Stepper angle-measuring device

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MEASURING ANGULAR ROTATION OF A ROTATABLE MEMBER COMPRISING SYNCHRO TRANSMITTER MEANS HAVING A ROTOR DRIVEN BY SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER, THE WINDING OF SAID ROTOR BEING ENERGIZED BY A SOURCE OF ALTERNATING VOLTAGE, AND A STATOR WITN THREE STATOR TERMINALS, A PAIR OF INPUT TERMINALS, VOLTAGE DIVIDER MEANS HAVING TAPS THEREON, SWITCH MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING ANY ONE OF A PLURALITY OF SIMULTANEOUS CONNECTIONS OF SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER MEANS BETWEEN TWO STATOR TERMINALS OF SAID SYNCHRO TRANSMITTER MEANS, ONE OF SAID TAPS TOI ONE OF SAID INPUT TERMINALS, AND THE OTHER STATOR TERMINAL OF SAID SYNCHRO TRANSMITTER MEANS TOI THE OTHER OF SAID INPUT TERMINALS, SAID CONNECTIONS REPRESENTING A PLURALITY OF PREDETERMINED ANGULAR SEGMENTS THROUGH WHICH SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER MOVES, SAID TAPS BEING SO SPACED ALONG SAID VOLTAGE DIVIDER MEANS AS TO PROVIDE A FIRST SIGNAL ACROSS SAID INPUT TERMINALS REPRESENTING MOVEMENT OT SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER IN EITHER DIRECTION WITHIN AND FROM ANY ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF PREDETERMINED ANGULAR SEGMENTS, SWITCH COINTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT TERMINALS AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID FIRST SIGNAL FOR PRODUCING A CONTROL SIGNAL TO ACTUATE SAID SWITCH MEANS TO ESTABLISH ANOTHER OF SAID CONNECTIONS AS SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER MOVES IN EITHER DIRECTION FROM ANY ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF PREDETERMINED ANGULAR SEGMENTS TO ANOTHER, SAID SWITCH CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING MEANS FOR PROVIDING AN OUTPUT CHANNEL FOIR SAID FIRST SIGNAL, AND MEANS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID SWITCH MEANS FOR PRODUCING A SECOND SIGNAL REPRESENTING THE ANGULAR SEGMENTS WITHIN WHICH SAID ROTATABLE MEMBER MOVES.