Measuring device for determining an absolute position of a movable element and scale graduation element suitable for use in such a measuring device

A measuring device for determining an absolute position of a movable element, comprising a scale graduation element with a number of tracks and a pick-up device which comprises a number of sensing elements which corresponds to the number of tracks, said sensing elements being provided with multiple sensors and said tracks including an incremental track and an absolute track and being formed as a succession of strip-shaped parts, each of which has a property which can be detected by the sensors without relative displacement of the sensors and strip-shaped parts and which is dependent on the location on the scale graduation element, and also comprising a signal processing system for determining the absolute position of the movable element from a combination of, on the one hand, signals originating from the sensors of the sensing element associated with the absolute track and, on the other hand, signal originating from the sensors of the sensing element associated with the incremental track, characterized in that the incremental track and the absolute track are combined on the scale graduation element so as to form a single composite track and in that the detectable property on the composite track is distributed in a pseudo-random manner such that, the signals for a pitch of the composite track has a value specific for said pitch which is different from that of the other signals.