Means for sensing change in state of input electrical energy

Claim 1

MEANS FOR SENSING A CHANGE IN STATE OF INPUT ELECTRICAL ENERGY AND PROVIDING AN OUTPUT SIGNAL RESPONSIVE THERETO, SAID MEANS COMPRISING: A PLURALITY OF RADIANT ENERGY SENSITIVE DEVICES; APPARATUS PROVIDING A BEAM OF RADIANT ENERGY AND INCLUDING A BEAM LOCATING ELEMENT MOVABLE TO LOCATE SAID BEAM ALONG AN ARC WHICH INCLUDES ALL OF SAID RADIANT ENERGY SENSITIVE DEVICES, SAID APPARATUS BEING OPERATIVE UPON ENERGIZATION BETWEEN A THRESHOLD ENERGY LEVEL AND A DAMAGING ENERGY LEVEL TO MOVE SAID BEAM LOCATING ELEMENT, AND DAMAGED UPON ENERGIZATION AT OR ABOVE SAID DAMAGING ENERGY LEVEL; MEANS FOR APPLYING TO SAID APPARATUS SAID CHANGE IN STATE OF INPUT ELECTRICAL ENERGY TO OPERATE SAID APPARATUS TO MOVE SAID BEAM LOCATING ELEMENT IN A DIRECTION CORRESPONDING TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID CHANGE, INCLUDING CONTROL MEANS FOR APPLYING TO SAID APPARATUS BELOW SAID DAMAGING ENERGY LEVEL, SAID APPARATUS INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPACED STOPS ENGAGEABLE BY SAID BEAM LOCATING ELEMENT TO LIMIT SAID ARC FOR SAID BEAM TO ALWAYS INCLUDE ONE OF SAID RADIANT ENERGY SENSITIVE DEVICES, ONE OF SAID STOPS BEING ENGAGED BY SAID BEAM LOCATING ELEMENT WHEN SAID APPARATUS IS ENERGIZED AT A LEVEL SLIGHTLY ABOVE SAID THRESHOLD ENERGY LEVEL AND SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW SAID DAMAGING ENERGY LEVEL; AND A PLURALITY OF SWITCHING MEANS, EACH OF WHICH IS ACTUABLE FOR CONNECTION WITH A POWER SOURCE TO PROVIDE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL, EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF SWITCHING MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO A SEPARATE ONE OF SAID RADIANT ENERGY DEVICES, EACH OF SAID RADIANT ENERGY SENSITIVE DEVICES BEING OPERATIVE UPON INTERCEPTION OF SAID BEAM TO ACTUATE THE ASSOCIATED ONE OF SAID SWITCHING MEANS TO THEREBY PROVIDE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL REPRESENTING THE DIRECTION OF SAID CHANGE IN STATE, SUBSTANTIALLY INDEPENDENTLY OF THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID CHANGE IN STATE.