Rotating Mouse Trap Chamber with Automatic Gravity Dump
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic mouse traps require frequent manual resetting and maintenance due to the inability to automatically empty and reset the killing chamber, leading to inefficiencies in multiple mouse kills and potential chamber fouling.
Innovation Solution
An electronic mouse trap with a rotating killing chamber that inverts to automatically empty dead mice into a collection bin, allowing for multiple kills before servicing, and features a door mechanism to prevent re-entry during the dump cycle, ensuring reliable and cost-effective operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the trap uses manual resetting after each kill, then the structure remains simple, but the productivity decreases due to frequent user intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The killing chamber is made rotatable about a longitudinal axis, transitioning from a static to a dynamic structure. This rotation enables automatic clearing of dead mice into the collection bin, allowing multiple kills before servicing without requiring complex automated mechanisms beyond the rotation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The trap is divided into two functional segments: the killing chamber that rotates to dump carcasses, and the stationary collection bin that accumulates dead mice. This segmentation allows the killing chamber to be emptied automatically while keeping the overall structure relatively simple
2Loss of time
If the trap remains in standby mode waiting for manual reset, then device complexity is low, but loss of time increases due to trap downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The killing chamber automatically dumps dead mice into the collection bin through rotation, enabling self-service operation without user intervention. The trap can continuously catch and dispose of multiple mice before requiring servicing, minimizing trap downtime and maximizing productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The collection bin is pre-positioned beneath the killing chamber to receive dumped carcasses. This preliminary arrangement allows immediate disposal of dead mice without requiring additional mechanisms or user action, reducing downtime between kills
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the killing chamber is not emptied regularly, then device complexity remains low, but object-generated harmful factors increase due to chamber fouling
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable killing chamber dynamically dumps dead mice into the collection bin after each kill, preventing accumulation and fouling in the chamber. This dynamic clearing action maintains hygiene without requiring complex automated emptying mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
Dead mice are extracted from the killing chamber and deposited into the collection bin through rotation. This extraction removes the source of fouling from the active killing area, maintaining chamber cleanliness with a simple rotational mechanism
4Reliability
If the trap allows continuous access during chamber rotation, then ease of operation is high, but reliability decreases due to potential re-entry during dump cycle
Solution Approach 1:
The door is coupled to the chamber rotation mechanism, creating a dynamic access control system. When the chamber rotates to dump position, the door automatically closes to prevent re-entry. This dynamic coupling provides reliable protection without requiring separate complex access control mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The door operation is merged with the chamber rotation mechanism. The same motor that rotates the chamber also drives the door, combining two functions into one mechanism. This reduces overall system complexity while maintaining reliability by preventing mouse re-entry during the dump cycle
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
The trap efficiently accumulates multiple dead mice without user intervention, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes chamber fouling, enabling continuous operation with minimal downtime and easy cleaning access.
Implementation Method 1
The chamber rotates approximately 180 degrees to a dump position so as to be inverted, allowing the dead mouse to fall downwardly by gravity into the collection bin
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic mouse trap is provided having multiple kill and automatic killing chamber clearing capabilities. The trap includes an elevated killing chamber rotatably mounted on a base that houses a collection bin positioned under the chamber and which has an entrance pathway that provides mice with access to the chamber. Upon completion of a killing cycle and the killing of a mouse, the chamber is automatically rotated by a gear motor to an inverted position, allowing the dead mouse to fall downwardly into the collection bin. During such rotation, the entrance pathway if blocked to prevent access to the trap by a next mouse. Once the chamber has been inverted and the mouse removed by gravity, the gear motor reverses the rotation direction and returns the chamber to its upright position, opening the entrance pathway such that the trap is ready to reinitiate the killing cycle for another mouse.