Honeycomb base with sensors for sampling honeycomb contents based on absorption spectroscopy

Abstract

A honeycomb base (2) having sensors (3) for sampling honeycomb contents on the basis of absorption spectroscopy, the honeycomb base (2) comprising sensors (3) for sampling the honeycomb contents and a bus (4) located between two cover plates (8). The honeycomb base (2) can allow non-invasive sampling of the honeycomb contents within the beehive frame without opening the beehive and without manual visual inspection by a bee keeper.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of application of electrical engineering for monitoring biological systems, and in particular to sensor monitoring of bee colonies by determining the contents of the honeycombs within the frames of a beehive.

[0002] According to the International Patent Classification, the subject matter of this invention can be divided into the following categories:

[0003] ·A01K47 / 02 (2006.01)——Structure or arrangement of honeycomb frames.

[0004] A01K 47 / 06 (2006.01) – other parts of beehives, such as ventilation devices, hive entrances, guards, partitions or bee removers.

[0005] Technical issues

[0006] The technical problem solved by the present invention is: how to perform non-invasive sampling of the honeycomb contents in the beehive frame without opening the beehive and without manual visual inspection by the beekeeper? Background Art

[0007] Traditional bee colony monitoring procedures involve opening the hives, removing each frame, and beekeepers conducting visual inspections 5-15 times a year. To perform this procedure, beekeepers need to be physically present, in some cases traveling hundreds of kilometers. This process also involves opening the hives and removing the frames, which disrupts the internal ecosystem of the bee colony.

[0008] Scientific research in the field of digital solutions for monitoring bee colonies includes:

[0009] Analysis of social weight changes (J. Flores et al., Impacts of climate change on Mediterranean temperate honey bee colonies assessed by a remote hive weight monitoring system combined with detailed colony assessments, Science of the Total Environment, 653, 2019);

[0010] Sound monitoring inside beehives (N. Perez et al., Continuous monitoring of beehive sound for environmental pollution control, Ecological Engineering, 90, 2016);

[0011] Temperature monitoring in beehives (K. Kridi et al., Application of wireless sensor networks for beehive monitoring and detection of thermal patterns in beehives, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 127, 2016), (D. Kridi et al., Application of wireless sensor networks for beehive monitoring and detection of thermal patterns in beehives, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 2016.) (Small patent: МП-2019 / 0045, Republic of Serbia);

[0012] Application of gas sensors (А. Szczurek, Detection of bee mite disease using gas sensor systems as a way to respond to environmental threats, Science of the Total Environment, 722, 2020);

[0013] Monitor the health of the bee colony by analyzing several parameters: CO2, O2, harmful gases, temperature, humidity (F. Murphy et al., b+WSN: Smart beehive with preliminary decision tree analysis for agriculture and bee health monitoring, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 124, 2016).

[0014] Commercial bee colony monitoring solutions offer different combinations of sensors for: weight measurement, temperature measurement, air humidity measurement and analysis of sounds inside the hive:

[0015] ·Apis Protect(www.apispprotect.com);

[0016] BeeHero (www.BeeHero.io);

[0017] ·OSBeehives(www.OSBeehives.com);

[0018] ·Pollenity(www.Pollenity.com);

[0019] Arnia (www.Arnia.co.uk).

[0020] However, all the above solutions from practice and scientific research do not offer the possibility to inspect the honeycomb contents in the frames without opening the hive and without manual visual inspection by the beekeeper. Summary of the invention

[0021] The essence of the invention consists in the choice of a suitable operating principle of a sensor for sampling the hive contents based on absorption spectroscopy, as well as in the choice of a suitable location and arrangement of the sensor within the hive base of the frame. Absorption spectroscopy measures the absorption of radiation caused by the interaction with the sample. In this way it is possible to determine the composition of the hive: empty hive, hive with honey, hive with pollen or hive with bee larvae. The sampling of the hive contents is not limited by the presence of the beekeeper, the time of day or weather conditions, as is the case with conventional colony monitoring programs. The time intervals for sampling the hive contents are negligible compared to the time required for the hive contents to change, so that the obtained contents can be considered instantaneous. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The present invention is described with respect to the implementation examples shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 A simplified assembly diagram showing the present invention and its structure;

[0024] Figure 2 The layout of the hive base with sensors is shown;

[0025] Figure 3 An AA cross section of the honeycomb base with sensors is shown;

[0026] Figure 4 A cross section of the base of a BB honeycomb with sensors is shown;

[0027] Figure 5 shows the distribution of the amount of reflected light relative to the contents of the honeycomb;

[0028] Figure 6 shows the results of sampling one hive over a 15-day period using absorption spectroscopy;

[0029] Figure 7 The appearance of the beehive on the fourth day of the test of the present invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 8 The appearance of the honeycomb on the sixth day of the test of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Before explaining the details of the present invention, it is important to understand and emphasize that the corresponding invention is not limited to the details of construction shown and described below. The terms used in the description of the present invention are used to understand the present invention rather than to limit the present invention.

[0032] Figure 1 An implementation example of a framework with sensors for sampling the contents of a hive is shown. The basic components of the framework 1 are a hive base 2, a central microprocessor unit 5 with memory, a power supply unit 6 and a communication subsystem 7 capable of bidirectional networking with a global computer network via one or more different links. The components of the framework 1 are incorporated into a hive system, preserving the standard dimensions and functionality of the various hive parts. The hive base 2 comprises sensors for sampling the contents of a hive 3 and a bus 4 connected to a central microprocessor unit 5 with memory. The central microprocessor unit 5 with memory uses the sensors 3 inside the hive base 2 to read the contents of the hive at time intervals that are negligible compared to the time required for the contents of the hive to change. The read values ​​of the contents are stored in the memory and can be located at any destination on the global computer network.

[0033] Considering that the system in question involves the application of technology in a biological system, the technological part must meet the conditions of biocompatibility and non-invasiveness. In order to integrate into the technological system retaining the existing biological system, the frame 1 and the honeycomb base 2 are integrated in such a way that the structure and functionality of the honeycomb are preserved. Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The integration of the sensor 3 and the bus 4 is shown, realized through the hive base 2 in three projections, namely from above, in cross section AA and in cross section BB. The components of the hive base 2 are the sensors for sampling the contents of the hive 3 and the bus 4 placed between two cover plates 8. The cover plates 8 are compatible in length and width with the hive base of a hive system for proper beekeeping, while their thickness is minimal to ensure the penetration of the air sensor 3 and they have sufficient strength to carry the weight of the hive. The cover plates 8 are made of a material that allows the penetration of the air sensor 3 and does not harm the bees and bee products that come into contact with them. The components of the hive base 2 are integrated into the hive system, so that the standard dimensions and functions of the various parts of the hive are preserved.

[0034] The working principle of the invention is based on absorption spectroscopy. Sampling of the hive contents is performed with a photoelectric sensor 3 which emits an infrared beam and measures the reflection of the light from the hive contents. The amount of reflected light determines the hive contents. The advantage of this method is that sampling is not affected by the presence of the beekeeper, the time of day or weather conditions, as is the case with conventional colony monitoring procedures. All sensors 3 within the frame 1 can be read within a time interval that is negligible compared to the time required for the hive contents to change, so that the content obtained can be considered instantaneous.

[0035] The proposed invention is implemented by a DB frame 1, a TR8307 / L24 / TR8 sensor 3 with infrared diodes and silicon phototransistors placed in a beehive base 2 with a cover plate 8 made of polylactic acid, an Arduino Nano central microprocessor unit 5 with memory and an Esp8266 WiFi communication module 7. The proposed invention was experimentally tested under laboratory conditions by measuring the amount of reflected light of an empty beehive, a beehive with honey, a beehive with pollen and a beehive with bee larvae. The test results are shown in Figure 1. Figure 5 The test was carried out on different types of pollen and honey (mountain, meadow, acacia and sunflower) and on different amounts, from one fifth of the entire hive to the entire hive. The test was also carried out on hives at different stages of development, from bee larvae to adult bees.

[0036] The sampling of the hive contents using absorption spectroscopy was confirmed under real conditions by comparing the measurement results with manual visual inspection of the frame 1 placed inside the hive. Figure 6Results are shown for sampling the contents of one hive at equal 6-hour intervals over 15 days. Measurements and visual inspection confirmed that honey was collected in the hive on the fifth day. Figure 7 The hive sampled on the fourth day was empty, Figure 8 The same hive is shown with honey on day 6. This illustrates sampling of the hive contents by absorption spectroscopy.

[0037] Industrial or other application methods of the invention

[0038] The proposed solution based on absorption spectroscopy can be used for sampling of hive contents and non-invasive remote monitoring of bee colonies. The invention represents an alternative to traditional manual bee colony monitoring by visual inspection of the frames without the need for human presence in the apiary, which enables faster inspection of bee colonies in all weather conditions and in all seasons. The invention can also be used as a data collection unit for more extensive monitoring of beekeeping at levels above the colony, apiary, local level, state level, regional level and global level.

Claims

1. A honeycomb base (2) having a sensor for sampling the honeycomb contents based on absorption spectroscopy, characterized in that The hive base (2) comprises a sensor (3) for sampling the hive contents and a bus bar (4) located between two cover plates (8).

2. A honeycomb base (2) with a sensor for sampling the honeycomb contents based on absorption spectroscopy according to claim 1, characterized in that A minimum number of sensors (3) are provided within the hive base (2) to ensure that the hive contents throughout the hive base (2) are predicted using artificial intelligence.

3. The honeycomb base (2) with a sensor for sampling the honeycomb contents based on absorption spectroscopy according to claim 1, characterized in that The thickness of the entire honeycomb base (2) is equal to the thickness of the honeycomb base of a honeycomb system for proper beekeeping.

4. The honeycomb base (2) with a sensor for sampling the honeycomb contents based on absorption spectroscopy according to claim 3, characterized in that The cover plate (8) has a minimum thickness to ensure radiation penetration of the sensor (3) and has sufficient strength to bear the weight of the honeycomb.

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