MOSFET Gate Voltage Boosting in Electronic Rodent Traps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic rodent traps face a challenge in maintaining a consistently high voltage required for effective rodent dispatch as battery voltage drops, leading to reduced efficacy over the life of the batteries.
Innovation Solution
A multi-stage charge pump circuit driven by a micro-controller generates a pulse train to boost the voltage input to the MOSFET switch, ensuring the MOSFET remains fully activated and the flyback voltage is maintained even at low battery levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the battery voltage is used directly to drive the MOSFET gate, then the circuit is simple, but the MOSFET cannot be fully turned on when battery voltage drops, significantly reducing the flyback voltage
Solution Approach 1:
A charge pump circuit is introduced as an intermediary between the battery and the MOSFET gate. This charge pump boosts the battery voltage to a higher level (e.g., 10V or 12V) to ensure the MOSFET gate receives sufficient voltage for full activation, even when the battery voltage has dropped. The charge pump acts as a mediator that decouples the MOSFET gate voltage from the direct battery voltage, maintaining reliable trap effectiveness throughout the battery's life cycle.
2Reliability
If a voltage booster circuit is added to maintain high gate voltage, then the MOSFET remains fully activated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The charge pump circuit dynamically changes the voltage parameter delivered to the MOSFET gate. Instead of using the raw battery voltage which decreases over time, the charge pump actively regulates and boosts the voltage to maintain a constant high level (e.g., 10V-12V) throughout operation. This parameter change ensures the MOSFET remains in full activation mode, compensating for battery voltage degradation without requiring complex external voltage regulation components.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the battery voltage drops, then the operational life of the battery extends, but the trap effectiveness significantly reduces
Solution Approach 1:
The charge pump circuit incorporates feedback mechanisms to monitor the battery voltage level and adjust its boosting operation accordingly. As the battery voltage drops over time, the charge pump detects this change and increases its voltage multiplication ratio to maintain the MOSFET gate voltage above the threshold for full activation. This feedback control allows the trap to maintain effectiveness throughout the entire battery life cycle, from fresh to depleted batteries.
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 solution extends the operational effectiveness of electronic rodent traps by maintaining a high output voltage for a longer duration, enhancing the trap's ability to kill rodents and increasing cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
The circuit includes a multi-stage charge pump driven by a pulse train that is generated by a micro-controller. By boosting the voltage to the gate, the MOSFET can be fully turned on to activate an effective killing cycle in the electronic rodent trap even when the trap's battery voltage is low.
Implementation Method 2
The power N-channel MOSFET switch generates a high voltage by rapidly switching the ground return path for a transformer on and off. The switching action creates a flyback voltage from the transformer on the order of thousands of volts, which is capable of killing a rodent.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A circuit and method for boosting the voltage input to the gate of a MOSFET switch used in an electronic rodent trap is provided. By boosting the voltage to the gate, the MOSFET can be fully turned on to activate an effective killing cycle in the electronic rodent trap even when the trap's battery voltage has dropped to a level that would otherwise be insufficient to fully activate the MOSFET.