ES1326036U - Device for detecting crawling insects - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for detecting crawling insects, comprising: - a housing (1) with an opening (2) capable of allowing an insect to enter a hollow interior space (3) in which it has means for attracting the insect; - means for detecting the presence of the insect; - a device for capturing images of the interior space (3); and - means for wireless connection with an external electronic device having an integrated computer application; characterized in that the detection means are formed by an infrared barrier sensor (4) having an active position for detecting the entry of an insect through the opening (2) and an inactive position the rest of the time, and in that it comprises - an electronic control board connected to the detection means and to the image capture device, configured to allow a working position of the capture device for the active position of the detection means and a rest position of said capture device for the inactive position of the detection means; {1.} A device according to claim 1, wherein the housing (1) comprises an internal compartment (8) separate from the internal compartment (3) for containing the electronic board, the temperature and/or humidity sensor, and the power supply. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0003] Device for detecting crawling insects

[0005] Technical field of the invention

[0007] The present invention corresponds to the technical field of crawling insects and devices for detecting them, which are formed by a housing that has inside means of attracting the insect, as well as means of detection and a device for capturing images of the detected insect.

[0009] Background of the Invention

[0011] Insects are part of our ecosystem. As with any other species, they all have their place and function in maintaining a sustainable balance within that ecosystem. The problem arises when, due to a change in environmental conditions, a proliferation of one of these species occurs, causing a plague that is usually associated with problems and complications for the other elements that make up the environment.

[0013] There are many types of these insects, including crawling insects, which live on the ground and, although some may have wings, are unable to fly or fly only occasionally. Some are parasites that live on a host and bite to feed, while others live close to the ground and can cause hygiene problems and transmit diseases.

[0015] In addition to the unpleasant sensation of finding one of these insects inside the home, they represent a significant hygiene and health problem, so you should be alert to eliminate them if they appear in your house.

[0017] There are some of them, such as cockroaches, that normally live in kitchens and bathrooms, taking advantage of the available food and shelters that humans offer them.

[0019] Cockroaches and other crawling insects also inhabit crops, and if the right conditions are present, they can increase exponentially in number, becoming pests. In the case of cockroaches, prolonged periods of drought are very favorable for a worrying increase in the colony.

[0021] Although cockroaches do not directly attack crops because they do not usually eat them, they are very undesirable when it comes to maintaining warehouse hygiene because they transmit diseases, viruses and bacteria by touching food, thus potentially affecting human health.

[0023] In the case of other crawling insects that do affect crops, their presence is usually detected by observing the damage they cause to the plant or the remains left by the pests near where they fed. Identifying a pest and developing control strategies often involves understanding the different ways insects feed on plants, as insects in each group have characteristic damage patterns that can help identify the specific insect causing the damage and, consequently, determine the appropriate treatment.

[0025] However, this method of detection implies that the pest already exists and is fully developed, and in most cases it is detected when it already has uncontrolled levels that are much more difficult to reverse.

[0027] To avoid these situations, devices have been developed that allow the detection of the presence of insects in an area and control their growth, generating alerts that allow the problem to be addressed early in order to reduce the population of the specific type of insect and prevent recolonization, thus ensuring that crops are affected to the least extent possible.

[0029] These devices allow for insect control using traps that attract them. Sensors detect the insects, and a camera records or photographs them, sending the image to an electronic device that monitors their presence.

[0031] These devices have certain drawbacks, as they usually need a connection to a power outlet, which means they don't have the freedom to place them anywhere and, although in homes or urban areas this may not be a problem, in farming areas it is a problem to have electrical outlets in open fields.

[0032] Furthermore, it has been shown that the detection methods used in these devices are motion detectors that perceive the infrared radiation emitted by bodies. However, in practice, it has been demonstrated that these detectors are indeed suitable for rodents, which are larger and have a noticeable body temperature, but are generally ineffective against small insects such as cockroaches or other small insects.

[0034] In addition, they present a problem of reliability of the results, because in the event that these devices stop working, the technicians are not aware of it until they carry out a check, so, until that moment, they may record the lack of alerts as an absence of insects, without appreciating that what is really happening is that the device is not working correctly.

[0036] To solve this problem, some devices have a camera that takes a picture at regular intervals. If an insect has entered the trap and become stuck, the photo reveals its presence, providing a record. The absence of periodic photos would indicate a device malfunction, although this results in higher energy consumption. Furthermore, these devices require continuous monitoring by a technician who must check the images sent by the device for the presence of insects, thus increasing associated costs.

[0038] On the other hand, these cameras can pose a privacy problem when they are located in open spaces.

[0040] It is therefore necessary to find a way to solve these problems by means of a device that allows early detection of the insect by a safe means and that allows the lack of reliability to be eliminated in a simpler and more autonomous way.

[0042] Description of the invention

[0044] The crawling insect detection device presented herein comprises a housing with an opening capable of allowing an insect to enter an interior hollow space in which it has means for attracting the insect, means for detecting the presence of the insect, a device for capturing images of the interior space, and means for wireless connection with an external electronic device having an integrated computer application.

[0046] In this device the detection means consist of an infrared barrier sensor which is in an active position when it detects the entry of an insect through the opening and in an inactive position the rest of the time.

[0048] Likewise, the device comprises an electronic control card connected to the detection means and the image capture device, such that the capture device has a working position when the detection means are in an active position and a rest position when the detection means are in an inactive position.

[0050] This device also features a temperature sensor and/or a humidity sensor connected to the electronic board, capable of recording measurements at predetermined time intervals and means of autonomous power supply.

[0052] Furthermore, the image capture device comprises a photographic camera and LEDs for illuminating the interior hollow space.

[0054] As for the computer application of this device, it is associated with a control software.

[0056] The crawling insect detection device proposed here represents a significant improvement over the state of the art.

[0058] This is because a very effective device is obtained with which it is possible to detect the presence of crawling insects, even those of very small size, since the detection means are not made up of a presence sensor, which do not usually detect such small bodies, but by an infrared barrier sensor which in any case and whatever the size of the insect, will detect the passage of a body that cuts the infrared barrier.

[0060] This significantly increases the efficiency of this device in detecting this type of insect.

[0061] A significant advantage of this device is that the humidity and/or temperature sensors are continuously taking measurements at predetermined time intervals, and the collected measurements are sent to the electronic device, which has an application connected to software that features an autonomous IoT monitoring tool. This allows for metadata analysis, machine learning, big data, etc. Receiving these measurements at each time interval provides reliable proof that the device is working correctly. Therefore, if there is no insect detection alert, you can be sure that there is indeed no insect present and it is not an error.

[0063] This device features self-powered operation, which may consist of a battery. Its power consumption is very low, allowing it to operate for more than 70 days on a single battery. This is because the image capture device only captures images when an insect is detected entering through the housing opening. When no insect is detected, the device is deactivated and therefore consumes no power.

[0065] The sensors also connect at regular intervals to take and transmit measurements, and remain deactivated during the remaining time. This allows for reduced power consumption, which can be powered autonomously, facilitating greater flexibility in device placement. Several sensors can be deployed in different areas of a crop field to detect the potential presence of a pest at its earliest stages and identify the area where its development begins.

[0067] Another advantage of image capture occurring only when an insect is detected is that an alert is sent along with the image, so technicians don't need to continuously monitor the data provided by the device. They only need to verify that the sensor readings are received at each interval. When an alert is triggered, the captured image should be reviewed to analyze the type of insect and the frequency of these alerts, in order to determine if it's an isolated case or the beginning of an infestation.

[0069] It is therefore a very effective device that allows reliable detection of the presence of insects through an alert system that does not require constant monitoring by technicians and at the same time provides proof of the correct functioning of the device at all times, all with minimal energy consumption that allows it to be autonomous, which gives it freedom of location anywhere.

[0071] Brief description of the drawings

[0073] In order to aid a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, according to a preferred embodiment thereof, a series of drawings are provided as an integral part of this description, where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented:

[0075] Figure 1.- Shows a perspective view of the crawling insect detection device, for a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0077] Figures 2.1 and 2.2.- Show two perspective views of the interior area of the crawling insect detection device, for a preferred embodiment of the invention.

[0079] Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention

[0081] In view of the figures provided, it can be observed how in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the device for detecting crawling insects proposed herein comprises a housing (1) with an opening (2) capable of allowing the entry of an insect into a hollow interior space (3) in which it presents means of attracting the insect.

[0083] This device also comprises means for detecting the presence of the insect, an image capture device of the interior space (3), and means for wireless connection with an external electronic device having an integrated computer application.

[0085] Furthermore, the detection means of this device consist of an infrared barrier sensor (4) that is in an active position when it detects the entry of an insect through the opening (2) and in an inactive position the rest of the time. As shown in Figure 2.1, this sensor (4) is located directly at the entrance of the housing (1), that is, on both sides of the opening (2), such that when the insect passes through this opening (2), it interrupts the infrared beam, and at that moment the sensor (4) switches to an active position.

[0087] This device comprises an electronic control board connected to the detection means and the image capture device. The capture device thus has a working position when the detection means are in the active position and a rest position when the detection means are in the inactive position.

[0089] That is, the moment the detection device senses an insect entering and moves into an active position, the capture device also enters a working position to take an image of the detected insect. During the rest of the time, when no insect enters and therefore the sensor (4) is in an inactive position, the capture device remains in a resting position. This allows for lower energy consumption by the device and, at the same time, ensures that images are only captured when an insect is detected, eliminating the need to review multiple periodic captures taken without certainty of an insect's presence.

[0091] The electronic board controls the operation of the sensor and the capture device and is responsible for communicating the active position of the sensor to the application, through wireless communication means.

[0093] This device comprises a temperature sensor and/or a humidity sensor connected to the electronic board, capable of recording measurements at predetermined time intervals. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, it includes both sensors. The periodic measurements obtained by these sensors are also sent to the computer application as proof of the device's correct operation. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, these measurements are taken every four hours, but in other embodiments, this time interval may be different.

[0095] Furthermore, the computer application is associated with control software and, in this preferred embodiment of the invention, comprises an autonomous IoT monitoring platform connected to the software. The collection of this data can be used to assess and analyze the area.

[0096] As can be seen in Figures 2.1 and 2.2, this device comprises self-powered means which in this preferred embodiment consist of a battery (5). In these images, which show the device open, it can be seen that in this case the battery is attached to a kind of pocket in the cover (11).

[0098] Furthermore, the image capture device comprises a photographic camera (6) and LEDs (7) for illuminating the hollow interior space (3), which can be seen in Figure 2.2. The LEDs (7) act as a flash and allow for higher quality of the captured image.

[0100] In this preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in Figures 2.1 and 2.2, the housing (1) comprises an inner compartment (8) separated from the hollow inner space (3) for containing the electronic board, the temperature and/or humidity sensor, and the power supply. Likewise, in this embodiment, it comprises an on/off switch (9).

[0102] As can be seen in Figures 1, 2.1 and 2.2, in this embodiment, the wireless connection means consist of an antenna (10) located on the outside of the housing (1).

[0104] In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the casing (1) is made of biodegradable material. In this particular case, it is made of polylactic acid (PLA) plastic. This allows the casing (1) to biodegrade under composting conditions, becoming fertilizer, CO2, and water, without leaving microplastic or heavy metal residues, thus making it an environmentally sustainable tool.

[0106] According to another aspect, the means of attracting the insect are formed by a board coated with pheromone gel.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS 1- Device for detecting crawling insects, comprising - a housing (1) with an opening (2) capable of allowing an insect to enter a hollow interior space (3) in which it has means of attracting the insect; - means of detecting the presence of the insect; - an image capture device of the interior space (3), and; - a means of wireless connection with an external electronic device that has an integrated computer application; characterized in that the detection means consist of an infrared barrier sensor (4) which has an active position for detecting the entry of an insect through the opening (2) and an inactive position the rest of the time, and in that it comprises - an electronic control card connected to the detection means and the image capture device, configured to allow a working position of the capture device for the active position of the detection means and a rest position of said capture device for the inactive position of the detection means; - a temperature sensor and/or a humidity sensor connected to the electronic board, capable of recording measurements at predetermined time intervals; and - means of self-sufficient power supply; where the image capture device comprises a photographic camera (6) and LEDs (7) for illuminating the hollow interior space (3). 2- Device according to claim 1, wherein the housing (1) comprises an inner compartment (8) separate from the hollow inner space (3), for containing the electronic card, the temperature and/or humidity sensor and the power supply means. 3- Device according to any of the preceding claims, comprising an on/off switch (9). 4- Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the wireless connection means are formed by an antenna (10) located on the outside of the housing (1). 5- Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the casing (1) is made of biodegradable material. 6- Device according to claim 5, wherein the housing (1) is made of polylactic acid plastic (PLA). 7- Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the self-powered means consist of a battery (5). 8- Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the means of attracting the insect are formed by a board coated with pheromone gel.