Unique off-axis rotary position sensor delivers absolute angular position information with a wide clear aperture, very small size and low power use.
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| Four Hall-effect position sensors can provide absolute off-axis position sensing with large clear aperture for miniature optical systems. |
Many optical applications require an off-axis sensor configuration to leave a clear aperture for light transmission through the center of a rotating optical element, which may be a polarizing optic, a micro filter wheel, a wedged prism or other component.
Hall effect position sensors with on-chip analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) lend themselves to very tiny systems.
Using a novel implementation of these integrated linear position sensors, engineers at New Scale Technologies created a unique off-axis rotary position sensor that delivers absolute angular position information over a standard I2C serial digital interface.
This sensor has a wide clear aperture, very small size and low power use. Coupled with New Scale's tiny piezoelectric motors, it enables highly-miniaturized optical systems.
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Our latest patent covers the our unique method for automatically finding a piezoelectric motor's optimum drive frequency and operating at that frequency as it changes with temperature and load during operation. This technology has been used in New Scale's miniature motion systems since 2009 and is a core feature of its M3 all-in-one smart stages, motion modules and actuators. 
