Device and method for subjecting a flying insect to lethal radiation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11317618-B2
Application number	US-201917042420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2019
Priority date	Mar 27, 2018
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

A device for subjecting a flying insect to lethal radiation. The device has a measurement beam source for producing a measurement beam, a deflection unit for deflecting the measurement beam, a lethal radiation source for producing a lethal beam and a measurement beam detector. The measurement detector has a photodetector element, the deflection unit and the measurement beam detector are arranged and cooperate such that the measurement beam sweeps the detector surface of the measurement beam detector. The device includes an evaluation unit connected to the measurement detector and the lethal light source to determine an attenuation time period of an attenuation of the measurement beam between the deflection unit and the detector surface and to control the lethal light source depending on said attenuation time to emit a lethal beam impulse. A method for subjecting a flying insect to lethal radiation is also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for subjecting a flying insect to exterminating radiation, the device comprising:
a unit beam source ( 1 ) for generating a measurement beam,
a deflection unit ( 8 ) for deflecting the measurement beam,
an exterminating beam source ( 2 ) for generating an exterminating beam,
a measurement beam detector having a photodetector element ( 6 , 7 ),
the deflection unit ( 8 ) and the measurement beam detector are arranged and configured to interact with one another such that the measurement beam ( 1 a ) scans a detector surface of the measurement beam detector, and
an evaluation unit ( 4 ) connected to the measurement beam detector and the exterminating light source that is configured to ascertain an attenuation duration of an attenuation of the measurement beam between the deflection unit ( 8 ) and the detector surface and to actuate the exterminating light source so as to output an exterminating beam pulse based on the attenuation duration.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the photodetector element ( 6 , 7 ) is a perovskite photodetector element.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector surface of the measurement beam detector has a length of at least 10 cm.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an upper limit for the attenuation duration in a range from 0.5 μs to 20 μs is predefined by the evaluation unit ( 4 ).

5. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the exterminating beam source ( 2 ) and the deflection unit ( 8 ) are arranged to interact with one another such that the exterminating beam is deflectable by way of the deflection unit ( 8 ).

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the deflection unit ( 8 ) has a mobile mirror element.

7. The device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the measurement beam and the exterminating beam do not impinge on the mobile mirror element in parallel.

8. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a beam path of the exterminating beam does not run parallel with a beam path of the measurement beam upstream of the mobile mirror element, the beam path of the exterminating beam is adapted to be rotated with respect to the beam path of the measurement beam by a predefined angle in a direction of rotation of the mobile mirror element upstream of the mobile mirror element.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the predefined angle is selected so as to compensate a rotation of the mobile mirror element for a predefined time interval.

10. The device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the measurement beam and the exterminating beam impinge on the mobile mirror element at a predefined angle relative to one another.

11. The device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the mobile mirror is a rotating mirror.

12. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector surface of the detector element is formed by a detector surface of a perovskite photodetector element.

13. The device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the detector surface of the detector element is connected to a detector surface of a perovskite photodetector element in a light-guiding manner by a light guide element, and the detector surface is than the detector surface of the perovskite photodetector element.

14. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a unit beam source ( 3 ) includes both the unit beam source ( 1 ) and the exterminating beam source ( 2 ), and the device has a beam intensity control unit for the unit beam source ( 3 ) that is connected to the evaluation unit ( 4 ) in order, on the basis of control signals from the evaluation unit ( 4 ), to generate the measurement beam with a measurement beam intensity or the exterminating beam with an exterminating intensity higher than the measurement beam intensity.

15. The device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one fixed mirror element arranged in a beam path of the measurement beam and the exterminating beam between the deflection unit ( 8 ) and the measurement beam detector, the detection surface comprises a plurality of flat surfaces, and the detection surface is arranged along at least two edge surfaces of a building opening.

16. The device as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the detection surface runs along at least two walls of a room.

17. A method for subjecting a flying insect to exterminating radiation, comprising the steps of:
a. generating a measurement beam and deflecting the measurement beam such that the measurement beam ( 1 a ) scans a detector surface of a measurement beam detector having a perovskite photodetector element;
b. detecting an attenuation duration of an attenuation of the measurement beam by way of the measurement beam detector, and
c. generating an exterminating beam pulse when the attenuation duration is in a predefined range.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the measurement beam scans the detector surface over a length of at least 10 cm.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the measurement beam ( 1 a ) and exterminating beam are deflected by way of the deflection element.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising detecting a flying insect with the measurement beam.

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Zur Forderung Angewandten Forschung E V
• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Hinsch Andreas
• Wagner Lukas

Classifications

• A01M1/026 Primary

  combined with devices for monitoring insect presence, e.g. termites (bait stations A01M1/2005; detecting other animals in a given area A01M31/002) · CPC title

• G01J1/429

  applied to measurement of ultraviolet light (using counting tubes G01T) · CPC title

• G01J1/0403

  Mechanical elements; Supports for optical elements; Scanning arrangements · CPC title

• A01M1/226 Primary

  by using waves, fields or rays, e.g. sound waves, microwaves, electric waves, magnetic fields, light rays · CPC title

• A01M2200/012

  Flying insects · CPC title