Digital encoding transducer

Claim 2

A digital encoding transducer for providing a digital code corresponding to the angular position of a plurality of rotatable shafts which form a part of a gear type counter comprising, only six brushes connected to each rotatable shaft for rotative movement, a rotary switch pattern for each shaft and positioned to coact with one of the set of six brushes and having a plurality of segments forming a code having only five bits and measuring only 30 angular positions, said segments positioned wherein the change in code between adjacent positions is only one bit, and said segments positioned whereby each brush will contact only one segment at a time.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the switch pattern is arranged that more than one brush will contact a signal bit segment at a plurality of positions thereby providing a redundant electrical reading of said single bit segment.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the interface positions are angularly larger than the positional errors.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the interface positions are no larger than ten percent of the numbered positions.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said five bit code avoids encoding all ungrounded bits as a number.

Claim 7

A digital encoding transducer for providing a digital code corresponding to the angular position of a plurality of rotatable shafts which form a part of a gear type counter comprising, only six brushes connected to each rotatable shaft for rotative movement, a rotary switch pattern for each shaft and positioned to coact with one of the set of six brushes and having a plurality of segments forming a code having only five bits and measuring only thirty angular positions, said thirty positions including 10 numbered positions with each numbered position including an interface position at each end of each numbered position, said interface positions being larger than positional errors of the brushes relative to the switch pattern, said segments arranged such that each brush set always gains or loses a segment in moving from one position to another without a brush simultaneously overlapping two segments, said segments positioned wherein the change in code between adjacent positions is only one bit, an error detecting and correcting circuit including, means for decoding the lowest order switch pattern, means for decoding the next higher switch pattern, means for checking and changing the higher switch pattern output if the higher switch pattern reading is incorrect.

Claim 8

A digital encoding transducer for providing a digital code corresponding to the angular position of a plurality of rotatable shafts which form a part of a gear type counter comprising, only six brushes connected to each rotatable shaft for rotative movement, a rotary switch pattern for each shaft and positioned to coact with one of the set of six brushes and having a plurality of segments forming a code having only five bits and measuring only thirty angular positions, said thirty positions including 10 numbered positions with each numbered position including an interface position at each end of each numbered position, said interface positions being larger than positional errors of the brushes relative to the switch pattern, said segments arranged such that each brush set always gains or loses a segment in moving from one position to another without a brush simultaneously overlapping two segments, said segments positioned wherein the change in code between adjacent positions is only one bit, an error detecting and correcting circuit including, means for decoding the lowest order switch pattern, means for decoding the next higher switch pattern, means for checking and changing the higher switch pattern output if the higher switch pattern reading is incorrect.

Claim 9

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the switch patterns are formed in five circles.

Claim 10

The apparatus of claim 7 wherein two of the brushes rotate around the ground ring, and the ground ring including an opening occupied by another bit segment.