in this paper, a novel approach of an optical type absolute rotary encoder coding pattern is presented. the concept is based on the principle of the absolute encoder to find out a unique sequence that ensures an unambiguous shaft position of any angular. we design a single-ring and a n-by-2 matrix absolute encoder coding pattern by using the variations of hamiltonian graph principle. 12 encoding bits is used in the single-ring by a linear array ccd to achieve an 1080-position cycle encoding. besides, a 2-by-2 matrix is used as an unit in the 2-track disk to achieve a 16-bits encoding pattern by using an area array ccd sensor (as a sample). finally, a higher resolution can be gained by an electronic subdivision of the signals. compared with the conventional gray or binary code pattern (for a 2nresolution), this new pattern has a higher resolution (2n∗n) with less coding tracks, which means the new pattern can lead to a smaller encoder, which is essential in the industrial production. © 2017 spie.