# US 2021/0329906 A1 · Apparatus for spraying insecticides > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0329906 A1 - Document ID: US20210329906A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/271,648 - Filed: 2019-08-29 - Published: 2021-10-28 - Earliest claimed: 2018-08-31 - Assignees: FaunaPhotonics Agriculture & Environmental A/S - Applicants: FaunaPhotonics Agriculture & Environmental A/S - Inventors: Frederik Taarnhøj; Klas Rydhmer; Alfred Gösta Victor Strand; Flemming Rasmussen; Michael Stanley Pedersen; Thomas Nikolajsen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210329906A1 ## CPC - A01M 7/0089: {Regulating or controlling systems (the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06)} - A01M 7/0042: {Field sprayers, e.g. self-propelled, drawn or tractor-mounted} - G05D 7/0623: {characterised by the set value given to the control element} - G06V 20/56: exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle - A01M: CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS (appliances for catching swarms or drone-catching A01K57/00; fishing A01K69/00 - {A01K99/00}; biocides, pest repellants or attractants A01N); APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract An apparatus for dispensing an insecticide across an area of land; the apparatus comprising a vehicle configured to travel along a travelling path across the area of land, the vehicle defining a direction of travel, the vehicle comprising an insecticide dispensing device configured to dispense an insecticide along said traveling path when the vehicle travels along the travelling path; a dispensing control system configured to control an amount of insecticide to be dispensed when the vehicle travels along the travelling path; an insect sensor configured to detect insects in a detection volume; wherein the detection volume is located in front of the vehicle relative to the direction of travel; wherein the dispensing control system is configured to receive sensor data from the insect sensor, the sensor data being indicative of detected insects in the detection volume, and to control the amount of dispensed insecticide responsive to the received sensor data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for dispensing an insecticide across an area of land, the area of land defining a ground surface, the apparatus comprising: a vehicle configured to travel along a travelling path across the ground surface, the vehicle defining a direction of travel, the vehicle comprising an insecticide dispensing device configured to dispense an insecticide along said traveling path when the vehicle travels along the travelling path; a dispensing control system configured to control an amount of insecticide to be dispensed when the vehicle travels along the travelling path; an insect sensor configured to detect airborne insects in a detection volume while the detection volume moves relative to the ground surface; wherein the detection volume is located in front of the vehicle relative to the direction of travel and elevated above the ground surface by a minimum vertical offset; wherein the dispensing control system is configured to receive sensor data from the insect sensor, the sensor data being indicative of detected insects in the detection volume, and to control the amount of dispensed insecticide responsive to the received sensor data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the detection volume has a size of at least 0.2 m3, or at least 0.5 m3, or at least 1 m3, or at least 2 m3, or at least 3 m3. ### Claim 3 (canceled) ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the detection volume has an aspect ratio, defined as a ratio of a largest edge to a smallest edge of a minimum bounding box of the detection volume, of no more than 10:1, or no more than 5:1, or no more than 3:1, or no more than 2:1. ### Claim at position 5 5-10. (canceled) ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1; wherein the insect sensor comprises an illumination module configured to illuminate the detection volume and one or more detectors configured to detect light from the detection volume or wherein the illumination module is configured to simultaneously illuminate the entire detection volume. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) An apparatus according to claim 11; wherein the illumination module includes a light source configured to emit incoherent light, wherein the light source includes one or more light emitting diodes and/or one or more halogen lamps. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) An apparatus according to claim 11; wherein the illumination module is configured to emit a diverging beam of light having a divergence angle in at least one direction of between 2° and 45°, or between 10° and 30°. ### Claim at position 9 14-16. (canceled) ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the illumination module comprises a first light source configured to selectively emit light at a first wavelength range, and wherein the illumination module further comprises a second light source configured to selectively emit light at a second wavelength range, spaced-apart from the first wavelength range. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) An apparatus according to claim 11; wherein the one or more detectors comprise a camera and/or one or more photo diodes and are configured to selectively detect light within a first wavelength band and within a second wavelength band, non-overlapping with the first wavelength band. ### Claim 19 (canceled) ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) An apparatus according to claim 18; wherein the one or more detectors comprise at least one photodiode array, each photodiode of the array being configured to receive light from a respective sub-volume of the detection volume. ### Claim 21 (canceled) ### Claim 22 (depends on 11) An apparatus according to claim 11; wherein the insect sensor comprises a processor configured to identify, from detector signals from the one or more detectors, one or more types of insects and to determine respective amounts of the one or more types of insects detected in the detection volume, in particular based on one or more indicators chosen from: a detected trajectory of movement of an insect inside the detection volume; a detected speed of movement of an insect inside the detection volume; one or more detected wing beat frequencies; a melanisation ratio; an insect glossiness. ### Claim 23 An insect sensor for detecting airborne insects moving above a ground surface, the insect sensor comprising: an illumination module configured to illuminate a detection volume, the detection volume being elevated from the ground surface by a minimum vertical offset, and one or more detectors configured to detected light from the detection volume; wherein the illumination module is configured to emit a diverging beam of light having a divergence angle in at least one direction of between 2° and 45°, or between 10° and 30°. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) An insect sensor according to claim 23; wherein the illumination module includes a light source configured to emit incoherent light, the light source including one or more light emitting diodes and/or one or more halogen lamps. ### Claim at position 18 25-26. (canceled) ### Claim 27 (depends on 23) An insect sensor according to claim 23, wherein the illumination module is configured to simultaneously illuminate the entire detection volume. ### Claim 28 (depends on 23) An insect sensor according to claim 23, wherein the illumination module comprises a first light source configured to selectively emit light at a first wavelength range, and wherein the illumination module further comprises a second light source configured to selectively emit light at a second wavelength range, spaced-apart from the first wavelength range. ### Claim 29 (canceled) ### Claim 30 (depends on 23) An insect sensor according to claim 23; wherein the one or more detectors are configured to selectively detect light within a first wavelength band and within a second wavelength band, non-overlapping with the first wavelength band. ### Claim 31 (depends on 13) An insect sensor according to claim 13; wherein the one or more detectors comprise at least one photodiode array, each photodiode of the array being configured to receive light from a respective sub-volume of the detection volume. ### Claim at position 24 32-33. (canceled) ### Claim 34 (depends on 23) An insect sensor according to claim 23; wherein the vertical offset is chosen to be between 10 cm and 5 m, or between 20 cm and 3 m, or between 20 cm and 2 m, or between 50 cm and 2 m. ### Claim 35 A method of controlling the spraying of insecticides, the method comprising the steps of: detecting airborne insects moving about a detection volume, the detection volume being located in front of a moving vehicle and the detection volume being elevated above a ground surface by a minimum vertical offset; controlling the dispensing of insecticides from said moving vehicle responsive to the detection of airborne insects. ### Claim 36 (canceled) ### Claim 37 (depends on 35) A method according to claim 35; wherein the detecting comprises obtaining sensor data indicative of an estimated insect population within a sampling volume above the ground surface; the sampling volume being traversed by the detection volume during relative movement of the detection volume relative to the ground surface during the sampling period t. ### Claim 38 (canceled) ### Claim 39 (depends on 35) A method according to claim 35, wherein the detection volume extends from a top of a vegetation canopy upwards.