Sensor-Triggered Pest Trap Chamber With Auto Reset Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pest traps are prone to premature activation, inefficiency in capturing pests, and require manual resetting, posing safety and sanitation risks due to the reliance on mechanical triggering mechanisms and lack of containment mechanisms for pests and diseases.
Innovation Solution
A pest trap apparatus with an entry channel, trap chamber, bait cage, drop cover, sensor, striker, and actuator that autonomously captures pests using an optical sensor to trigger the striker, allowing the trap door to pivot and drop the pest into a chute, while a shuttle box prevents escape, and resets itself for subsequent captures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical triggering mechanism is used, then the trap can capture pests, but it may activate prematurely due to vibrations or fail to trigger when the pest engages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical triggering mechanism with an optical sensor system. The sensor detects the pest's presence or movement and triggers the capturing mechanism electronically, eliminating the problems of premature activation by vibrations and failure to trigger on pest engagement. This substitution improves reliability while reducing mechanical complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the trap requires manual resetting, then the capturing mechanism can be simple, but it is time-consuming and unsanitary for users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates an automatic resetting mechanism that returns the trap to its initial state after capturing a pest, without requiring user intervention. The system automatically resets the triggering mechanism and prepares the trap for the next pest, eliminating the time loss and sanitation concerns associated with manual resetting.
Solution Approach 2:
The trap design includes a mechanism that automatically discards the used bait compartment and recovers/reset the triggering components. After capture, the system automatically prepares a new bait configuration and resets the trigger, enabling continuous operation without user involvement.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the trap lacks containment mechanisms, then the structure can be simpler, but pests and diseases are not contained after capture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the trap into distinct functional compartments: an entry channel, a trap chamber for capture, and a separate containment chamber. This segmentation isolates the captured pest from the external environment and from previous pests, preventing disease transmission while maintaining relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The containment chamber is nested within or adjacent to the trap chamber, creating a nested structure where the captured pest is transferred into a secure containment space. This nesting approach provides effective containment with minimal additional structural complexity.
4Speed
If the trap activates quickly, then pests are captured rapidly, but the user may be injured during preparation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an optical sensor as an intermediary between the pest and the capturing mechanism. The sensor can detect the pest's approach or presence and provide a warning signal or gradual activation, allowing users to retreat safely while still achieving rapid capture. This intermediary mechanism enables fast activation without exposing users to injury risk during setup.
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 effectively and autonomously captures pests without manual intervention, ensuring rapid capture and containment, preventing escape and disease spread, with options for lethal or non-lethal detention, and reducing user exposure to pests and pathogens.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor associated with the trap chamber, wherein the sensor is configured to generate and transmit a signal upon detecting a pest within the trap chamber
Implementation Method 2
subsequent downward rotation of the trap door and thus the dropping of the pest within the trap chamber into the trap chute
Data Source
AI summary
A pest trap apparatus having a trap chamber attached to an entry channel, a drop cover having a trap door disposed within the trap chamber, such that the trap door provides a floor to the trap chamber, a shuttle box nested within the trap chamber and supported by the trap door, a sensor associated with the trap chamber, the sensor being configured to generate and transmit a signal upon detecting a pest, a striker in electrical communication with the sensor, such that upon receiving the signal from the sensor, the striker is configured to impact and rotate the trap door downward, thus dropping the shuttle box within the trap chamber to prevent escape of pests and sending pests within the trap chamber down into a trap chute below the trap chamber, and an actuator configured to reset the trap door by rotating it upward to reengage with a trap latch.