Patents by Inventor Pierre Fagard

Pierre Fagard has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7876308
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a display device, the surface of the device being rendered touch-sensitive, the device comprising a first dedicated part comprising two insulating plates, a layer of material exhibiting electro-optical properties suitable for rendering all or part of its surface visible under the effect of an electrical control signal, the layer being disposed between the two plates, at least one first electrode having the shape of a pictogram, the first electrode being disposed on a face of one of the insulating plates, a second electrode disposed on a face of the other insulating plate opposite at least one first electrode. According to the invention, the second electrode is used as responsive element of the touch-sensitive surface of the device, the surface area of the second electrode is at least 9 mm2, and the surface area of the second electrode is greater than the surface area or the sum of the surface areas of the first electrode or electrodes opposite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 7663611
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a display device comprising means of detection of proximity and to a method of using this device. The device comprises a liquid crystal layer, at least two electrodes making it possible to excite the liquid crystal, means for generating a control signal for the electrodes, means for generating a high frequency signal applied to the second electrode, means for detecting a modification, if any, of the high frequency signal. The device also comprises means of mixing (Rscb) of the high frequency signal and of the control signal. In the method, the means for generating a control signal provide a periodic signal comprising positive and negative alternations and the means for generating a high frequency signal inject a high frequency signal at substantially equal quantity during as many positive alternations as negative alternations of the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2010
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 7319456
    Abstract: The invention concerns an electronic display device comprising means of detection of proximity of a conducting element situated in proximity to a display zone of the device, a set of row electrodes (4) and of column electrodes scanning the display zone, means for generating an excitation of the row electrodes and of the column electrodes as a function of an image to be displayed on the display zone. The proximity detection means comprise: means (7) for applying a specific electrical signal distinct from the excitation to said set, means (8) for detecting modifications of the specific electrical signal which are induced by the presence of a conducting element in proximity to a region of the display zone, and means (15) for determining the position of said region as a function of said detected modifications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Publication number: 20060238512
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a display device, the surface of the device being rendered touch-sensitive, the device comprising a first dedicated part comprising two insulating plates, a layer of material exhibiting electro-optical properties suitable for rendering all or part of its surface visible under the effect of an electrical control signal, the layer being disposed between the two plates, at least one first electrode having the shape of a pictogram, the first electrode being disposed on a face of one of the insulating plates, a second electrode disposed on a face of the other insulating plate opposite at least one first electrode. According to the invention, the second electrode is used as responsive element of the touch-sensitive surface of the device, the surface area of the second electrode is at least 9 mm2, and the surface area of the second electrode is greater than the surface area or the sum of the surface areas of the first electrode or electrodes opposite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2003
    Publication date: October 26, 2006
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Publication number: 20060125717
    Abstract: The invention pertains to a display device comprising means of detection of proximity and to a method of using this device. The device comprises a liquid crystal layer, at least two electrodes making it possible to excite the liquid crystal, means for generating a control signal for the electrodes, means for generating a high frequency signal applied to the second electrode, means for detecting a modification, if any, of the high frequency signal. The device also comprises means of mixing (Rscb) of the high frequency signal and of the control signal. In the method, the means for generating a control signal provide a periodic signal comprising positive and negative alternations and the means for generating a high frequency signal inject a high frequency signal at substantially equal quantity during as many positive alternations as negative alternations of the control signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Publication date: June 15, 2006
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Publication number: 20040066367
    Abstract: The invention concerns an electronic display device comprising means of detection of proximity of a conducting element situated in proximity to a display zone of the device, a set of row electrodes (4) and of column electrodes scanning the display zone, means for generating an excitation of the row electrodes and of the column electrodes as a function of an image to be displayed on the display zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 6404353
    Abstract: A process for detecting the point of touching of a tactile surface. A high frequency signal is sequentially supplied to four corners of a plate having a capacitive surface. This is accomplished by supplying one diagonal with the others being idle. The output voltages are measured at the four corners for all the various possible positions of touching. Relations between voltages are established from these measurements obtained for each diagonal. During touching, the relations obtained are compared with those stored in order to locate the point of touching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Sextant Avionique
    Inventors: Philippe Coni, Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 5801682
    Abstract: A tactile designation device comprises a continuous transparent capacitive surface supported at its corners by flexible strips to which there are attached strain gauges, a HF supply source, a series capacitor, a multiplexer, a detection circuit and a computer. The corners of the capacitive surface are connected alternately to the HF voltage, and the voltages measured are compared with a table of values to determine the touch point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Sextant Avionique
    Inventors: Philippe Coni, Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 5327164
    Abstract: A process and device for providing and fixing a captor of activation detection. The present invention discloses a tactile designation device for continuous capacitance detection comprising a glass plate covered by a metallic deposit on its entire surface and supported by flexible strips, means of supply of the metallized surface, and strain gauges mounted on top of the strips in order to measure their flexing. According to the present invention, the strips support the plate from a printed circuit of assembly. Each strip comprises at least one conducting part in contact, at one of its ends, with a supply track formed by the printed circuit, and at its other end, with the attachment devices of the plate on the strip that is electrically conducting and in contact with the metallized surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1993
    Date of Patent: July 5, 1994
    Assignee: Sextant Avionique
    Inventors: Pierre Fagard, Claude Nigen, Jean-Marc Coppin, Xavier Caugant
  • Patent number: 5189390
    Abstract: A method and device for stimulating the finger of an operator acting on a static keyboard, which method consists in making at least part of the keyboard mobile on which the finger of the user bears at least partially when it actuates a key, detecting at least one component of the force exerted by the finger on the keyboard during such actuation and causing a pre-established movement of the mobile part of the keyboard when the value of this component exceeds or has exceeded a threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 23, 1993
    Assignee: Sextant Avionique
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 5162785
    Abstract: A method is provided for optimizing the contrast and the angle of view of a liquid crystal display, this method consisting in periodically energizing a given zone of the display, permanently measuring the luminance of this zone so as to obtain at all times a pair of values corresponding respectively to the luminance of the zone in the energized state and to the luminance of the zone in the de-energized state, determining the contrast from the values of each of said pairs each of the measured luminance values and adjusting the control voltage of the cell display as a function of the contrast thus defined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 1990
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1992
    Assignee: Sextant Avionique
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 4838647
    Abstract: The invention provides a display device with dissociable structure, making t possible for a user to observe a synthetic light image superimposed in his natural field of vision, said device being formed as two dissociable modules, namely: an image generating module having, inside a case, at least one part of the image generating members and a removable optical module including a support element to which is fixed a curved mixer type optical mount including, in a dihedral configuration, a flat semitransparent mirror and a curved semitransparent mirror.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1987
    Date of Patent: June 13, 1989
    Assignee: Societe Francaise d'Equipements pour la Navigation Aerienne (S.F.E.N.A)
    Inventor: Pierre Fagard
  • Patent number: 4710766
    Abstract: A method and device for displaying symbols by means of a liquid crystal matrix. The device comprises an automation driven by a clock which feeds cyclically to the control circuit of a liquid crystal matrix the bits representative of the elementary images contained in a random access memory. The memory has a capacity greater than k (n+m) bits, k being the multiplexing coefficient and n and m being respectively the number of lines and columns of the liquid crystal matrix. The memory is refreshed by a central computer during the interval of emission of the bits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1984
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1987
    Assignee: Societe Francaise d'Equipements pour la Navigation Aerienne
    Inventors: Marcel Dubois, Pierre Fagard