Bedbug Trap With Shallow Ramp And Steep Chute
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is an urgent need for efficient detection, trapping, and monitoring tools to combat the resurgence of bedbugs, particularly in areas like North America, Europe, and Australia, as they are difficult to eliminate due to their ability to hide in cracks and crevices around sleeping areas.
Innovation Solution
A bedbug trap featuring a base with a shallow angled entry ramp and a steep angled chute leading to a catch container, utilizing sublimating dry ice to release carbon dioxide as an attractant, with a textured ramp and smooth chute surfaces to guide bedbugs into the trap.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bedbugs are allowed to hide in cracks and crevices, then they can survive and reproduce, but they become difficult to detect and eliminate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses carbon dioxide as an intermediary substance to attract bedbugs into the trap. The CO2 is generated from dry ice sublimation and creates a concentration gradient that guides bedbugs from their hiding places into the capture container, making them detectable and trapable without direct observation of their hidden locations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical search methods (visual inspection, physical searching) with a chemical attraction system. Instead of actively searching for bedbugs in cracks and crevices, the trap uses chemical signals (CO2) to passively draw bedbugs into the trap, substituting mechanical detection with chemical sensing
2Reliability
If a steep angled chute is used to prevent bedbug escape, then capture reliability improves, but bedbug entry becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface textures to different parts of the trap structure. The entry ramp has a textured surface that facilitates bedbug climbing and entry, while the chute has a smooth surface that prevents bedbug escape. This local differentiation of surface properties allows the trap to simultaneously enable easy entry and ensure reliable capture
3Productivity
If dry ice is used as an attractant, then bedbug attraction effectiveness improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dry ice that sublimates on its own to generate carbon dioxide gas without requiring external power sources, heating elements, or complex gas generation systems. The dry ice self-generates the attractant through phase change, eliminating the need for electrical components or mechanical gas delivery systems and keeping the device simple while maintaining high attraction effectiveness
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The trap effectively attracts and captures bedbugs using carbon dioxide as an attractant, with the trap's design facilitating easy entry while preventing escape, providing an efficient means to monitor and eliminate bedbug infestations.
Implementation Method 1
The insulated container is configured to contain dry ice such that carbon dioxide gas sublimating from the dry ice is expelled from the insulated container and flows towards the base entryway
Data Source
AI summary
A bedbug trap having a base with an outer wall that may be formed as an angled ramp having a relatively shallow angle that leads to an entryway, and an inner wall extending from the outer wall that may be formed as an angled chute having a relatively steep angle. The ramp may be textured or otherwise skid-resistant, and the chute is smooth. A catch container attaches underneath the base and has a floor spaced away from the chute. A source of attractant, for example, an insulated container containing dry ice, rests on the base such that at least a portion of attractant from the container will flow toward the top of the ramp. A cover may attach to the base, enclosing the insulated container.