Device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes by UV-c radiation

Abstract

A device for agricultural pest control treatment by UV-C radiation for agricultural purposes comprises at least one ultraviolet radiation generator, which comprises at least one UV-C induction lamp.

Description

[0001] DEVICE FOR PEST CONTROL TREATMENT FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES BY UV-C RADIATION

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] The invention relates to a device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes by UV-C radiation including at least one ultraviolet radiation generator, as well as a self-driving vehicle for carrying out such treatment. The term "pest control" in the following context is understood in a broad sense and includes fungicidal and similar treatments against both animal and plant pests sensitive to UV-C radiation.

[0004] A self-driving device for carrying out pest control treatments for agricultural purposes by UV-C radiation is for example known from WO2021038317A1.

[0005] Currently, mercury vapour lamps are mainly used for the generation of ultraviolet radiation for pest control treatments. The result obtained is optimal if the radiated power is sufficiently high. Otherwise, with low irradiation powers, the pest control result achieved is rather modest.

[0006] On the other hand, these lamps have a high cost and, in order to meet the high irradiation requirements, non-negligible installation costs have to be incurred. Finally, upon switching them on, one must wait a relatively long time (in the order of a few minutes) before the mercury vapours are sufficiently ionised so as to provide the required radiation.

[0007] It follows that these lamps are suitable for use but are to be highly improved.

[0008] Since the UV-C radiation emitted is dangerous for humans and animals, it was thought to equip self-propelled self-driving vehicles for similar treatments. These vehicles are particularly popular because, since they do not require a driver, they can also be used in the field at night, when animals and particularly pollinating insects useful for cultivation are generally inactive. In addition, as there is no need for human driving, there are no dangers of harmful radiation and expensive use of labour as generally happens at night.

[0009] However, the use of such vehicles in agricultural pest control treatments is still limited due to their relatively high cost, which is not negligibly affected by the high cost of the UV-C lamps. Suffice it to say that each vehicle so equipped can employ up to 96 lamps grouped into 12 modules of the multi-tube mercury type. The lamps have a long life but are subject to deterioration and consequent need for replacement. They also require a warm-up time of about three minutes to reach the UV-C emission operating conditions. They therefore represent an important cost factor in the spread of the vehicles of the type indicated.

[0010] The main aim of the invention is to make a new device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes by UV-C radiation capable of appreciably improving the use of these devices in pest control treatments as defined above. Equally, it is another aim of the invention to make a self-propelled self-driving vehicle that is structurally and functionally improved so as to be free at least in part from the drawbacks complained of with reference to the aforementioned prior art.

[0011] These and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved at least in part by a self-driving device and vehicle made according to the teachings of at least some of the claims below. According to a first aspect of the invention a device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes by UV-C radiation comprises at least one ultraviolet radiation generator. Preferably said generator comprises at least one UV-C induction lamp.

[0012] In a second aspect thereof, the invention also relates to a self-propelled self-driving vehicle comprising at least one device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes by UV-C radiation according to the preceding aspect.

[0013] In at least one of the above aspects, the present invention may comprise one or more of the preferred features described below.

[0014] In some embodiments, the device comprises a plurality of said UV-C induction lamps.

[0015] In some embodiments, said at least one lamp is mounted on a self-driving vehicle.

[0016] In some embodiments the lamp(s) each comprise a quartz tube with at least one electromagnetism generator wound outside said tube and provided with a ferrite core and with at least one ampoule in said tube containing mercury amalgam.

[0017] In some embodiments, said at least one lamp has an emission field of UV-C radiation comprised between 253.7 nm and 185 nm.

[0018] The characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment thereof illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0019] - fig. 1 is a schematic side elevation view of a self-propelled self- driving vehicle comprising a device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes made in accordance with the present invention;

[0020] - figs. 2 and 3 are respectively a side elevation view and a plan view of the device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes in figure 1;

[0021] - fig. 4 is a perspective view of the device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes of the previous figures.

[0022] In the figures, 1 overall indicates a self-propelled self-driving vehicle of a type known per se, provided with a device for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes 2 including at least one and preferably a plurality of UV-C type ultraviolet radiation generators all indicated with 3. In a preferred technical solution, the UV-C radiation generators 3 are made in the form of a movable wing 10 (only one of which is visible in fig. 1) that equips each of the two opposite longitudinal sides of the vehicle 1 in such a way that with a single pass the vehicle 1 can carry out the treatment of two adjacent rows of crops passing in the inter-row.

[0023] Each UV-C radiation generator 3 may comprise one or more UV-C induction lamps 4. For the sake of clarity, in the example of the figures, each generator 3 comprises an induction UV-C lamp 4.

[0024] The induction lamps 4 are basically fluorescent lamps with a quartz tubular element 5 (which will also be referred to below with the expression "tube" and to which the same reference number will be associated), on which one or more electromagnetic generators (coils) 6 arranged wound around a part of the tubular element 5 are applied, preferably in spaced positions of the tube 5 itself. Preferably, the tube 5 is ring-closed on itself with an essentially rectangular plan conformation. The coils 6 are placed on the opposite short sides of the rectangular plan and are supplied through a reactor (ballast) 7 with high-frequency voltage. Power is supplied to the windings of the coils 6 which are wound around a ferrite inductor core 8 on the outside of the tubular element 5, creating a powerful magnet. An amalgam of solid mercury, i.e. an alloy of mercury with other metals (known per se) is contained inside the tubular element 5, in an ampoule 9 thereof.

[0025] The operation of the self-propelled vehicle 1 provided with UV-C lamps 4 appears clear and intuitive from what has been described so far. More particularly, as anticipated, while the vehicle 1 moves forward autonomously, for example along a predetermined path defined between adjacent crop rows, the plurality of ultraviolet radiation generators 3 emits UV-C radiation, suitable for carrying out the pest control treatment of the crops of interest.

[0026] For each of the ultraviolet radiation generators 3, the emission is obtained thanks to the interaction of the mercury amalgam, contained inside the ampoule 9, with the electromagnetic field generated by the coils 6. The latter, in fact, produce a very strong electromagnetic field that passes through the quartz glass and excites the mercury atoms inside the ampoule 9. The excited mercury atoms emit a UV-C electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is comprised in the range of 253.7 nm and 185 nm.

[0027] The interaction described above is schematically visible in fig. 4, wherein the electrons interacting with the amalgam are indicated with reference numeral 11, the energized mercury molecules with reference numeral 12 and the ultraviolet radiation with numeral 13, which is obtained by the impact between the electrons 11 and the mercury molecules 12.

[0028] Compared to the known multi-tube mercury lamps, the following advantages are obtained.

[0029] A single series of power induction lamps is used on each wing of the vehicle, instead of a plurality of multi-tube modules (generally in a known vehicle a total of 12 modules are installed for a total of 96 traditional mercury vapour tubular lamps).

[0030] The radiated power is about twice that of the traditional multi-tube mercury lamps.

[0031] The life of the induction UV-C lamp is 20 times longer than the traditional lamps, the UV-C emission time is almost instantaneous compared to the time required by the previous lamps (equal to about three minutes) and the probability of failure is reduced by 900 times compared to the traditional multi-lamp devices.

[0032] This translates overall into significant total savings for a single self- propelled vehicle so set up.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Device (2) for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes by UV-C radiation, comprising at least one ultraviolet radiation generator (3) and characterized in that said generator (3) comprises at least one UV-C induction lamp (4).

2. Device (2) according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of said lamps (4).

3. Device (2) according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said at least one lamp (4) is mounted on a self-driving vehicle (1).

4. Device (2) according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the lamp(s) (4) each comprise a quartz tube (5) with at least one electromagnetism generator (6) wound outside said tube (5) and provided with a ferrite core (8) and with at least one ampoule (9) in said tube (5) containing mercury amalgam.

5. Device (2) according to one or more of the preceding claims wherein said at least one lamp (4) has an emission field of UV-C radiation comprised between 253.7 nm and 185 nm.

6. Self-propelled self-driving vehicle (1) comprising at least one device (2) for pest control treatment for agricultural purposes by UV-C radiation according to one or more of the preceding claims.

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