Patents by Inventor Christophe Nicolas

Christophe Nicolas 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: 6048159
    Abstract: A system to automatically pick up the propellant charge modules stored in a magazine, such system includes at least one pick-up device carried by a mobile support bracket activated by a driving motor to be able to penetrate inside the magazine and pick up at least one module, wherein the pick-up device has two forks arranged opposite one another and marking out between them a housing to receive at least one module, and at least one retractable retention device intended to protrude inside the housing to retain the module inside the housing after the two forks have moved on either side of the module to be picked up.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2000
    Assignee: Giat Industries
    Inventors: Christophe Nicolas, Dominique Guesnet, Jean Luc Pelissier, Didier Thebault, Francois Roger, Christian Gay, Laurent Legrand
  • Patent number: 5837923
    Abstract: Apparatus for transferring modules (3) that make up propellant charges from a storage magazine to a loading system (5) for loading the modules into the chamber of a large-caliber gun barrel, in particular a barrel mounted in a turret or in an armored casemate, said apparatus being characterized in that it includes: first means (6) for receiving n modules (3) taken from a magazine; second means (7) for transferring each of the n modules (3) to a conveyor (8) of a loading system (5); and control apparatus (9) for controlling the second means (7) so as to select transferal of a determined number of modules (3) to the conveyor (8) as a function of the quantity of modules (3) making up the desired propellant charge for firing a projectile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Giat Industries
    Inventors: Christian Gay, Christophe Nicolas, Fran.cedilla.ois Roger, Laurent Le Grand, Bernard Petit, Didier Thebault, Jean-Luc Pelissier
  • Patent number: 5826332
    Abstract: A method of manufacturing a hollow machine blade consisting of two skins ining an internal cavity and interconnected by stiffeners comprises:forging and machining the primary components of the blade, including forming a reserve of material in localized regions of the inner faces of the skins, trunnion forming elements at the ends of the components, and locating holes in the components;deposition of diffusion barriers involving application of a mask, cutting the mask to a predetermined pattern using a special-purpose tool, peeling away portions of the mask, deposition of a coating product, peeling away the remainder of the mask, prefiring treatment, cleaning and checking;assembly of the primary components followed by isostatic-pressure diffusion welding; andsubjecting the assembly to inflation under gas pressure and superplastic forming in a mould in order to shape the skins and form the interconnecting stiffeners, including the steps of cold-debonding the primary components, causing flow of the material reser
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignees: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation, Societe Dassault Aviation
    Inventors: Mathieu Philippe Albert Bichon, Xavier Gerard Andre Coudray, Alex Pierre Deblois, Christophe Nicolas Marie Joseph Huon De Kermadec, Jean-Fran.cedilla.ois Georges Julien Lacuisse, Bruno Andre Rolland
  • Patent number: 5818614
    Abstract: This device comprises an optical source emitting a single-wavelength light beam. An index grating has been recorded in a holographic device by the interference of two plane light beams, both being beams at a single wavelength with one and the same determined value and being concurrent in the holographic device. The holographic device is illuminated by the light beam and delivers a single-wavelength beam whose radiation pattern has a limited angular passband. The wavelength of the reading beam may be different from that of the recording beams. Its orientation is then different from that of the beams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 6, 1998
    Assignee: Thomas-CSF
    Inventors: Christophe Nicolas, Jean-Pierre Huignard, Frederic Naudan
  • Patent number: 5784181
    Abstract: The invention relates to an illumination device for illuminating a display device. In a preferred embodiment, non-polarized light from a non-polarized light source is polarized by a holographic polarization beam splitting device and focused onto a liquid crystal display device by a holographic focusing device. The invention is operable with monochrome and color display devices, and allows for a high light yield independent of the useful surface area of each detector element of the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1992
    Date of Patent: July 21, 1998
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventors: Brigitte Loiseaux, Jean-Pierre Huignard, Christophe Nicolas, Claude Puech
  • Patent number: 5621547
    Abstract: The invention relates to an illumination device in which a holographic device (HP.sub.i) separates the polarizations of an incident beam. The resulting polarized beam is transmitted to a holographic device (HL.sub.i) focusing the beam at various points of a screen. This screen may be a liquid-crystal screen (LCD).Applications: Liquid-crystal display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 15, 1997
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventors: Brigitte Loiseaux, Jean-Pierre Huignard, Christophe Nicolas, Claude Puech
  • Patent number: 5546200
    Abstract: This invention concerns chromatic light separators, and is particularly intended to reduce their dimensions. A chromatic separator in accordance with the invention contains at least two selective wave length mirrors. According to one characteristic of the invention, the two selective mirrors are nested holographic mirrors. The invention is particularly suitable for three-color rear-projection type picture projectors using liquid crystal screens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 13, 1996
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventors: Christophe Nicolas, Brigitte Loiseaux, Cecile Joubert, Jean-Pierre Huignard
  • Patent number: 5467206
    Abstract: A color display device comprises a source of light simultaneously emitting several ranges of chromatic components and a spatial light modulator comprising several dots, each dot comprising at least one sub-pixel per range of chromatic component to be displayed. Between the light source and the spatial light modulator there are provided at least one chromatic separator angularly separating the light of the different chromatic range along different directions, a lens focusing the light of the different chromatic ranges at distinct points or along distinct lines contained in a determined plane, at least one spatial filter located along this determined plane and selectively filtering the light of the different chromatic ranges, and an array of lenses, each enabling the focusing of the light of each chromatic range substantially on a sub-pixel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 14, 1995
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventors: Brigitte Loiseaux, Cecile Joubert, Jean-Pierre Huignard, Pascal Joffre, Christophe Nicolas
  • Patent number: 5299036
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image projector of the type in which an LCD matrix screen is illuminated by two polarized beams after 90.degree. rotation of the direction of polarization of one of these two beams. Each of the two polarized beams is reflected at least once towards an optical axis on which the matrix screen is centered and at least once again towards the matrix screen. Furthermore, the image projector has means to make each beam polarized, so that each polarized beam forms an image of the light source before illuminating the matrix screen. The two polarized beams may thus be oriented towards the matrix screen in forming a small angle with one another, thus enabling the use of a projection objective with a small aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventors: Christophe Nicolas, Jean-Pierre Huignard
  • Patent number: 5272496
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image projector wherein the illumination of an LCD matrix screen is done by means of two polarized beams coming from a same light beam that has no particular direction of polarization. The two polarized beams are obtained by a polarization separator whence these two polarized beams emerge with a square section. On the one hand, each polarized beam goes through at least two juxtaposed convergent lenses by which it is converted into two sub-beams which project their illumination spot on the matrix screen and, on the other hand, each convergent lens has a surface with a shape that is homothetic with the shape of the matrix screen. The luminous efficiency is thus improved through the matching of the shape of the section of the non-polarized light beam with that of the matrix screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1992
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1993
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventors: Christophe Nicolas, Brigitte Loiseaux, Jean-Pierre Huignard
  • Patent number: 5181054
    Abstract: Disclosed is an image projector in which a spatial modulation of light is carried out on the two orthogonal components of polarization of light in order to increase the luminous efficiency of the projector. The image projector of the invention includes a light source, a projection screen, a splitter of polarizations splitting the light into two polarized beams having complementary polarizations, two mirrors reflecting the two polarized beams, firstly so as to give them opposite directions and superimpose them on one and the same axis on which a spatial light modulator is positioned and, secondly, to make them pass again through the polarization splitter by which they are superimposed on one and the same axis with one and the same direction and oriented towards the projection screen and/or the light source as a function of their modulation by the spatial modulator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 19, 1993
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventors: Christophe Nicolas, Brigitte Loiseaux, Jean-Pierre Huignard, Claude Puech
  • Patent number: 5151825
    Abstract: A device for the generation of several light beams is used notably to illuminate light spatial modulation screens with the 16/9 format in color image projectors. The aim is to improve the luminous efficiency. The disclosed generator device has a light source producing a primary beam and two wavelength selective mirrors. The two selective mirrors are illuminated by the primary beam and produce two secondary beams of different wavelengths. On the one hand, the two selective mirrors are placed side by side and intercept different parts of the section of the primary beam. On the other hand, a rear face that is at least partially reflective is positioned opposite the source with respect to the selective mirrors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: Thomson-CSF
    Inventor: Christophe Nicolas
  • Patent number: D439841
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
    Inventors: John Dwayne Walther, Christophe Nicolas Degoix, Stephen William Sikra, Felix James Scarlett