Angular position transducer employing a capacitive potentiometer

Claim 1

IN A POSITION RESPONSIVE APPARATUS FOR DERIVING AN OUTPUT ALTERNATING SIGNAL THE AMPLITUDE OF WHICH IS A FUNCTION OF THE RELATIVE ANGULAR POSITIONS OF TWO RELATIVELY ROTATABLE MEMBERS: A CAPACITATIVE POTENTIOMETER INCLUDING A LINE OF AT LEAST THREE SIMILAR SEPARATE ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ALIGNED PLATES; ELECTRICALLY INSULATING MOUNT MEANS SUPPORTING SAID ALIGNED PLATES SPACED APART ALONG SAID LINE IN EDGE TO EDGE RELATIONSHIP, SAID LINE FORMING AT LEAST AN ARC OF A CIRCLE; A PICK-OFF ELECTRODE SYSTEM COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO SIMILAR ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PICK-OFF PLATES AND FURTHER ELECTRICALLY INSULATING MOUNT MEANS SUPPORTING SAID PICK-OFF PLATES IN ALIGNED RELATIONSHIP BESIDE SAID LINE OF PLATES AND CAPACITATIVELY COUPLED THERETO, WITH SAID PICK-OFF PLATES DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID ARC OF A CIRCLE; GUIDE MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID FURTHER MOUNT MEANS TO SUPPORT SAID PICK-OFF ELECTRODE SYSTEM FOR ROTATION RELATIVE TO SAID MOUNT MEANS ABOUT AN AXIS PASSING THROUGH THE CENTER OF SAID ARC OF A CIRCLE WITH SAID PICK-OFF PLATES MOVING PARALLEL TO THE LINE OF SAID ALIGNED PLATES; SUPPLY MEANS FOR ENERGIZING SAID ALIGNED PLATES WITH RESPECTIVE DIFFERENT ALTERNATING ELECTRIC SIGNALS OF SUCCESSIVELY GREATER MAGNITUDE WHEREBY TO ESTABLISH A PROGRESSIVE CHANGE OF ELECTRIC POTENTIAL ALONG THE LINE OF MOVEMENT OF SAID PICK-OFF ELECTRODE MEANS; MECHANICAL COUPLING MEANS FOR COUPLING BOTH SAID MOUNT MEANS TO RESPECTIVE ONES OF SAID RELATIVELY ROTATABLE MEMBER; AND ELECTRICAL CONNECTION MEANS FOR ESTABLISHING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID PICK-OFF PLATES WHEREBY TO DERIVE SAID OUTPUT VOLTAGE AND REDUCE THE EFFECT OF MOVEMENT OF SAID PICK-OFF ELECTRODE SYSTEM TRANSVERSE TO THE LINE OF SAID ALIGNED PLATES.