Position coder device

Claim 1

A SHAFT ANGULAR POSITION SENSING DEVICE COMPRISING A FINGER ANGULARLY POSITIONED BY THE SHAFT, AN OUTPUT SIGNAL CONTROL DEVICE ARRANGED IN COOPERATIVE RELATION WITH SAID FINGER, SAID CONTROL DEVICE INCLUDING A FIRST ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEMBER, A SECOND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEMBER, AND PHOTOSENSITIVE SEMI-CONDUCTOR MATERIAL POSITIONED IMMEDIATELY BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEMBERS, THE FIRST ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEMBER HAVING A SERRATED EDGE INCLUDING RAISED AND RECESSED PORTIONS, SAID FINGER INCLUDING MEANS FOR FOCUSING LIGHT RAYS ON THE PHOTOSENSITIVE SEMI-CONDUCTOR MATERIAL BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEMBERS FOR EFFECTING THE PASSAGE OF AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL FROM THE RAISED PORTION OF SAID FIRST MEMBER TO SAID SECOND MEMBER UPON SAID FINGER BEING IN ONE ANGULAR POSITION RELATIVE THERETO, THE LIGHT FOCUSED BY SAID FINGER BEING INSUFFICIENT OT CAUSE THE PHOTOSENSITIVE SEMI-CONDUCTOR MATERIAL TO EFFECT A PASSAGE OF CURRENT FROM THE RECESSED PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST SERRATED CONDUCTOR MEMBER AND THE SECOND CONDUCTOR MEMBER UPON SAID FINGER BEING IN ANOTHER ANGULAR POSITION RELATIVE THERETO, THE LIGHT RAYS FROM SAID FINGER BEING THEREBY EFFECTIVE TO SELECTIVELY CAUSE THE SEMI-CONDUCTOR MATERIAL TO OPEN AND CLOSE ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR MEMBERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ANGULAR POSITION OF SAID FINGER.