Pest control equipment

Abstract

To provide a vermin capture device capable of adjusting flip-up energizing force of wire guides and reducing a danger of a worker as much as possible when installing and setting the device.SOLUTION: A vermin capture device comprises: a capture mechanism body 1 including a substantially square outer shape base frame body 10 having horizontal flanges 12, and adjustment pins 13 vertically screwed and inserted into the horizontal flanges 12; and a wire guide mechanism 2 including a footboard 20 on which wire guide supporting flanges 21 are erected, wire guides 22 pivotally supported by the wire guide support flanges 21 via pivots 23, and flip-up energizing springs 24 installed at tips of the left and right wire guides 22. The tips of the wire guides 22 are brought into contact with and carried by the outer shape base frame body 10, and a vertical position of the footboard 20 stored in the outer shape base frame body 10 can be adjusted by the adjustment pins 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a pest trap configured such that when a pest's leg presses on a pedal, the operation of the pedal triggers the capture wire to be able to bind the uppermost part possible of the pest's leg.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-037218, a pest trap is configured to capture a pest's leg by contracting an annular portion of an annular capture wire stretched around the periphery of a pedal, using the operation of the pedal as a trigger above the pedal. The capture wire is mounted so as to surround the circumferential surface of left and right semi-arc-shaped wire guides, and, using the operation of the pedal as a trigger and via a linkage mechanism, the left and right semi-arc-shaped wire guides are configured to lift the annular capture wire to circumferentially surround and contract the pest's leg for capture.

[0003] Here, it is important that a biasing spring biases the left and right semi-arc-shaped (or substantially U-shaped) left and right wire guides upward to contract and capture the pest's leg with the annular capture wire surrounding the circumferential surface of the wire guide.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In order to adjust the timing of the upward biasing of the semi-arc-shaped wire guide and the stress of the rise to be in the strongest state, it would be sufficient to strengthen the upward biasing spring of the wire guide. However, if the spring biasing force of the upward biasing spring is strengthened, there is a risk that the upward biasing spring will operate inadvertently when setting the trap, causing harm to the operator.

[0006] Furthermore, the spring biasing force of the spring required to raise the wire guide was fixed by the spring constant, making it difficult to adjust this spring biasing force.

[0007] This invention aims to provide a pest control device that allows for adjustment of the upward biasing force of the wire guide, thereby minimizing the risk to the worker during installation and setup. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first aspect of this invention comprises a capture mechanism body comprising a substantially rectangular outer frame body with horizontal flanges projecting inward from the left and right side frames, and an adjustment pin screwed perpendicularly through the horizontal flanges; a wire guide support flange erected in the front and rear center of the foot plate, with the free end bases of the left and right legs pivotally supported on the wire guide support flange, and a spring that connects the tips of the two left and right wire guides, which surround a binding wire that operates in an annular diameter contraction manner, and moreover, the left and right wire guides, which are integrally constructed together with the foot plate, are housed within the capture mechanism body, and the tip of the wire guide is located at the top This pest animal trapping device is configured such that the wire guide is supported in contact with the left and right side frames of the outer frame body of the trapping mechanism, and the lower end of the adjustment pin contacts the edge of the foot plate, allowing for free adjustment of the vertical position of the foot plate relative to the outer frame body. The pivot of the wire guide base is configured to be vertically adjustable together with the foot plate, with the wire guide supporting portion supported on the left and right side frames of the outer frame body as the vertical position of the wire guide supporting portion is adjusted. The angle of inclination of the wire guide supporting legs relative to the foot plate is adjusted in accordance with the vertical position adjustment of the pivot of the wire guide base. The upward stress on the wire guide via the upward biasing spring increases as the supporting inclination angle of the wire guide increases. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The gist of this invention is a capture mechanism body comprising a roughly rectangular outer frame body with horizontal flanges projecting inward from the left and right side frames, and an adjustment pin screwed perpendicularly through the horizontal flanges; wire guide support flanges erected in the front and rear center of the foot plate, with the free end bases of the left and right legs pivotally supported by the wire guide support flanges, and a spring-up biasing spring connecting the tips of the two wire guides on the left and right sides, which surround a binding wire that operates in an annular diameter contraction manner; and the left and right wire guides, which are integrally constructed together with the foot plate, are housed within the capture mechanism body, and the top of the tip of the wire guide is a capture spring. The pest animal trapping device is configured such that the wire guide is supported in contact with the left and right side frames of the outer frame body of the trapping mechanism, and the lower end of the adjustment pin abuts against the edge of the foot plate, allowing for free adjustment of the vertical position of the foot plate relative to the outer frame body. The pivot of the wire guide base is configured to be vertically adjustable together with the foot plate, centered around the wire guide supporting portion supported on the left and right side frames of the outer frame body, and the inclination angle of the wire guide supporting legs relative to the foot plate can be adjusted in accordance with the vertical position adjustment of the pivot of the wire guide base. The device is configured such that the upward force on the wire guide via the upward biasing spring increases as the supporting inclination angle of the wire guide increases.

[0010] According to a first aspect of this invention, the capture mechanism consists of a two-part structure: a main body made of a rectangular outer frame and a wire guide mechanism having a footplate mounted inside the outer frame. This structure is simple overall while still providing a powerful wire capture function. The main body of the capture mechanism has adjustment pins screwed perpendicularly into horizontal flanges protruding from the left and right side frames of the outer frame. The tips of these adjustment pins abut the edges of the footplates of the wire guide mechanism, allowing for adjustment of the vertical position and inclination angle of the wire guides, which are pivotally connected to the footplates. This allows for adjustment of the inclination angle of the footplates and wire guides through the simple operation of the adjustment pins. Furthermore, since springs are interposed at the tips of the left and right wire guides, the upward stress on the wire guides can be easily adjusted.

[0011] Because this spring-loaded biasing spring connects the semicircular wire guides on the left and right sides, the shape of the wire guides on the left and right sides can be freely deformed around the pivot point at the base of the free end, such as becoming mountain-shaped (as shown in Figure 4(a)) or valley-shaped (as shown in Figure 4(b)). This allows for changes in the tension exceeding the spring-loaded biasing spring at the upper and lower positions, and simultaneously, in conjunction with the vertical position changes of each pivot point on the footplate, it is possible to adjust the inclination angle of the wire guides.

[0012] In other words, as shown in Figure 4(a), when the wire guide is in a mountain shape, the spring-up biasing spring is located below the pivot point of the wire guide and biases the tip of the wire guide in a folding direction toward the bottom of the valley of the outer frame. However, as shown in Figure 4(b), when the wire guide is in a valley shape, the spring-up biasing spring is located above the pivot point of the wire guide due to tension overload and biases the tip of the wire guide in an upward folding direction. In this way, the spring-up biasing springs are displaced to a position above or below the pivot points of the left and right wire guides in response to the changes in their mountain-like or valley-like shapes. As a result, the tension-overloading action of the spring-up biasing springs allows the wire guides to exert their maximum wire-holding function.

[0013] Thus, the vertical position change of the spring corresponds to the change in the mountain-shaped or valley-shaped form of the roughly U-shaped or roughly semi-circular wire guide. Furthermore, since the wire guide's tip, which is roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular), protrudes outward from the outer frame of the capture mechanism body, the wire guide's tip is supported on the upper edge of the rising frame wall of the outer frame. Therefore, the left and right legs of the wire guide are supported at two points: the pivot point that connects to the wire guide support flange on the tread, and the rising frame wall of the outer base frame. Thus, each left and right wire guide, which has changed into a mountain-shaped or valley-shaped form, is supported at two points: the pivot point connecting to the footboard and the upper edge of the rising frame wall of the outer base frame, and can change between mountain-shaped and valley-shaped by changing the vertical position of the spring-loaded spring.

[0014] Through the synergistic effect of the main body of the capture mechanism and the wire guide mechanism consisting of wire guides and springs that provide upward biasing force, the vertical position of the footplate is adjusted by raising and lowering an adjustment pin provided on the outer frame. In other words, by adjusting the vertical position of the footplate with the adjustment pin, the angle of the V-shaped inclination of the wire guides on the left and right sides changes, and the biasing force that springs up the wire guides can be adjusted.

[0015] Thus, the shape of the wire guide changes from a mountain shape to a valley shape triggered by the operation of the footplate, and the mountain-shaped inclination angle of the wire guide is adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the footplate with the adjustment pin. Then, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), when the left and right wire guides spring upright by pivoting around the pivot at the base of the free end via the spring-up biasing spring, the spring-up momentum of the wire guide becomes large, and the spring biasing force of the spring-up biasing spring has a stronger influence, resulting in a greater capturing movement stress, and the capturing wire surrounding the circumferential surface of the wire guide contracts while maintaining its annular shape and springs up, allowing it to capture the leg of the pest animal as high as possible. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is an exploded perspective view showing a pest animal trapping device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing a pest animal trapping device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]This is a schematic diagram showing the installation procedure for a pest animal trap according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view showing the footplate stored inside the outer frame, and (b) is a front view showing the state in which the left and right wire guides are opened while the upward movement of the footplate is restricted by the adjustment pin, and the springs that are biased to spring upward are positioned below the pivot points of the wire guides. [Figure 4] This figure shows the operation of a pest animal trapping device according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view showing the wire guide mechanism when the pest animal trapping device is installed on the ground, and (b) is a front view showing the state in which the footplate of the wire guide mechanism has sunk to the bottom surface of the outer base frame. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram showing the operation of a pest animal trap according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the state before the trap is activated, (b) shows the state in which the footplate has fallen to the bottom of the outer frame, and (c) shows the state in which the left and right wire guides are biased upward. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The gist of the present invention is a capture mechanism main body composed of a substantially square outer frame body with horizontal flanges protruding inwardly on the left and right side frames, and adjustment pins vertically screwed and inserted through the horizontal flanges; wire guide support flanges are erected at the front and rear central portions of the pedal, and substantially U-shaped or substantially semi-arc-shaped wire guides on the left and right sides with the free end bases of the left and right legs pivotally supported on the wire guide support flanges; a spring-up biasing spring connecting the tip ends of the two wire guides surrounding a wire that operates to reduce its diameter in a circular shape on the outer surface; moreover, the left and right side wire guides integrally formed with the pedal are housed within the capture mechanism main body, and the top of the tip end side of the wire guide is configured to abut and be supported on the left and right side frames of the outer frame body of the capture mechanism main body; the lower end of the adjustment pin abuts the edge of the pedal to enable adjustment of the vertical position of the pedal relative to the outer frame body, thereby configuring the pivot portion of the base of the wire guide to be vertically adjustable together with the pedal around the wire guide support portion supported on the left and right side frames of the outer frame body, configuring the inclination angle of the support leg of the wire guide relative to the pedal to be adjustable as the vertical position of the pivot portion of the base of the wire guide is adjusted, and configuring the spring-up stress of the wire guide via the spring-up biasing spring to increase as the support inclination angle of the wire guide increases. This is a pest capture tool.

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the capture mechanism main body 1, FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof, the outer frame body 10 is formed in a square frame shape, and a horizontal flange 12 is continuously provided at the central portion of the upper edge of the rising frame wall bodies 11, 11 which are the left and right side frames of the outer frame body 10.

[0019] An adjustment pin 13 is vertically provided and screwed at the central portion of the horizontal flange 12, and the lower end of the adjustment pin 13 abuts near the left and right edge portions 20a, 20b of the pedal 20 located below it.

[0020] A separate wire guide mechanism 2, as shown in Figure 1, is configured from the main capture mechanism 1. This mechanism has a rectangular area smaller than the outer frame 10, and a wire guide support flange 21 is erected in the center of the front and rear edges of the tread plate 20 in the left-right direction. The wire guide support flange 21 is formed by bending a part of the tread plate 20, which is made of a single steel plate, upward.

[0021] The wire guide support flanges 21, 21 pivotally support the front and rear free end bases 22a, 22b of the roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular) wire guides 22 on the left and right sides. In other words, the wire guide 22 has a roughly U-shape or roughly semi-circular shape, and its open parts, the free end bases 22a, 22b of the left and right legs, are pivotally supported by the wire guide support flanges 21, 21 in the front and rear directions.

[0022] Furthermore, a capture wire W that operates in a ring-like, retractable manner is commonly surrounded on both sides of the left and right wire guides 22. That is, as shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), a single capture wire W is wrapped around the circumferential surfaces of the left and right wire guides 22, 22, and both ends of the capture wire W are connected to a known wire tensioning mechanism U consisting of a tension spring S or the like, and are constantly biased by tension spring S housed in a spring case C.

[0023] Therefore, when the tip 22c of the capture wire W rises with the wire guide 22 centered on the pivot 23 of the free end bases 22a and 22b, it detaches from the wire guide 22 and contracts in diameter due to the biasing force of the tension spring S, surrounding and capturing the legs of the pest animal that has stepped on the footplate 20.

[0024] Thus, the basic technology of the pest animal trapping device T described in this embodiment is to pull the trapping wire W that is wrapped around the wire guide 22 via the upward movement of the tip 22c of the wire guide 22, and then reduce its diameter due to the biasing force of the spring S, thereby surrounding and trapping the legs of the pest animal that steps on the footplate 20.

[0025] In this context, the pest animal trapping device T of the present invention is configured to allow adjustment of the balance between the operation to adjust the inclination angle of the wire guide 22 and the operation to adjust the vertical position fluctuation of the spring 24, in order to adjust the force that reduces the diameter of the trapping wire W due to the biasing force of the tension spring S, as will be described later.

[0026] Furthermore, a spring 24 is interposed between the U-shaped bent portions of the pair of left and right wire guides 22, 22 to pull the pair of wire guides 22, 22 toward the center. Moreover, the footplate 20 is housed within the outer frame 10 of the capture mechanism body 1, and the tips 22c of the left and right wire guides 22, 22, which are integrally formed with the footplate 20, are configured to abut and support the upper edges of the rising frame walls 11, which serve as the left and right side frames of the outer frame 10 of the capture mechanism body 1. Figures 3(a) and (b) show the rising frame walls 11, 11 of the left and right side frames of the outer frame 10.

[0027] The pest animal trapping device T of the present invention is configured as described above, and its function and operation will be explained below. Basically, the pest animal trapping device T of the present invention consists of a combination of two components: a trapping mechanism body 1 and a wire guide mechanism 2 having a footplate 20 housed within its rectangular frame.

[0028] First, the tips of the adjustment pins 13, 13, which are vertically screwed into the horizontal flanges 12, 12 on both the left and right sides of the outer frame 10, are brought into contact with the footplate 20, allowing the vertical position of the pivot portion 23 of the wire guide 22, which is pivotally connected to the wire guide support flange 21 together with the footplate 20, and the inclination angle of the wire guide 22 to be adjusted.

[0029] The vertical position of the tread 20 can be changed by tightening the adjustment pin 13 to the horizontal flange 12. Accordingly, the inclination angle of the wire guide 22 relative to the tread 20 (between approximately 2 and 6 degrees) can be adjusted. Furthermore, since springs 24 are interposed near the tip 22c of each of the left and right wire guides 22, the upward stress on the wire guides 22 caused by the springs 24 can also be adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the tread 20.

[0030] Because the spring 24 connects the roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular) wire guides 22, 22 on the left and right sides, the shape of the wire guides 22, 22 on the left and right sides can be freely deformed around the pivot points 23, 23 of the free end bases 22a, 22b to form a mountain shape (as shown in Figure 4(a) or Figure 5(a)) or a valley shape (as shown in Figure 4(b), Figure 5(b), or Figure 5(c)), thereby creating changes in the tension exceeding the spring 24 at the upper and lower positions. At the same time, in conjunction with the fluctuation of the vertical position of each pivot point 23 on the wire guide support flange 21, the inclination angle of the wire guides 22 is adjusted.

[0031] In other words, as shown in Figure 5(a), when the wire guide 22, which is roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular), is made into a mountain shape, the spring 24 is located below the pivot 23 of the wire guide 22. In this state, the wire guide 22 is biased by the spring 24 in the folding direction, with its tip 22c toward the bottom of the valley of the outer frame 10. However, as shown in Figure 5(b) or Figure 5(c), when the wire guide 22, which is roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular), is made into a valley shape, the spring 24 is located above the pivot 23 of the wire guide support flange 21 due to tension overload, biasing the tip 22c of the valley-shaped wire guide 22 in the direction of upward rotation.

[0032] Thus, the vertical position change of the spring 24 corresponds to the change in the mountain-shaped and valley-shaped configuration of the roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular arc-shaped) wire guides 22, 22. Naturally, the wire guide 22 has its tip 22c protruding outwards from the left and right rising frame walls 11, 11 of the outer frame base body 10 of the capture mechanism body 1. Therefore, when the wire guide mechanism 2 is attached to the capture mechanism body 1, the vicinity of the tip 22c, which is roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular), is supported on the upper edges of the left and right rising frame walls 11, 11.

[0033] Therefore, the roughly U-shaped (or roughly semi-circular) wire guide 22 is supported at two points: a pivot 23 provided near the free end bases 22a and 22b, and the upper edge of the rising frame wall 11 of the outer base frame 10. The left and right wire guides 22, 22, which are thus transformed into a mountain-shaped and a valley-shaped form respectively, are supported at two points: the pivot points 23 near the free end bases 22a, 22b and the upper edge of the rising frame wall 11 of the outer base frame 10, and change between mountain-shaped and valley-shaped by the vertical position change of the spring 24 that springs up relative to the pivot points 23.

[0034] The vertical position variation of the spring 24 relative to the pivot 23 corresponds to the peak-like and valley-like shapes of the wire guides 22, 22. When the wire guides 22, 22 are peak-like, the spring 24 is positioned below the pivot 23 at the free end bases 22a, 22b. Conversely, when the wire guides 22 are valley-like, the spring 24 is positioned above the pivot 23 at the free end bases 22a, 22b.

[0035] When the pest animal trap T is set up, the wire guide 22 is in a mountain shape, and the spring 24 that springs up is positioned below the pivot 23 of the free end bases 22a and 22b. When the footplate 20 is pressed down by the pest animal's legs and lowered from the set position, the shape of the wire guide 22 changes to a valley shape, and the spring 24 that springs up is positioned above the pivot 23 of the free end bases 22a and 22b.

[0036] The synergistic effect of the capture mechanism body 1 and the wire guide mechanism 2, which consists of a wire guide 22 and a spring 24, allows for easy modification of the biasing direction generated by the spring 24 on the wire guide 22. Furthermore, the biasing force generated by the spring 24 is adjusted by adjusting the vertical position of the foot plate 20 in the capture mechanism body 1 by raising and lowering an adjustment pin 13 provided on the outer frame 10 of the capture mechanism body 1. In other words, the vertical position of the footplate 20 is adjusted by the adjustment pin 13, which changes the angle of the mountain-shaped inclination of the left and right wire guides 22, 22, and thereby adjusts the upward biasing force of the wire guides 22 by the spring 24.

[0037] In this way, the lower end of the adjustment pin 13 contacts the left and right edge portions 20a and 20b of the tread 20 to adjust the vertical position of the tread 20 relative to the outer frame 10. The vertical position of the pivot portion 23 of the wire guide 22 changes along with the vertical position change of the tread 20. During the vertical position change of the pivot portion 23, the tip portion 22c of the wire guide 22 does not change vertically because it is in contact with and supported by the rising frame wall 11. In other words, during the vertical position change of the tread 20, the wire guide 22 changes between a mountain shape and a valley shape by generating a circular motion around the contact point between the pivot portion 23 and the rising frame wall 11 and the tip portion 22c. Furthermore, as the vertical position of the pivot points 23 of the free end bases 22a and 22b of the wire guide 22 changes, the inclination angle of the supporting legs of the wire guide 22 with respect to the foot plate 20 is adjusted, and the greater the supporting inclination angle of the wire guide 22, the higher the spring stress on the wire guide 22 via the spring biasing spring 24.

[0038] In this way, the inclination angle of the wire guide 22 is adjusted by adjusting the height of the foot plate 20 using the adjustment pin 13. Then, as shown in Figure 4(a), when the wire guide 22 is set in a mountain shape, the left and right wire guides 22 have a large amount of upward momentum when they stand up around the pivot 23 near the free end bases 22a and 22b via the spring-up biasing spring 24. As a result, the spring force of the spring-up biasing spring 24 has a stronger influence, increasing the capturing motion stress, and the capturing wire W surrounding the wire guide surface contracts in an annular shape and springs upward, capturing the pest animal's leg as high as possible.

[0039] As described above, with the wire guide 22 springing mechanism in the pest animal trap T according to this embodiment, the upward biasing force of the wire guide 22 can be adjusted with the adjustment pin 13, thereby controlling the amount of springing upright movement of the wire guide 22. Furthermore, when setting the pest animal trap T, the wire guide 22 is supported by the pivot portion 23 and the outer frame body 10. This configuration allows the downward rotational force of the tip portion 22c of the wire guide 22, generated by the biasing force of the springing spring 24, to be restricted by the adjustment pin 13 via the foot plate 20. This restricts the accidental activation of the trap and minimizes the risk to the trap setter.

[0040] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and also includes configurations obtained by rearranging the components disclosed in the embodiments described above by substituting them with each other, known inventions, and configurations obtained by substituting the components disclosed in the embodiments described above with each other. In addition, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but extends to the matters described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 1. Capture mechanism main body 2 Wire guide mechanism 10. Outer frame 11. Rising frame wall 12 Horizontal flange 13 Adjustment pins 20 Treadboard 20a, 20b tread edge 21 Wire guide support flange 22 Wire Guide 22a,22b Free end base 22c Tip 23 Cardinal Branch 24. Upward biasing spring C Spring Case S tension spring T Pest control device U-wire tensioning mechanism W Capture Wire

Claims

[Claim 1] A roughly rectangular outer frame body with horizontal flanges protruding inward from the left and right side frames, An adjustment pin is screwed in perpendicularly through the aforementioned horizontal flange, The capture mechanism body is composed of the following, A wire guide support flange is erected in the center of the front and rear edges of the tread, and the free end bases of the left and right leg bodies are pivotally supported on the wire guide support flange, forming a roughly U-shaped or roughly semi-circular wire guide on the left and right sides, It consists of a retractable binding wire, which is surrounded on the outer surface, and a spring that connects the tips of the two wire guides on the left and right sides, and a spring that provides upward force to connect them. Furthermore, the left and right wire guides are housed together with the footplate within the main body of the capture mechanism, and the tip ends of the wire guides are configured to abut and be supported by the left and right side frames of the outer base frame of the main body of the capture mechanism. The lower end of the adjustment pin abuts against the edge of the tread, allowing for free adjustment of the vertical position of the tread relative to the outer frame, thereby enabling vertical position adjustment of the pivot portion of the wire guide base together with the tread, centered on the wire guide supporting portion supported on the left and right side frames of the outer frame. The wire guide's base pivot is configured to allow adjustment of the inclination angle of the wire guide's supporting leg relative to the footplate by adjusting the vertical position of the pivot. A pest animal trapping device characterized in that the upward force on the wire guide via the upward biasing spring increases as the supporting inclination angle of the wire guide increases.

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