Alignment-related operation and position sensing of electronic and other locks and other objects

An apparatus comprising a position sensor system for a lock assembly which is for locking a first object to a second object, the first and second objects being movable relative to each other, the lock assembly comprising a bolt which is for being installed on the first object and for being operable to engage the second object to lock the first and second objects together;

• wherein the second object comprises a hole into which the bolt is to extend to engage the second object but from which the bolt retracts to unlock the first object from the second object;
• wherein the bolt has a first end (“engaging end”) which is to engage the second object to lock the first object to the second object, and the bolt has a second end opposite from the first end;
• wherein the lock assembly comprises a dead-latch bar coordinated with the bolt such that when the bolt is extended and the dead-latch bar is retracted, the lock assembly provides increased resistance to retracting the bolt by pressing on the engaging end;
• wherein the position sensor system is for sensing the position of the dead-latch bar.

A position encoder system comprising:

• a beam generation apparatus for generating a plurality of beams;
• a sensor system comprising a plurality of first sensors each of which is operable to generate an indication of sensing or not sensing at least one of the beams;
• wherein the sensor system is operable to recognize, from said indications, which of the first sensors is sensing at least one of said beams and which of the first sensors is not sensing any one of the beams, the sensor system being thus operable to recognize any set of one or more of the first sensors such that each first sensor in the set senses at least one of the beams and each first sensor outside of the set does not sense any one of the beams;
• wherein for a plurality of said sets, each set in the plurality of sets is associated with one of a plurality of positions of the beam generation apparatus, and the sensor system is operable to be calibrated to recognize any one of said positions upon recognizing the associated set but not upon recognizing at least one other set in the plurality of sets.