Patents Assigned to Virginia Tech
  • Patent number: 9708415
    Abstract: The present invention relates to esters of diacids and cellulosic materials and methods for making thereof. The ester has the chemical composition of Formula (I) Formula I where R1, R2, and R3 can be the same or different, and each of which is selected from —H, —COR?, —R??, or —COR? COOH, with the proviso that at least one of the R1, R2, or R3 is —COR? COOH; R? is an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, or aromatic group; R? is an alkyl, alkenyl, or alkynyl group having 4 or more carbon atoms (?C4); and R?? is an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, polyol, or aromatic group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Edgar, Nilanjana Kar
  • Publication number: 20170197175
    Abstract: An energy-efficient method of removing carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other acid gases from a stream of flue gases. The flue stream is contacted with a predetermined sorbent system to remove acid gases from the flue stream. The acid gas-rich sorbent is then heated to desorb the acid gas for capture and regenerate the sorbent. Heat exchangers and heat pumps are used to reduce utility steam and/or cooling water consumption.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2015
    Publication date: July 13, 2017
    Applicant: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart J. Higgins, Yih-An Liu, Yueying Yu
  • Patent number: 9705538
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure describe methods, apparatuses, and systems related to a wireless communication device using time-variant antenna. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignees: INTEL CORPORATION, VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Seong-Youp Suh, W. Dawson Kesling, Majid Manteghi, Mohsen Salehi, Harry Skinner
  • Publication number: 20170173143
    Abstract: The present invention provides a novel chimeric porcine circovirus infectious DNA clone and live attenuated chimeric virus with the PCV2, preferably of subtype PCV2b, capsid gene integrated into a non-pathogenic PCV1 virus genome. In a particular embodiment, the PCV2 capids gene is of subtype PCV2b, the predominant subtype circulating in pigs worldwide. The attenuated chimeric virus, designated PCV1-2b, effectively protects pigs from PCV2b challenges, and can be used as a live vaccine, as well as an inactivated (killed) vaccine, that provides protection and cross protection against PCV2b and PCV2a subtypes infection. The live attenuated vaccine of the present invention is also effective protecting pigs from porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Applicant: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiang-Jin Meng, Nathan M. Beach, Sheela Ramamoorthy
  • Patent number: 9685790
    Abstract: Approximately one-half of the loss of delivered power from a solar panel having photovoltaic (PV) cells connected in series to form sub-panels due to shading is recovered at low hardware cost by connecting sub-panels in series and providing maximum power point tracking control in common for the series connected sub-panels such that the respective sub-panels produce equal voltages even in the presence of shading of a portion of one or more sub-panels. By doing so, the input voltage of respective power converters which control the voltage at which each sub-panel is operated can be placed close to the maximum power point of each sub-panel regardless of shading and maximum total power harvested even though the respective sub-panels are not operated at optimum voltages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Xinke Wu, Zijian Wang, Fred C. Lee, Feng Wang
  • Patent number: 9678521
    Abstract: Peak current, valley current or average current mode controlled power converters in either digital or analog implementations obtain a stabilized feedback loop and allow high system bandwidth design by use of an external ramp generator using a slope computation equation or design parameters based on fixing the quality factor of a double pole at one-half of the switching frequency at a desired value The slope of the external ramp waveform is tuned automatically with knowledge of the slope change in the waveform of inductor current of a power converter derived by differentiating a waveform in the current feedback loop. This autotuning of the external ramp generator provides immunity of quality factor change under variations of duty cycle, component values of topological change of the power converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Pei-Hsin Liu, Fred C. Lee, Yingyi Yan, Paolo Mattavelli
  • Patent number: 9663835
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention overcome the well-known recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass in an economically viable manner. A process and system are provided for the efficient fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose sugars, lignin, and acetic acid. The cellulose thus obtained is highly amorphous and can be readily converted into glucose using known methods. Fermentable hemicellulose sugars, low-molecular-weight lignin, and purified acetic acid are also major products of the process and system. The modest process conditions and low solvent/solid ratios of some embodiments of the invention imply relatively low capital and processing costs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventor: Y. H. Percival Zhang
  • Patent number: 9660643
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a power device that includes an upper power module and a lower power module. The upper power module and the lower power module are coupled in series between two supply voltages, and are respectively controlled by a first control signal and a second control signal. Interconnections of the power device are inductively coupled to prevent reliability issues, such as crosstalk, self turn on, self sustained oscillation, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Chi-Ming Wang, Yincan Mao, Zichen Miao, Khai Ngo
  • Patent number: 9642371
    Abstract: Provided are methods and compositions for controlling at least one plant. Methods and compositions can comprise at least one strain of Colletotrichum spp., such as Colletotrichum fioriniae TR-123, Colletotrichum fioriniae TR-126, and combinations thereof. Methods and compositions of the invention are useful, for example, for controlling Toxicodendron radicans and/or Schinus terebinthifolus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Jelesko, Matthew Kasson
  • Patent number: 9645035
    Abstract: An apparatus imparts motion to a test object such as a motor vehicle in a controlled fashion. A base has mounted on it a linear electromagnetic motor having a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the base. A pneumatic cylinder and piston combination have a first end and a second end, the first end connected to the base so that the pneumatic cylinder and piston combination is generally parallel with the linear electromagnetic motor. The second ends of the linear electromagnetic motor and pneumatic cylinder and piston combination being commonly linked to a mount for the test object. A control system for the linear electromagnetic motor and pneumatic cylinder and piston combination drives the pneumatic cylinder and piston combination to support a substantial static load of the test object and the linear electromagnetic motor to impart controlled motion to the test object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignees: Roehrig Engineering, Inc., Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen C. Southward, Chandler Reubush, Bryan Pittman, Kurt Roehrig, Doug Gerard
  • Publication number: 20170122286
    Abstract: The present invention relates to airfoils having surface treatments to reduce trailing edge noise. The surface treatment is designed to reduce trailing edge noise by modifying the boundary layer turbulence as it approaches the trailing edge. The surface treatment accomplishes its function by breaking up spanwise-oriented turbulence approaching the trailing edge, thereby reducing the spanwise correlation lengthscales; deflecting the boundary layer turbulence away from the edge; and/or creating spanwise vortices or instability waves to reduce the turbulence-edge interaction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Publication date: May 4, 2017
    Applicant: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: William Nathan Alexander, William J. Devenport, Ian A. Clark, Justin W. Jaworski, Stewart Glegg, Nigel Peake, Conor Daly
  • Patent number: 9634673
    Abstract: Wobbling the operating frequency of a phase-locked loop (PLL), preferably by adding a periodic variation is feedback gain or delay in reference signal phase allows the avoidance of any non-detection zone that might occur due to exact synchronization of the phase locked loop operating frequency with a reference signal. If the change in PLL operating frequency is periodic, it can be made of adequate speed variation to accommodate and time requirement for islanding detection or the like when a reference signal being tracked by the PLL is lost. Such wobbling of the PLL operating frequency is preferably achieved by addition a periodic variable gain in a feedback loop and/or adding a periodically varying phase delay in a reference signal and/or PLL output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Dong Dong, Dushan Boroyevich, Paolo Mattavelli
  • Publication number: 20170110880
    Abstract: Aspects of non-linear droop control are described herein. In one embodiment, a system includes a first power converter or source configured to provide power to a bus, a second power converter or source configured to provide power to the bus, and a load electrically coupled to the bus. The system also includes a controller configured to adjust a droop resistance associated with the first power source according to a continuous non-linear function based on an amount of current supplied to the load by the first power source. The system can also include a second controller configured to adjust a droop resistance associated with the second power source according to the continuous non-linear function (or another continuous non-linear function). The use of the continuous non-linear functions achieves tighter voltage regulation particularly at lower loads and better load sharing at higher loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Applicant: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Fang Chen, Rolando Burgos, Dushan Boroyevich
  • Patent number: 9618555
    Abstract: A method for impedance measurement using chirp signal injection is provided. The method includes injecting at least one chirp signal into the three-phase AC system, and collecting at least one response to the at least one chirp signal. The method further includes transferring the at least one response from abc coordinates to dq coordinates. At least one impedance is calculated based on the at least one response to the at least one chirp signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignees: Huntington Ingalls Incorporated, Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Jacob Verhulst, Mohamed Belkhayat, Zhiyu Shen, Marko Jaksic, Paolo Mattavelli, Dushan Boroyevich
  • Patent number: 9610344
    Abstract: The present invention provides a novel chimeric porcine circovirus infectious DNA clone and live attenuated chimeric virus with the PCV2, preferably of subtype PCV2b, capsid gene integrated into a non-pathogenic PCV1 virus genome. In a particular embodiment, the PCV2 capids gene is of subtype PCV2b, the predominant subtype circulating in pigs worldwide. The attenuated chimeric virus, designated PCV1-2b, effectively protects pigs from PCV2b challenges, and can be used as a live vaccine, as well as an inactivated (killed) vaccine, that provides protection and cross protection against PCV2b and PCV2a subtypes infection. The live attenuated vaccine of the present invention is also effective protecting pigs from porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Xiang-Jin Meng, Nathan M. Beach, Sheela Ramamoorthy
  • Patent number: 9598691
    Abstract: The present invention provides engineered tissue scaffolds, engineered tissues, and methods of using them. The scaffolds and tissues are derived from natural tissues and are created using non-thermal irreversible electroporation (IRE). Use of IRE allows for ablation of cells of the tissue to be treated, but allows vascular and neural structures to remain essentially unharmed. Use of IRE thus permits preparation of thick tissue scaffolds and tissues due to the presence of vasculature within the scaffolds. The engineered tissues can be used in methods of treating subjects, such as those in need of tissue replacement or augmentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventor: Rafael V. Davalos
  • Patent number: 9601997
    Abstract: Operation of a switching power converter having an output capacitor having a small equivalent series resistance (ESR) is stabilized and jitter reduced by sensing capacitor current with gain and combining the resulting signal with the output voltage signal to provide a feedback signal to control switching of the power converter. capacitor current can be sensed without interfering with operation of the filter capacitor by providing a branch circuit having a time constant matched to the output or filter capacitor but an arbitrarily high impedance so as to be effectively lossless. The gain provided in the capacitor current signal can be tuned to provide optimally short settling time after load transients; generally within one switching cycle. Matching of time constants and/or tuning of gain can be performed automatically.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Yingyi Yan, Pei-Hsin Liu, Fred C. Lee
  • Patent number: 9589718
    Abstract: At least one shield member interposed between primary and secondary windings of a transformer and connected to the primary and/or secondary windings forms a distributed parasitic capacitance between the shield member and either the winding to which it is not connected or another shield member connected to that winding. Connections are made to the respective transformer windings such that the voltage distributions thus developed cause complementary common mode noise to be conducted in opposite directions in respective portions of the parasitic capacitance such that net common mode current can be made arbitrarily small without requiring that both sides of the distributed parasitic capacitance have complementary or equal voltage distributions. Such complementary common mode currents can be achieved by dividing opposing shield members or developing a voltage distribution in a single shield member in accordance with Faraday's Law.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuchen Yang, Daocheng Huang, Qiang Li, Fred C. Lee
  • Patent number: 9585951
    Abstract: The present invention provides a novel chimeric porcine circovirus infectious DNA clone and live attenuated chimeric virus with the PCV2, preferably of subtype PCV2b, capsid gene integrated into a non-pathogenic PCV1 virus genome. In a particular embodiment, the PCV2 capids gene is of subtype PCV2b, the predominant subtype circulating in pigs worldwide. The attenuated chimeric virus, designated PCV1-2b, effectively protects pigs from PCV2b challenges, and can be used as a live vaccine, as well as an inactivated (killed) vaccine, that provides protection and cross protection against PCV2b and PCV2a subtypes infection. The live attenuated vaccine of the present invention is also effective protecting pigs from porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2017
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Xiang-Jin Meng, Nathan M. Beach, Sheela Ramamoorthy
  • Patent number: 9584116
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide a power circuit that includes a first switch circuit in parallel with a second switch circuit. The first switch circuit and the second switch circuit are coupled to a first driving node, a second driving node, a source node and a drain node via interconnections. The power circuit receives a control signal between the first driving node and the second driving node to control a current flowing from the drain node to the source node through the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit. In the power circuit, a first interconnection and a second interconnection of the interconnections are inductively coupled to balance the current flowing through the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignees: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Yincan Mao, Chi-Ming Wang, Zichen Miao, Khai Ngo