Sewage Barrier with Gravity-Pivoted Shutter for Vermin Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for preventing vermin like rats from entering sewage pipe systems often require professional skills and are dependent on the specific dimensions and orientation of the pipe system, making them difficult to install and not universally applicable.
Innovation Solution
A barrier with pivotally suspended shutters and contact surfaces that can be easily installed by non-professionals, featuring a design where contact surfaces are forced laterally or vertically to secure the barrier to the pipe system using repulsive forces, allowing for adaptation to various pipe configurations without altering the pipe's shape or requiring manual strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the barrier is designed to be easily installed by non-professionals, then ease of operation is improved, but the barrier must be independent of specific pipe dimensions and orientations, which increases adaptability requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is designed with a universal structure that can be installed in sewage pipes of various diameters and orientations. The contact surfaces are arranged to engage with the pipe wall in a manner that adapts to different pipe configurations without requiring custom fabrication or professional installation skills.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier incorporates movable contact surfaces that can adjust their position and orientation dynamically. This allows the barrier to adapt to different pipe dimensions and orientations automatically upon installation, eliminating the need for precise pre-positioning or professional adjustment.
2Force
If contact surfaces are forced laterally or vertically using repulsive forces, then the barrier secures to the pipe system without manual strength, but the mechanism requires automatic force application
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier utilizes the weight of the shutters themselves to generate the necessary securing force. The shutters are positioned such that gravity automatically creates repulsive contact forces against the pipe wall, securing the barrier in place without requiring external manual strength or additional active mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier design uses the gravitational force acting on the shutters to create a counterbalancing effect that presses the contact surfaces against the pipe wall. This automatic force application secures the barrier without requiring manual intervention or additional energy input.
3Reliability
If the shutter is pivotal between a first angular position barring the aperture and a second angular position keeping the aperture open, then vermin prevention is improved, but the shutter mechanism requires pivotal movement capability
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter is designed to pivot freely between a closed position (barring the aperture to prevent vermin entry) and an open position (allowing sewage flow). This dynamic capability enables the shutter to respond automatically to flow conditions while maintaining reliable vermin prevention when closed.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier is divided into multiple independent shutters, each capable of pivotal movement. This segmentation allows each shutter to operate independently, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining effective aperture control for vermin prevention.
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 barrier effectively prevents vermin entry while allowing unobstructed sewage flow, can be installed by anyone without technical skills, and fits various sewage pipe systems without needing specific dimensions or orientations, ensuring easy and reliable installation.
Implementation Method 1
at least one shutter pivotally suspended in the barrier about a first axis and having a centre of gravity lying under the axis
Implementation Method 2
a repulsive force is present between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, and where said repulsive force is intended for forcing the first contact surface towards the first circumferential extension of a sidewall of a sewage pipe
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a barrier for preventing rats or other vermin from entering a sewage pipe system. The barrier has a shutter (1, 30, 31) pivotally suspended in the barrier about an axis and having a centre of gravity lying under the axis. The shutter (1, 30, 31) is pivotal between a first angular position (v) in which the at least one shutter is forming a first relatively larger angle with the direction of flow and at least substantially barring the aperture of the barrier, and a second angular position (w) in which the at least one shutter is forming a second relatively smaller angle with the direction of flow keeping the aperture of the barrier at least partly open. Preferably, a second shutter is placed upstream of a first shutter and is pivotally suspended about a second axis and having a centre of gravity located under the second axis.