Sensor-Triggered Pest Trap With Carcass Collection and Auto Reset
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pest control methods, such as trapping and poisoning, are unsatisfactory due to their inefficiency, potential harm to non-target species, and inability to collect rodent bodies for study, while existing automatic traps are prone to false triggers and fail to contain the carcasses effectively.
Innovation Solution
A pest control apparatus with a housing containing a passage and a planar sensor system that uses infrared, ultrasonic, or laser sensors to detect pests, triggering an impacting member to rapidly kill them, and a rotatable floor to deposit carcasses into a collection bin, with optional electric shock delivery for alternative killing mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional traps are used to control pest animals, then the pests can be caught, but the traps can only be used a single time before requiring user checking and resetting
Solution Approach 1:
The trap system automatically resets itself after each use through a reset mechanism that returns the trigger rod and impacting member to their initial positions, eliminating the need for manual user intervention and enabling continuous operation without human assistance
Solution Approach 2:
The trap employs dynamic components including a movable trigger rod, spring-loaded impacting member, and rotatable floor that automatically return to starting positions through spring forces and gravity, enabling the system to transition between states without user intervention
2Extent of automation
If automatic rodent traps with trigger rods are used, then the killing mechanism can be activated automatically, but the device is prone to false triggers due to movement or presence of other objects
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a sensor positioned at a specific distance from the impacting member to detect the presence of the rodent, providing feedback that triggers the killing mechanism only when the rodent is in the correct position, thereby preventing false activations by other objects
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor detects the rodent's presence in advance before the impacting member is activated, allowing the system to prepare for activation only when the target is properly positioned, reducing the risk of premature or false triggering
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rodent body is allowed to fall on the ground below the device, then predators can remove and eat them, but this prevents collection of bodies for studying device efficacy
Solution Approach 1:
The trap system incorporates a collection bin that can be positioned to receive carcasses, providing a multi-functional capability that allows both predator access (by positioning the bin appropriately) and scientific study (by containing carcasses for analysis)
Solution Approach 2:
The collection bin acts as an intermediary between the killing chamber and the ground, providing a controlled environment for carcass storage that enables research data collection while still allowing for alternative disposal methods if needed
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 apparatus efficiently and humanely kills pests, collects carcasses for study, and reduces the risk of harming non-target species by using precise sensor triggers and controlled impact mechanisms, enhancing pest management efficiency and data collection.
Implementation Method 1
The planar sensor may be selected from the group consisting of infrared, ultrasonic and laser
Implementation Method 2
The planar sensor may be selected from the group consisting of infrared, ultrasonic and laser
Implementation Method 3
The planar sensor may be selected from the group consisting of infrared, ultrasonic and laser
Implementation Method 4
releases a spring loaded kill mechanism operable to impact and kill the rodent in the chamber
Implementation Method 5
The floor may be caused to rotate to the dropped vertical position after the impacting member impacts the animal pest
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for controlling animal pests has a housing having a passage extending into the housing, the passage having a front wall and a rear wall, an impacting member movable across the passage from the front wall to the rear wall, the impacting member having a slidable arm extending out from the rear wall and having a free distal end having an impactor extending downwardly from the free distal end of the arm at the front wall, a retraction mechanism having a first support and a second support with the first support being integral with the rear wall, and a spring connected to the second support and the arm, a sensor positioned within the passage for providing a signal representative of the sensing of the presence of the animal pest, and the impacting member is operable to be released to rapidly move across the passage.