Device for coding and identifying a coding element

A device for the identification of a coding, comprising:

• light means for supplying light as a light source;
• code carrier means (C), including said coding for receiving said light source and transmitting information to light which has passed through said coding or has been reflected off said coding, said code means including a code window (P) having a code polarization filter, said code window being arranged in the path of the light and representing a code element;
• detector means including a plurality of detectors at least one of said detectors having a superposed detector polarization filter corresponding to each possible code element value said detector means for receiving light passing through or reflected off said coding and for reading information contained in the received light;
• beam splitter means (M) for splitting the light into separate light beams once the light has passed the code window (P) of the code carrier (C), said beam splitter means (M) being arranged between the code carrier C and the detector polarization filters, said polarization filters being arranged in polarization directions vertical to one another, one of said separate light beams serving as a signal entering a detector only if the polarization direction of a corresponding detector polarization filter corresponds to the polarization direction of the code polarization filter of the code window (P).