Abstract: Measuring device (1) for the electromagnetic field emitted by an apparatus being tested (11, 14), including a support (3) being mobile in relation to the apparatus being tested, at least one electromagnetic sensor (8) fixed to the support and driving elements (5,6) capable of rotating the support around the apparatus being tested, characterized in that it includes at least one light source (9) adjacent to the electromagnetic sensor and capable of emitting light according to the electromagnetic field measured by the electromagnetic sensor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for determining visibility distance in a landscape. The device comprises a camera for taking an image of said landscape; means for storing said image; means for associating each pixel of the image with information representative of the distance between the camera and the point in the landscape corresponding to said pixel, thereby obtaining a map of distances; means for processing the image to detect whether a pixel of the image presents contrast greater than a predetermined value relative to at least some adjacent pixels; means for applying said processing for detecting contrast successively to the pixels of the image beginning from the pixel corresponding to the greatest distance and continuing to the first pixel found to satisfy the contrast condition; and means for associating said pixel with distance information from said map of distances.

Abstract: A device and method for positioning and controlling railway vehicles. The device includes fixed stations (1) including first elements for transmitting/receiving (2) signals and a central control station (3) to which the fixed stations (1) are connected. Each railway vehicle (4) includes second elements for transmitting/receiving (6) signals. The signals transmitted by the first and second transmitting/receiving elements (2, 6) including an identifier specific to the transmitter and at least one message and consist in non-sinusoidal radio signals with very large bandwidth whose spectrum ranges between 1 and 10 GHz. Each railway vehicle (4) and each fixed station (1) include processing elements (8) for determining the identifier and the at least one message of each received signal. The central control station (3) sends command control instructions.

Abstract: Measuring device (1) for the electromagnetic field emitted by an apparatus being tested (11, 14), including a support (3) being mobile in relation to the apparatus being tested, at least one electromagnetic sensor (8) fixed to the support and driving elements (5,6) capable of rotating the support around the apparatus being tested, characterized in that it includes at least one light source (9) adjacent to the electromagnetic sensor and capable of emitting light according to the electromagnetic field measured by the electromagnetic sensor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for determining visibility distance in a landscape. The device comprises a camera for taking an image of said landscape; means for storing said image; means for associating each pixel of the image with information representative of the distance between the camera and the point in the landscape corresponding to said pixel, thereby obtaining a map of distances; means for processing the image to detect whether a pixel of the image presents contrast greater than a predetermined value relative to at least some adjacent pixels; means for applying said processing for detecting contrast successively to the pixels of the image beginning from the pixel corresponding to the greatest distance and continuing to the first pixel found to satisfy the contrast condition; and means for associating said pixel with distance information from said map of distances.

Abstract: A testing device for measuring radiation, immunity and electromagnetic characteristics of an object to be tested (1), includes a conductive structure (53) enclosing a testing volume where the object can be placed, the structure being provided with an opening (56) capable of being closed. The testing device further includes a set of internal conductors called septa (52), at least two in number, each septum defining in the testing volume, by its configuration in the structure, an electromagnetic coupling with the object; at least a septum is arranged in such a way that its electromagnetic plane is separate and not parallel to the electromagnetic plane of at least another septum.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a control method and control apparatus for controlling actuator apparatus implemented in active suspension apparatus for vehicles, in particular rail vehicles, said control method and said control apparatus being characterized in that they use the articulated architecture of the train to derive the local curvature of the track in real time, in which control method and control apparatus the control signal transmitted by said control apparatus to the actuator apparatus of the bogie of order n in the articulated train is a function of measurements of at least one deflection angle &agr;i at an articulation center situated between adjacent carriages and of the position offset hj of said articulation center relative to the track.

Abstract: A position sensor for measuring the separation, in a givne direction (Oy), between a first part such as a datum element of a railway vehicle axle and a fixed second part such as a rail on which said axles runs, includes magnets (11, 12) for producing a magnetic field above the second part (10) and Hall effect probes (15) for measuring the value of the component of the field in said given direction (Oy) with variation in that value being proportional to the separation.

Abstract: An orientable axle with independent wheels comprises a beam perpendicular the axis of the wheels. It also comprises sensors (16, 20) for measuring the position of the beam with respect to the track; a reference position with respect to the track is predetermined. Electromagnets (22) carried by the axle cooperate with the track for exerting on the axle a force for orientating it. A control circuit delivers a current to the electromagnets for moving the axle in an angular direction which tends to cancel out the difference between the measured position and the reference position. The axle can be used on railroad vehicles having to negociate curves at high speeds.

Abstract: Apparatus including a magnet (10) having at least one degree of freedom w respect to a first member, tangent to the direction of measurement and cooperating with a magnetic portion associated with a second member, and a sensor (11) for picking up the position of the magnet relative to the first member. Such apparatus is employed in steerable railway vehicles.

Abstract: A method of determining the trajectory of a body (1) such as a vehicle body on a relatively plane path portion (2), the method being characterized in that it consists: in forming a main real image (4) of the path portion in a plane (19) at a non-zero angle (5) with the path portion; in decomposing said main image as formed into a plurality of points (21); in determining the relationship between the size of a unit length (30) taken substantially at the level of the path portion and the size of its image formed in the main image the size being a function of the number of points covered by the image and of the location of the unit length on said path portion; in determining a secondary image (32) in the main image, the secondary image corresponding to a longitudinal reference mark (31) related to the vehicle on the path portion; and in determining the various successive positions (32, 33, 34) of the secondary image by correlation of the number of points covered by the secondary image, given that the secondary im