Dual-Sensor Rodent Trap With Pneumatic Killing Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rodent traps are inefficient in reliably and quickly killing rodents, often requiring the rodent to change direction or use unreliable extermination methods, leading to high maintenance costs and potential suffering of the rodent.
Innovation Solution
A rodent trap with dual sensors and a killing mechanism that activates when both sensors detect the rodent simultaneously, ensuring a quick and certain kill, using a rigid killing element like spikes or a piston, and a slope passage for easy removal of the carcass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring-released mechanism or unreliable extermination methods (gas, electrocuting) are used, then the rodent can be killed, but the killing is unreliable and does not ensure a quick and certain death, leading to unnecessary suffering and high maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces unreliable mechanical spring-released mechanisms and chemical/electrical extermination methods with a pneumatic system using compressed air to launch a killing element. This substitution provides more reliable and instantaneous killing action while maintaining acceptable device complexity through the use of a straightforward pneumatic actuation system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the killing function from complex mechanical spring systems or unreliable gas/electrocuting mechanisms and implements it through a dedicated pneumatic killing element launched by compressed air. This extraction allows for a more reliable killing mechanism with controlled complexity focused specifically on the killing function.
2Productivity
If the rodent must choose to change direction and enter a narrow dead-end inner passage, then the trigger mechanism can be activated, but the rodent may easily choose to pass through many times without getting killed, reducing trap effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring the rodent to navigate into a narrow dead-end passage and change direction, the patent inverts the approach by using dual sensors that detect the rodent passing through the trap in either direction. The killing element is launched when the rodent is detected between the sensors, eliminating the need for complex navigation challenges and making the trap equally effective regardless of rodent direction or experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dual sensors positioned at opposite ends of the rodent passage to detect rodent presence and trigger the killing mechanism. This feedback system activates the killing element when the rodent is detected in the passage, eliminating the need for the rodent to navigate complex passages multiple times and significantly improving trap effectiveness on first contact.
3Productivity
If manual emptying of the trap is required after extermination, then the trap can be reused, but the costs of maintaining the trap are high due to the costs of man hours
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables automatic disposal of the killed rodent through a disposal arrangement that is automatically activated by the killing mechanism. The killing element's movement through the rodent passage facilitates automatic ejection or removal of the carcass, eliminating the need for manual emptying and significantly reducing maintenance time and costs while maintaining trap reuse efficiency.
4Measurement precision
If two sensors and two killing elements are used to determine direction, then the killing can be more precise, but the trap requires a significant gap between killing elements and automatic rodent disposal arrangement, increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a single killing element that serves multiple functions: it acts as the killing mechanism when launched by compressed air and simultaneously serves as the rodent disposal mechanism by pushing the carcass out through the rodent passage. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate disposal arrangements and reduces device complexity while maintaining precise rodent position detection using dual sensors.
Data Source
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AI summary
The element of the invention is to provide an efficient rodent trap device, where the rodent, such as a mouse or a rat, is killed, when the rodent is moving through the rodent trap. The rodent trap comprises at least one rodent passage, a trigger mechanism and a killing mechanism. The rodent passage comprises a first outer opening and a second outer opening arranged at opposite ends of said rodent passage. The openings provide entries from ambient surroundings.In use,the rodent is led into the trap through the one or the other opening.The trigger mechanism comprises one sensor and another sensor, the one sensor arranged between the killing mechanism and said first outer opening and the other sensor is arranged between the killing mechanism and said second outer opening. The killing mechanism comprises at least one killing element, which in use enters said rodent passage between the sensors and when actuated by said killing mechanism.