Patent ID: 8881919

Claim:
A non-mechanical method for determining a position of a beam with respect to a support for the beam, said beam being moveable along an axis of movement with respect to the support, the method comprising: a) attaching a series of sensory points to either the beam or the support in an orientation that is not parallel to the axis of movement; b) associating a non-mechanical sensor with the other of the beam or the support in a direction that crosses the series of sensory points at different positions during movement of the beam along said axis; c) detecting with said non-mechanical sensor the position of said series of sensory points as the beam moves along said axis; and d) providing a first signal from said sensor indicating the relative position of the beam with respect to the support as detected by the non-mechanical sensor and providing a second signal from said sensor to indicate a relative change in position of said beam with respect to said support as a result of a force acting on said beam in a direction that crosses said axis of movement.