Photosensitive modular shaft position encoder

Claim 1

A PRECISION SHAFT POSITION ENCODER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A CODE WHEEL MODULE HAVING A ROTATABLE SHAFT FOR CONNECTION TO A DRIVE UNIT, SAID CODE WHEEL MODULE INCLUDING AN OPTICAL CODE WHEEL WITH AT LEAST ONE CONCENTRIC CODE TRACK AND A PHOTOSENSITIVE DETECTOR FOR EACH CODE TRACK DISPOSED TO DETECT THE PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF ILLUMINATION AT A PREDETERMINED LOCATION WITH RESPECT TO SAID EACH CODE TRACK, A SERIES OF FIRST ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AFFIXED TO SAID CODE WHEEL MODULE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE PHOTOSENSITIVE DETECTORS, A LIGHT MODULE ASSEMBLY FOR PROVIDING A NARROW LIGHT BEAM, SAID LIGHT MODULE ASSEMBLY HAVING A SERIES OF SECOND ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AFFIXED THERETO, SAID FIRST SERIES OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS OF SAID CODE WHEEL MODULE AND SAID SECOND SERIES OF ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS OF SAID LIGHT MODULE BEING DETACHABLY MATEABLE, UNDER WHICH CONDITION SAID LIGHT BEAM IS DIRECTED AT SAID PREDETERMINED LOCATION, AND AN AMPLIFIER MODULE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING AN AMPLIFIER MODULE FOR EACH DETECTOR, SAID AMPLIFIER MODULE ASSEMBLY HAVING A SERIES OF THIRD ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS, SAID LIGHT MODULE HAVING A SERIES OF FOURTH ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS, SAID THIRD ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS AND SAID FOURTH ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS BEING DETACHABLY MATEABLE.