Signal translation apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONVERTING AN ANALOG QUANTITY INTO AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL IN DIGITAL FORM COMPRISING, A READOUT ELEMENT HAVING MEANS DEFINING FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC FLUX PATHS, EACH OF SAID MAGNETIC FLUX PATHS INCLUDING A RELATIVELY LONG LOW RELUCTANCE PORTION IN SERIES WITH A MUCH SHORTER HIGH RELUCTANCE GAP, MEANS HAVING AT LEAST FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC PORTIONS FOR ALTERING THE RELUCTANCE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC FLUX PATHS RESPECTIVELY, SUPPORT MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE LATTER MEANS AND SAID READOUT ELEMENT IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP PERMITTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID MAGNETIC PORTIONS AND SAID GAPS THROUGH A SEQUENCE OF POSITIONS IN WHICH FIRST THE RELUCTANCE OF SAID FIRST MAGNETIC FLUX PATH REACHES A MINIMUM CONTEMPORANEOUSLY WITH THE RELUCTANCE OF SAID SECOND MAGNETIC FLUX PATH REACHING A MAXIMUM, SECOND THE RELUCTANCE OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC FLUX PATHS REACH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL VALUES AND THIRD THE RELUCTANCE OF SAID FIRST MAGNETIC FLUX PATH REACHES A MAXIMUM CONTEMPORANEOUSLY WITH SAID SECOND MAGNETIC FLUX PATH REACHING A MINIMUM, THE RELUCTANCE OF SAID GAPS BEING RELATED TO THE RELATIVE ORIENTATION BETWEEN SAID MAGNETIC PORTIONS AND SAID GAPS, SAID GAPS AND SAID MAGNETIC PORTIONS BEING RELATIVELY MOVABLE TO A POSITION IN WHICH THE DIFFERENCE IN RELUCTANCE BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND FLUX PATHS ASSUMES A PRESCRIBED DETECTABLE VALUE, MEANS FOR DIRECTING MAGNETIC FLUX THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND MAGNETIC FLUX PATHS, MEANS FOR SENSING THE DIFFERENCE IN FLUX VALUES THROUGH SAID FIRST AND SECOND FLUX PATHS TO PROVIDE AN OUTPUT SIGNAL THAT IS LINEARLY RELATED TO THE RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN SAID MAGNETIC PORTIONS AND SAID GAPS OVER A CONTINUOUS RANGE OF SUCH RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT EMBRACING THE POSITION CORRESPONDING TO SAID EQUAL RELUCTANCE, AND ANALOG-TO-DIGITAL CONVERSION MEANS FOR CONVERTING SAID OUTPUT SIGNAL INTO DIGITAL FORM.