Movable Guide Wall Rodent Station for Capture Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rodent stations face challenges in effectively capturing rodents while minimizing visibility of caught rodents and preventing non-target species entry, as existing designs often require rodents to change direction, which can deter rats and allow non-target species to avoid traps.
Innovation Solution
A rodent station with movable guide walls that can pivot and adjust positions to create linear or non-linear paths, obstruct views, and partition the catching area into zones, allowing for various trap arrangements and orientations to improve capture efficiency and deter non-target species.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide wall is positioned to face the opening to obstruct view and require direction change, then non-target species entry is prevented and caught rodents are hidden, but rodent capture rate decreases due to neophobia
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wall is made movable between a first position (facing the opening) and a second position (offset from the opening). This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt between two operational modes: one that prioritizes preventing non-target species entry and hiding caught rodents, and another that prioritizes maximizing rodent capture rate by providing a linear path that does not require direction changes.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide wall requires rodents to change direction to enter the catching area, then non-target species are inhibited from entering, but rodent capture efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide wall's ability to move between positions allows the system to dynamically adjust the path geometry. In the first position, it creates a non-linear path that inhibits non-target species. In the second position, it creates a linear path that improves capture efficiency for target rodents.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the guide wall is positioned to obstruct view through the opening, then caught rodents are hidden from view, but this may deter other rodents from entering
Solution Approach 1:
The movable guide wall allows the system to switch between view-obstructing and view-open configurations. The first position obstructs the view to hide caught rodents, while the second position provides a clear linear path that may encourage rodent entry by not creating visual barriers.
4Productivity
If the rodent station is configured for linear path entry, then rodent capture rate improves, but non-target species can more easily enter the catching area
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the movable guide wall to dynamically switch between linear path configuration (second position) that improves capture rate and non-linear path configuration (first position) that prevents non-target species entry, allowing adaptation to different environmental requirements.
Data Source
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AI summary
A rodent station 10 comprises at least one opening 20a, 20b, a catching area 24, an entrance area 26a, 26b and at least one guide wall 28a, 28b. The catching area is configured to receive at least one trap. The entrance area 26a, 26b is between the opening 20a, 20b and the catching area 24. The at least one guide wall 28a, 28b is configured to provide a path through the entrance area 26a, 26b from the opening 20a, 20b, into the catching area 24. The at least one guide wall 28a, 28b is movable, to alter the path into the catching area 24.