Insect attractant lighting method and insect attractant lighting system

• US 10,080,357 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Osaka Prefcture University, Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Osaka Prefcture University, Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Uchida, Tatsukiyo, Yamada, Makoto, Ishii, Minoru, Hirai, Norio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ark, Darren W
• Application Number:
  US13/392,337
• Publication Number:
  US 20120176765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,952 Days
• Field of Search: 43113, 47 101 R, 47 17, 47 581 R, 47 581 LS, 362563
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/04 Attracting insects by using illumination or colours A01M1/08 and A01M1/145 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 1/145 Attracting and catching insects using combined illumination or colours and adhesive surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 29/10 using light sources, e.g. lasers or flashing lights

Abstract

In an insect pest attraction lighting system which irradiates a field with attraction light for attracting insect pests to keep the insect pests away from a plant, an effect of protection against diurnal insect pests is improved. An insect pest attraction lighting system 1 includes: a setting unit 2 which sets, as an operating time zone, an arbitrary time zone during nighttime; an artificial sunlight source unit 3 which irradiates the entirety of an interior of a plastic greenhouse H1 with artificial sunlight which does not include wavelength components of 500 to 600 nm, in the operating time zone; and an attraction light source unit 4 which irradiates a portion of the interior of the plastic greenhouse H1 with attraction light in the operating time zone. The irradiation of the artificial sunlight during nighttime increases the activity of diurnal insect pests B1, and the attraction light attracts the activity-increased diurnal insect pests B1, whereby the activity-increased diurnal insect pests B1 can be kept away from plants P1. Thus, protection against the diurnal insect pests B1 can positively be provided. In addition, since the artificial sunlight does not include light in a wavelength range of 500 to 600 nm which is reflected by the plants P1, it is made difficult for the diurnal insect pests B1 to visually recognize the plants P1, and therefore, an effect of protection against insects is enhanced further.

Claims

1. An insect pest attraction lighting system which is installed in a field and emits attraction light for attracting insect pests to keep the insect pests away from a plant, the insect pest attraction lighting system comprising:

a setter that sets an operating time zone within a time zone during which the field is not exposed to natural light;

an artificial sunlight source that irradiates an entirety of the field with artificial sunlight which does not include wavelength components of 500 to 600 nm, in the operating time zone set by the setter;

an attraction light source having a range that irradiates a portion of the field with the attraction light in the operating time zone set by the setter while causing the attraction light to have a peak in a wavelength range of 500 to 600 nm; and

an attraction light source support that supports the attraction light source and includes a trap and legs, the trap including a gutter spaced from and below the attraction light source, the gutter being open in an upward direction of the field toward the attraction light source, the gutter being spaced from and above the field in the upward direction of the field by the legs,

wherein the artificial sunlight source is supported above at least a portion of the plant in the field, and the attraction light source is supported on the field and extends along and between adjacent ridges in which the plant is planted and emits the attraction light in the upward direction of the field, and

the gutter further comprises at least one support member which supports the attraction light source above the gutter for emitting the light in the upward direction of the field.

2. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein a radiation energy sum of the attraction light in the wavelength range of 500 to 600 nm is greater than a radiation energy sum of the attraction light in a wavelength range other than 500 to 600 nm.

3. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the artificial sunlight has a peak wavelength in a wavelength range of 400 to 500 nm.

4. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein a radiation energy sum of the artificial sunlight in a wavelength range of 400 to 500 nm is greater than a radiation energy sum of the attraction light in a wavelength range other than 400 to 500 nm.

5. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the setter sets, as the operating time zone, an entirety of the time zone during which the field is not exposed to natural light.

6. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the setter sets, as the operating time zone, a time zone which ends at a sunrise time, within the time zone during which the field is not exposed to natural light.

7. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the setter sets, as the operating time zone, a time zone which starts at a sunset time, within the time zone during which the field is not exposed to natural light.

8. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the artificial sunlight source is positioned higher above the field than the attraction light source.

9. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the attraction light source comprises a plurality of attraction light sources that are supported on the field and spaced from one another in a longitudinal direction of the ridges, and

each of the plurality of attraction light sources extends in the longitudinal direction of the ridges.

10. The insect pest attraction lighting system according to claim 1, wherein the attraction light source comprises a plurality of discrete light sources extending in a row between the adjacent ridges.