Cat Litter Box Door Clutch for Anti-Trapping Closure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cat litter boxes with automatic doors pose a safety hazard to cats due to potential malfunction, trapping them inside.

Innovation Solution

A pet movable door system with a clutch structure that separates from the drive unit when a predetermined force threshold is reached, allowing the door panel to disengage and preventing further injury to the cat.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-generated harmful factors

If an automatic door controlled by sensor and control device is used to achieve complete closure, then the prevention of stench overflow is improved, but the safety hazard of trapping cats due to machine failure increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestench overflowVSAvoidcat trapping

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The automatic door system is divided into two independent parts: a drive unit for automatic operation and a movable door panel that can separate from the drive unit. This segmentation allows the door to function automatically for sealing while providing a safety mechanism for cat escape

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A clutch structure is introduced as an intermediary component between the drive unit and door panel. This clutch acts as a safety mediator that can disengage the door panel from the drive unit when excessive force is detected, allowing cats to escape while maintaining normal automatic door function

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Extent of automation

If the automatic door is controlled by sensor and control device, then the automation level is improved, but the reliability decreases due to potential machine failure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveautomatic door controlVSAvoidmachine failure risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Extent of automationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The clutch structure is designed with a predetermined separation force threshold that acts as a pre-prepared safety cushion. When the door encounters resistance beyond this threshold (indicating potential animal trapping), the clutch automatically disengages, providing a fail-safe mechanism that compensates for automation failures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

3Object-generated harmful factors

If the door panel is tightly connected to the drive unit for complete closure, then the sealing performance is improved, but the safety hazard of continuous force application increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestench preventionVSAvoidcontinuous force on trapped cat

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The connection between the door panel and drive unit is made dynamic rather than fixed. The clutch structure allows the door to be firmly connected during normal operation for sealing, but can dynamically disengage when abnormal resistance is detected, converting a static dangerous connection into a dynamic safe one

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12546157B1Pet movable door and cat litter box

Publication Date: 2026.02.10 XIAOLONG TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO LTD

AI summary

A pet movable door and a cat litter box. The pet movable door includes: a door panel, a clutch structure, and a drive unit. The drive unit is connected to the door panel in a transmission manner via the clutch structure, so as to drive the door panel to move in a predetermined direction. The clutch structure is configured to separate from each other when a force acting in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction reaches a predetermined value, such that the door panel is separated from the drive unit.