Infrared Sensor Electronic Animal Trap with Automatic Rearming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal traps face issues with false-positive indications and inefficient rearming, leading to wasted effort in servicing and potential escape of larger vermin like rats, as they may not detect pests outside a specific impedance range or when not in contact with all plates, resulting in ineffective capture and prolonged decay.
Innovation Solution
An electronic animal trap with a micro-controller chip and high-voltage circuit that uses an interruptible beam sensor, such as an infrared sensor, to detect the presence of a pest and automatically rearm the trap without human intervention, ensuring reliable detection and rearming regardless of the pest's position or escape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If impedance sensing across plates is used to detect pest presence, then detection is possible within a specific impedance range, but detection fails for pests outside this range or when not in contact with all plates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an infrared sensor as an intermediary detection mechanism that operates independently of the impedance sensing system. The infrared sensor detects the presence of a pest on the trap floor by sensing thermal radiation, providing a reliable alternative method that works for all pests regardless of their electrical impedance or contact with killing plates. This mediator resolves the contradiction by adding a detection layer that is not subject to the limitations of impedance-based detection.
2Extent of automation
If automatic rearming is implemented based on impedance detection, then servicing requirements are reduced, but the trap may reset prematurely when a dead rat is not properly detected
Solution Approach 1:
The infrared sensor serves as a mediator between the killing mechanism and the automatic rearming logic. After the killing cycle, the infrared sensor continues to monitor the trap floor for the presence of a dead pest. Only when the infrared sensor confirms the absence of a pest (no thermal signature detected) does the system proceed with automatic rearming. This ensures that premature resetting due to undetected carcasses is prevented, while still maintaining automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the trap floor with the infrared sensor both during and after the killing cycle. The sensor provides real-time information about pest presence to the control logic, which adjusts the rearming behavior accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures that automatic rearming only occurs when truly appropriate, preventing both false positives and premature resets.
3Power
If multiple killing plates are used to increase killing power, then electrocution effectiveness improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple killing plates (at least three plates: first, second, and third plates) into a unified electrocution system. The first and second plates are spaced apart, with the third plate positioned between them, creating multiple electrical pathways. This merging of multiple plates into a single integrated system increases electrocution capability while managing complexity through unified control logic and a single high-voltage source that energizes all plates simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric or electronic animal trap with a CPU-controlled, rearming, multiple killing plate configuration and automatically resetting interruptible beam sensor for triggering a high voltage cycle. A high-voltage output circuit is connected to killing plates which are activated with a high-voltage pulse train when a pest interrupts the beam signal, such as an infrared beam signal generated by an infrared transmitter to an infrared receiver. The trap is preferably configured to automatically rearm if the IR beam signal is no longer interrupted after the killing cycle. If the IR beam signal is still blocked after the killing cycle, however, the trap enters a standby mode indicating trap servicing is required to remove the dead rodent from the trap.