Patent Application: US-201414477937-A

Abstract:
the invention relates to the cultivation of insect pollinated plants in a greenhouse environment . in more particular , the invention relates to a lighting device and a method of illumination designed to enhance insect pollination in plants , such as the tomato . the best mode of the invention is considered to be the use of a led lighting device having emission peaks matching the photosynthetic relative absorption peaks of green plants , and the relative reflectance peaks of flowers of plants being cultivated and the relative sensitivity peaks of the insect &# 39 ; s vision being used in the pollination . the inventive lighting device and method reduces insect mortality and increases pollination efficiency , photosynthetic growth and thereby increases the productivity of plant cultivation .

Description:
fig2 shows the method of the invention as a flow diagram . in phase 200 the light emission peaks are chosen . the emission peaks should have wavelengths that coincide with the reflectivity peaks of flowers of plants being pollinated and cultivated . the reflectance curves were shown in fig1 b for a number of exemplary ) flowering plants . furthermore the spectral peak should be emitted at a wavelength that coincides with increased photoreception sensitivity of insect vision . the exemplary sensitivity curves were shown in fig1 c . these spectral peaks occur roughly at any of the following wavelengths : 348 nm , 375 nm , 435 nm , 538 nm with an error range of ± 10 nm in accordance with the invention . the peak wavelengths will of course vary depending on the plant species being cultivated and the insect used to cultivate the said plant , and it is in accordance with the invention to choose one or more specific emission peaks for each insect pollinator - flower pair . from the fig1 b and 1c it can be deduced that the greatest coincidence of spectral maxima appears to happen quite close to the insect vision sensitivity maximas . preferably , the said increased reflectivity and / or sensitivity exceeds the 1 /√ 2 of maximum of said reflectivity and / or sensitivity in the uv to far red band in some embodiments of the invention . in some embodiments at coincidence wavelength the reflectivity and / or sensitivity exceeds the 90 %-, 80 %-, 70 %-, 60 %-, 50 %-, 40 %- or 30 %- level of maximum of said reflectivity and / or sensitivity in the uv ( 300 - 400 nm ) to far red ( 700 - 800 nm ) band . the light device is typically arranged to comprise at least one led and / or quantum dot , or be composed entirely of leds and / or quantum dots . this design choice allows for greater spectral design freedom needed in optimizing the emission peaks to match the aforementioned flower reflectivity and insect eye sensitivity spectral peaks . furthermore , this emitter technology has the added effect that these lighting devices do not heat to levels that are lethal to the pollinating insects . the light device and the method is / are typically used in a greenhouse and / or indoor environment where insect pollinated plants are cultivated , but can also be used outdoors . in phase 210 the light emission is directed towards flowers in the greenhouse . in phase 220 the pollinating insects are released into the greenhouse . typically these insects are honeybees and / or bumblebees . in phase 230 a high number of photons are reflected from flowers at wavelengths of high insect vision sensitivity . this creates an environment where the insects observe the flowers extremely easily and therefore discover pollination targets as effectively as possible in phase 240 . the increased observability of pollination targets by the insects leads to enhanced pollination and thereby the crop being cultivated increases in yield substantially in phase 250 . this method is preferably used in combination with a light device and method that optimizes photosynthetic growth . preferably the light device used in combination with method 20 is a horticultural lighting fixture comprising at least one light emitting diode ( led ) having a first spectral characteristics including a peak in the wavelength range from 600 to 700 nm and arranged to exhibit a full width at half maximum of at least 50 nm or more and a second spectral characteristics with a maximum of 50 nm full width at half maximum and arranged to exhibit a peak wavelength in the range from 440 to 500 nm . furthermore in some embodiments of the invention at least a part or the whole of the emission at wavelengths of 500 - 600 nm is minimized and / or omitted and / or reduced below the intensity in 400 - 500 nm band and below the intensity in 600 - 700 nm band . as fig1 a shows the photosynthetic absorption is quite low in this band . also in some embodiments the emission spectrum comprises far red radiation ( 700 - 800 nm ), which has been observed by the applicant to enhance biomass growth in plants as a surprise effect . the emission can be achieved by powering leds and / or quantum dots electrically and / or by optical up - conversion in accordance with the invention . in optical up - conversion short wavelength radiation is absorbed and then optically re - emitted at a longer wavelength . quantum dots and / or phosphorus can be used to realize the wavelength up - conversion of the invention . in one embodiment that is especially preferable the far red radiation ( 700 - 800 nm ) is produced by for example europium - cerium co - doped ba x sr y zns 3 phosphors and / or cerium doped lanthanide oxide sulfides . these phosphor and sulfide types have emission peak maxima between 650 - 700 nm wavelength region and exhibit also broad ( 50 - 200 nm ) full width at half maximum and therefore also produce light emission at higher wavelength , i . e ., above 700 nm wavelength range . in one embodiment , all or part of the emission at a frequency of 600 - 800 nm is generated using a whole or partial wavelength up - conversion of the led chip radiation power . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 20 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 30 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 , 71 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . fig3 a shows the embodiment where the light device is realised on a chip 100 using leds 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 only . naturally any number of leds at different wavelengths and fwhm &# 39 ; s ( full width at half maximum ) can be used in accordance with the invention . one or more wavelength up - converters can also be used in accordance with the invention . preferably the at least one led 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 produces an emission spectrum that has the peaks at wavelengths that coincide with high photosynthetic absorption , high flower reflectivity and / or high insect vision sensitivity as explained before in some embodiments . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 30 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 , 71 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . furthermore any light emitter design from ep 11158698 . 8 , of the inventor and applicant can be combined with embodiment 30 . this document is cited here as reference . fig3 b shows an embodiment where at least one led and at least one quantum dot are used in combination . in this example there is a led emitter 101 and quantum dots 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 , 160 . the led can typically be only driven by electric power . the quantum dots can be driven by electric power to produce light emission , but in some embodiments all or some quantum dots can be used as wavelength up - converters of absorbed optical radiation also . preferably some quantum dots are of different size in some embodiments , as a different dot diameter implies a different emission spectrum . preferably the at least one led 101 and at least one quantum dot 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 , 160 produce an emission spectrum that produces the peaks at wavelengths that coincide with high photosynthetic absorption , high flower reflectivity and / or high insect vision sensitivity as explained before in some embodiments . all or some of the quantum dots 110 , 120 , 130 , 140 , 150 and 160 are typically manufactured from any of the following alloys : cadmium selenide , cadmium sulphide , indium arsenide , indium phosphide and / or cadmium selenide sulphide in some embodiments . in one special exemplary embodiment of the invention cdse — zns ( core - shell ) quantum dot nano particles with average particle size of 6 . 6 nm with approximately +/− 0 . 5 nm particle size distribution were mixed with a two component silicone encapsulant resin . the mixing ratio was 0 . 2 w -% of nano particles in the silicone resin . the resin containing nano particles were dispensed as encapsulant into a plastic leaded chip carrier ( plcc ) consisting a ingan light emitting diode in the plcc cavity . the light emitting diodes was determined to have electroluminescent emission at 450 nm wavelength range . the ingan containing plcc package with nano particles containing encapsulant material was connected to a dc voltage power source with forward voltage of 3 . 2 v and current of 350 ma . in some embodiments the led has a higher or lower current , for example 450 ma leds are now being implemented in one other alternative design by the applicant . the device optical emission spectrum was characterized to result in two emission peaks one at 450 nm wavelength range and the second at the 660 nm wavelength range . the 660 nm wavelength range emission peak &# 39 ; s full width at half maximum was observed to be over approximately 60 nm . the intensity ratios of the 450 nm and 660 nm peaks were 0 . 5 : 1 . the aforementioned experiment has been conducted by the applicant . it is in accordance with the invention to produce several quantum dots as described above , some of different sizes . these quantum dots , one or many quantum dots may be driven with electric current / voltage from a power source or the said one or many quantum dots may be driven by optical excitation or both optical excitation and electric current / voltage from a power source in accordance with the invention . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 31 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 32 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 , 71 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . furthermore any light emitter design from ep11158648 . 3 , of the inventor and applicant can be combined with embodiment 31 . this document is cited here as reference . fig3 c shows the embodiment where the light emitter chip features only quantum dots . preferably the quantum dots have a size distribution that produces an emission spectrum that produces the peaks at wavelengths that coincide with high photosynthetic absorption , high flower reflectivity and / or high insect vision sensitivity as explained before in some embodiments . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 32 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 31 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 , 71 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . furthermore any light emitter design from ep11158693 . 9 , of the inventor and applicant can be combined with embodiment 32 . this document is cited here as reference . it should be noted that any of the embodiments 30 , 31 , 32 may be used to produce a broad uv component in some embodiments of the invention . fig4 shows an exemplary spectral diagram 40 that could be produced by the method and light device of the invention . the spectral feature 410 in grey thin line is arranged to maximise photosynthetic absorption per watt spent and typically this feature is produced by a blue led with a wavelength up - conversion phosphor and / or quantum dot . in other embodiments this feature is produced by two leds and / or quantum dots . the spectral features 401 , 402 , 403 in thick black are designed to illuminate the flowers in the plants to insects , making them maximally observable to insects . these features are typically produced by a led and / or a quantum dot powered by electric current . in some embodiments filters , such as band - pass filters can be used with leds and / or quantum dots to produce the spectral features 401 , 402 , 403 . at least one spectral feature 401 , 402 , 403 should have a relative intensity level sufficient to highlight the flower from the background . in one preferred embodiment the relative intensity level is such that the intensity is doubled by the spectral features 401 , 402 , 403 in the respective bands of the spectral features . in another preferred embodiment , the relative intensity level is such that the intensity is increased to ten times higher or more by the spectral features 401 , 402 , 403 in the respective bands of the spectral features , thus providing logarithmic amplification . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 40 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 50 , 60 , 70 , 71 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . fig5 resembles fig4 otherwise , except that the plant growth enhancing photosynthetic spectral feature 510 is redder than the corresponding photosynthetic spectral feature 410 in fig4 embodiment 40 . the relative intensity of pollination enhancing spectral features 401 , 402 , 403 can be at any level in accordance with the invention . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 50 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 60 , 70 , 71 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . fig6 displays the embodiment 60 that has a photosynthetic spectral feature 610 which has been tested in greenhouses by the applicant . this spectral feature was particularly successful in conditions of limited natural light . in embodiment 60 this photosynthetic spectral feature is complemented by the pollination enhancing spectral features of 402 and 403 . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 60 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 50 , 70 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . fig7 shows different use configurations of the lighting device of the invention in a greenhouse environment . in embodiment 70 at least one plant is on the greenhouse floor and the lighting device shines light on one or more plants 711 . typically the greenhouse 701 has transparent walls , so the sunlight 730 emerging through the wall 740 will be similar to the solar spectrum minus the filtrating effect of the wall material . the spectrum 750 , which as explained before included peaks at wavelengths that coincide with high photosynthetic absorption , high flower reflectivity and / or high insect vision sensitivity , are optimised to still contain those peaks in the presence of complementing natural solar light in accordance with the invention . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 70 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 71 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . in embodiment 71 the plants are arranged in shelves in open and closed growth chambers to save space . naturally the inventive lighting device can be used to illuminate all or some plants collectively , as the lighting device 720 attached to the roof , or small lighting devices of the invention can be attached on the shelves , or in growth chambers , to illuminate plants to the insects more locally . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 71 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 and / or 80 in accordance with the invention . fig8 shows a use embodiment of the invention suitable for a skyscraper in a big city . people typically prefer to live on higher floors in an urban environment , because these floors are further from the street noise and have more natural light , as evidenced by property prices in many european and us cities . in this embodiment the lower floors of the skyscraper are utilised for local food production by having at least one plant 811 in a lower floor , where at least one lighting device 822 , 823 of the invention is / are used to illuminate at least one plant . the at least one plant 811 is an insect pollinated plant , and insects 840 are lured into the lower floor and the plants 811 by the spectral features emitted by the light devices 822 , 823 that attract the insects and display the flowers in the at least one plant 811 to the insects more effectively . this leads to high efficiency pollination and high crop levels per unit area near the consumer , where space is at a premium . it should also further be noted that the embodiment 80 can be readily permuted and / or combined with any of the embodiments 20 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 and / or 71 in accordance with the invention . in some embodiments of the invention one or more spectral peaks are arranged to be emitted in the 340 - 440 nm band . it should be noted that in any of the aforementioned embodiments it is also in accordance with the invention to provide a broad uv spectrum , providing broader usability , as the reflectivity of the light on the various surfaces is better in general . the broader uv component may be used to replace one , more or all spectral peaks or complement them in accordance with the invention . using a quantum dot led it is possible to produce a broad electroluminescence spectrum at uv wavelengths . in all of the aforementioned embodiments it is possible to provide for a feature where the photosynthetic illumination spectral component and the pollination enhancing spectral component are controlled separately , i . e . one , the other or both may be on or off as needed . it is also in accordance with the invention to provide means for adjusting the relative emission intensities of the said two components . the invention has been explained above with reference to the aforementioned embodiments and several commercial and industrial advantages have been demonstrated . the methods and arrangements of the invention allow lower insect mortality as the led and / or quantum dot based design is harmless to the pollinating insects . prior art light devices relying on electric discharge typically attracted insects , but also heated to extreme temperatures , killing many pollinating insects that were drawn close to the prior art light device . a further advantage of the invention is that as the insects see the flowers better , pollination efficiency is increased , leading to more enhanced reproduction by the plants and an increase in crop . the better survival rate and improved vision have a synergistic added advantage : the insects are known to be capable of learning to operate in different illumination conditions and wavelengths . however , if the insects are killed by hot lamps very early on , no learning will have taken place . a light device that is not lethal to insects also adds to improved pollination by its effect of allowing more educated insects to pollinate the plants more effectively than ever before . the light device provides also for better rested insects as the insects find to their nest easier with the inventive light solution than without it . as the insects are capable of learning , it is possible that the insects can work quite effectively in illumination conditions where the peak wavelength of the illumination is not at maximum sensitivity , when they are provided with the chance to adjust to the lighting conditions . leds of the invention provide also an improvement to current solution using hps and hid due to their capability of easy spectrum in - situ tuning , e . g . uv leds can only be turned on during a pollination event , i . e . when pollinating insects are present near the plants . when turned off uv light does not assist harmful insects , such as pests , to find plants . this is not possible in hps and hid lamps of the prior art . producing uv light also consumes more energy and therefore it is beneficial to have that spectrum component off when not being used . an even further advantage of the invention is that the light device of the invention enhances any or all of the following : fruit production , plant reproduction and / or plant growth . this enhancement has a synergistic improvement in crop levels that goes beyond the levels that could be achieved by using either one illumination solution individually or separately , and it goes beyond the sum of the individual effects . more green plant growth provides the basis for bigger and higher quality fruit , the better developed fruit increases the prospects of success for the next greenhouse plant generation , more plant reproduction produces more fruit , which more fruit is better supported by the photosynthetically stronger plant growth . it is with these synergistic improvements that the invention alleviates the global problem of hunger . the invention has been explained above with reference to the aforementioned embodiments . however , it is clear that the invention is not only restricted to these embodiments , but comprises all possible embodiments within the spirit and scope of the inventive thought and the following patent claims . “ flower colour as advertisement ”, chitka l . & amp ; kevan , p . g . ( 2005 ), in dafni , a ., kevan p . g ., husband , b . c . 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