Patents by Inventor Armando De Los Santos

Armando De Los Santos 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: 20040068205
    Abstract: A system that remotely measures displacement between two objects. A passive sensor is affixed to each object, such that the sensors are substantially parallel. Each sensor has a permeable rod, a surrounding coil, and a tuning capacitor, and have substantially the same resonant frequency. When an interrogating device is placed near the sensors, the frequency responses of the sensors indicates their relative displacement and thus the displacement between the objects.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Applicant: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Susan W. Zogbi, Larry D. Canady, Jerome A. Helffrich, Stephen A. Cerwin, Kevin S. Honeyager, Armando de los Santos, Christopher B. Catterson
  • Patent number: 6656135
    Abstract: A system that remotely measures displacement between two objects. A passive sensor is affixed between the objects. The internal sensor uses magnetic coupling between two sensor elements to measure their relative displacement. The sensors are either a) a permeable rod and a complimentary coil in parallel with a tuning capacitor; or b) two permeable rods, each having its own surrounding coil and a tuning capacitor. One of the sensor elements is affixed to each object which is to be monitored. When an interrogating device is placed near the sensors, a resonance can be measured whose frequency characteristics change in a reproducible manner with the relative displacement of the sensors. The resulting resonance characteristics can be calibrated in such a way as to enable the displacement of the objects to be determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2003
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Susan W. Zogbi, Larry D. Canady, Jerome A. Helffrich, Stephen A. Cerwin, Kevin S. Honeyager, Armando de los Santos, Christopher B. Catterson
  • Patent number: 6573715
    Abstract: A method and apparatus (10) for detecting and measuring the amount of crude oil in underground rock formations. EPR measurements are used to calculate the amount of crude oil, and may be calibrated to determine the particular type of crude oil. These measurements may be used in conjunction with NMR measurements, to provide accurate estimations of pore size and permeability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: James D. King, Qingwen Ni, Armando De Los Santos
  • Publication number: 20020147416
    Abstract: A system that remotely measures displacement between two objects. A passive sensor is affixed between the objects. The internal sensor uses magnetic coupling between two sensor elements to measure their relative displacement. The sensors are either a) a permeable rod and a complimentary coil in parallel with a tuning capacitor; or b) two permeable rods, each having its own surrounding coil and a tuning capacitor. One of the sensor elements is affixed to each object which is to be monitored. When an interrogating device is placed near the sensors, a resonance can be measured whose frequency characteristics change in a reproducible manner with the relative displacement of the sensors. The resulting resonance characteristics can be calibrated in such a way as to enable the displacement of the objects to be determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2001
    Publication date: October 10, 2002
    Applicant: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Susan W. Zogbi, Larry D. Canady, Jerome A. Helffrich, Stephen A. Cerwin, Kevin S. Honeyager, Armando de los Santos, Christopher B. Catterson
  • Publication number: 20010028247
    Abstract: A method and apparatus (10) for detecting and measuring the amount of crude oil in underground rock formations. EPR measurements are used to calculate the amount of crude oil, and may be calibrated to determine the particular type of crude oil. These measurements may be used in conjunction with NMR measurements, to provide accurate estimations of pore size and permeability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2001
    Publication date: October 11, 2001
    Inventors: James D. King, Qingwen Ni, Armando De Los Santos
  • Patent number: 6268727
    Abstract: Various flowmeters (10, 70, 110, 120) each have an ESR sensor (13, 73, 112, 121) for measuring the crude oil fraction and/or velocity of a fluid containing crude oil. In combination with an NMR sensor or other sensors, a complete set of flow fraction, flow velocity, and flow rate measurements can be obtained for multiphase fluids containing gas, oil, water or any combination thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2001
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: J. Derwin King, Qingwen Ni, Armando De Los Santos
  • Patent number: 6046587
    Abstract: Various flowmeters (10, 70, 80) each have at least one NMR sensor (12, 72, 82) for measuring the various flow parameters of a flowing fluid. The NMR sensor may be used to provide a gradient magnetic field, which provides separate velocities when the fluid is multiphase (FIG. 10). The flowmeters may also be used to measure flow rate directly. The flowmeters may also be used to determine the separate flow fractions of a multiphase fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2000
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: J. Derwin King, Qingwen Ni, Armando De Los Santos
  • Patent number: 5594340
    Abstract: An apparatus for corring aqueous surfactant composition and sampling moisture content wherein the apparatus includes a device for delivering composition to a main collection port; a device for coring the composition in the main collection port to form a sample; a device for delivering the sample into an NMR sensor area; a device for measuring moisture level of the sample in the NMR sensor area; and a device for extracting the sample from the NMR sensor area or returning the sample to a main collection port which includes a cross feed piston assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Lever Brothers Company, Division of Conopco, Inc.
    Inventors: Laurie Coyle, Kevin M. Finucane, James D. King, Harold F. Donoho, Armando De Los Santos
  • Patent number: 5151695
    Abstract: A telemetric measuring device for measuring physical conditions of machinery having a periodically moving part. The device generates its own power with power generator that uses the periodic motion of the machinery to move a reciprocator slug inside a coil, and thereby opening and closing a magnetic circuit and generating a continuous alternating current. This current powers a transmitter that receives output from a multi-channel switch for a number of sensors. The transmitter delivers a radio frequency signal, whose frequency is a function of the condition being measured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1990
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1992
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: William L. Rollwitz, Armando De Los Santos, William D. Perry, Robert W. Burrahm, James K. Davis
  • Patent number: 5122746
    Abstract: A method of using a transient NMR response signal to determine physical properties of gases, specifically calorific content and compressibility, while the gas is in-line. The amplitude of the free induction decay signal, as well as relaxation time constants, are used to identify components of a gas mixture and to determine relative composition. This data is then used to calculate calorific value and compressibility as a function of the hydrogen content of components of the gas rather than as a function of the total hydrogen content of the gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1992
    Assignee: Gas Research Institute
    Inventors: James D. King, William L. Rollwitz, Colin I. Nicholls, Armando De Los Santos
  • Patent number: 4514691
    Abstract: This method and apparatus are directed to baggage inspection, and more particularly, baggage inspection to locate explosives. In the preferred and illustrated embodiment, a conveyor system is utilized to transport a bag past a first magnet to achieve an initial nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) polarization of a selected element. The element in the preferred embodiment is hydrogen, it being noted that hydrogen in explosives has a long T.sub.1 and a short T.sub.2. The first magnet provides an initial polarization. The bag continues on the conveyor belt past a second magnet. The second magnet provides the measurement field intensity and a coil contains an interacting RF forming the interrogation pulses. Echos are received. In the preferred embodiment, first and subsequent second echos are received and stored. The two signals are subtracted from one another to a null. The NMR response of elemental hydrogen in compounds typified by explosives (having a long T.sub.1 and short T.sub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1983
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1985
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Armando De Los Santos, James D. King, William L. Rollwitz, George A. Matzkanin, Phillip A. Hornung