Photosensitive digitally encoded indicator for use with mechanical movements

Claim 1

A DIGITALLY READABLE DIAL INDICATOR COMPRISING (A) A FIXED HOUSING, (B) A PLURALITY OF RING SHAPED PHOTOVOLTAIC STRIPS ARRANGED CONCENTRICALLY IN A COMMON PLANE WITHIN SAID HOUSING, (C) INSULATING MEANS FOR MUTUALLY ISOLATING EACH OF SAID STRIPS, (D) A PAIR OF CONDUCTORS FOR EACH STRIP, SAID CONDUCTORS IN EACH PAIR OF CONDUCTORS BEING ARRANGED SO THAT EACH SEGMENT OF ITS RESPECTIVE STRIP CONNECTS BETWEEN THEM, WHEREBY CHANGES IN THE ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SAID SEGMENTS MAY APPEAR AS ELECTRICAL SIGNALS, (E) ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE COMMUTATING MEANS FOR CONNECTING EACH POINT ALONG THE LENGTH OF EACH STRIP TO ITS ASSOCIATED TERMINAL, (F) A DISC HAVING ALTERNATE LIGHT TRANSPARENT AND OPAQUE REGIONS COVERING CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF EACH OF SAID STRIPS ACCORDING TO A BINARY CODE, (G) A LIGHT CONDUCTIVE POINTER ADAPTED TO ROTATE IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO AND COAXIAL WITH SAID COMMON PLANE IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENTS TO BE INDICATED, SAID LIGHT CONDUCTIVE POINTER BEING CAPABLE OF ABSORBING INCIDENT LIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF ITS AXIS OF ROTATION AND TO EMIT SAID LIGHT IN A SHEET SHAPED BEAM FROM ITS ENTIRE LENGTH ONTO SAID STRIPS, (H) AND A SOURCE OF LIGHT FIXED WITH RESPECT TO SAID HOUSING ALONG SAID AXIS OF ROTATION IN THE VICINITY OF SAID LIGHT CONDUCTIVE POINTER.