absolute encoder
- noun
- Specialized
:
codificador absoluto
- The technician installed an absolute encoder to ensure the machine could accurately return to its original position after a power outage.
Examples
-
The CoreTech CA25 absolute encoder is 2.5 in.
Academic text (2003) -
Circle 187 on Reader Service Card: Absolute encoders
Academic text (2003) -
Using an absolute encoder allows for precise tracking of the motor's position, even if the electricity is turned off.
-
After the power failure, the absolute encoder enabled the robot to seamlessly resume its previous task without recalibration.
Antonyms
How Accurate
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
7.6
898
3.4
- Specialized
1
9.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'absolute' (meaning not relative/complete) with 'encoder' (a device that encodes information), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to an encoder that provides absolute/non-relative position values. However, the specific technical implication—retaining precise position across power loss and contrasting with incremental encoders—is specialized and not predictable from the words alone, making the expression only partially transparent.
Etymology
Absolute encoder gets its name from absolute meaning exact and encoder meaning a device that tells a position. Imagine a clock hand that still shows the correct place even after the 'power goes off'; that image explains why an absolute encoder 'remembers' the exact position so a machine can find the right place when it starts again.