Device for detecting insect larvae and adult insects in stored products by sensing their volatile pheromones and semiochemicals
AssigneeSensor Development Corporation
InventorsNicholas Joseph Smilanich, Samuel Firestone Reichert, Frank Bernard Tudron
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Abstract
Minimal-cost, high-accuracy, and portable devices used to detect the presence of insects at all stages of life, including in the egg stage, in stored products by sensing gas phase markers such as volatile pheromones, semiochemicals, and kairomones. The methods, devices, and systems disclosed herein utilize a sensor array configured to simultaneously measure a plurality of target markers and filter background gases while remaining compact, highly accurate, and easy to operate.
Claims15
A method of identifying an insect infestation of a stored product by detecting one or more target volatile organic compounds (VOCs) within a target fluid flow, the method comprising:
- heating, via a device comprising a plurality of VOC sensors, at least one of the plurality of VOC sensors to at least a first operating temperature;
- contacting the one or more VOC sensors with the target fluid flow;
- determining a set of conductance change values (ΔKi) corresponding to each of the one or more VOC sensors contacted with the target fluid flow;
- and
- determining a gas component concentration ([X]n) for one or more of the target VOCs within the target fluid flow based on the set of conductance change values.
A system for identifying an insect infestation of a stored product, the system comprising:
- a testing chamber enclosing a sensor array, wherein the sensor array includes a plurality of VOC sensors and at least one VOC sensor of the plurality of VOC sensors is configured to detect the presence of an egg-specific VOC;
- an air transfer unit configured to retrieve a fluid flow and deliver the fluid flow to the testing chamber;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the air transfer unit and the sensor array, wherein the controller is configured to:
- operate the air transfer unit to retrieve the fluid flow from and deliver the fluid flow to the testing chamber, wherein one or more of the plurality of VOC sensors are in fluid contact with the fluid flow;
- operate the sensor array to measure a conductance for one or more of the plurality of VOC sensors;
- determine a set of conductance change values corresponding to each of the one or more VOC sensors;
- and
- determine a gas component concentration for one or more target VOCs within the fluid flow based on the set of conductance change values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.