Abstract: A system for aiding the movement of moving units (aircraft such as helicopters) when flying in formation. Every unit transmits information to every other unit so that bidirectional communication links are established between all units in the formation. Information indicative of the relative position between units is exchanged via the bidirectional communication links such that every unit has redundant position information pertaining to the position of every other unit. By a "data fusion" process performed on the redundant information, every unit accurately determines the position of every unit in the formation. One of the units (the "leader") then transmits "commands" to the other units (the "slaves"). Each command determines the position of a slave within the formation. Utilizing the command transmitted to it by the leader, and utilizing predetermined laws of pilotability, each slave then generates "piloting orders" for directing itself to the position commanded by the leader.

Abstract: A magnetic coupling device in which two assemblies of three coils are attached respectively to two mechanically independent bodies and form a radiator assembly and a sensor assembly. Each assembly defines a cartesian coordinate frame and is associated with a switching circuit controlled so that the radiator coils are excited successively and separately by the same alternating-current wave and so that the sensor coils are connected separately and successively to processing circuits during each excitation stage of a radiator coil. The processing circuits comprise a synchronous demodulator, a coherent integrator and a control loop for reducing the induced signal received to zero and measuring the corresponding field component. This measurement is performed by an ancillary computer which determines the Euler angles.