Controlled airflow production system and insect capture system including such a production system

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for producing (1) a controlled airflow whose carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content is modulated, the controlled airflow resulting from the combination of intermittent airflows (FI1, FI2). The system (1) comprises a plurality of reservoirs (R1, R2), each containing a material suitable for passing through an intermittent airflow (FI1, FI2) and for selectively adsorbing / desorbing water and / or carbon dioxide. The system includes, respectively associated with the reservoirs (R1, R2), air circulation means (V1, V2) for generating the intermittent airflow (FI1, FI2) through the material and heating means (C1, C2) suitable for raising the temperature of the material above a threshold temperature. The invention also relates to an insect capture system (2) implementing the controlled airflow production system (1). Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: Controlled airflow production system and insect capture system comprising such a production system. FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a system for producing a controlled airflow in which the concentration of carbon dioxide and / or water vapor is modulated. Such a system can be used in an insect capture system, such as for mosquitoes. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] It is well known that carbon dioxide, particularly carbon dioxide produced by human respiration, is detected by insects, and especially by mosquitoes, which are attracted to the source of this gas. Document EP3010347 points out that this natural phenomenon can be exploited to attract and capture mosquitoes by drawing them into a trap, such as a net. It proposes producing a regular and controlled flow very rich in carbon dioxide (composed of at least 50% carbon dioxide, i.e., more than 500,000 ppm) using a production system that separates this gas from the air using a molecular sieve. According to an example given in this document, a first molecular sieve is operated in desorption mode to produce the carbon dioxide flow, while a second molecular sieve is operated separately in a recharging phase, during which carbon dioxide from the air is adsorbed by the sieve material.The two sieves are operated cyclically in this way, but only the sieve used for desorption produces the useful carbon dioxide flux.

[0003] The document by Dekker T et al, entitled "Moment-to-moment flight maneuvers of the female yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti L.) in response to plumes of carbon dioxide and human skin odour. J Exp Biol. 2011 Oct 15;214(Pt 20):3480-94", presents results tending to show that it is not necessary to produce a very high carbon dioxide flux to effectively attract mosquitoes. SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] One object of the invention is to produce a controlled airflow that is far more effective than that of the prior art for attracting insects. Another object of the invention is to make more efficient use of the resources employed by the airflow production system proposed in the cited prior art document. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In view of achieving this goal, the object of the invention proposes a system for producing a controlled flow of air whose carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content is modulated, the controlled flow of air resulting from the combination of intermittent air flows.

[0006] According to the invention, the system comprises: - a plurality of tanks, each having an air inlet and an air outlet, and each containing, between the air inlet and the air outlet, at least one material suitable for passing through an intermittent airflow, suitable for adsorbing carbon dioxide and / or water vapor from the elementary airflow when this material has a temperature below a threshold temperature and suitable for desorbing carbon dioxide and / or water vapor in the intermittent airflow when this material has a temperature above the threshold temperature, the plurality of tanks being arranged so that the intermittent airflows combine to form the controlled airflow; - means of air circulation respectively associated with the tanks, each means of circulation being intended to generate the intermittent airflow through the material contained in the tank with which it is associated, the intermittent airflow circulating between the air inlet and the air outlet of this tank; - heating means respectively associated with the tanks, each heating means being capable of raising the temperature of the material contained in the tank with which it is associated beyond the threshold temperature; - a control device, connected to the heating and air circulation systems, the control device being configured to: a. activate, during a heating period of a production cycle, at least one heating means so as to raise the temperature of the material contained in the tank associated with the activated heating means, this at least one tank being designated "desorption tank", above the threshold temperature, without activating during the production cycle at least one other heating means so as not to raise the temperature of the material contained in the tank associated with the non-activated heating means, this at least one tank being designated "adsorption tank"; b. Selectively activate the air circulation means associated with at least one desorption tank and at least one adsorption tank, so as to produce alternately and repeatedly: i. At least one initial intermittent airflow having passed through the desorption tank, and therefore presenting at the level from the air outlet of this tank, a relatively high concentration of carbon dioxide and / or water vapor, and ii. at least a second intermittent airflow having passed through the reservoir by adsorption, and therefore presenting at the air outlet of this reservoir, a relatively low concentration of carbon dioxide and / or water vapor.

[0007] According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of the invention, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination: - The control device is also configured to: • repeatedly engage a new production cycle that follows a previous production cycle, by activating, during a heating period of the new production cycle, at least one heating means different from the at least one heating means activated during the preceding production cycle so that an adsorption reservoir from the preceding production cycle forms a desorption reservoir from the new production cycle, and; • by deactivating during the new production cycle at least one heating means activated during the previous production cycle so that a desorption reservoir from the previous production cycle forms an adsorption reservoir for the new production cycle; - the control device is configured to repeatedly activate the air circulation means associated with the desorption tank for a first duration and repeatedly activate the air circulation means associated with the adsorption tank for a second duration, the first duration being less than the second duration, preferably strictly less; - the control device is configured to deactivate or reduce the intensity of the air circulation means associated with the desorption tank during the heating period; - the control device is configured to activate the air circulation means associated with the adsorption tank during the heating period; - the production system comprises two tanks which, during the same production cycle, constitute respectively a desorption tank and an adsorption tank; - the material comprises a first microporous material capable of adsorbing and desorbing carbon dioxide and a second microporous material, different from the first material, capable of adsorbing and desorbing water; - the first material and the second microporous material consist of two distinct layers, a layer of first microporous material being placed on the air outlet side and a layer of second microporous material being placed on the air inlet side; - the first microporous material consists of 13X zeolite beads or JLPM3; - the second microporous material consists of activated alumina beads; - the means of air circulation include fans respectively arranged at the air inlets of the tanks; - the heating means include respectively heating elements immersed in at least part of the material contained in the tanks; - the production system includes a network of outlet ducts connecting the air outlets of the tanks to an air outlet of the system.

[0008] According to another aspect, the object of the invention proposes an insect capture system, such as mosquitoes, comprising a system for producing a controlled flow of air whose carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content is modulated as described above and, associated with an air outlet of the production system, an insect capture device.

[0009] According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of this aspect of the invention, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination: - the insect capture device comprises a capture reservoir having a suction opening, an insect trap disposed in the capture reservoir and coupled to the suction opening, and a suction means; - the insect capture device also includes a bottle to receive an insect olfactory attractant, in liquid form, and a dispensing means associated with the bottle to release the olfactory attractant from the bottle in a controlled manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0010] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0011] [Fig.1]

[0012] Fig. 1 represents an example of the implementation of the controlled airflow production system according to the invention;

[0013] [Fig.2]

[0014] Figure 2 presents time graphs that illustrate the operation of a production system according to the invention;

[0015] [Fig.3]

[0016] Figure 3 represents a graph showing the modulation of the carbon dioxide content in the air outlet flow of a production system according to the invention;

[0017] [Fig.4]

[0018] Figure 3 presents an insect capture system according to one aspect of the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Description of the system for producing a controlled airflow

[0020] Fig. 1 represents an example of the implementation of the controlled airflow production system which is the subject of this description.

[0021] By "controlled airflow," we mean an airflow whose carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content is controlled. Advantageously, this content is modulated, meaning that it varies from a relatively high value, and in particular higher than the concentration of this element in the surrounding air, to a relatively low concentration, i.e., below the concentration of this element in the surrounding air. With regard to carbon dioxide, its concentration in the air is on the order of 400 ppm (parts per million) in 2024, and modulation can lead to its concentration varying between 50 ppm and 5000 ppm. With regard to water vapor, this concentration is more variable and depends on the ambient humidity. The modulation therefore occurs between a variable minimum, lower than the relative humidity of the surrounding air, and a relative humidity measurement of 100%.The modulation period can be controlled so that the controlled airflow approaches human respiration, and the carbon dioxide concentration peaks can thus be separated by a period, fixed or variable, typically between 4 seconds and 1 minute. However, this period is not an essential characteristic, and a system according to the invention is capable of producing a controlled airflow with any carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content profile.

[0022] Modulating the carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content in the controlled airflow is advantageous because it allows for significant variations in this value (between the modulation peak and the modulation trough), and considerably more so than when simply oscillating between the content at a peak and the concentration in the surrounding air. In an insect capture application, presented in the introduction to this application, it is expected that this variation in amplitude will be more effective in attracting these insects towards the capture device, without requiring a very large modulation peak, for example greater than 5000 ppm or 10,000 ppm of carbon dioxide.

[0023] Furthermore, the controlled airflow produced by the production system of the present description is not intermittent, as is the case in some prior art embodiments. This flow is essentially continuous, even if its intensity may vary over time, which also contributes to making it more effective in an insect capture application.

[0024] To produce this controlled airflow, the production system 1 comprises a plurality of tanks, two tanks R1, R2 in the example shown in [Fig. 1]. Each tank R1, R2 has an air inlet e1, e2 and an air outlet s1, s2 which can be arranged, respectively, on an upper and a lower part of the tank. Airflows FI1, FI2, designated as "intermittent flows" for reasons that will become apparent in a later section of this description, pass through the tanks R1, R2 between their air inlet and air outlet.

[0025] The intermittent flows FI1,FI2 from reservoirs R1,R2 combine to form the controlled airflow FF. For this purpose, a network of outlet ducts CS can be provided, connecting the air outlets sl,s2 of reservoirs R1,R2 to an air outlet of the system. However, this network of outlet ducts CS is not at all necessary, and it is sufficient to orient the air outlets sl,s2 of reservoirs R1,R2 in copropagating directions to allow the intermittent airflows FI1,FI2 to combine to form the controlled airflow FF.

[0026] Each reservoir R1,R2 defines an open enclosure and includes, arranged inside this enclosure, at least one material suitable for the passage of this intermittent airflow. This material further has the property of adsorbing carbon dioxide and / or water vapor from the elementary airflow when this material has a temperature below a threshold temperature and of desorbing carbon dioxide and / or water vapor into the intermittent airflow when this material has a temperature above the threshold temperature.

[0027] This material may be composed of a microporous compound such as a zeolite. Zeolites are generally produced in the form of beads by mixing small zeolite particles with a binder. Known binders include clays, but also, for example, alumina, silica, and mixtures thereof. The beads may have a diameter ranging from 1 mm to 5 mm, typically 3 mm.

[0028] Numerous examples of zeolites capable of performing this carbon dioxide adsorption function and / or can be found in the technical and scientific literature. of water vapor at room temperature, or close to room temperature, and of desorption when the temperature is above a threshold temperature. See in particular the article "Zeolites as Selective Adsorbents for CO2 Separation", Dina G. Boer, Jort Langerak, and Paolo P. Pescarmona, ACS Applied Energy Materials 2023 6 (5), 2634-2656.

[0029] By way of example, it may be a zeolite of type 13X or of type JLPM3, whose threshold temperature is about 80°C. Below this temperature, this material adsorbs water vapor and carbon dioxide from the intermittent airflow, and above this temperature, this material desorbs it.

[0030] The presence of water vapor in the intermittent airflow can affect the carbon dioxide adsorption capacity of the material due to competition between the two species for adsorption sites. Therefore, and advantageously, the material in each of the reservoirs R1, R2 comprises a first microporous material capable of adsorbing and desorbing carbon dioxide and a second microporous material, different from the first, capable of adsorbing and desorbing water vapor. The first microporous material may be made of, or include, a zeolite, for example, the 13X or JLPM3 type zeolites mentioned above. The second microporous material may be made of, or include, activated alumina with a threshold temperature of approximately 150°C. Both the first and second materials may be in the form of beads, as described previously.

[0031] It could be considered to incorporate other microporous materials to adsorb and reabsorb water vapor, carbon dioxide, and / or other species. When the enclosure is equipped with several materials and these materials have different threshold temperatures, the threshold temperature of the system will be considered to be the highest of the threshold temperatures associated with the materials.

[0032] To efficiently desorb carbon dioxide and / or water, the material(s) will generally be heated well above the system's threshold temperature. For example, when the material is composed of 13X or JLPM3 type zeolites and activated alumina, the temperature of at least a portion of these materials may be raised to over 300°C.

[0033] It is possible to mix the first and second materials 11, 12 in each of the tanks, but preferably, the first and second microporous materials constitute two distinct layers, a layer of the first microporous material 11 being disposed on the air outlet side sl, s2 and a layer of the second microporous material 12 being disposed on the air inlet side e1, e2. In this way, the intermittent airflow FI1, FI2 first passes through the second material to, in An adsorption phase extracts the water vapor present in the stream, which then passes through the first material to more efficiently extract carbon dioxide from the stream. Materials 11 and 12 can be arranged in layers within tanks R1 and R2, incorporating retaining elements, such as transverse grids, within tanks R1 and R2.

[0034] The quantity of material(s) will be chosen to allow operation, by adsorption, for an intermittent airflow at ambient temperature (around 25°C), for a sufficient duration before saturating with carbon dioxide and / or water vapor. This sufficient duration may be half an hour or one hour.

[0035] Returning to the description in [Fig. 1], a controlled airflow production system according to the invention is also equipped with air circulation means VI, V2, respectively associated with the reservoirs. Each air circulation means VI, V2 is designed to generate the intermittent airflow FI1, FI2 through the material contained in the reservoir with which it is associated, the intermittent airflow circulating between the air inlet e1, e2 and the air outlet s1, s2 of this reservoir R1, R2. These air circulation means may, in particular, be, as is the case in the example shown in [Fig. 1], fans VI, V2 arranged at the air inlets e1, e2 of the reservoirs R1, R2. Since intermittent airflows FI1,FI2 can have a relatively high temperature as will be shown in a later section, it is indeed preferable to avoid placing these elements downstream of the material, for reasons of reliability.But this is not excluded, and it would also be possible to consider placing these fans VI,V2 on the side of the air outlets sl,s2. The air circulation means VI,V2 are individually controllable, that is to say, they can be electrically controlled to generate and interrupt the flow of the intermittent airflow FI1,FI2 and, more generally, to conform them to a set flow rate.

[0036] The controlled airflow production system 1 also includes heating means C1, C2 respectively associated with the reservoirs R1, R2. Each heating means C1, C2 is capable of raising the temperature of the material contained in the reservoir above the threshold temperature. The heating means may be heating elements immersed in at least part of the material contained in the reservoirs. Advantageously, these heating elements take the form of a coil to promote heat exchange with the material. By way of further example, these heating means may consist of a microwave or infrared device.

[0037] In the example shown in [Fig. 1], each reservoir R1,R2 is equipped with a heating element immersed in the second layer of microporous material 12, capable of adsorbing and desorbing water vapor, and without extending into the first layer of microporous material 11. When the heating element is activated, the The second material layer 12 tends to heat up and, through thermal conduction and convection via the intermittent airflow FI1,FI2, heats the first microporous material 11 of the underlying layer. This forms a cylinder of heated material that progresses through the thickness of the second microporous material layer 12 and then into the first microporous material layer 11. In this way, these materials are progressively activated, allowing their desorption capacity to be spread out over time.

[0038] More generally, it may be advantageous to configure the heating means to activate only part of the material and to advance, by convection using intermittent airflows FI1,FI2, the activation to the rest of the material and thus spread over time the desorption capacity of this material.

[0039] Finally, the controlled airflow production system 1 includes a control device Cde, connected to the heating means C1, C2 and the air circulation means VI, V2. This control device Cde can be conventionally composed of elementary processing components (CPU, microcontroller, FPGA, memory, converters and / or input / output interfaces, etc.) arranged to implement a wide variety of computer processing, including those described in a later section of this description, aimed at controlling and coordinating the air circulation means VI, V2 and the heating means C1, C2. The control device can also include electrical conversion circuits for supplying the elementary processing components, the heating means C1, C2 and the air circulation means VI, V2 with power from an electrical energy source, for example, the electrical grid.

[0040] By way of illustration, a production system 1 according to the invention may comprise cylindrical tanks 20 cm in diameter and 15 cm in height. These tanks may be filled with 1.5 liters of JLPM3 type zeolites and 2.5 liters of activated alumina, in the form of two layers made of beads of the material, the layers being in contact with each other. The activated alumina layer of a tank is positioned on the side of its inlet. The heating means, here coiled heating elements immersed only in the activated alumina layer, are capable of raising the temperature of this material to 350°C, and are controlled to perform this heating for a period of 10 to 15 minutes. The air circulation means consist of fans respectively placed at the inlets of the tanks, these fans having a capacity of 200 mA3 / h.These fans are capable of applying sufficient static pressure within the tanks to propel the heat front through the materials towards the outlet by convection, and to activate it gradually over time. In this configuration, a tank can be operated in desorption mode for a duration of 30 minutes. minutes or more to produce an intermittent stream with a carbon dioxide content of around 5000 ppm.

[0041] Implementation of a controlled airflow production system

[0042] Figure 2 presents time graphs that illustrate the operation of the Production system 1 of [Fig. 1]. More specifically, each of these figures represents the commands, generated by the control device Cde, for the heating element C1 and the air ventilation element V1 associated with the first tank R1, and the commands generated for the heating element C2 and the air ventilation element V2 associated with the second tank R2. The temperature T1 of the material in the first tank R1 and the threshold temperature Ts1 of this material are also shown on these graphs. Similarly, the temperature Te2 of the material in the second tank R2 and the threshold temperature Ts2 of this material are shown.

[0043] In general, the operation of the production system 1 consists of successive production cycles T1, T2. The control device Cde is configured to implement at least one of these cycles T1, T2 and, preferably, to link them together. It is also configured to control the heating means C1, C2 and the air circulation means VI, V2 during these cycles.

[0044] More specifically, and with reference to [Fig. 2], the control device Cde is configured to activate, during a heating period Te of a production cycle Tl, at least one heating means CL. This reservoir RI is designated, during this production cycle Tl, as the "desorption reservoir". The heating means is activated so as to raise the temperature Tel of the material contained in the reservoir associated with the activated heating means Cl above the threshold temperature. It is not necessary for the heating period to extend over the entire duration of the production cycle.It is sufficient to activate the heating element Cl of the desorption tank RI for a sufficient duration to raise the temperature of at least a portion of the material above the threshold temperature, and the heat capacity of this material, along with convection and conduction phenomena, allows at least a portion of the material to be maintained at a temperature above the threshold for the remainder of the production cycle. If necessary, the heating element Cl can be activated again during a further heating period of the production cycle to maintain the temperature above the threshold temperature.

[0045] During this production cycle T1, at least one other heating means C2 is not activated so as not to raise the temperature of the material contained in the reservoir R2 associated with this inactivated heating means C2 above the threshold temperature. This at least one reservoir R2 is designated during this production cycle T1 as the "adsorption reservoir".

[0046] It is therefore understood that during the production cycle, the tanks are configured by the Cde control device: - either as desorption reservoirs (by raising the temperature of at least part of the material above the threshold temperature), and the intermittent airflows FI passing through these reservoirs have a relatively high carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content, these species desorbing from the material to enrich the intermittent airflow. It should be noted that this intermittent airflow, having passed through the activated material, will have a relatively high temperature, higher than the ambient temperature. - either as an adsorption reservoir (by maintaining the material temperature below the threshold temperature), the intermittent airflows FI passing through these reservoirs have a relatively low carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content, these species being retained adsorbed by the material. It should be noted that this intermittent airflow, having passed through the unactivated material and below the threshold temperature, will have a relatively low temperature, i.e., lower than the temperature of the intermittent airflow passing through the desorption reservoir.

[0047] In the case of the production system 1 taken as an example and illustrated in [Fig.1], only two reservoirs RI, R2 are used and they constitute respectively, during the production cycle T1, a desorption reservoir RI and an adsorption reservoir R2.

[0048] Simultaneously with the configuration of the heating means C1,C2, the control device Cde selectively activates the air circulation means VI,V2 associated with at least one desorption tank RI and at least one adsorption tank R2, so as to produce alternately and repeatedly: - at least one initial intermittent airflow, relatively hot as previously explained, having passed through the RI desorption tank, and therefore presenting at the air outlet of this RI tank, a relatively high carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content, and - at least a second intermittent airflow FI2, relatively cold (compared to the first intermittent airflow FI2) as explained previously having passed through the adsorption tank R2, and therefore presenting at the air outlet s2 of this tank R2, a relatively low concentration of carbon dioxide and / or water vapor.

[0049] By "alternately and repeatedly" it is meant that, at a given instant, the air circulation means VI associated with the desorption reservoir RI or the air circulation means V2 associated with the adsorption reservoir R2 is activated, but it is avoided to activate these two means VI, V2 simultaneously and we prevent neither of these means VI, V2 from being activated.

[0050] It is therefore understood that each tank R1, R2 is traversed by an intermittent flow FI1, FI2, which circulates only when the air circulation means is activated. It is also understood that by combining these intermittent flows FI1, FI2 at the outlet of the production system 1, a combined flow is formed whose carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content varies over time in a modulated manner. The temperature of this combined flow can also be modulated.

[0051] As can be clearly seen in Figure 2a, the activation times of the air circulation means VI, V2 are not equal. It is generally preferable, although not mandatory, that the activation time of an air circulation means VI associated with the desorption tank R1 be shorter than the activation time of an air circulation means V2 associated with an adsorption tank R2. In other words, and advantageously, the control device Cde is configured to repeatedly activate the air circulation means associated with the desorption tank for a first duration and repeatedly activate the air circulation means associated with the adsorption tank for a second duration, the first duration being shorter than the second duration, and preferably strictly shorter.This favors the adsorption phenomenon, which has a slower dynamic, occurring in the adsorption reservoir compared to the desorption phenomenon, which has a faster dynamic, occurring in the desorption reservoir, in order to equalize the discharge and charge of gaseous species in the materials of the respective reservoirs.

[0052] It should also be noted in [Fig. 2] that, advantageously, the control device Cde is configured to deactivate the air circulation means VI associated with the desorption tank RI during the heating period Te, or at least to significantly reduce the flow rate of the intermittent airflow. This makes it possible to heat a portion of the material contained in this tank efficiently and in a short time.

[0053] Fig. 3 presents a graph showing the modulation of the carbon dioxide content in the air outlet flow of the system illustrated in Fig. 1, the characteristics of which have been set out in a previous passage of this description.

[0054] After a certain duration of the production cycle T1, the material of the adsorption reservoir R2 tends to become saturated with water vapor and / or carbon dioxide. Similarly, the material of the desorption reservoir RI tends to have released the water vapor and / or carbon dioxide it contained. The water vapor and / or carbon dioxide concentrations of the intermittent streams FI1,FI2 therefore tend to approach their respective concentrations in the surrounding air, and the combined output stream exhibits a diminishing amplitude modulation.

[0055] Also, and very cleverly, the control device Cde is configured to repeatedly initiate a new production cycle T2 which follows the previous production cycle T1. In this new production cycle T2, a tank R2 configured for adsorption in the previous cycle T1 is configured to operate in desorption, and similarly a tank RI configured for desorption in the previous cycle T1 is configured to operate in adsorption.

[0056] To achieve this, the control device Cde activates, during a heating period Te of the new production cycle T2, at least one heating means C2 different from the at least one heating means Cl activated during the preceding production cycle T1. In this way, an adsorption tank R1 from the preceding production cycle T1 is configured as a desorption tank during the new production cycle T2. Simultaneously, at least one heating means Cl activated during the preceding production cycle T1 is deactivated during the new production cycle T2. Thus, the desorption tank R2 from the preceding production cycle T1 becomes an adsorption tank for the new production cycle T2.

[0057] This principle can be repeated regularly and the production cycles repeated indefinitely, alternating during these cycles the operation of a reservoir between adsorption and desorption; it is not necessary to interrupt the operation of the air production system 1 to recondition the material of the reservoirs.

[0058] To accelerate the transition from one cycle T1 to another T2, it may be useful to force the cooling of the material contained in a reservoir. To this end, the control device Cde can be configured to activate the air circulation means VI associated with the adsorption reservoir RI during the heating period Te of the desorption reservoir R2. Application to an insect capture system

[0059] The controlled airflow production system finds a very advantageous application in forming an insect capture system, for example, for mosquitoes. Such a capture system 2 consists of a capture device associated with the air outlet FF of the production system 1. The whole forms a self-contained, compact, and easily movable system, which is particularly advantageous.

[0060] As illustrated in [Fig. 4], the insect capture device may consist of a capture reservoir Rc having a suction opening OA. The capture system is arranged so that the suction opening OA of the capture device 3 is located near the air outlet FF of the production system 1. Thus, insects attracted by the controlled airflow, the carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content of which is modulated, are drawn in through the suction opening OA. The attractiveness of the controlled airflow is amplified by its temperature, which is higher than the temperature of the surrounding air, combined with its carbon dioxide content and its humidity. A mosquito trap P is placed in the capture reservoir 3, coupled to the suction opening OA, to retain them. The capture device 3 may be equipped with a suction means, such as a fan V, to create the suction airflow through the opening OA of the trap.

[0061] Advantageously, to further enhance the attractiveness of the capture system, the capture device may include a bottle F for receiving an insect olfactory attractant in liquid form. A dispensing means D is associated with the bottle F for the controlled release of the olfactory attractant from the bottle F and its distribution, for example, into or onto the capture reservoir Rc, near the suction opening OA. This dispensing means D, for example a pump associated with a nozzle, may be connected to the control device Cde of the production system, or to its own control device, in order to control the regular release of the olfactory attractant.

[0062] Thus, particularly when bottle F has a large capacity, we have an insect capture system, especially for mosquitoes, which has a very high autonomy.

[0063] Of course the invention is not limited to the modes of implementation described and alternative embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

[0064] Although a production system with two tanks has been illustrated, it may be advantageous to use a larger number, for example, three tanks. This allows the distinct adsorption (slower) and desorption (faster) dynamics in the system to be balanced. To achieve this, during a production cycle, a larger number of tanks will be configured for adsorption (for example, two out of three available tanks) than for desorption (only one of the three tanks). Thus, a tank can be configured for desorption during a single production cycle and for adsorption during several production cycles.

[0065] Furthermore, it can be foreseen that the control device includes, or is associated with, elements other than those described.

[0066] It can thus be envisaged that this device may be associated with sensors, for example sensors designed to provide a measurement of the temperature, carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content (and any other air parameter, such as pressure) in the controlled airflow and / or in the surrounding air. The control device can thus be configured to interrupt or modify the operating parameters of the production system according to the measurements reported by this system, for example by regulating the heating means or the air circulation means. It is also conceivable to interrupt the operation of the system under certain environmental conditions, for example when the surrounding air presents a very high relative humidity (rain), close to saturation, in order to avoid excessively saturating the material of the reservoirs with water.

[0067] The control device can be configured to program the start-up and shutdown of the production system 1. For example, it can rely on an ephemeris to operate the system only from sunrise to sunset.

[0068] The control device may also include or be associated with a communication circuit, enabling the transmission, via any communication network (Wi-Fi, cellular network, etc.), of information concerning the system's operation and measurements taken, where applicable, by the sensors. In particular, a measured level of the scented liquid still present in the bottle can be reported in this way. This transmitted data can be viewed on a conventional computing device, such as a computer, a smartphone, a tablet, etc.

Claims

1. Demands Production system (1) of a controlled airflow whose carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content is modulated, the controlled airflow resulting from the combination of intermittent airflows (FI1,FI2), the system (1) comprising: - a plurality of reservoirs (R1,R2) each having an air inlet (el,e2), an air outlet (sl,s2) and each containing, between the air inlet and the air outlet, at least one material suitable for being traversed by an intermittent airflow (FI1,FI2), suitable for adsorbing carbon dioxide and / or water vapor from the intermittent airflow when this material has a temperature below a threshold temperature (Tsl,Ts2) and suitable for desorbing carbon dioxide and / or water vapor in the intermittent airflow (FI1,FI2) when this material has a temperature above the threshold temperature (Tsl,Ts2), the plurality of reservoirs (R1,R2) being arranged so that the intermittent airflows (FI1,FI2) combine to form the controlled airflow; - air circulation means (VI,V2) respectively associated with the reservoirs (R1,R2), each circulation means (VI,V2) being intended to generate the intermittent airflow (FI1,FI2) through the material contained in the reservoir (R1,R2) with which it is associated, the intermittent airflow (FI1,FI2) circulating between the air inlet (el,e2) and the air outlet (sl,s2) of this reservoir; - heating means (C1,C2) respectively associated with the tanks (R1,R2), each heating means (C1,C2) being capable of raising the temperature of the material contained in the tank with which it is associated beyond the threshold temperature (Ts1,Ts2); - a control device (Cde), connected to the heating means (C1,C2) and the air circulation means (VI,V2), the control device (Cde) being configured to: a. activate, during a heating period (Te) of a production cycle (Tl), at least one means

2. heating (Cl) so as to raise the temperature (Tel) of the material contained in the reservoir (RI) associated with the activated heating means (Cl), this at least one reservoir being designated "desorption reservoir", beyond the threshold temperature (Tsl), without activating during the production cycle (Tl) at least one other heating means (C2) so as not to raise the temperature (Te2) of the material contained in the reservoir associated with the non-activated heating means (R2), this at least one reservoir (R2) being designated "adsorption reservoir"; b. Selectively activate the air circulation means (VI, V2) associated with at least one desorption reservoir (RI) and at least one adsorption reservoir (R2), so as to produce alternately and repeatedly: i. At least one first intermittent airflow (Fil) having passed through the desorption reservoir (RI), and therefore presenting at the air outlet (si) of this reservoir (RI), a relatively high carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content, and ii. at least a second intermittent airflow (FI2) having passed through the adsorption tank (R2), and therefore presenting at the air outlet (s2) of this tank (R2), a relatively low concentration of carbon dioxide and / or water vapor. Production system (1) according to the preceding claim in which the control device (Cde) is also configured to: a. repeatedly engage a new production cycle (T2) which follows a previous production cycle (T1), by activating, during a heating period (Te) of the new production cycle (T2), at least one heating means (C2) different from the at least one heating means (Cl) activated during the previous production cycle (Tl) so that an adsorption reservoir (R2) of the previous production cycle (Tl) forms a desorption reservoir of the new production cycle, and; b. by deactivating during the new production cycle (T2) the at least one heating means activated (Cl) during the previous production cycle (Tl) so that a desorption reservoir (RI) of the previous production cycle forms an adsorption reservoir of the new production cycle.

3. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the control device (Cde) is configured to repeatedly activate the air circulation means (VI,V2) associated with the desorption tank (R1,R2) for a first time and repeatedly activate the air circulation means associated with the adsorption tank (R1,R2) for a second time, the first time being less than the second time, preferably strictly less.

4. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the control device (Cde) is configured to disable or reduce the intensity of the air circulation means (C1,C2) associated with the desorption tank during the heating period (Te).

5. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the control device (Cde) is configured to activate the air circulation means (C1,C2) associated with the adsorption tank (R1,R2) during the heating period (Te).

6. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims comprising two tanks (R1,R2) constituting respectively, during the same production cycle (T1,T2), a desorption tank and an adsorption tank.

7. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the material comprises a first microporous material (11) capable of adsorbing and desorbing carbon dioxide and a second microporous material, (12), different from the first material, capable of adsorbing and desorbing water vapor.

8. Production system (1) according to the preceding claim wherein the first material and the second microporous material (11,12) constitute two distinct layers, a layer of first microporous material (11) being disposed on the air outlet side (sl,s2) and a layer of second microporous material (12) being disposed on the air inlet side (el,e2).

9. Production system (1) according to the preceding claim in which the first microporous material (11) consists of 13X zeolite beads or JLPM3.

10. Production system (1) according to one of the two preceding claims wherein the second microporous material (12) consists of activated alumina beads.

11. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the air circulation means (VI,V2) comprise fans respectively disposed at the air inlets (el,e2) of the tanks (R1,R2).

12. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the heating means (C1,C2) respectively comprise heating resistors immersed in at least part of the material contained in the tanks.

13. Production system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims comprising an outlet duct network (CS) connecting the air outlets (sl,s2) of the tanks (R1,R2) to an air outlet of the system.

14. Insect capture system (2), such as mosquitoes, comprising a production system (1) of a controlled airflow whose carbon dioxide and / or water vapor content is modulated according to one of the preceding claims and, associated with an air outlet of the production system (1), an insect capture device (3).

15. Capture system (2) according to the preceding claim wherein the insect capture device (3) comprises a capture reservoir (Rc) having a suction opening (OA), an insect trap (P) disposed in the capture reservoir (Rc) and coupled to the suction opening (OA), and a suction means (V).

16. A capture system (2) according to the preceding claim, wherein the insect capture device (3) also comprises a bottle (F) for receiving an insect olfactory attractant, in liquid form, and a dispensing means (D) associated with the bottle to release the olfactory attractant from the bottle in a controlled manner.

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