Digital encoder

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR CONVERTING MECHANICAL MOTION INTO A DIGITAL REPRESENTATION OF SUCH MOTION IN A NUMBER SYSTEM HAVING A BASE B OF AT LEAST THREE INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A FIRST MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE, A FIRST ROW OF CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON THE FIRST MEMBER, THE FIRST ROW COMPRISING ALTERNATING CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS AND NON-CONDUCTIVE INTER-ELEMENT SPACES, EACH ELEMENT SUBTENDING ONE DIGITAL COUNT, EACH SPACE SUBTENDING ONE DIGITAL COUNT, THE COMBINED NUMBER OF ELEMENTS AND SPACES BEING B, A SECOND AND A THIRD ROW OF CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON THE FIRST MEMBER, EACH ELEMENT OF THE SECOND ROW CORRESPONDING TO AN ELEMENT OF THE FIRST ROW, EACH ELEMENT OF THE THIRD ROW CORRESPONDING TO A SPACE OF THE FIRST ROW, SAID FIRST MEMBER COMPRISING INSULATING MEANS SURROUNDING EACH SEGMENT OF THE SECOND AND THIRD ROWS AT SAID SURFACE, SAID INSULATING MEANS INCLUDING INSULATING SPACES BETWEEN ADJACENT SEGMENTS OF A ROW AT SAID SURFACE, SAID SPACES SUBTENDING A FRACTIONAL PART OF A COUNT, AND AN INSULATING SPACE BETWEEN SAID ROWS AT SAID SURFACE, A SECOND MEMBER MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE FIRST MEMBER, A SOURCE OF VOLTAGE, MEANS COUPLING THE SOURCE TO THE FIRST ROW, MEANS MOUNTED IN PART ON THE SECOND MEMBER FOR OBTAINING FROM THE FIRST ROW TWO OUTPUTS COMPLEMENTARY TO ONE ANOTHER, MEANS MOUNTED IN PART ON THE SECOND MEMBER FOR COUPLING ONLY ONE OF THE OUTPUTS TO THE SECOND ROW, MEANS MOUNTED IN PART ON THE SECOND MEMBER FOR COUPLING THE OTHER OUTPUT TO THE THIRD ROW, AND MEANS COMPRISING THE SECOND AND THIRD ROWS FOR PROVIDING THE OUTPUT DIGITS: 0,1...(B-1).

Claim 2

A DEVICE FOR CONVERTING MECHANICAL MOTION INTO A DIGITAL REPRESENTATION OF SUCH MOTION IN A NUMBER SYSTEM HAVING A BASE B OF AT LEAST THREE INCLUDING IN COMBINATION A FIRST MEMBER HAVING A SURFACE, A FIRST ROW OF CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON THE FIRST MEMBER, THE FIRST ROW COMPRISING ALTERNATING CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS AND NON-CONDUCTIVE INTER-ELEMENT SPACES, EACH ELEMENT SUBTENDING ONE DIGITAL COUNT, EACH SPACE SUBTENDING ONE DIGITAL COUNT, THE COMBINED NUMBER OF ELEMENTS AND SPACES BEING B, A SECOND AND A THIRD ROW OF CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON THE FIRST MEMBER, EACH ELEMENT OF THE SECOND ROW CORRESPONDING TO AN ELEMENT OF THE FIRST ROW, EACH ELEMENT OF THE THIRD ROW CORRESPONDING TO A SPACE OF THE FIRST ROW, SAID FIRST MEMBER COMPRISING INSULATING MEANS SURROUNDING EACH SEGMENT OF THE SECOND AND THIRD ROWS AT SAID SURFACE, SAID INSULATING MEANS INCLUDING INSULATING SPACES BETWEEN ADJACENT SEGMENTS OF A ROW AT SAID SURFACE, SAID SPACES SUBTENDING A FRACTIONAL PART OF A COUNT, AND AN INSULATING SPACE BETWEEN SAID ROWS AT SAID SURFACE, A SECOND MEMBER MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO THE FIRST MEMBER, A SOURCE OF VOLTAGE, MEANS COUPLING THE SOURCE TO THE FIRST ROW, MEANS MOUNTED IN PART ON THE SECOND MEMBER FOR OBTAINING FROM THE FIRST ROW TWO OUTPUTS COMPLEMENTARY TO ONE ANOTHER, MEANS MOUNTED IN PART ON THE SECOND MEMBER FOR COUPLING ONLY ONE OF THE OUTPUTS TO THE SECOND ROW, MEANS MOUNTED IN PART ON THE SECOND MEMBER FOR COUPLING THE OTHER OUTPUT TO THE THIRD ROW, AND MEANS COMPRISING THE SECOND AND THIRD ROWS FOR PROVIDING THE OUTPUT DIGITS: 0,1...(B-1).