Trichogramma ball dispensing device

Abstract

The application provides a trichogramma ball throwing device, which comprises an upper shell, a dial and a lower shell. The upper shell comprises a connecting part and a containing part arranged in a top-bottom manner. The connecting part can be combined with a drone. The bottom surface of the containing part comprises a ball outlet. The dial is arranged in the containing part and is provided with at least one slot. The lower shell is combined with a part of the bottom surface of the containing part, so that the ball outlet is exposed. The driving part is arranged in the lower shell and can drive the dial to rotate. The trichogramma ball throwing device provided by the application can realize uniform and controllable throwing of trichogramma balls, and can realize precise operation in cooperation with the flight speed of the drone.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2025219937414, filed on September 17, 2025, entitled "A Trichogramma Bee Ball Spraying Device", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This utility model relates to the field of agricultural plant protection machinery technology, specifically to a device for deploying biological control insect egg balls by drones. Background Technology

[0004] Currently, agricultural drones are mostly used for spraying liquid pesticides or granular fertilizers, with a few attempts to deploy solid biological control carriers, such as Trichogramma wasp egg balls. Trichogramma wasps are currently the most widely used ovicidal wasps in production and release worldwide. By placing Trichogramma wasp eggs in a spraying device and releasing them into the field, the wasps develop into Trichogramma wasps, which then fly out to find and parasitize insect eggs, preventing the insect eggs from developing into pests and causing them to die. This method effectively controls pests and has achieved certain economic, ecological, and social benefits.

[0005] However, existing Trichogramma bee ball dispensing devices have complex structures and poor adaptability, often resulting in problems such as uneven dispensing, easy jamming, inability to count, and poor compatibility. Utility Model Content

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems in the prior art, this application provides a Trichogramma bee ball-throwing device, comprising: an upper housing, including a connecting portion and a receiving portion arranged vertically, the connecting portion being capable of being combined with a drone, and the bottom surface of the receiving portion including a ball-discharging port; a dial, disposed within the receiving portion, the dial having at least one slot; a lower housing, combined with a portion of the bottom surface of the receiving portion, thereby exposing the ball-discharging port; and a driving component, disposed within the lower housing, capable of driving the dial to rotate.

[0007] Furthermore, the upper surface of the dial is an arc shape with a raised center, and a circular arc convex surface is formed at the center of the upper surface of the dial.

[0008] Furthermore, the upper surface includes a guide groove spiraling from the arcuate convex surface to the edge of the dial, and the end of the guide groove forms the slot.

[0009] Furthermore, the dial includes three guide grooves and three slots.

[0010] Furthermore, the device also includes a blocking member disposed on the inner wall of the receiving portion and extending above the dial and directly opposite the ball outlet.

[0011] Furthermore, the blocking member includes a vertical connecting part and a horizontal blocking part. The vertical connecting part is detachably connected to the inner wall of the receiving part, and the horizontal blocking part is connected to the vertical connecting part and extends horizontally into the receiving part.

[0012] Furthermore, the lower surface of the horizontal blocking part is formed with an arc surface, the arc surface formed by the lower surface matches the arc surface of the dial, and the gap distance between the arc surface formed by the lower surface and the arc surface of the dial is L1.

[0013] Furthermore, a recess is provided on the side of the lower housing near the ball outlet, and a laser counter is provided near the recess of the lower housing.

[0014] Furthermore, the upper surface of the lower housing is provided with a support portion, which supports the drive component, and the lower surface of the receiving portion includes a through hole, through which the drive shaft of the drive component is connected to the dial.

[0015] Furthermore, the device also includes a connecting post, with a dial center hole provided at the center of the dial, the connecting post being disposed in the dial center hole, and the connecting post being able to be connected to the drive shaft.

[0016] The trichogramma bee ball-throwing device provided in this application can achieve at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. To achieve uniform and controllable dispersal of Trichogramma bee balls;

[0018] 2. The number of balls thrown is counted in real time using a laser counter;

[0019] 3. The dial can be changed to accommodate red-eyed bee balls of different diameters;

[0020] 4. Supports multiple interfaces and is compatible with mainstream agricultural drones;

[0021] 5. The motor speed is adjustable, which can be matched with the drone's flight speed to achieve precise operations. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a red-eyed bee ball-spraying device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is another schematic diagram of the red-eyed bee ball-spraying device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the red-eyed bee ball-spraying device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a red-eyed bee ball-spraying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure label:

[0027] 1-Connecting part; Interface-101; 13-Snap fastener; 2-Blocking part; 21-Vertical connecting part; 22-Horizontal blocking part; 3-Dial; 31-Arc convex surface; 32-Dial center hole; 33-Slot; 34-Guide groove; 4-Connecting post; 5-Receiving part; 51-Outer wall; 52-Ball outlet; 53-Overlapping part; 54-Leg; 55-Through hole; 6-Laser counter; 7-External lithium battery; 80-Lower housing; 81-Recessed part; 82-Supporting ear; 83-Supporting hole; 84-Supporting groove; 9-Drive component; 10-Circuit board; 11-Built-in lithium battery; 12-Case cover; 100-Upper housing; Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of the present utility model is in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the present utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the present utility model.

[0029] Reference Figures 1 to 4 As shown, one embodiment of this application provides a Trichogramma bee ball-spraying device, comprising: an upper housing 100, including a connecting portion 1 and a receiving portion 5 arranged vertically, the connecting portion 1 being capable of connecting with a drone (not shown), the bottom surface of the receiving portion 5 including a ball-dispensing port 52; a dial 3, disposed within the receiving portion 5, the dial 3 having at least one slot 33; a lower housing 80, connected to a portion of the bottom surface of the receiving portion 5, such that the ball-dispensing port 52 is exposed; and a driving component 9, disposed within the lower housing 80, capable of driving the dial 3 to rotate. The spraying device provided by this embodiment can achieve uniform and controllable spraying of Trichogramma bee balls, and the connecting portion 1 can quickly dock with a drone, enabling precise aerial operations.

[0030] In detail, the dial 3 has a disc-shaped structure, with an upper surface that is an arc-shaped protrusion in the middle and a lower surface that is flat. A circular arc convex surface 31 is formed at the center of the upper surface of the dial 3. The upper surface of the dial 3 includes a guide groove 34 spiraling from the circular arc convex surface 31 to the edge of the dial. The groove 33 is formed at the end of the guide groove 34. That is, a groove 33 recessed towards the center of the disc is formed at the edge of the dial 3, and the groove 33 is U-shaped or semi-circular. When the spraying device is working, the drive component 9 drives the dial 3 to rotate, and the Trichogramma bee balls move on the upper surface of the dial 3. The circular arc convex surface 31 acts as a stirrer, causing the Trichogramma bee balls to move along the spiral guide groove 34 to the end groove 33. The size of the groove 33 is slightly larger than the size of the Trichogramma bee balls, allowing the Trichogramma bee balls to fall through the groove 33 and pass through the ball outlet 52 below. In a preferred embodiment, the spraying device includes three sets of guide channels 34 and three slots 33, each of the three slots 33 having a 10° draft angle, and the depth of the slots 33 being 5 mm to 10 mm greater than the diameter of the ball.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the throwing device further includes a blocking member 2, which is disposed within the receiving portion 5 and located above the dial 3, facing the ball outlet 52. The blocking member 2 includes a vertical connecting portion 21 and a horizontal blocking portion 22. The vertical connecting portion 21 is detachably connected to the inner wall of the receiving portion 5, and the horizontal blocking portion 22 is connected to the vertical connecting portion 21 and extends horizontally into the receiving portion. The inward extension distance of the horizontal blocking portion 22 is slightly greater than the diameter of the ball outlet 52; that is, in the vertical projection direction, the projection of the horizontal blocking portion 22 may completely cover the ball outlet 52. This ensures that the Trichogramma bee balls fall stably and at intervals, preventing ball jamming, and also provides a certain stirring effect, allowing the balls in the bucket to reach a balance.

[0032] Specifically, the lower surface of the horizontal blocking part 22 forms an arc shape with its free end curving upwards. Since the upper surface of the dial 3 is formed as an arc-shaped structure with a high center and low sides, and the end of the horizontal blocking part 22 furthest from the inner wall of the receiving part 5 is high, while the end of the horizontal blocking part 22 connected to the vertical connecting part 21 is low, the arc-shaped lower surface of the horizontal blocking part 22 and the arc-shaped upper surface of the dial 3 are roughly matched in shape. Furthermore, a predetermined distance L1 is provided between the arc-shaped lower surface of the horizontal blocking part 22 and the arc-shaped upper surface of the dial 3 to ensure that the ball can fall stably at intervals and prevent the ball from getting stuck. Depending on the diameter of the red-eyed bee ball, the thickness of the dial 3 and the position of the vertical connecting part 21 will vary. In a preferred embodiment, L1 only needs to be 3mm. The upper surface of the horizontal blocking part 22 is formed as a plane, and the free end of the horizontal blocking part 22 is formed as an arc. That is, in the top view, the projected shape of the free end of the horizontal blocking part 22 is semi-circular, and in the side view, the horizontal blocking part 22 is formed as a mirror image of an L-shape. The vertical part of the L-shape is the vertical connecting part 21, which is detachably connected to the inner wall of the receiving part 5. The outer surface of the vertical connecting part 21 is formed to fit the shape of the inner wall of the receiving part 5. When the receiving part 5 is cylindrical, the outer surface of the vertical connecting part 21 is formed as an arc. In one embodiment, the vertical connecting part 21 can be connected to the inner wall by a threaded structure or by magnetic attraction, etc. There is no limitation in the solution of this application. The vertical connecting part 21 has different installation positions, which can be adjusted according to actual needs. For example, in the embodiment of this application, the thickness of the dial 3 varies depending on the diameter of the ball being thrown. For example, a dial with a 40mm diameter ball is thicker than a dial with a 26mm diameter ball to ensure that the space on dial 3 can fully accommodate a ball. When replacing the dial with one suitable for a 40mm diameter ball, the position of the blocking member 2 is adjusted upwards accordingly and fixedly installed into the hole above.

[0033] In one specific embodiment, the connecting part 1 and the receiving part 5 are detachably connected. The lower outer wall of the connecting part 1 includes a snap fastener 13, and the upper outer wall 51 of the receiving part 5 includes a snap fastener 53. The snap fastener 13 can engage with the snap fastener 53, thereby connecting the connecting part and the receiving part. The connecting part 1 includes an interface 101 for fixing to the bottom of the drone and accommodating electronic devices, etc. Replacing different interfaces 101 can accommodate multiple drone models. The lower outer wall 51 of the receiving part 5 has a horizontally extending lug 54, which is detachably connected to the lower housing 80. The receiving part 5 may include multiple lugs 54. The lower surface of the receiving part 5 also includes a through hole 55. The drive shaft of the drive component 9 can be connected to the dial 3 via the through hole 55.

[0034] The upper housing 100 and lower housing 80 of the Trichogramma bee ball-spraying device are detachably connected, making the Trichogramma bee ball-spraying device compact, easy to connect, easy to maintain, and cost-effective.

[0035] The lower housing 80 will now be described in detail. A recess 81 is provided on the side of the lower housing 80 near the ball outlet 52 to avoid obstructing the Trichogramma bee balls, thus allowing for smooth ball distribution. A support ear 82 is provided near the recess 81, extending from one side wall of the lower housing 80, and includes a support hole 83. The support hole 83 supports the laser counter 6. The top-view projection of the ball outlet 52 is located between the laser counter 6 and the recess 81; that is, after the Trichogramma bee balls fall from the ball outlet 52, they pass between the laser counter 6 and the recess 81, allowing the laser counter 6 to count the number of balls distributed. A connection hole is provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 80 for threaded connection with the lug 54 of the receiving part 5. A built-in lithium battery 11 is also provided inside the lower housing 80 to power the laser counter 6. The built-in lithium battery 11 is a rechargeable battery. Because the laser counter 6 consumes little power, it can support the distributing device for extended periods.

[0036] The upper surface of the lower housing 80 is also provided with a support groove 84 for supporting the drive component 9. Preferably, the drive component 9 can be a DC geared motor, including a drive shaft. Preferably, the spraying device can also include a connecting post 4, which can be a hexagonal connecting post. A dial center hole 32 is formed at the center of the dial 3, and the connecting post 4 is disposed in the dial center hole 32, and the connecting post 4 can be connected to the drive shaft. The connection between the drive component 9 and the dial 3 is more stable through the connection of the hexagonal connecting post to the output shaft of the DC geared motor.

[0037] Furthermore, an external lithium battery 7 is also provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 80. The external lithium battery 7 is a rechargeable battery used to power the drive component 9. Since the drive component 9 consumes a lot of power, the power supply battery is set to be external, which allows for quick replacement and ensures operational efficiency. During operation, the external lithium battery can be fixed to the spraying device using Velcro and cable ties. Alternatively, a fixing device can be provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 80, which is not limited in this application.

[0038] Inside the lower housing 8 are a circuit board 10, an interface module, and a control module, all housed within the housing 8 via a cover 12. The cover 12 is removable from the lower housing 8 for easy installation and maintenance. The interface module provides multiple mounting interfaces to adapt to different models of agricultural drones; the control module adjusts the rotation speed of the drive component 9 to achieve different spraying rates. The device features a simple structure, high reliability, and strong adaptability, making it widely applicable in biological control operations.

[0039] In use, the Trichogramma bee ball dispensing device is installed on the bottom of the drone and secured via interface 101. After takeoff, the flight controller activates drive component 9 according to the preset waypoint. The motor drives the dial to rotate, and the Trichogramma bee ball uses its own gravity to push the ball outwards, ensuring that the ball slides from the arc-shaped convex surface 31 to the edge, moving along the guide channel 34 towards the slot 33. When the bee ball reaches the slot 34, it is temporarily held by the planar obstruction of the blocking component 2. When the slot 34 rotates to be directly above the ball outlet 52, the bee ball is released under gravity. The laser counter counts the number of balls released in real time, triggering an alarm when the deviation exceeds 5%. Users can adjust the motor speed and control the dispensing frequency via remote control or ground station.

[0040] The Trichogramma bee ball-spraying device of this application can be adapted to the most commonly used Trichogramma bee balls with diameters of 26mm and 40mm by replacing the dial 3 with different apertures and adjusting the position of the blocking member 2. The Trichogramma bee ball-spraying device of this application has a simple structure, is countable, speed-adjustable, compatible with multiple UAV platforms, and is easy to adapt to different ball diameters by replacing the dial.

[0041] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Thus, these modifications and variations are also within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A device for scattering Trichogramma bee balls, characterized in that, include: The upper shell includes a connecting part and a receiving part arranged vertically. The connecting part can be combined with the drone, and the bottom surface of the receiving part includes a ball outlet. A dial is disposed within the receiving portion, and the dial is provided with at least one slot. The lower housing is attached to a portion of the bottom surface of the receiving part, thereby exposing the ball outlet. A drive component is disposed within the lower housing and is capable of driving the dial to rotate.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The upper surface of the dial is an arc shape with a raised center, and a circular arc convex surface is formed at the center of the upper surface of the dial.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The upper surface includes a guide groove spiraling from the arcuate convex surface to the edge of the dial, and the end of the guide groove forms the slot.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The dial includes three guide grooves and three slots.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The device also includes a blocking member disposed on the inner wall of the receiving portion and extending above the dial and directly opposite the ball outlet.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, The blocking member includes a vertical connecting part and a horizontal blocking part. The vertical connecting part is detachably connected to the inner wall of the receiving part, and the horizontal blocking part is connected to the vertical connecting part and extends horizontally into the receiving part.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The lower surface of the horizontal blocking part forms an arc surface, which matches the arc surface of the dial, and the gap distance between the arc surface of the lower surface and the arc surface of the dial is L1.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, A recess is provided on the side of the lower housing near the ball outlet, and a laser counter is provided near the recess on the lower housing.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The upper surface of the lower housing is provided with a support portion, which supports the drive component. The lower surface of the receiving portion includes a through hole, and the drive shaft of the drive component is connected to the dial via the through hole.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The device also includes a connecting post, a dial center hole is provided at the center of the dial, the connecting post is disposed in the dial center hole, and the connecting post can be connected to the drive shaft.

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