Abstract: It is sought to obtain efficient detection and tracking capacity by a particular form of organization including a micro-scanning device common to all the detectors. In one embodiment, the disclosed device includes of a frame with a shape generated by revolution around an elevation axis. This frame bears afocal optical sets coupled respectively to optical focusing sets to project the light fluxes coming from the scenes observed and to form images on fixed detectors. Prisms, with a predetermined angle at the vertex and a predetermined orientation, are distributed in a circle on a rotational drum with an axis that is identical with the elevation axis so that, during the rotation of the drum, each prism intercepts the observation flux in the form of parallel beams and deflects it so as to prompt a virtual shift of the sensors of each detector corresponding to a micro-scanning step.

Abstract: A system for correcting the trajectory of a projectile so that it reaches a designated target. The system comprises an optical radar comprising a laser emitting in the infrared band that makes it possible, in association with a processing device, to follow the movements of the target and of the projectile at the same time. The pieces of information given by the processing device enable a computer to calculate corrections to be made to the trajectory of the projectile in a final stage so that it meets the target. By modifying the trajectory of a projectile, such as a self-propelled missile or a shell, launched towards a target, the projectile can be made to hit a moving target or pass by at a reasonable distance that is small enough for the explosion provoked by its charge to definitely destroy the target.

Abstract: A direction finder including downstream the reticle an intermediate objective and a four quadrant detector, the reticle providing a modulation at a given frequency and in which the intermediate objective comprises preferably a half-ball lens whose center of curvature coincides substantially with the detector center to allow a relative movement of the reticle with respect to the detector, such as a rotation round this center controlled by a driving device.

Abstract: A photoelectric direction finder in which the modulating and spatial filtering functions produced by the reticles are separated from the deviation measurement function resulting from a four quadrant detection, provided with a view to permitting a passive or semi-active bimodal operation. The reticles are determined transparent for the radiation emmited by an auxiliary laser illuminator modulated according to a modulation different from that provided by the reticles in the passive mode, while the processing and deviation measurement circuits have additional laser signal demodulation circuits and automatic or priority mode selection and switching circuits.

Abstract: Navigational system for the guidance of automatically piloted aircraft during high-speed (e.g. supersonic) overland flights, the predetermined course of the aircraft including a series of spaced-apart measuring zones registered on a progressively displaceable film strip or other recording medium in the form of two-dimensional arrays of prerecorded altitude markings representing the profile of the overflown terrain within each zone.

Abstract: A light-emitting target within the field of view of an optical objective is focused within a generally rectangular detection area upon a continuously moving code carrier which is subdivided into a multiplicity of juxtaposed strip zones parallel to the direction of motion, each strip zone forming a pseudo-random binary optical code pattern recurring one or more times throughout its length. The motion of the code carrier generates a pulsed light beam which is intercepted by a photoelectric transducer unit and, after electric amplification, is reconverted by a photoemissive unit into a train of luminous pulsations projected onto the code carrier in a correlation area traversed at every instant by a code pattern identical with that of the detection area. The light gated by the matching code of the correlation area is focused upon the screeen of a camera tube which therefore receives a bright spot at a point whose location on the screen corresponds to that of the target image on the detection area.

Abstract: A radiant energy detection system for discriminating between radiation from a target and ambient radiation wherein optical receiver means is arranged to produce two images of the observed field which are staggered along the direction of displacement of modulating grids by an amount substantially equal to the diameter of the target image, and which includes filtering means and attenuating means to balance the radiation levels in the case of ambient background radiation.