Rodent Trap Pivoting Platform Safety Enclosure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rodent traps are not self-contained, posing hazards to small children and pets, and lack versatility and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A rodent trap design featuring a housing with a trigger structure and pivoting mechanism that securely traps rodents within an enclosure, providing limited external accessibility and visibility, with an external indicator to signal when the trap is set and triggered, using a latch mechanism and biasing elements to ensure effective trapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional rodent traps are designed to be open and accessible, then it is easy to set and monitor the trap, but small children and pets can access the trapped rodent posing a safety hazard
Solution Approach 1:
The trap employs a nested structure where the inner housing containing the triggered mechanism and trapped rodent is positioned within an outer housing. The outer housing provides additional containment and safety, preventing access to the trapped rodent while maintaining a compact overall structure. This nested arrangement resolves the contradiction by adding protective layers without significantly increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The trap is divided into distinct segments: an outer housing and an inner housing that can be separated. The inner housing contains the trigger mechanism and trapped rodent, while the outer housing provides protective enclosure. This segmentation allows the trap to maintain safety through enclosure while enabling easy disposal by separating the inner housing from the outer housing after triggering.
2Reliability
If the trap uses a complex self-contained mechanism with multiple moving parts, then it provides better safety and trapping effectiveness, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trigger mechanism and the door mechanism are merged into a single integrated system. The trigger arm serves dual functions: it activates the trapping mechanism and simultaneously closes the entrance door. This merging reduces the number of separate moving parts while maintaining reliable trapping functionality, as one motion accomplishes both the capture and sealing actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The trigger arm performs multiple functions: it acts as the triggering element that releases the latch, serves as a lever to close the door, and functions as a barrier that blocks the rodent's escape path. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity by having a single component accomplish multiple tasks that would otherwise require separate mechanisms.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the trap provides full visibility and accessibility of the trapped rodent, then it is easy to verify trapping and remove the rodent, but it exposes the rodent to environmental hazards and safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The trap employs visual indicators that change state to communicate trapping status without exposing the rodent. The door's position (closed vs. open) serves as a visual indicator, and the trigger mechanism may have visible indicators showing whether the trap is set or triggered. This allows users to verify trapping status while the rodent remains concealed within the enclosed housing.
Solution Approach 2:
The closed door acts as an intermediary between the user and the trapped rodent. It provides visual feedback that the trap has been triggered (the door is closed) without allowing direct viewing or access to the rodent. This intermediary maintains safety by preventing exposure while still conveying the necessary information about trapping status to the user.
Data Source
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AI summary
A trap has a housing including an entrance. Internally, the trap has a trigger structure including a trigger plate and a latch mechanism, coupled with the housing; and a pivoting structure pivotally coupled with the housing and adapted to releasably engage with the latch mechanism of the trigger structure. When the trap is triggered by a rodent, the pivoting structure disengages from the latch mechanism and the pivoting structure pivots towards a rear wall of the housing and the trigger plate, and the trigger plate pivots toward the pivoting structure, moving the rodent against towards the rear wall of the housing and trapping the rodent between the pivoting structure and the rear wall. Once the trap is triggered, the rodent is contained and in most cases, killed, within the trap.