Y,Z. The scale 10 is elongate in the X-direction, the marks 12 and the lines, 23B, of the grating 23 are elongate in the Y-direction (Fig. 2). The scale 10 has a reference plane 10A including the X and Y-directions. The read head 20 has an optical axis 20A lying generally in a plane including the X and Z—directions but may, as shown, extend only in the Z-direction. The axis 20A defines the reading direction of the read head 20.

The marks 12 are defined by first surfaces 40 which lie parallel to the plane 10A of the scale 10, i.e. the axis 20A is normal to the surfaces 40. The surfaces 40 are provided at portions 41 of the member 11. The spaces 13 are defined by surfaces 50 formed by portions 51 of the member 11. The portions 51 have a sawtooth profile extending out of the plane 10A. The surfaces 50 are inclined relative to the surfaces 40 and relative to the plane 10A at an angle E of e.g. 30°. It will be clear that incident light from the sources 25 falling onto the surfaces 40 is substantially reflected by the surfaces 40 back to the grating 23 as shown by rays 40A.40B. Thus the surfaces 40 can participate in the diffraction mechanism. Distinct from that, an incident ray 50A falling onto the surfaces 50 is reflected, by virtue of the inclination of these surfaces, in a direction away from the read head 20 as shown by a ray 50B, and diffraction at these

surfaces would not produce orders readable by the head 20. Rays 40B reflected back from the grating 23 onto the surfaces 50 are also deflected by the surfaces 50 at least substantially away from the grating 23 and do not substantially diminish the contrast between the marks 12 and the spaces 13 as far as the read head 20 is concerned. The surfaces 40,50 are preferably specular.

A typical pitch P for the scale described with reference to Fig. 1 is a 0.020 mm, use being make of infrared for the incident light. Since the scale has to be of diffraction quality the tolerance for the pitch of the marks has to be in the region of 100-200 nanometers. See "Diffraction Gratings" by M C Hutley published 1982 by Academic Press, London, page 76.

In Fig. 3, the apparatus is similar to that shown in Fig. 1 (like parts being given like reference numerals in both figures) except as follows. The read head 20 is provided with two gratings 32,33. A light source 34, of infrared or white light, is positioned to direct divergent incident rays 24 onto the scale 10 from a position outside the optical path through the gratings 32,33 and obliquely to the plane 10A. In this example, it is the scale 10 which produces the individual light sources 25. The grating 32 generates the fringes 26, the grating 33 generates the light modulations 27, and the lens 22 collects the modulated light 28. Such an arrangement of gratings, constitutes a spatial filter as described in WO 86/03833. That is, the read head is relatively unaffected if the marks 12 are not of diffraction quality and a certain tolerance can be accepted regarding position, periodicity or surface finish of the marks. For example, the pitch tolerance for the marks can be of the order of 2500 nanometer compared to the tolerance of 150 nanometer mentioned in

connection with Fig. 1. Also, the filter has a useful tolerance to the marks being diffusely reflective as by variation in the surface shape or surface finish of the marks. This can be of advantage because such diffuse reflectivity allows a relaxation of tolerances in the relative position of the read head and the scale about axes lying in the Y or in the X-direction.

Referring now also to Fig. 4, the marks 12 are defined by first surfaces 42 which lie at an angle A (Fig. 4) to the reference plane 10A and at a complementary angle B to the axis 20A. The spaces 13 are defined by surfaces 52 which lie at an angle C to the plane 10A and at a complementary angle D to the axis 20A. Thus the surfaces 42,52 form two sides, at an angle E, of a triangle, the third side of which is notionally formed by the plane 10A. In other words the surfaces 42,52 are jointly formed by a portion 43 of the member 11 having a triangular profile extending out of the plane 10A. By virtue of the angles A,B the surfaces 42 reflect the incident light 24 toward the read head 20. In other words, the angles A,B are such that the light is readable by the grating 32 by reflection at the surfaces 40, and the angles C,D are such that the incident light 24 is deflected away from the read head and is therefore not readable by the grating 32.

In view of the tolerances mentioned there may be irregularities in the pitch P of the surfaces 42 or in the height of the surfaces 42 above the plane 10A. Also the surfaces 42 may have a surface finish rendering reflection from them non-specular although a specular finish may be desirable for optical efficiency. However, the surfaces 52 may be of specular finish to avoid stray reflections in the direction of the read head, i.e. in the Z direction. Regarding back _. reflection from the grating 32 it will

be seen that such reflection is diverted both by the surfaces 42 and 52 away from the read head 20. The angles A,C may each be 30°.

Fig. 5 shows a scale 10 suitable for use with the read head 20 shown in Fig. 1 and having second surfaces 54 is formed by a triangular projection 55 from the plane 10A i.e. the plane of the first surfaces 40, the second surface 54 being formed by the two sides or facets 551,552 of the projection 55. In a modification shown in broken lines, the second surfaces is formed by a recess 553 out of the plane 10A.

Fig. 6 shows a scale 10 suitable for the read head 20 shown in Fig. 3 and having first surfaces 46 and second surfaces 56 wherein each pair of the first and second surfaces 46,56 is formed by respective sides of a common projection 57 of the member 11 out of the reference plane 10A. As shown, the first surfaces reflect incident rays 24 as rays 46A substantially toward the read head i.e. in the direction of the axis 20A while the second surfaces 56 reflect the incident rays as rays 56A away from the axis 20A.

Fig. 7 = ows a scale 10 suitable for oblique illumination as shown in Fig. 3 and having first and second surfaces 48,58 formed by common portions 59 of the member 11. The surfaces 48 are inclined to the reference plane 10A to reflect incident rays 24 as rays 48A toward the read head. The second surfaces 58 are formed by facets 581,582 which define a recess out of the direction of the incident rays 24 so that the facets 581,582 are in shadow, denoted S, and no light is receivable therefrom by the read head 20. The facets 582 are at least partially curved as shown. The facets 581 lie in the plane 10A and insofar as they do not lie in the shadow they reflect the oblique rays 24

away from the read head was shown at 581A. The profile shown in Fig. 7 is a composite of planar and rounded surfaces and shows the flexibility available in the design of a particular profile. The angle A between the surfaces 48 and the reference plane may have a tolerance of +_ 0.5°.

Any one of the scales described may be provided with a transparent plastics coating, e.g. an acrylic plastics, 60 as shown in Fig. 7 to protect the profile of the first and second surfaces. The coating has a flat outer surface 61. When designing the profile account has to be taken of refraction at the surface 61. Inasmuch as it is desired to avoid ordered diffraction to benefit from relaxation of tolerance as mentioned in connection with Fig. 3, a required degree of diffusion can be introduced by the appropriate choice of the plastics material.

Generally, it will be seen that in any of the scale profiles described the angular relationship between the first and second surfaces operates to provide optical distinction, i.e. contrast, between the marks and spaces. Further, the first and second surfaces can be formed in the same material, i.e. there is no need to apply separate material to a substrate to establish the marks. The pitch of the marks may be in the order of 20 micron and a typical angle between the plane 10A and the first or second surfaces is in the range 25 to 35° , but basically, the angle E between the first and second surface need only be large enough to ensure that the read head does not read reflection or diffraction from the second surface.