Position indication systems

Claim 1

A SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING THE ROTATIONAL POSITION OF AN INPUT SHAFT TO A THREE DIGIT DECIMAL INDICATION AND INCLUDING THE COMBINATION OF A FIRST GROUP OF TWENTY MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT SWITCHES DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT A CENTRAL AXIS, EACH OF THE SWITCHES HAVING AN ELONGATED NON-MAGNETIC BODY SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE CENTRAL AXIS AND AN INTERNAL MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT, EACH OF THE SWITCHES ALSO INCLUDING AN EXTERNAL HELICAL COIL WOUND SO AS TO PROVIDE WHEN ENERGIZED A LONGITUDINAL MAGNETIC FIELD WITHIN THE SWITCH, THE FIRST GROUP OF SWITCHES ALSO INCLUDING A CENTRAL ROTATABLE SHAFT COUPLED TO THE INPUT SHAFT, A RADIAL ARM EXTENDING FROM THE SHAFT WITHIN THE GROUP OF SWITCHES, AND A PERMANENT MAGNET AFFIXED TO THE FREE END OF THE RADIAL ARM AND MOVING ADJACENT THE SWITCHES AS THE ROTATABLE SHAFT IS TURNED, A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT COUPLED TO AN INPUT TERMINAL OF EACH OF THE SWITCHES, THE SWITCHES OF THE FIRST GROUP BEING ELECTRICALLY GROUPED TOGETHER IN TWO SUCCESSIVE DECIMAL SETS, AND THE OUTPUT TERMINAL OF EACH OF THE SWITCHES BEING COUPLED TO THE BIASING COIL ON THE ALTERNATE SWITCHES, SO AS TO OPPOSE ACTUATION OF THE ADJACENT SWITCHES BY THE PERMANENT MAGNET WHEN ANY OF THE SWITCHES IS ACTUATED, A CIRCUIT NETWORK INCLUDING A FIRST RELAY SWITCH CONTROLLED BY ONE SET OF THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF THE SWITCHES AND COUPLED TO THE SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT, A SECOND GROUP OF TWENTY SWITCHES SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED ABOUT A SECOND CENTRAL AXIS AND CONSISTING OF MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT SWITCHES, A SECOND ROTATABLE SHAFT POSITIONED WITHIN THE SECOND GROUP OF SWITCHES AND MOVABLE IN DECADE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FIRST ROTATABLE SHAFT, A RADIAL ARM COUPLED THERETO WITHIN THE GROUP OF SWITCHES AND A PERMANENT MAGNET AFFIXED AT THE FREE END OF THE RADIAL ARM AND IN OPERATIVE RELATION TO THE SWITCHES, THE INPUT TERMINALS OF THE ODD AND EVEN SWITCHES OF THE SECOND GROUP BEING COUPLED SEPARATELY TO THE SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT THROUGH THE CONTACTS OF THE FIRST RELAY SWITCH, INTERCONNECTING CIRCUITS COUPLING THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF THE SWITCHES IN THE SECOND GROUP OF SWITCHES TOGETHER IN TWO DIAMETRALLY OPPOSED DECIMAL SETS, AND A THIRD GROUP OF SWITCHES DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT A THIRD CENTRAL AXIS, THE THIRD GROUP OF SWITCHES CONSISTING OF TEN MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT SWITCHES AND INCLUDING A THIRD ROTATABLE SHAFT MOVABLE IN DECADE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SECOND ROTATABLE SHAFT, A FIXED RADIAL ARM EXTENDING FROM THE SHAFT WITHIN THE GROUP OF SWITCHES AND A PERMANENT MAGNET AFFIXED TO THE FREE END OF THE RADIAL ARM AND OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SWITCHES IN THE THIRD GROUP AS THE ROTATABLE SHAFT IS MOVED, A SECOND RELAY SWITCH COUPLED TO AND CONTROLLED BY ONE SET OF SWITCHES IN THE SECOND GROUP AND COUPLED TO THE SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT, THE CONTACTS OF THE SECOND RELAY SWITCH CONNECTING, RESPECTIVELY, THE ODD AND EVEN SWITCHES IN THE THIRD GROUP TO THE SOURCE OF CURRENT, AND OUTPUT CIRCUITS COUPLED TO THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF THE SWITCHES OF EACH OF THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GROUPS OF SWITCHES FOR PROVIDING THREE DIGIT DECIMAL SIGNALS THEREFROM.

Claim 2

A SYSTEM FOR CONVERTING THE ROTATIONAL POSITION OF AN INPUT SHAFT TO A THREE DIGIT DECIMAL INDICATION AND INCLUDING THE COMBINATION OF A FIRST GROUP OF TWENTY MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT SWITCHES DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT A CENTRAL AXIS, EACH OF THE SWITCHES HAVING AN ELONGATED NON-MAGNETIC BODY SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE CENTRAL AXIS AND AN INTERNAL MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT, EACH OF THE SWITCHES ALSO INCLUDING AN EXTERNAL HELICAL COIL WOUND SO AS TO PROVIDE WHEN ENERGIZED A LONGITUDINAL MAGNETIC FIELD WITHIN THE SWITCH, THE FIRST GROUP OF SWITCHES ALSO INCLUDING A CENTRAL ROTATABLE SHAFT COUPLED TO THE INPUT SHAFT, A RADIAL ARM EXTENDING FROM THE SHAFT WITHIN THE GROUP OF SWITCHES, AND A PERMANENT MAGNET AFFIXED TO THE FREE END OF THE RADIAL ARM AND MOVING ADJACENT THE SWITCHES AS THE ROTATABLE SHAFT IS TURNED, A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT COUPLED TO AN INPUT TERMINAL OF EACH OF THE SWITCHES, THE SWITCHES OF THE FIRST GROUP BEING ELECTRICALLY GROUPED TOGETHER IN TWO SUCCESSIVE DECIMAL SETS, AND THE OUTPUT TERMINAL OF EACH OF THE SWITCHES BEING COUPLED TO THE BIASING COIL ON THE ALTERNATE SWITCHES, SO AS TO OPPOSE ACTUATION OF THE ADJACENT SWITCHES BY THE PERMANENT MAGNET WHEN ANY OF THE SWITCHES IS ACTUATED, A CIRCUIT NETWORK INCLUDING A FIRST RELAY SWITCH CONTROLLED BY ONE SET OF THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF THE SWITCHES AND COUPLED TO THE SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT, A SECOND GROUP OF TWENTY SWITCHES SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED ABOUT A SECOND CENTRAL AXIS AND CONSISTING OF MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT SWITCHES, A SECOND ROTATABLE SHAFT POSITIONED WITHIN THE SECOND GROUP OF SWITCHES AND MOVABLE IN DECADE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FIRST ROTATABLE SHAFT, A RADIAL ARM COUPLED THERETO WITHIN THE GROUP OF SWITCHES AND A PERMANENT MAGNET AFFIXED AT THE FREE END OF THE RADIAL ARM AND IN OPERATIVE RELATION TO THE SWITCHES, THE INPUT TERMINALS OF THE ODD AND EVEN SWITCHES OF THE SECOND GROUP BEING COUPLED SEPARATELY TO THE SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT THROUGH THE CONTACTS OF THE FIRST RELAY SWITCH, INTERCONNECTING CIRCUITS COUPLING THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF THE SWITCHES IN THE SECOND GROUP OF SWITCHES TOGETHER IN TWO DIAMETRALLY OPPOSED DECIMAL SETS, AND A THIRD GROUP OF SWITCHES DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY ABOUT A THIRD CENTRAL AXIS, THE THIRD GROUP OF SWITCHES CONSISTING OF TEN MAGNETIC REED ELEMENT SWITCHES AND INCLUDING A THIRD ROTATABLE SHAFT MOVABLE IN DECADE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SECOND ROTATABLE SHAFT, A FIXED RADIAL ARM EXTENDING FROM THE SHAFT WITHIN THE GROUP OF SWITCHES AND A PERMANENT MAGNET AFFIXED TO THE FREE END OF THE RADIAL ARM AND OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SWITCHES IN THE THIRD GROUP AS THE ROTATABLE SHAFT IS MOVED, A SECOND RELAY SWITCH COUPLED TO AND CONTROLLED BY ONE SET OF SWITCHES IN THE SECOND GROUP AND COUPLED TO THE SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT, THE CONTACTS OF THE SECOND RELAY SWITCH CONNECTING, RESPECTIVELY, THE ODD AND EVEN SWITCHES IN THE THIRD GROUP TO THE SOURCE OF CURRENT, AND OUTPUT CIRCUITS COUPLED TO THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF THE SWITCHES OF EACH OF THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GROUPS OF SWITCHES FOR PROVIDING THREE DIGIT DECIMAL SIGNALS THEREFROM.