Patents Assigned to Thomson-CSF
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Patent number: 5724052Abstract: A layer (30) absorbing transmitted radiation, placed between an antenna (10) and a radome (20) and extending parallel to the surface of the antenna at a close distance thereto, the absorption coefficient of said absorbing layer varying between a minimum value in the center of the radiating surface and a maximum value at the periphery of said radiating surface.The absorbing layer may in particular be formed by a central area (31) with a zero or virtually zero absorption coefficient surrounded by a peripheral area (32) with a constant absorption coefficient. It may also be formed by a succession of concentric areas exhibiting respective absorption coefficients increasing from the center to the periphery.In addition to the reduction of the radome effect, said structure reduces significantly the radar cross section of the assembly when the latter is the target of a radar.Type: GrantFiled: May 16, 1989Date of Patent: March 3, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Christian Boulingre, Henri Perron, Jean Rannou
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Patent number: 5719670Abstract: Disclosed is an integrated direction finder that can be used to determine the direction of a light beam and, in particular, a laser beam. This direction finder has a substrate transparent to the light beam and means on the rear face to channel a part of the light flux received on this face to the front face which has several photodetector elements. Application to optical measurements.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 1995Date of Patent: February 17, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Jean-Yves Duboz, Philippe Bois
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Patent number: 5719433Abstract: A semiconductor component that could be a power transistor type of component comprises mesa-structured elementary bipolar transistors. This component has a thick, metal heat sink of which a part (PI) takes the form of a bridge and a part is in contact with the substrate. The legs of the bridge lie on the entire unit constituted by the mesas. The heat sink made on the front face of the substrate may be connected to the rear face of the substrate comprising a ground plate. The discharging of the heat is thus appreciably fostered.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 1996Date of Patent: February 17, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Sylvain Delage, Simone Cassette, Herve Blanck, Eric Chartier
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Patent number: 5715002Abstract: A CCD type charge-transfer photosensitive device (Z1) comprises a photosensitive zone (Z2) formed by at least one line of pixels and designed for the conversion, into electrical charges, of the photons coming from an image and a non-photosensitive zone designed to remove the charges generated in the photosensitive zone and comprising a read register (RL) consisting of transfer stages (ET), the charges generated in a pixel of the photosensitive zone (Z1) being collected in a transfer stage of the read register, wherein the read register (RL) is formed by Q elementary sub-registers Rj (j=1, 2, . . . , Q), each elementary sub-register being formed by a whole number Mj of transfer stages (ET) enabling the transfer of the charges from the first-order stage up to the M order stage, M possibly being different for two different elementary sub-registers, and a read diode located in the M order transfer stage so as convert the variations of charges collected at the terminals of the diode into voltage variations.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 1996Date of Patent: February 3, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSF Semiconducteurs SpecifiquesInventor: Jean-Alain Cortiula
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Patent number: 5712499Abstract: A photodetector arrangement capable of detecting high-power-light flux and including a set of elementary photodetectors each one of which is individually tested to determine that it has no defects. Each of the photodetectors which is found to be free of objectionable defects is connected in parallel to a common conducting line to thus produce a combined output when radiation impinges on the detector surface. The connection can be hard wired or provided through a set of transistors acting as connection control intermediaries between the good photodetectors and the common conducting line. The active areas of only good photodetectors are thus combined to form a large photodetector area of any desired shape or size without the usual reliability problems. The selective control of the transistors can further be provided by auxiliary control photodetectors to additionally automatically control the size of the active area in response to the area of light being detected or a control light beam.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 1995Date of Patent: January 27, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Jean-Yves Duboz, Philippe Bois
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Patent number: 5712639Abstract: The disclosure pertains to the localization of a station by another station in a network for the transmission of data in packets, each packet being formed by a header followed by an information field at a carrier frequency that varies according to a linear ramp. The method consists, in a first station, in sending out an interrogation packet with a designation of a second station, in the second station, upon the reception of this interrogation packet, in sending a signal in continuity with the field of the packet received and according to the same ramp and, in the first station, in measuring the delay of this signal, when it is received, with respect to a signal produced in the first station after the field of the packet sent out and in deducing the distance between the two stations from the delay. Application to the measurement of distances.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 1996Date of Patent: January 27, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventor: Serge Hethuin
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Patent number: 5706252Abstract: The invention relates to multifrequency acoustic transducers exhibiting a wide band around each resonant frequency. It consists in inserting between a .lambda./2 active emitter plate (201) and the soft reflector (203) which supports it a rear plate (202) resonating in .lambda./4 mode and in placing on this active plate two marcher plates (204, 205) whose impedances are designed so as to best match the two frequencies obtained by inserting this rear plate. Thicknesses of these marcher plates are optimized with the aid of a model of for example Mason type starting from a value close to .lambda./4 for the frequency to be matched. It makes is possible to construct sonar transducers which operate equally well in detection mode and in classification mode.Type: GrantFiled: January 6, 1997Date of Patent: January 6, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Bertrand Le Verrier, Gerard Roux, Bruno Tardy, Alphonse Ramos
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Patent number: 5705965Abstract: Cavity filter with comb-line structure having a steep-flanked flanked pass-band. To obtain this steep flank, rejectors are positioned in the vicinity of the access bars of the filter, orthogonally to the teeth of the comb-line structure. The best results are obtained for the flanks corresponding to the high frequencies of the pass-band, namely with rejectors tuned to frequencies higher than the center frequency of the pass-band.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 1996Date of Patent: January 6, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Dominique Podvin, Christian Courtois
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Patent number: 5706355Abstract: A method and system of analyzing sequences of road images taken by a camera carried on board of a vehicle. A luminance signal of the road images from which contours of the road are extracted is generated. An analysis of color video signals based on the fact that the colorimetric components of a road region in an image do not include a green or red dominant is then combined with the luminance signal processing, in order to confirm, with good reliability, the limits of the road in the image on the basis of the contours. A mask of the road is then established. This method and system are applicable, in particular, to detecting obstacles on the road, and the information which it generates may be combined with information originating from other detectors in an obstacle detection system applicable to motor vehicle traffic.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 1996Date of Patent: January 6, 1998Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Stephane Raboisson, Gilles Even
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Patent number: 5703425Abstract: The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a piezoelectric component and to the component resulting from such a process.According to the invention, the manufacturing process comprises the stacking of at least one piezoelectric element (1) and of at least two metallic electrodes (2), each piezoelectric element (1) being inserted between two metallic electrodes (2), characterized in that each piezoelectric element and each metallic electrode is produced, respectively, by coiling a piezoelectric film and by coiling a metallized film.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 1995Date of Patent: December 30, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Thierry Feral, Bernard Fromont, Ronan Stephan, Eric Sernit, Olivier Lacour
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Patent number: 5703427Abstract: The distributed acoustic reflection transducer has a reflection function which includes at least one reversal of sign, that is to say it possesses at least one reflector and, in general, a combination of reflectors, the center of which is at a distance of k.lambda./2+.lambda./4 from the center of the other reflectors, .lambda. being the wavelength corresponding to the central operating frequency of the transducer.The applications will be for the production of surface-wave filters in radio communication systems.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 1996Date of Patent: December 30, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Marc Solal, Pascal Ventura, Jean-Michel Hode
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Patent number: 5703845Abstract: A reading head has odd and even elemental areas for reading corresponding odd and even information segments that alternate to make up a frame of information on a record medium. The odd elemental areas provide a train of sequential odd information segments, each odd segment having cross-talk associated with the neighboring even segments which are on either side thereof when it is read from the record medium. Similarly, the even elemental areas provide a train of even information segments, each even segment having cross-talk associated with the odd segments which neighbored it on either side when it is read from the record medium. To correct for such cross-talk in both signal trains, both are fed to each of two cross-talk correcting circuits. These circuits derive needed adjacent segment information as to the cross-talk producing adjacent segments from one of the trains being fed thereto so as to process the segments of the other train being fed thereto for cross-talk correction.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 1995Date of Patent: December 30, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Michel Audoin, Bertrand Moreau, Joseph Colineau
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Patent number: 5698886Abstract: A protection circuit against the electrostatic discharges that could appear at the terminals of a circuit, wherein said protection circuit comprises a first transistor made in a well whose potential is a floating potential and enabling the value of the discharge voltage to be limited to a value equal to minus the value of the threshold voltage of said first transistor and a second transistor made in a well whose potential is a floating potential and enabling the value of the discharge voltage to be limited to a value equal to the value of the threshold voltage of said second transistor. The disclosure can be applied to MOS technology integrated circuits.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1995Date of Patent: December 16, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSF Semiconducteurs SpecifiquesInventors: Yves Thenoz, Sophie Caranhac, Jean-Louis Coutures
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Patent number: 5696447Abstract: The invention concerns a magneto-resistive magnetic sensor comprising a magneto-resistive element, the resistance of which varies as a function of the applied magnetic field and two pole pieces that collect the magnetic field to be detected so as to concentrate it in the magneto-resistive element, each pole piece being positioned to partially overlap the magneto-resistive element, a current I passing through this magneto-resistive element, wherein the zones of the magneto-resistive element that are overlapped by pole pieces are cut out such that the current that passes through the magneto-resistive element is located in a zone in the air gap between the two pole pieces.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 1994Date of Patent: December 9, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Jean-Marc Coutellier, Nicolas Blanchard, Thierry Valet
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Patent number: 5694372Abstract: A sonar antenna with transducers symmetrically distributed along an axis (fore/aft axis) and a perpendicular axis (starboard/port axis) in a plane on a circular base. Placement and polarities of the transducers, along with a phase and sequence of feeding two distinct frequencies to the transducers create four emission lobes inclined at 30 degrees one emission lobe with respect to each axis. Summation of reception signals (echos) from selected transducers based on frequency and accounting for time allow for the determination of fore/aft and starboard/port reception signals from which a velocity of the antenna or a vehicle attached to the antenna can be calculated.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 1996Date of Patent: December 2, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventor: Marc Perennes
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Patent number: 5689212Abstract: Disclosed is a novel topology of monolithic, microwave amplifiers with high integration. This is a more compact topology, divided into a two-level or tree-like structure in which the division of the input signal is done firstly on each transistor Tij and, secondly, on each of the elementary transistors tijk of the transistors Tij. More specifically, the input line LE is divided into different basic lines li, each line li supplying lines lij distributed on either side of said lines li, a line lij then supplying a power transistor Tij. Application to microwave amplifiers.Type: GrantFiled: November 22, 1995Date of Patent: November 18, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Didier Floriot, Sylvain Delage, Pascal Roux, Juan Obregon
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Patent number: 5686879Abstract: This ammeter comprises an element made of magnetoresistive material in a thin layer located on a first face of a substrate; first connection means connected to the magnetoresistive element in two zones along a first direction (XX') and enabling the element to be supplied with current; second connection means connected to the magnetoresistive element in two zones located along a second direction (YY') perpendicular to the first direction (XX'). This ammeter enables the measurement of the value of the current flowing in a conductor preferably oriented in a direction (ZZ') parallel to the first direction (XX').Type: GrantFiled: April 30, 1996Date of Patent: November 11, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Alain Schuhl, Frederic Nguyen Van Dau
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Patent number: 5684817Abstract: Disclosed is a semiconductor laser that is constituted by at least one active layer sandwiched between two confinement layers with P and N type doping to constitute a PN junction. In at least one of the confinement layers and/or the active layer, holes are designed on each side of the cavity so as to form structures of photonic bandgap material along the lateral walls of the cavity and the ends of the cavity.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 1996Date of Patent: November 4, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Romuald Houdre, Claude Weisbuch, Vincent Berger
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Patent number: 5680386Abstract: Method, system and recording medium in which the writing of information is achieved by the use of a write beam including the superposition of a first optical beam at a first wavelength and of a second beam at a second wavelength less than the first wavelength. Reading is done by the use of a second optical beam at the second wavelength. The material of the recording medium is a non-linear material exhibiting a recording threshold situated between the maximum of the sum of the energies of the two beams and an energy level situated in the vicinity of the maximum energy of the first beam.Type: GrantFiled: August 23, 1995Date of Patent: October 21, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Fran.cedilla.ois Le Carvennec, Jean-Pierre Huignard, Claude Puech, Brigitte Loiseaux
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Patent number: 5677694Abstract: The disclosure relates to the recognition of an objective known as an IFF or "Identification Friend or Foe" system. In the interrogator unit of the IFF system, the signals received undergo processing operations that take account of the characteristics of the antenna and enable the useful information to be separated from the disturbances. In order to be able to use an electronic scanning antenna in spite of the fact that it has characteristics which vary with the training angle, hence with the direction in which the objective is located, the processing operations to be performed are designed for different training angles, the characteristics of these processing operations are memorized and the processing operations are performed as a function of the training angle.Type: GrantFiled: February 6, 1996Date of Patent: October 14, 1997Assignee: Thomson-CSFInventors: Jean-Pierre Chevalier, Patrick Quemin