Patent ID: 7408654

Claim:
A system for measuring linear position, linear velocity and linear acceleration of an object in relative motion along a surface, said system comprising: (a) a curved path for motion in two spatial dimensions, wherein the curved path has a start point and the curved path does not return to the start point; (b) a surface length being measured, corresponding to the curved path, wherein the face of the surface length being measured is perpendicular to the two spatial dimensions, and each axis of curvature of the surface length being measured is perpendicular to the two spatial dimensions, the surface length being measured having thereon an uninterrupted continuous multitude of uniform and sequentially spaced alternating reflective and non-reflective markings in linear array along the surface length being measured, and; (c) an object in relative motion along said markings, said object mounting an opto-electronic sensor directly detecting said alternating reflective and non-reflective markings, thereby measuring on a real time basis the displacement of said opto-electronic sensor along said surface length being measured.