Patents by Inventor Zhanping Xu

Zhanping Xu 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: 11224849
    Abstract: The invention involves a scale collection device that is located within downflow reactor head for removing solids from feed streams to increase reactor operating cycle time without impact on effective reactor space for catalyst loading and reactor pressure drop. More particularly, a scale collection device is in an upper portion of a reactor vessel above a rough liquid distribution tray and a vapor-liquid distribution tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Pengfei Chen
  • Patent number: 11207650
    Abstract: The hydroprocessing reactor quench zone internals comprise a collection tray, a mixing chamber, a ring quench distributer, a rough liquid distribution tray, and a vapor-liquid distribution tray. The rough liquid distribution tray has a central pan for receiving vapor and liquid out of the mixing chamber and multiple fluid distribution troughs attached to the central pan that extended radially outwards with the outer end close to the reactor shell. The fluid distribution troughs can include at least one longitudinal baffle, or at least one cross baffle, or both, and optionally an end baffle. The baffles improve the liquid and/or vapor flow in the rough liquid distribution tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Rebecca Mudrock, Pengfei Chen, Zhanping Xu
  • Publication number: 20210356628
    Abstract: A three-dimensional camera having a micro lens (ML) array configured with variable ML height and variable ML shift is described herein. The ML array includes micro lens that are configured to direct backscattered light that is transmitted through an image lens into corresponding pixels. Heights of individual micro lenses within the ML array vary according to image height. For example, the height of micro lenses at the center of the ML array, near the axis of the image lens, may be relatively larger than the height of other micro lenses toward the perimeter of the ML array. Furthermore, the shift of individual micro lenses with respect to corresponding pixels may also vary according to the image height. For example, the shift of micro lenses at the center of the ML array may be relatively smaller than the shift of the other micro lenses toward the perimeter of the ML array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Vei-Han Chan
  • Publication number: 20210331132
    Abstract: Hydroprocessing reactor internals height reduction is achieved by placing a mixing chamber above the collection tray. The mixing chamber has spillways on the top (top spillways) and the side of the mixing chamber (side spillways) for fluid entry. The design of the spillways has a significant impact on pressure drop. The pressure drop is reduced by having wide shallow spillways rather than narrow and deep spillways without impacting mixing performance. With both side and top spillways, the height of the mixing chamber can be reduced significantly with minimal impact on fluid mixing and pressure drop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Pengfei Chen, John Christian Maley, Shree Prakash Pathak, Rebecca Mudrock, Nicholas W. Bridge
  • Patent number: 11154793
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for gas-liquid contacting and gas distribution in a bubble contactor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a gas-liquid distribution device that may be used in an ionic liquid co-current gas and liquid up-flow regenerator designed to distribute gas uniformly across the regenerator cross section through restriction orifices on a distribution plate with liquid upcomers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Emadoddin Abbasi
  • Patent number: 11148069
    Abstract: Multiple downcomer trays having increased active area for vapor-liquid contact and separation are described. The increased active area of the tray is achieved by adding raised bubble promoters surrounded by perforated vertical contactors on the tray deck. The bubble promoters and surrounding vertical contactors are located under the downcomers from the tray above. The bubble promoter and surrounding vertical contactor promote uniform fluid flow and contact.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Rebecca Mudrock
  • Publication number: 20210275938
    Abstract: Trays having increased capacity and efficiency are described. The trays have a deck, and downcomers extending through the deck. There are a plurality of bubble promoters on the deck. Each bubble promoter defines a zone on the deck, and the zone has an opening in the deck. The opening is positioned adjacent to a solid support for the tray. The bubble promoters provide areas through which vapor can passing, turning blocked areas of the tray into active areas. Mass transfer columns containing the trays are also described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2020
    Publication date: September 9, 2021
    Inventors: Brian J. Nowak, Zhanping Xu, Peter J. Wantuck
  • Patent number: 11079515
    Abstract: A three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D TOF) camera having a micro lens (ML) array configured with variable ML height and variable ML shift. The ML array includes micro lens that are configured to direct backscattered light that is transmitted through an image lens into corresponding pixels. Heights of individual micro lenses within the ML array vary according to image height. For example, the height of micro lenses at the center of the ML array, near the axis of the image lens, may be relatively larger than the height of other micro lenses toward the perimeter of the ML array. Furthermore, the shift of individual micro lenses with respect to corresponding pixels may also vary according to the image height. For example, the shift of micro lenses at the center of the ML array may be relatively smaller than the shift of the other micro lenses toward the perimeter of the ML array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Vei-Han Chan
  • Publication number: 20210190996
    Abstract: A three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D TOF) camera having a micro lens (ML) array configured with variable ML height and variable ML shift. The ML array includes micro lens that are configured to direct backscattered light that is transmitted through an image lens into corresponding pixels. Heights of individual micro lenses within the ML array vary according to image height. For example, the height of micro lenses at the center of the ML array, near the axis of the image lens, may be relatively larger than the height of other micro lenses toward the perimeter of the ML array. Furthermore, the shift of individual micro lenses with respect to corresponding pixels may also vary according to the image height. For example, the shift of micro lenses at the center of the ML array may be relatively smaller than the shift of the other micro lenses toward the perimeter of the ML array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Zhanping XU, Vei-Han CHAN
  • Publication number: 20210170300
    Abstract: Multiple downcomer trays having increased active area for vapor-liquid contact and separation are described. The increased active area of the tray is achieved by adding raised bubble promoters surrounded by perforated vertical contactors on the tray deck. The bubble promoters and surrounding vertical contactors are located under the downcomers from the tray above. The bubble promoter and surrounding vertical contactor promote uniform fluid flow and contact.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2019
    Publication date: June 10, 2021
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Rebecca Mudrock
  • Publication number: 20210088636
    Abstract: Examples are disclosed herein that relate to a time-of-flight camera that performs phase unwrapping in an efficient manner. In one example, a time-of-flight camera includes a light emitter, a sensor array, and a controller. The controller is configured to select a frequency mode from a plurality of frequency modes, each frequency mode including two or more different frequencies, and at least two different frequency modes of the plurality of frequency modes having a common frequency shared between the at least two frequency modes, control the light emitter to illuminate a scene with modulated light of the two or more different frequencies of the frequency mode selected, control the sensor array to receive the modulated light reflected from objects within the scene, and process the modulated light received to determine unwrapped phases for the frequency mode selected based on the two or more different frequencies of the frequency mode selected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Zhanping XU, Andrew Dean PAYNE, John Peter GODBAZ, Travis J. PERRY
  • Patent number: 10942274
    Abstract: A range camera operable to provide a range image of a scene and a picture of the scene, based on non-visible light and visible light registered for features in the scene on a same photosensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Abdelrehim Ahmed
  • Patent number: 10933344
    Abstract: A high capacity and high efficiency co-current and cross-flow vapor-liquid contacting apparatus and process is useful in distillation columns and other vapor-liquid contacting processes. The apparatus is characterized by an arrangement of offset contacting modules in horizontal stages. The modules define a co-current contacting volume and in an exemplary configuration the modules include a liquid distributor and a demister. Half modules comprise downcomers against the shell of the vessel for transporting liquid to the subjacent stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Zhanping Xu
  • Patent number: 10928489
    Abstract: A continuous wave time of flight (CW-TOF) camera that modulates sensitivity of its photosensor during an exposure period at a frequency of modulation of structured light that the camera transmits to illuminate a scene that it images but phase shifted relative to phase of the transmitted light by a sampling phase offset modified by a sequence of N perturbation phase shifts ?n=2?(n?1)/N, (1?n?N), and modifies the structured light in synchrony with the sequence of perturbation phase shifts to reduce error due to multipath interference in determining distances to features in the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Zhanping Xu
  • Publication number: 20210033731
    Abstract: Adaptive phase unwrapping for a time-of-flight camera. A scene is illuminated with modulation light having two or more frequencies that do not have a common integer denominator. The modulation light that is reflected off objects within the scene is received at a sensor array. The received modulation light is then processed and weighted in the complex domain to determine unwrapped phases for each of the two or more frequencies of modulation light.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2019
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Zhanping XU
  • Patent number: 10901087
    Abstract: A method of determining distances to features in a scene comprising transmitting structured light modulated at a modulation frequency to illuminate the scene with a structured illumination pattern and for each combination of a sampling phase offset ?k and a perturbation phase shift ?n, modulating sensitivity of a photo sensor at the frequency of modulation of the transmitted light, but phase shifted relative to phase of the transmitted light by a phase ?k,n=(?k+?n), and for each value of ?k,n modulo 360°, registering light reflected by features in the scene during a different exposure and using the registered light to provide a range image of the scene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventor: Zhanping Xu
  • Patent number: 10828616
    Abstract: A contacting device and method are presented for the collection, contacting, and distribution of fluids between particulate beds of a downflow vessel, which may operate in co-current flow. By one approach, the contacting device includes a liquid collection tray, a mixing channel in fluid communication with the liquid collection tray, and a liquid distribution zone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Zhanping Xu, Christopher Naunheimer, Pengfei Chen, Steven J. Lesniak
  • Patent number: 10809022
    Abstract: Processes for controlling the rate and temperature of cooling fluid through a heat exchange zone in, for example, an alkylation reactor using an ionic liquid catalyst. A cooling fluid system may be used to provide the cooling fluid which includes a chiller and a reservoir. The cooling fluid may pass from the reservoir through the heat exchange zone. A bypass line may be used to pass a portion of the cooling fluid around the heat exchange zone. The amount of cooling fluid may be adjusted, with a valve, based upon the temperature of the cooled process fluid flowing out of the heat exchange zone. Some of the cooling fluid from the chiller may be circulated back to the chiller in a chiller loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Gregory J. Schrad, James G. Hagen, Sean G. Mueller, Trung Pham, Zhanping Xu
  • Patent number: 10722861
    Abstract: Reactor systems for use with ionic liquid catalyst. The reactor systems include one or more stages, which include a reactor and a heat exchanger, and a separation zone. The reactor and the heat exchanger may have a vertical orientation. Additionally, a separation vessel may also include a vertical orientation. The heat exchanger may allow for linear flow of process fluid to control residence time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventors: Eric Leeton, Kurt Detrick, Christian D. Freet, David S. Lafyatis, Robert Mehlberg, Sean G. Mueller, Gregory J. Schrad, Zhanping Xu
  • Patent number: 10668442
    Abstract: The hydroprocessing reactor internals (HRI) have reduced height compared to standard HRI designs. The HRI height reduction is achieved by a more open design of a rough liquid distribution tray so that the required spaces above and below the tray for vapor flow are reduced. The hydroprocessing reactor quench zone internals comprise a collection tray, a rough liquid distribution tray, and a vapor-liquid distribution tray. Fluid mixing occurs above both the collection tray and the rough liquid distribution tray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: UOP LLC
    Inventor: Zhanping Xu