Rodent Bait Housing with Floating Seal for Manholes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bait holding devices for rodents in sewage and water systems risk contaminating water with toxic substances during high water levels, as they fail to securely seal the bait compartment from water ingress.
Innovation Solution
A device with a housing part made of corrosion-resistant materials, featuring a fastening mechanism, a bait platform, and a movably mounted closing body that automatically seals the bait compartment using a floating or motorized mechanism to prevent water penetration, ensuring the bait remains secure and contained.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the bait compartment is kept open for pest access, then pests can easily reach the bait, but water can penetrate into the bait compartment and contaminate the bait with toxic substances
Solution Approach 1:
The closing body is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to automatically transition between open and closed positions based on water level. The closing body can be moved from an open position (allowing pest access) to a closed position (preventing water penetration), resolving the contradiction between ease of pest access and protection from water contamination.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing body is equipped with a floating mechanism that automatically detects water level changes and triggers the closing action without external intervention. When water level rises, the floating mechanism activates the closing body to seal the passage opening, thereby self-protecting the bait from water contamination while maintaining easy pest access during normal conditions.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the closing body is held in closed position to prevent water ingress, then bait is protected from contamination, but pests cannot access the bait
Solution Approach 1:
The closing body transitions dynamically between closed and open positions based on water level conditions. During high water levels, it remains closed to prevent contamination; during normal water levels, it opens to allow pest access. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction by making the protection mechanism conditional rather than permanent.
Solution Approach 2:
The floating mechanism provides continuous feedback about water level conditions to the closing body. When the water level drops below a certain threshold, the floating mechanism signals the closing body to open, thereby automatically restoring pest access. This feedback loop ensures that the closing body only remains closed when actually needed for protection.
3Reliability
If a fastening device is added to secure the housing part, then the device becomes more stable in the manhole, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening device is designed as a separate, detachable component from the main housing part, allowing it to be independently installed and removed. This segmentation enables the fastening function to be added without fundamentally redesigning the entire device, thereby increasing stability while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening device is designed to be compatible with standard manhole structures, making it a universal solution that can be applied to various manhole types without custom modifications. This multi-functionality approach allows a single fastening design to serve multiple installation scenarios, reducing the complexity that would arise from designing specialized fastening mechanisms for different cases.
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
Effectively prevents water contamination by hermetically sealing the bait compartment during high water levels, ensuring the bait remains effective and safe, while allowing pests to access and exit the bait without compromising the system's integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the closing body is designed as a floating body or comprises at least one floating body
Data Source
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AI summary
A device (1) for holding a bait (2), in particular a bait for rodents, comprising: -a housing part (3) that can be inserted into a manhole (4), in particular a wastewater manhole or a cable manhole, - at least one bait platform (8) arranged in the housing part (3) and delimited by at least one through opening (9), through which a rodent can arrive at a bait (2) on the bait platform (8) and/or at a bait (2) held on at least one bait holding device (12) arranged in the housing part (3), - at least one closing element (15) which is mounted to be moveable relative to the bait platform (8), wherein the closing element (15) is moved in an open position away from the bait platform (8) in such a way that the at least one through opening (9) delimited on the bait platform side by the bait platform is opened, and is moved in a closed position against the bait platform (8) in such a way that the at least one through opening (9) delimited on the bait platform side is closed.