POSITION SENSOR, AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLE, AND OPTICAL ENCODER

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position sensor formed with a simple constitution using a light guide, and an automated guided vehicle, and an optical encoder. SOLUTION: Light is emitted from a light projecting/receiving element 4, and the emitted light is introduced to the end face of a light guide 3. The introduced light propagates inside the light guide 3, is reflected by a reflection part 3a, and is emitted from a light emitting surface. Part of the emitted light is reflected by a reflecting tape 2 on the side face 1a of a moving body 1, and the reflected light is made incident again on the light guide 3, reflected by the reflection part 3a, and emitted from its end face. The emitted light is made incident on the light projecting/receiving element 4. The light receiving quantity at the element 4 from the end face of the light guide 3 is measured by a light quantity measuring part 5b in a controller 5, and based on the measured amount, the position of the moving body 1 is computed by a computation part 5c. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO