Patents by Inventor A. John Santos

A. John 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).

  • Patent number: 6700367
    Abstract: A bearing provided with an annular means generating magnetic pulses and with a device for detecting these pulses, wherein the detection device comprises a plurality of aligned sensitive elements. The sensitive elements are placed equidistantly from one another and the detection device comprises an even number 2N of sensitive elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Mark E. LaCroix, Pascal Desbiolles
  • Publication number: 20030121731
    Abstract: A bearing encoder is used with two or three Hall effect sensors. One sensor is used to provide a high resolution quadrature signal for speed control, and the other sensor or sensors provide a low resolution signal that may be used as a rescue encoder quadrature signal and/or an ANSI speedcheck encoder signal. The device is suitable for elevator control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2002
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Applicant: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Mark E. LaCroix
  • Patent number: 6573710
    Abstract: A sensor of position and/or of displacement of a moving member generating magnetic pulses. The sensor comprises a plurality of aligned sensitive elements that are divided into at least two subassemblies. The signals emanating from the subassemblies are processed by an electronic circuit able to deliver two analog signals in substantially perfect quadrature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Mark E. LaCroix, Pascal Desbiolles
  • Patent number: 6568696
    Abstract: An angle sensor is used for determining the relative position of a steerable wheel hub, relative to a fixed wheel mounting hub. The angle sensor has a portion mounted on the fixed hub, but received in a recess in the kingpin. The kingpin has a central bore that receives a movable shaft of the sensor which is driven by the kingpin. As the steerable wheel hub is steered, it rotates about the axis of the kingpin and rotates the kingpin. The kingpin drives the shaft of the sensor to provide for an indication of the amount of pivotal movement between the wheel hub and the wheel mounting hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2003
    Assignee: Clark Equipment Company
    Inventors: Jason A. Osborn, Neil A. Fuchs, Kenneth R. Weber, A. John Santos, Arnold M. Terrill
  • Patent number: 6515471
    Abstract: Two lines of magnets have the same length and are aligned side by side. The lines of magnets have different numbers of magnetic pole pairs and have equal line lengths. A first sensor determines a relative position between poles of a pole pair of the first line of magnets, and a second sensor determines a relative position between poles of a pole pair of the second line of magnets. A circuit compares the relative positions determined by the sensors to determine an absolute position of the first line of magnets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventor: A. John Santos
  • Patent number: 6486653
    Abstract: A sensor for sensing the rotation of an output shaft of a motor used for driving a vehicle includes a disc on the output shaft that carries magnets facing toward a motor carrier and the motor. The motor carrier has an annular recess open on a side facing away from the motor, and a Hall effect sensor is placed in this recess and held with a T-shaped bracket having a tang that supports the Hall effect sensor partially in this annular recess for protecting it and positioning it adjacent the magnets on the disc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2002
    Assignee: Clark Equipment Company
    Inventors: Jason A. Osborn, Neil A. Fuchs, Kenneth R. Weber, Corey L. Fornes, A. John Santos, Arnold M. Terrill
  • Patent number: 6414479
    Abstract: A drawn cup wheel bearing is mounted within an axle tube and supports an axle shaft mounted in the drawn cup wheel bearing with a vehicle mounting flange of the axle shaft positioned axially outwardly of the axle tube. An annular target is supported from the vehicle mounting flange of the axle shaft such that the target is positioned axially inwardly of the vehicle mounting flange and is positioned over the axle tube. A sensor is supported from the axle tube over the annular target for sensing rotation of the annular target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2002
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: Mark E. LaCroix, A. John Santos, Stephen T. Podhajecki
  • Publication number: 20020070520
    Abstract: An angle sensor is used for determining the relative position of a steerable wheel hub, relative to a fixed wheel mounting hub. The angle sensor has a portion mounted on the fixed hub, but received in a recess in the kingpin. The kingpin has a central bore that receives a movable shaft of the sensor which is driven by the kingpin. As the steerable wheel hub is steered, it rotates about the axis of the kingpin and rotates the kingpin. The kingpin drives the shaft of the sensor to provide for an indication of the amount of pivotal movement between the wheel hub and the wheel mounting hub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Publication date: June 13, 2002
    Inventors: Jason A. Osborn, Neil A. Fuchs, Kenneth R. Weber, A. John Santos, Arnold M. Terrill
  • Publication number: 20020070727
    Abstract: A sensor for sensing the rotation of an output shaft of a motor used for driving a vehicle includes a disc on the output shaft that carries magnets facing toward a motor carrier and the motor. The motor carrier has an annular recess open on a side facing away from the motor, and a Hall effect sensor is placed in this recess and held with a T-shaped bracket having a tang that supports the Hall effect sensor partially in this annular recess for protecting it and positioning it adjacent the magnets on the disc.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 8, 2000
    Publication date: June 13, 2002
    Inventors: Jason A. Osborn, Neil A. Fuchs, Kenneth R. Weber, Corey L. Fornes, A. John Santos, Arnold M. Terrill
  • Publication number: 20020067158
    Abstract: A drawn cup wheel bearing is mounted within an axle tube and supports an axle shaft mounted in the drawn cup wheel bearing with a vehicle mounting flange of the axle shaft positioned axially outwardly of the axle tube. An annular target is supported from the vehicle mounting flange of the axle shaft such that the target is positioned axially inwardly of the vehicle mounting flange and is positioned over the axle tube. A sensor is supported from the axle tube over the annular target for sensing rotation of the annular target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2000
    Publication date: June 6, 2002
    Inventors: Mark E. LaCroix, A. John Santos, Stephen T. Podhajecki
  • Patent number: 6400143
    Abstract: The invention relates to a digital sensor of relative position, which has a circular multipolar magnetic ring which is mobile in rotation opposite a stationary magnetic sensor comprised of at least two sensitive elements, respectively positioned facing a main track and a “revolution tick” reference track, and a device for processing of the output signals, such that on the magnetic ring, a magnetic pattern is produced from a pair of north and south poles whose transition is different from the transition between the other north and south poles of the magnetic ring, and of which the angular width of the north pole is different at the site of the “revolution tick” reference track. The sensitive elements can be three in number, the first of which faces reference track and of which the other two face the main track, or they can be produced in the form of two parallel bars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: Francis Travostino, A. John Santos, Mark E. LaCroix, Stephen J. Lyle
  • Patent number: 6307365
    Abstract: A method for determining position and/or direction of a target, where the target has a series of magnetic poles with a magnetic pole spacing d.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Mark E. LaCroix, Pascal Desbiolles
  • Patent number: 6007250
    Abstract: An outer ring has a spherically convex outer surface mounted within a bore of a housing such that the outer ring may be misaligned with respect to the axis of the bore. A sensor target is mounted on an inner ring that is rotatable with respect to the outer ring, and a seal is mounted on the outer ring. A sensor is mounted on the seal in proximity to the sensor target, and a flexible electrical conductor is connected to the sensor for transmitting signals from the sensor. A portion of the flexible electrical conductor is fixed with respect to the housing. Circuitry may be electrically connected to the flexible electrical conductor. The flexible conductor and circuitry may be provided by a flexible circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: Michael C. Brauer, John C Hanson, Mark LaCroix, A. John Santos
  • Patent number: 5898301
    Abstract: Magnetic poles are regularly spaced along a path to form a magnetic track. Some of the magnetic poles are separated by regular pole junctions aligned uniformly with respect to the path of the magnetic track. At least two of the magnetic poles are separated by a skewed irregular pole junction aligned such that a sensor near an edge of the magnetic track will sense a wide pole and a narrow pole to allow an index signal to be produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 27, 1999
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: Mark E. La Croix, A. John Santos, Stephen J. Lyle
  • Patent number: 5711278
    Abstract: A sensor senses a reference signal having a reference pulse characterizing angular position of a rotating member and an angular clock pulse characterizing the rotational speed of the rotating member and having an angular clock pulse frequency greater than the reference pulse frequency. An output signal is produced having an output pulse delayed with respect to the reference pulse of the reference signal by an integral number of angular clock pulses to provide a coarse adjustment. The output signal may be delayed by an additional fraction of a subsequent angular clock pulse to provide a fine adjustment. A circuit to effect this method is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Mark E. LaCroix
  • Patent number: 5442313
    Abstract: Peak and valley voltages of signals from at least two analog sensors are held by the circuit. A plurality of threshold voltages is generated from the previous peak and valley voltages of the respective analog sensors. The signal of each sensor is compared to the respective threshold voltages to produce a sequences of output transitions for each sensor. The output transitions are combined such that each sequence of output transitions from each analog sensor occurs between sequences of the other analog sensor (or sensors). An optional peak and valley reset is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 15, 1995
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Mark E. LaCroix
  • Patent number: 5089817
    Abstract: A high resolution encoder having a relatively high number of magnetic pole pairs with a magnetic flux strength sufficient for use in high resolution applications. Magnetic pole pair spacing varies from about 0.01 inch to about 0.1 inch with each magnetic pole pair having a magnetic flux in the range of about 2 gauss to about 700 gauss at a distance of 0.036 inch at a temperature of +20 degrees centigrade. This high resolution encoder is especially well-suited for use with magnetically encoded targets in sensor bearings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Michael C. Brauer
  • Patent number: 4987415
    Abstract: A high resolution encoder having a relatively high number of magnetic pole pairs with a magnetic flux strength sufficient for use in high resolution applications. Magnetic pole pair spacing varies from about 0.010 inch to about 0.050 inch with each magnetic pole pair having a magnetic flux in the range of about 2 gauss to about 700 gauss at a distance of 0.036 inch at a temperature of +20 degrees centigrade. This high resolution encoder is especially well-suited for use with magnetically encoded targets in sensor bearings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 1989
    Date of Patent: January 22, 1991
    Assignee: The Torrington Company
    Inventors: A. John Santos, Michael C. Brauer