Rodent Trap Trapdoor Storage for Continuous Corpse Disposal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rodent traps often require manual removal of caught rodents, which reduces their efficiency and can lead to hygiene and odor issues due to decomposition.
Innovation Solution
A rodent trap with a trapdoor positioned to the side of the kill mechanism, allowing the rodent corpse to pass into a storage area after being killed, and a shroud to maintain the rodent's head position for effective killing, combined with a self-resetting mechanism to enable continuous trapping without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rodent traps are checked only periodically, then manual removal of rodent corpses is reduced, but trapping efficiency decreases and hygiene issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The trapdoor mechanism automatically opens to discharge rodent corpses into the storage area without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by using the rodent's own weight and the trapdoor's gravitational bias to achieve automatic disposal, eliminating the need for operators to manually remove corpses.
Solution Approach 2:
The trap is divided into functionally independent sections: the kill mechanism area, the trapdoor discharge path, and the storage area. This segmentation allows the trap to maintain multiple functions simultaneously - killing rodents, automatically discharging corpses, and storing them - thereby improving productivity without increasing manual operation requirements.
2Ease of operation
If rodent corpses remain in the trap for long periods, then manual removal is minimized, but decomposition causes hygiene and odor issues
Solution Approach 1:
The rodent corpse is extracted from the kill mechanism area through the trapdoor and transferred to a separate storage area. This extraction prevents the corpse from remaining in the trap where it would decompose and cause hygiene issues, while still minimizing manual handling by using automated discharge.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage area acts as an intermediary between the kill mechanism and the external environment. It temporarily holds the rodent corpse in a controlled environment, preventing direct contact with the trap mechanism and the external environment, thereby reducing decomposition and odor problems while maintaining automated operation.
3Productivity
If a trapdoor is added to automatically discharge rodent corpses, then trapping continuity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The trapdoor is designed to be biased by gravity, creating a simple potential difference system where the door naturally opens downward toward the storage area. This gravitational bias eliminates the need for complex motors or actuators, achieving automatic discharge while minimizing added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The trapdoor mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the rodent's weight and gravitational force. The system uses the rodent's own mass to trigger the door opening and discharge the corpse, eliminating the need for external power sources or complex control systems.
4Reliability
If a shroud is used to maintain rodent head position for killing, then killing effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shroud is a localized structural element positioned only in the specific area where the rodent's head enters the kill mechanism. This local quality approach provides the necessary head position control for effective killing without requiring complex mechanisms throughout the entire trap structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The shroud appears to be a simple, possibly disposable structural component that provides temporary guidance for the rodent's head during the killing process. Its simple design minimizes complexity while achieving the reliability of effective killing through proper head positioning.
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
Enables continuous trapping and containment of rodent corpses, reducing manual handling and minimizing hygiene and odor issues through automated disposal and preservation.
Implementation Method 1
The trapdoor is biased only by gravity. This allows the use of springs in the rodent trap to be avoided, so that it does not fall with 'spring trap' legislation.
Implementation Method 2
The kill mechanism comprises an impactor to strike the rodent to kill it... the rodent is killed by neck shear
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2
AI summary
A rodent trap comprising a trigger arranged to be triggered by a rodent, a kill mechanism arranged to kill a rodent in response to the trigger being triggered by the rodent, a trapdoor positioned adjacent to the kill mechanism, having a closed position and an open position, and a storage area positioned on the other side of the trapdoor to the kill mechanism. The rodent trap is arranged such that when a rodent is killed by the kill mechanism, the rodent corpse passes through the trapdoor into the storage area.