System and mechanism for measuring displacements

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENTS, INCLUDING MEANS PROVIDING A BASE SIGNAL, A PHASE-SENSITIVE INDICATING MEMBER CALIBRATED IN UNITS OF MEASUREMENT AND RESPONSIVE TO A PHASE CHANGE OF A GENERATED CYCLIC SIGNAL RELATIVE TO THE BASE SIGNAL FOR REPRESENTING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF UNITS OF MEASUREMENT, A SIGNAL-GENERATING ASSEMBLY, INCLUDING A LINEALLY EXTENDING MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF LIGHT FLUX TRANSMISSIVE AREAS THEREON ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT THROUGH A DISTANCE REPRESENTATIVE OF A DISPLACEMENT TO BE MEASURED, A LIGHT SOURCE POSITIONED TO PROJECT LIGHT THROUGH THE AREAS OF THE LINEALLY EXTENDING MEMBER, MEANS FOR UNIDIRECTIONALLY SCANNING THE AREAS AT A PREDETERMINED UNIFORM RATE TO THEREBY MODULATE THE FLUX FROM THE AREAS, AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO THE THUS MODULATED FLUX TO THEREBY GENERATE A SIGNAL OF PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, THE INDICATING MEMBER BEING CONNECTED TO THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SO AS TO RESPOND TO THE SIGNAL GENERATED THEREBY, MOVEMENT OF THE LINEALLY EXTENDING MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO THE SCANNING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO CHANGE THE PHASE OF THE THUS GENERATED SIGNAL RELATIVE TO THE BASE SIGNAL IN PROPORTION TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE MEMBER, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PHASE CHANGE FOR ACTUATING THE INDICATING MEMBER TO REPRESENT THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DISPLACEMENT.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR MEASURING DISPLACEMENTS, INCLUDING MEANS PROVIDING A BASE SIGNAL, A PHASE-SENSITIVE INDICATING MEMBER CALIBRATED IN UNITS OF MEASUREMENT AND RESPONSIVE TO A PHASE CHANGE OF A GENERATED CYCLIC SIGNAL RELATIVE TO THE BASE SIGNAL FOR REPRESENTING A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OF UNITS OF MEASUREMENT, A SIGNAL-GENERATING ASSEMBLY, INCLUDING A LINEALLY EXTENDING MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF LIGHT FLUX TRANSMISSIVE AREAS THEREON ADAPTED FOR MOVEMENT THROUGH A DISTANCE REPRESENTATIVE OF A DISPLACEMENT TO BE MEASURED, A LIGHT SOURCE POSITIONED TO PROJECT LIGHT THROUGH THE AREAS OF THE LINEALLY EXTENDING MEMBER, MEANS FOR UNIDIRECTIONALLY SCANNING THE AREAS AT A PREDETERMINED UNIFORM RATE TO THEREBY MODULATE THE FLUX FROM THE AREAS, AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT RESPONSIVE TO THE THUS MODULATED FLUX TO THEREBY GENERATE A SIGNAL OF PREDETERMINED FREQUENCY, THE INDICATING MEMBER BEING CONNECTED TO THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT SO AS TO RESPOND TO THE SIGNAL GENERATED THEREBY, MOVEMENT OF THE LINEALLY EXTENDING MEMBER WITH RESPECT TO THE SCANNING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE TO CHANGE THE PHASE OF THE THUS GENERATED SIGNAL RELATIVE TO THE BASE SIGNAL IN PROPORTION TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE MEMBER, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO THE PHASE CHANGE FOR ACTUATING THE INDICATING MEMBER TO REPRESENT THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DISPLACEMENT.

Claim 3

THE METHOD OF MEASURING A LINEAR DISPLACEMENT INCLUDING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A BASE SIGNAL, POSITIONING TWO SERIES OF COOPERATING, FLUX-SENSITIVE SIGNAL-GENERATING ELEMENTS ALONG PARALLEL AND LINEALLY EXTENDING AXES, PROJECTING LIGHT FLUX THROUGH THE ELEMENTS, MODULATING THE LIGHT FLUX BETWEEN THE SERIES BY UTILIZING EACH OF A PLURALITY OF THE ELEMENTS OF ONE SERIES TO SCAN AT LEAST TWO OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE OTHER AT A PREDETERMINED RATE TO THEREBY PRODUCE A CYCLIC SIGNAL, PRODUCING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE SERIES BY AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO A DISPLACEMENT BEING MEASURED TO VARY THE PHASE OF MODULATION OF THE LIGHT FLUX, AND THEREBY THE PHASE OF SAID CYCLIC SIGNAL RELATIVE TO THE PHASE OF SAID BASE SIGNAL, COMPARING THE PHASE OF SAID CYCLIC SIGNAL TO THE PHASE OF SAID BASE SIGNAL TO PROVIDE A MEASURE OF THE PHASE VARIATION, VISUALLY INDICATING THE SAID MEASURE OF PHASE VARIATION TO THEREBY INDICATE SAID DISPLACEMENT IN UNITS OF LINEAR MEASUREMENT.

Claim 4

THE METHOD OF MEASURING A LINEAR DISPLACEMENT INCLUDING THE STEPS OF PROVIDING A BASE SIGNAL, POSITIONING TWO SERIES OF COOPERATING, FLUX-SENSITIVE SIGNAL-GENERATING ELEMENTS ALONG PARALLEL AND LINEALLY EXTENDING AXES, PROJECTING LIGHT FLUX THROUGH THE ELEMENTS, MODULATING THE LIGHT FLUX BETWEEN THE SERIES BY UTILIZING EACH OF A PLURALITY OF THE ELEMENTS OF ONE SERIES TO SCAN AT LEAST TWO OF THE ELEMENTS OF THE OTHER AT A PREDETERMINED RATE TO THEREBY PRODUCE A CYCLIC SIGNAL, PRODUCING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE SERIES BY AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO A DISPLACEMENT BEING MEASURED TO VARY THE PHASE OF MODULATION OF THE LIGHT FLUX, AND THEREBY THE PHASE OF SAID CYCLIC SIGNAL RELATIVE TO THE PHASE OF SAID BASE SIGNAL, COMPARING THE PHASE OF SAID CYCLIC SIGNAL TO THE PHASE OF SAID BASE SIGNAL TO PROVIDE A MEASURE OF THE PHASE VARIATION, VISUALLY INDICATING THE SAID MEASURE OF PHASE VARIATION TO THEREBY INDICATE SAID DISPLACEMENT IN UNITS OF LINEAR MEASUREMENT.