Networked Animal Traps with Sensor Transceivers for Plant Pest Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial plants, especially food processing facilities, face challenges with rodents and other small animals that carry diseases and damage equipment, necessitating effective animal control systems that also maintain accurate records of pest control efforts.
Innovation Solution
An animal control system comprising a network of traps with sensors and transceivers that communicate with a computer system for real-time data reporting, including GPS locators to map trap locations, enabling efficient trap maintenance and record-keeping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a network of traps with sensors and transceivers is deployed throughout the plant, then pest control effectiveness and monitoring capability are improved, but device complexity and installation cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pest control system is divided into discrete trap units, each with its own sensor and transceiver components. This segmentation allows the system to be deployed in modular fashion across the plant, improving reliability through distributed monitoring while managing complexity through standardized modular units.
Solution Approach 2:
Each trap unit serves multiple functions: mechanical trapping, sensor detection, wireless communication, and data transmission. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise be separate systems into unified modular units, improving overall system reliability while containing complexity within standardized components.
2Measurement precision
If GPS locators are used to map trap locations, then record accuracy and location tracking are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trap units automatically perform location tracking and data recording without requiring manual intervention. The GPS locators and sensors operate autonomously, with data being automatically transmitted to the central system, improving measurement precision while reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously collects location data from GPS locators and trap status data from sensors, transmitting this feedback information to the central computer system. This automated feedback loop ensures accurate record-keeping and real-time monitoring without increasing manual operational complexity.
3Productivity
If real-time data communication between traps and computer system is implemented, then monitoring capability and response time are improved, but energy consumption and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The transceivers in the trap units operate in periodic cycles, transmitting data at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. This periodic communication maintains real-time monitoring capability and productivity while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous monitoring capability through periodic data transmissions, ensuring that pest control effectiveness is continuously assessed without requiring constant energy expenditure. The useful action of monitoring continues uninterrupted through scheduled communication cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
An animal control system for use in a plant to facilitate management of the trapping of animals in the plant, the system including: a plurality of animal traps located at discrete locations of the plant, each trap including an animal sensor associated with the trap for detecting an animal trapped in the trap and a transceiver in electronic communication with the animal sensor, the transceiver having an identifier unique to the trap with which it is associated; and a computer system having a plurality of computers in communication with one another for receiving and reporting information relating to conditions of the traps. The discrete locations of the traps are obtained and input into a computer processor for processing to yield a computer generated template of the plant having a template of the plant with the discrete locations of the traps.