Patent ID: 7170047

Claim:
An apparatus for directly producing encoded analogue and/or digital signals from a motion under the influence of a force or torque exerted varyingly by linked and/or external elements, for data processing and/or data logging, comprising: orbicular confines to a spherical body and said spherical body rotatable relative to said orbicular confines under the influence of said force or torque; said orbicular confines and said spherical body separately attachable to said linked and/or external elements, or separately integrable with said linked elements; means arranged externally to said spherical body, connected to said orbicular confines, for emission of light directed to said spherical body along the circular sectional planes of said spherical body; said spherical body having selective means for entry into, travel along and exit from said circular sectional planes of said spherical body of said light directed to said spherical body along said circular sectional planes; means connected to said orbicular confines and positioned externally to said spherical body for opto-electronic detection of variations in said light after full crossing by said light of said selective means for entry into, travel along and exit from said circular sectional planes of said spherical body.