Encoder wins scientific achievement award

The Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers has awarded its Annual Achievement Award for 2003 to Renishaw for its RESR angle encoder system. The award, instituted in 1965, recognises outstanding contributions to research, design and development in the British scientific instrument industry.

The low-profile RESR encoder combines ease of use with a resolution of up to 0.01 arc-seconds. It consists of a stainless steel ring, up to 413mm in diameter, with axial graduations marked on its periphery. Filtering optics are used to provide a high tolerance to dirt, scratches and greasy fingerprints that can cause other encoder systems to miscount.

In one application, the encoders are being used to guide unmanned vehicles around a track to perform endurance testing on new production cars. The steering robot, developed by Anthony Best Dynamics, contains a powerful servo motor which is attached to the steering wheel. This provides precision control as the vehicle is driven at speed around the track. The data is fed to on-board computers which process the information in real time.

In 1994, Renishaw was a joint winner of the same award.