Analog-digital conversion, comparing and control system

Claim 1

AN ANALOG-DIGITAL CONVERSION, COMPARING AND CONTROL SYSTEM COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A RESPONSIVE MOVABLE ELEMENT, MEANS FOR PRODUCING A FIRST PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL INDICATIONS IN UNIQUE COMBINATIONS EACH REPRESENSATIVE IN BINARY DIGITAL CODE DIGITS OF A NUMBER IDENTIFYING A DESIRED DISCRETE DISPOSITION OF THE MOVABLE ELEMENT, A DIGITAL ENCODER COMPRISING A CODE WHEEL ADAPTED TO BE ANGULARLY DISPOSED IN SPECIFIC RELATIONSHIP TO THE POSITION OF THE MOVABLE ELEMENT, SAID CODE WHEEL HAVING A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIAL BANDS THEREON EACH CONSISTING OF A PREARRANGED PATTERN OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE SEGMENTS ELECTRICALLY SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER, A PREARRANGED NETWORK OF INTERLACING ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATHS INTERCONNECTING SOME OF SAID SEGMENTS OF DIFFERENT BANDS, SUBSTANTIALLY ONE-HALF OF SAID CODE WHEEL BEING ADAPTED FOR EFFECTING SAID INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN SEGMENTS, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED BRUSHES ARRANGED IN TWO GROUPS ON OPPOSITE CIRCUMFERENTIAL SIDES OF SAID CODE WHEEL, EACH PAIR OF CONTACTING THE SURFACE OF DIFFERENT BANDS, THE TWO BRUSHES COMPRISING THE PAIR BEING ELECTRICALLY INTERCONNECTED, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID PAIRS OF BRUSHES BEING ADAPTED TO PROVIDE THE SOURCE OF POTENTIAL TO SAID CODE WHEEL, OTHERS OF SAID BRUSHES COMPRISING DIGITAL INFORMATION OUTPUT BRUSHES, MEANS CONSISTING OF A PATTERN ON SAID CODE WHEEL OF INTERDIGITATED CASTELLATIONS ADAPTED TO ENERGIZE TWO OF SAID PAIRS OF BRUSHES COMPRISING ENERGIZING BRUSHES IN ALTERNATING RELATIONSHIP FOR SUCCEEDING DIGITAL REPRESENTATIONS OF SAID CODE WHEEL FROM ONE OF SAID BRUSHES WHICH PROVIDES A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL, SAID ENERGIZING BRUSHES DURING A CHANGE IN CODE WHEEL POSITION BEING ARRANGED TO BE CONNECTED ELECTRICALLY TO SAID DIGITAL INFORMATION OUTPUT BRUSHES REQUIRED TO CHANGE DIGITAL OUTPUT WHEREBY SAID CHANGE IN DIGITAL OUTPUT OCCURS SIMULTANEOUSLY AND IN LIKE MANNER WITH SAID CHANGE OF ENERGIZATION OF SAID ENERGIZING BRUSHES, AND ALL SAID BRUSHES, SEGMENTATION AND INTERLACED ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PATHS BEING ARRANGED COOPERATIVELY TO ENERGIZE DIGITAL INFORMATION OUTPUT BRUSHES INDICATING A DIGITAL REPRESENTATION OF THE ANGULAR DISPLACEMENT OF SAID CODE WHEEL, SAID DIGITAL REPRESENTATIONS BEING A SECOND PLURALITY OF ELECTRICAL INDICATIONS IN UNIQUE COMBINATIONS EACH REPRESENTATIVE IN BINARY DIGITAL CODE DIGITS OF A NUMBER IDENTIFYING AN ACTUAL DISCRETE DISPOSITON OF THE MOVABLE ELEMENT, COMPARISON MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID OUTPUT BRUSHES AND SAID FIRST ELECTRICAL INDICATION MEANS FOR COMPARING SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRICAL INDICATIONS, FOR SENSING DIFFERENCES IN THE COMBINATIONS THEREOF AND FOR PROVIDING AN ELECTRICAL VOLTAGE REPRESENTATIVE OF SAID DIFFERENCES, AND MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID ELECTRICAL VOLTAGE FOR MOVING THE MOVABLE ELEMENT UNTIL THE ELECTRICAL INDICATIONS GENERATED BY SAID DIGITAL ENCODER MATCHES THE ELECTRICAL INDICATION PRODUCED BY SAID FIRST MENTIONED MEANS.