pulsgivare

Pulsgivare is a term used primarily in automation and instrumentation to describe a device that generates a series of electrical pulses. In many contexts a pulsgivare is a sensor that converts a physical quantity, most often movement, into a digital pulse train that can be counted, timed, or used for feedback control. A common example is a rotary or linear encoder, where the passing of teeth, magnetic poles, or optical patterns produces pulses.

There are several core types of pulsgivare. Incremental pulsgivare produce pulses as movement occurs, with the pulse frequency proportional to speed and the pulse count indicating relative position. Absolute pulsgivare provide a unique code for each position, allowing immediate determination of location without counting pulses. Sensing technologies include optical (light encoder with a slit or patterned disk), magnetic (magnet and Hall-effect or magnetoresistive sensors), and capacitive or inductive variants. Outputs are typically digital, such as square-wave signals with TTL/CMOS levels; quadrature configurations (A and B channels) enable direction sensing, and a Z channel can provide an index pulse.

Applications of pulsgivare include speed measurement, position feedback for servo systems and CNC machines, robotics, and process control. They are often integrated into motion control loops to enhance precision and repeatability. Key performance characteristics include resolution (pulses per revolution or per unit length), accuracy, jitter, response time, noise immunity, and environmental suitability (vibration, temperature, dust).

In some contexts, the term can also refer to standalone pulse generators used in electronics testing, which produce controlled pulses for stimulating circuits, rather than sensing movement. However, in industrial settings, pulsgivare most commonly denotes movement-to-pulse sensors such as encoders.