Patents by Inventor Pascal Cornic

Pascal Cornic 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).

  • Publication number: 20140028486
    Abstract: A location and guidance system including a flying craft and a reception device. The flying craft includes a plurality of antennas distributed around its fuselage and emitting rearwards with rectilinear polarization, the emitted signals being specific to each antenna, the positions and the dimensions of the antennas being configured such that the body of the flying craft avoids by masking for at least one antenna the reflections of the signal emitted by this antenna off the ground or off lateral obstacles whatever the position of the flying craft. The reception device is placed substantially on a trajectory axis of the flying craft and configured to be oriented to sight the rear thereof and includes at least two single-pulse antennas operating in orthogonal planes determines a position of the flying craft by analysing the emitted signals received by the antennas of the reception device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 9, 2012
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Pascal CORNIC, Patrick GARREC, Jean-Paul ARTIS
  • Publication number: 20130315287
    Abstract: Use of an antennal base formed of two antennas which pick up the emissions present and produce two radioelectric signals S1 and S2. These two signals are used to produce at least one intermediate-frequency signal Fl by demodulation of one of the two signals by the other (autotransposition). The demodulation is carried out by firstly transposing one of the signals, S1 for example, around a given frequency F1, the signal S2 being preserved around its initial central frequency F0. Thus, whatever the central frequency F0 of the emission picked up by the antennas, the demodulation produces a signal of central frequency F1, thereafter demodulated into a given intermediate frequency Fl by means of a local oscillator of constant frequency F2=F1+Fl. The device is applied to the production of a device for detecting emissions and for characterizing the emissions picked up.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Daniel Jahan, Patrick Garrec
  • Patent number: 8576112
    Abstract: A multifunction airborne radar device includes a plurality of transmit antenna modules and/or receive antenna modules that are fixed relative to the aircraft, placed substantially over the surface of the aircraft so as to form transmit and receive beams, enabling targets to be detected for implementing a sense-and-avoid function. The airborne radar device may also comprise processing means for tracking the detected targets and for generating information sent to an air traffic control center and/or to a control device on board the aircraft. The processing device may also receive data relating to the aircraft, enabling the antenna beams to be adjusted and the tracking calculations to be refined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Patrick Garrec, Pascal Cornic, Stéphane Kemkemian
  • Patent number: 8540523
    Abstract: A connection device for high frequency signals is disclosed. The connection device includes a printed circuit having an external face and a transmission line printed on the external face, and a coaxial connector surface mounted on the external face of the printed circuit. The transmission line is connected to the connector by means of a bump contact belonging to the transmission line. A central core of the connector is connected to the bump contact. The printed circuit has at least one internal ground plane disposed parallel to the external face and contributing to the matching of the transmission line. The internal ground plane defines a perforation therethrough that faces the bump contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignees: Thales, Groupe des Telecommunications/Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecoms Bretagne
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Jean-Philippe Coupez, Jérémie Hemery, Julien Boucher
  • Patent number: 8493265
    Abstract: A method includes: generating a frequency-modulated continuous signal, an emission sequence being formed of successive ramps centered on a carrier frequency; fixing a modulation band ?F and the duration Tr of a recurrence in such a way that at the range limit, a reception ramp appears shifted by at least one given frequency with respect to the corresponding emission ramp, on account of the propagation delay for the outward-return journey to a target kTr+?, k being an integer and ? a duration less than Tr; demodulating the signal received by the signal emitted, the resulting signal including a first sinusoid at the frequency ?Fdim=(1?(?/Tr)·?F and a second sinusoid at the frequency ?Fd=(?/Tr)·?F; sampling the resulting signal and performing a first fast Fourier transformation on this resulting signal over the duration of each emission ramp; detecting in the resulting spectrum the spectral lines appearing at the frequencies ?Fd and ?Fdim, and performing the vector sum of these two spectral lines after resetting
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Patrick Le Bihan, Stéphane Kemkemian
  • Patent number: 8487809
    Abstract: A system for response to a signal transmitted by a radar includes: a passive antenna capable of receiving and then backscattering a signal transmitted by said radar; a microwave switch connected to said antenna; at least two microwave lines each having a distinct impedance and being connected to the microwave switch; and a generator capable of generating a parametrizable control signal and sending it to the microwave switch so that it switches onto one or other of the microwave lines, so as to modulate the signal backscattered by said antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Régis Lefauvre, Pascal Cornic
  • Patent number: 8482455
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a radar device with high angular accuracy. The solution provided by the invention simultaneously combines an interferometer that is accurate but, for example, ambiguous when receiving; and a space coloring mode when transmitting. The coloring of the space consists notably in transmitting on N transmitting antennas N orthogonal signals. These signals are then separated by filtering on reception using the orthogonality properties of the transmission signals. It is, for example, possible, with two contiguous antennas in transmission associated with two orthogonal codes to produce a single-pulse type system when transmitting. The invention applies notably to the obstacle sensing and avoidance function, also called “Sense & Avoid”.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Stéphane Kemkemian, Pascal Cornic, Patrick Le Bihan
  • Patent number: 8432307
    Abstract: A radar device includes an antenna having at least two linear arrays of radiating elements being orthogonal to one another, a first array being used to focus a transmission beam in a first plane and a second beam being used to focus a reception beam in a second plane, orthogonal to the first plane. The focussing of the beam is obtained in the first plane by colored emission followed by a reception beam formation by computation, and in that the focussing of the beam is obtained in the second plane using reception beam formation by computation. The colored emission is carried out by combining antenna transmission sub-arrays in such a manner as to form a sum channel and a difference on reception channel according to the monopulse technique.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Patrick Le Bihan, Stéphane Kemkemian
  • Patent number: 8384587
    Abstract: A radar being carried by an aircraft includes means for transmitting an RF wave towards a target, said wave having a double form, a first waveform being composed of at least two sinusoids of different frequencies transmitted simultaneously, the radar comprising reception circuits receiving the signals reflected by the target and analysis means performing the detection of the target on the basis of the signals received. The second waveform is of the pulse type. The transmitted waveform is dependent on the relative speed of the target with respect to the carrier and on the absolute speed of the carrier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Patrick Garrec, Stéphane Kemkemian
  • Patent number: 8378885
    Abstract: Device and a method for locating a mobile object approaching a surface reflecting electromagnetic waves. The location device includes an emission antenna and a reception antenna. The emission antenna has one or more emission positions emitting a detection signal toward the mobile object. The reception antenna has at least one column of one or more reception positions, receiving a signal transmitted by the mobile object. An emission of the detection signal is activated on each emission position. An emission position that produces a detection by the reception antenna, of the signal of maximum energy transmitted by the mobile object, is selected to track the mobile object. One or more signals of maximum energy, received by one or more reception positions, are used to angularly locate the mobile object. The invention can be used to determine the position of an aircraft in the final landing phase for a guidance device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Eric Barraux, Patrick Garrec
  • Patent number: 8299958
    Abstract: An airborne radar device having a given angular coverage in elevation and in azimuth includes a transmit system, a receive system and processing means for carrying out target detection and location measurements. The transmit system includes: a transmit antenna made up of at least a first linear array of radiating elements focusing a transmit beam, said arrays being approximately parallel to one another; at least one waveform generator; means for amplifying the transmit signals produced by the waveform generator or generators; and means for controlling the transmit signals produced by the waveform generator or generators, said control means feeding each radiating element with a transmit signal. The radiating elements being controlled for simultaneously carrying out electronic scanning of the transmit beam in elevation and for colored transmission in elevation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Stépahne Kemkemian, Pascal Cornic, Patrick Le Bihan, Myriam Nouvel-Fiani
  • Patent number: 8265808
    Abstract: The invention relates to an automatic aircraft landing guidance system having an electromagnetic detecting and locating device, positioned on the ground and a first multifunction transmitting/receiving radiofrequency beacon, on board each guided aircraft and transmitting in particular a continuous wave. The detecting and locating device uses the continuous wave transmitted by the beacon to perform a passive locating intended to improve the accuracy of the measurement of the angular position of the aircraft. It also comprises means for generating and periodically transmitting to the aircraft, via the beacon, information enabling said aircraft to rejoin an optimum landing path from its position. The invention applies more particularly to the guidance of autonomous and automatic aircraft such as drones in the approach and landing phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Patrick Garrec, Pascal Cornic
  • Publication number: 20120212373
    Abstract: A system for measuring the radial speed of a moving body in a line of sight determined for a referential position includes an emitter assembly for emitting a signal and a referential receiver assembly dedicated to reception of said signal. The emitter assembly is disposed on a first of the elements of a group formed by the moving body and the referential position. The receiver assembly is disposed on a second of the elements of the group. The emitter assembly is able to emit a signal on at least two emission frequencies, said emission frequencies being separated by a chosen emission frequency gap. The system includes a means for analyzing the signal received by the receiver assembly, to measure the reception frequency gap separating the signal reception frequencies to calculate the radial speed of the moving body according to a function of the reception frequency gap and emission frequency gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2011
    Publication date: August 23, 2012
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Patrick Garrec, Pascal Cornic, Stéphane Kemkemian
  • Publication number: 20120081247
    Abstract: A radar includes a transmitting antenna and receiving antenna formed by an array of radiant elements. Antenna beams are calculated in P directions by a BFC function. Detections of a target by secondary lobes of the beams are processed by an algorithm comparing levels received in a distance-speed resolution cell, a single detection at most not being possible for each distance-speed resolution cell. Processing means use the assumption that there may probably be more than one echo with a signal-to-noise ratio that is sufficient to be detectable, for a given resolution cell of the radar, either in speed mode or in distance mode, or, alternatively, a distance-speed depending on the processing implemented; and, if there is more than one echo detectable for each resolution cell out of the plurality of beams formed by BFC, only the echo and BFC that obtain maximum power or maximum signal-to-noise ratio are/is considered valid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Publication date: April 5, 2012
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Stephane KEMKEMIAN, Pascal CORNIC, Patrick GARREC, Patrick LE BIHAN, Myriam NOUVEL-FIANI
  • Publication number: 20120001794
    Abstract: A system for response to a signal transmitted by a radar includes: a passive antenna capable of receiving and then backscattering a signal transmitted by said radar; a microwave switch connected to said antenna; at least two microwave lines each having a distinct impedance and being connected to the microwave switch; and a generator capable of generating a parametrizable control signal and sending it to the microwave switch so that it switches onto one or other of the microwave lines, so as to modulate the signal backscattered by said antenna.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2010
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Régis Levaufre, Pascal Cornic
  • Patent number: 8089328
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electronic switching device for high-frequency signals. The invention is of particular use in the connection between a microwave frequency antenna and an electronic circuit. This circuit comprises one or two access points designed to be connected to the antenna forming a third access point. In the case of a switch between one access point and the antenna (called an SPST switch), it comprises two switching diodes, one, called a serial diode, being connected in series between the access points and the other, called a shunt diode, between one of the access points and an earth of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignees: Thales, Groupe des Ecoles des Telecommunications/Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecoms Bretagne
    Inventors: Michel Bizien, Pascal Cornic, Jean-Philippe Coupez, Julien Boucher, Jérémie Hemery
  • Publication number: 20110248881
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a radar device with high angular accuracy. The solution provided by the invention simultaneously combines an interferometer that is accurate but, for example, ambiguous when receiving; and a space colouring mode when transmitting. The colouring of the space consists notably in transmitting on N transmitting antennas N orthogonal signals. These signals are then separated by filtering on reception using the orthogonality properties of the transmission signals. It is, for example, possible, with two contiguous antennas in transmission associated with two orthogonal codes to produce a single-pulse type system when transmitting. The invention applies notably to the obstacle sensing and avoidance function, also called “Sense & Avoid”.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 11, 2010
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Stéphane Kemkemian, Pascal Cornic, Patrick Le Bihan
  • Publication number: 20110221625
    Abstract: A radar device includes an antenna having at least two linear arrays of radiating elements being orthogonal to one another, a first array being used to focus a transmission beam in a first plane and a second beam being used to focus a reception beam in a second plane, orthogonal to the first plane. The focussing of the beam is obtained in the first plane by coloured emission followed by a reception beam formation by computation, and in that the focussing of the beam is obtained in the second plane using reception beam formation by computation. The coloured emission is carried out by combining antenna transmission sub-arrays in such a manner as to form a sum channel and a difference on reception channel according to the monopulse technique.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2010
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: THALES
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Patrick Le Bihan, Stéphane Kemkemian
  • Publication number: 20110215882
    Abstract: The invention relates to a printed circuit for high-frequency signals, and more particularly to interconnect means between transmission lines situated on different faces of the printed circuit. According to the invention, in the vicinity of the interconnect means, the transmission lines each extend in a main direction. The interconnect means comprise two vias each extending along an axis. In a plane containing the main direction of a first of the transmission lines and perpendicular to the face bearing the first transmission line, an orthogonal fix is formed whose abscissa is borne by the main direction of the first transmission line. The abscissae of the axes of the vias or of their projection on the plane, perpendicularly to the plane, are separate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Applicants: Thales, Groupe Des Telecommunications / Ecole Nationale Superierure Des Telecoms Bretagne
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Jean-Philippe Coupez, Jérémie Hemery, Julien Boucher
  • Publication number: 20110217853
    Abstract: A connection device for high frequency signals includes a printed circuit on one external face of which is printed a transmission line and a coaxial connector surface mounted on the printed circuit on the external face. The invention is of particular use for the transmission of radiofrequency signals in the X band, in particular for frequencies from 9 to 10 GHz. The transmission line is connected to the connector by means of a bump contact belonging to the transmission line to which is attached a central core of the connector. The printed circuit comprises at least one internal ground plane parallel to the external face and contributing to the matching of the transmission line. The invention aims to improve the transparency of the transition between the connector and the transmission line. According to the invention, the internal ground plane is perforated by means of a resist facing the bump contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Publication date: September 8, 2011
    Applicants: Thales, Groupe Des Telecommunications / Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Telecoms Bretagne
    Inventors: Pascal Cornic, Jean-Philippe Coupez, Jérémie Hemery, Julien Boucher