Enclosed Wildlife Feeder With Pneumatic Feed Projection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deer feeders are cumbersome to refill, prone to damage from wild animals, and lack accurate feed dispensing, often requiring multiple people for maintenance and allowing animals to access the feed.
Innovation Solution
A control unit integrated into a deer feeder that simplifies manufacturing, setup, and maintenance by reducing wiring, and includes a solar-powered system for self-sustaining operation, with a pressurized air mechanism to project feed away from the feeder, and features to prevent animal access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the feeder is located high in a tree or on a stand, then animal protection is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates as it requires two people to refill
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder is segmented into a stationary base unit and a removable hopper component. The hopper can be detached and refilled separately while the base remains in the elevated position, allowing one person to refill by removing the hopper, filling it on the ground, and reattaching it to the base.
2Ease of operation
If the feeder is accessible to wild animals, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to feed spilling and animal damage
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder employs a enclosed hopper design with a removable lid that seals the feed storage area. This protective shell prevents wild animals from accessing the feed while allowing controlled refilling through the removable lid, maintaining both reliability and operational ease.
3Device complexity
If feed is dispensed directly below the feeder, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates as feed is not projected distance away
Solution Approach 1:
The feeder incorporates a pneumatic projection mechanism that uses compressed air to propel feed through a discharge tube. This simple pneumatic system efficiently projects feed distance away from the feeder location, improving feed distribution to wildlife without requiring complex mechanical dispensing mechanisms.
4Ease of manufacture
If manual refilling is used, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but loss of time increases due to cumbersome refilling process
Solution Approach 1:
The removable hopper design allows the feed container to be separated from the base unit. Users can quickly detach the hopper, refill it on the ground without climbing or complex maneuvers, and reattach it to the base, dramatically reducing refilling time while keeping the overall feeder structure simple and cost-effective to manufacture.
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 control unit enhances ease of use and reduces animal interference, ensuring accurate feed dispensing and protection from damage, while allowing single-person refilling and minimizing feed waste.
Implementation Method 1
an enclosed feeder that can be filled while standing on the ground, yet projects a quantity of feed a distance away from the feeder with a sudden burst of pressurized air
Implementation Method 2
solar panels are used to recharge batteries, which batteries operate a compressor
Data Source
AI summary
A totally enclosed remote feeder for periodically dispensing feed is shown. A rechargeable battery powers a compressor which fills a pressure tank to a predetermined pressure. A timer operates a solenoid at predetermined intervals to cause a blast of air from the pressure tank to flow out through upwardly angled discharged pipe. The operation of the feeder is controlled by an integrated plug and play control unit. Feed from an internal hopper flows downward in the discharge pipe in a predetermined amount prior to being discharged by the blast of air.