Wash down sensor for electronic rodent traps and method of preventing false triggering using a wash down sensor

Abstract

An electronic rodent trap is provided that includes a microprocessor and a resistive sensor coupled to a high voltage killing circuit and to a wash down sensor. Upon detecting a resistance, the resistive sensor sends a detection signal to the microprocessor. The microprocessor activates the wash down sensor to determine whether the resistance is above a threshold value and/or shows variation characteristics consistent with the presence of a rodent and thus warranting activation of the killing circuit. Resistance that is below the threshold indicates the presence of water such that the killing circuit is not activated and false triggering of the electronic rodent trap is prevented. Animal traps and monitoring stations incorporating a wash down sensor for pest detection but without killing mechanisms are also provided.

Claims

1. A rodent monitoring or killing mechanism comprising: a housing body having a power source and a resistive sensor including at least two plates; and a wash down sensor coupled to the resistive sensor and configured to prevent false detection of a rodent when the rodent monitoring or killing mechanism is exposed to water, the wash down sensor includes a capacitor, a low impedance load and a switching element that is activated upon detection of a resistance across the plates to close a path to ground through the low impedance load and discharge the capacitor, a level of resistance across the plates being measured based upon a delay time T.sub.d for capacitor recharge.

2. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mechanism is a rodent monitoring station.

3. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mechanism is an electronic rodent trap that includes a high voltage killing circuit coupled to the resistive sensor, the killing circuit activating in response to detection of a resistance consistent with a rodent being in contact with the resistive sensor, the resistive sensor including at least two plates that receive a high voltage pulse train when the killing circuit is activated.

4. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 1, wherein the wash down sensor is configured to take a plurality of resistance measurements as a sample set over regular time intervals, T.sub.sample, variation in the resistance measurements across the sample set being used to distinguish between a water spray followed by a drying scenario and rodent presence on the plates.

5. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 4, wherein resistance measurements that show a relatively linear decrease or a relatively linear increase in resistance over a set of samples taken at T.sub.sample intervals indicate the water spray followed by drying scenario.

6. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 5, wherein variation in measured resistance is calculated using a variation of standard deviation measured against a linear fit using start and end points of the sample set of resistance measurements taken at time intervals T.sub.sample to calculate an Lsigma value, said Lsigma value being divided by a mean of the sample set and compared against a threshold, values below the threshold representing the presence of water.

7. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 4, wherein resistance measurements that show a widely varying, non-linear variation in resistance levels indicate rodent presence.

8. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 7, wherein variation in measured resistance is calculated using a variation of standard deviation measured against a linear fit using start and end points of the sample set of resistance measurements taken at T.sub.sample intervals to calculate an Lsigma value, said Lsigma value being compared against a threshold, values above the threshold indicating the non-linear variation in resistance levels that are consistent with the presence of a live animal.

9. A rodent monitoring or killing mechanism comprising: a housing body having a power source and a resistive sensor; and a wash down sensor operatively coupled to the resistive sensor and adapted to distinguish between the presence of water within the housing body and the presence of a rodent according to at least one measurement of resistance from the resistive sensor, the wash down sensor takes a plurality of resistance measurements as a sample set over regular time intervals, T.sub.sample, variation in the resistance measurements across the sample set being used by a processor of the rodent monitoring or killing mechanism to distinguish between a water and rodent presence.

10. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein the resistive sensor includes at least two plates and the wash down sensor includes a capacitor, a low impedance load and a switching element that is activated upon detection of a resistance across the plates to close a path to ground through the low impedance load and discharge the capacitor, a level of resistance across the plates being measured based upon a delay time T.sub.d for capacitor recharge.

11. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein the mechanism is an electronic rodent trap that includes a high voltage killing circuit coupled to the resistive sensor, the high voltage killing circuit activating in response to detection of a resistance consistent with a rodent being in contact with the resistive sensor, the resistive sensor including at least two conductors that receive a high voltage pulse train when the killing circuit is activated.

12. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein the processor determines that water is present if the plurality of resistance measurements increase or decrease relatively linearly over a set of samples taken at T.sub.sample intervals.

13. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 12, wherein the processor calculates variation in measured resistance using a variation of standard deviation measured against a linear fit using start and end points of the sample set of resistance measurements taken at time intervals T.sub.sample to calculate an Lsigma value, the Lsigma value being divided by a mean of the sample set and compared against a threshold value, values below the threshold representing the presence of water.

14. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein the processor determines that a rodent is present if resistance measurements vary non-linearly.

15. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 14, wherein the processor calculates variation in measured resistance using a variation of standard deviation measured against a linear fit using start and end points of the sample set of resistance measurements taken at T.sub.sample intervals to calculate an Lsigma value, the Lsigma value being compared against a threshold, values above the threshold indicating the non-linear variation in resistance levels that are consistent with the presence of a live animal.

16. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein the wash down sensor includes a processor responsive to the output of the resistive sensor for determining the presence or water or a rodent in the trap according to a measured change in the output of the resistive sensor.

17. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 16, wherein the wash down sensor further comprises: a switching mechanism coupled to the processor; a high impedance load coupled between an output of the resistive sensor and a ground reference; a low impedance load coupled between the output of the resistive sensor and the switching element; and a capacitor coupled between the output of the resistive sensor and the ground reference.

18. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 17, wherein the processor is operative coupled to an output of the switching mechanism and the output of the resistive sensor.

19. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 9, wherein the resistive sensor includes at first conductive element and a second conductive element electrically isolated from one another, the power source operatively coupled to the first conductive element and the wash down sensor operatively coupled to the second conductive element.

20. A rodent monitoring or killing mechanism comprising: a housing body having a power source and a resistive sensor; and a wash down sensor operatively coupled to the resistive sensor and adapted to distinguish between the presence of water within the housing body and the presence of a rodent according to at least one measurement of resistance from the resistive sensor, the wash down sensor includes a processor responsive to the output of the resistive sensor for determining the presence of water or a rodent in the trap according to a measured change in the output of the resistive sensor.

21. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 20, wherein the wash down sensor further comprises: a switching mechanism coupled to the processor; a high impedance load coupled between an output of the resistive sensor and a ground reference; a low impedance load coupled between the output of the resistive sensor and the switching element; and a capacitor coupled between the output of the resistive sensor and the ground reference.

22. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism as set forth in claim 21, wherein the processor is operatively coupled to an output of the switching mechanism and the output of the resistive sensor.

23. A rodent monitoring or killing mechanism comprising: a housing body having a power source and a resistive sensor, the resistive sensor includes a first conductive element and a second conductive element electrically isolated from one another; and a wash down sensor operatively coupled to the resistive sensor and adapted to distinguish between the presence of water within the housing body and the presence of a rodent according to at least one measurement of resistance from the resistive sensor, the power source is operatively coupled to the first conductive element and the wash down sensor is operatively coupled to the second conductive element.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a known electronic rodent trap having a three killing plate configuration.

(2) FIG. 2 is another view of the electronic rodent trap shown in FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic rodent trap having a wash down sensor for detecting and disregarding false triggering of the electronic rodent trap due to water infiltration in accordance with the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a circuit for the wash down sensor within a rodent monitoring or killing mechanism in accordance with the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is a diagram of the detection signal of the circuit shown in FIG. 4 going high to activate the low impedance enable signal and initiating measurement of resistance based on the delay time T.sub.d to determine rodent presence or water spray.

(6) FIG. 5A is a diagram like that shown in FIG. 5 and showing resistance measurements taken as sample sets at regular time intervals, T.sub.sample.

(7) FIG. 6 is a graph of measured resistance over time according to the diagram in FIG. 5 when in a water spray and drying scenario.

(8) FIG. 7 is a graph of measured resistance over time according to the diagram in FIG. 5 when in a rodent-present scenario.

(9) FIG. 8 is a graph of samples taken over time according to the graph shown in FIG. 7 with sample points Y identified to compute the Lsigma value with the delta being equal to Y.sub.n−Y.sub.0.

(10) FIG. 9 is an equation for the Lsigma value using the delta of FIG. 8.

(11) FIG. 10 is a diagram of the detection signal of the circuit shown in FIG. 4 going high and staying high when immersing levels of water are present.

(12) FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method of detecting resistance and preventing false triggering due to the presence of water in an electronic rodent trap that is provided with a wash down sensor in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(13) It is to be understood that the embodiments described herein are disclosed by way of illustration only. It is not intended that the invention be limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. Also, in describing at least one preferred embodiment, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

(14) An electronic rodent trap from the '466 patent and generally designated by reference numeral 200 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. While FIGS. 1 and 2 do not show the wash down sensor, the trap 200 is suitable to be configured with a wash down sensor 50 in accordance with the present invention as generally depicted in FIG. 3. Similar, traps having only two plates like those shown in the '899 patent may also be configured with a wash down sensor.

(15) The trap 200 includes a housing 30 having a bottom wall 32, upstanding side walls 34, an overhang 44 (optional) and a roof 36 provided with an electronics chamber 38 and a battery cover 40. The upper surface of the electronics chamber 38 carries a switch 26 or button that toggles from an “on” or standby position, in which the electronic components of the trap may be activated, to an “off” or reset position, and also includes an LED 28 which provides visual indications of the activity and status of the trap. The battery cover 40 covers an area which contains a power supply 14 (see FIG. 3).

(16) The power supply 14 which provides power to the trap can include one or more batteries, such as two AA batteries. Alternatively, the trap may be electrically connected to a wall outlet or otherwise electrically powered. When embodied as a battery, the power supply 14 may be conveniently located in the power supply area under the battery cover 40. The battery cover 40 is preferably snap fitted for easy entry to replace expired batteries.

(17) The electronic rodent trap 200 may be configured with rearming circuit components, generally designated by reference numeral 100, as shown in FIG. 3. The circuit components 100 include a high-voltage output circuit 10 controlled by a central processing unit (CPU) 12 and electrically connected to a power supply 14. The CPU 12 may be embodied as a standard 8-bit micro controller chip, and the high output circuit 10 can be a standard fly-back circuit.

(18) A first electrical connection member 16, which may be embodied as a wire, receives current from the high-voltage output circuit 10 and also connects to a first killing plate 18 so that electricity can be provided thereto. A second electrical connection member 20, which may also be a wire, connects the high-voltage output circuit 10 to a second killing plate 22. A wash down sensor 50 is coupled to the second killing plate 22.

(19) The first and second killing plates 18, 22 are the active plates which trigger activation of the circuit. In the embodiment shown, a third killing plate 24 is coupled to the first plate 18 by a third electrical connection member 17 and automatically goes to the voltage level of the first plate 18 when the circuit is activated. However, the wash down sensor does not require the presence of a third plate for effective operation. The circuit is turned on to an enabled state by the switch 26.

(20) While a trap like that disclosed in the '466 patent is shown, this is understood to be representative only. The wash down sensor 50 in accordance with the present invention may be incorporated within any number of electronic trap designs or monitoring stations as would be understood by persons of skill in the art and is not intended to be limited to a trap having three killing plates. Rather, the resistive sensor may be any number of plates, wires, PCB traces and the like. The wash down sensor may also be incorporated within traps that do not include high voltage killing mechanisms as well as within monitoring stations that do not include any type of killing mechanism but which are configured only to detect pest presence. Thus, as shown in FIG. 4, the present invention is directed to a rodent monitoring or killing mechanism generally designated by reference numeral 150. The rodent monitoring or killing mechanism 150 includes a housing 152 having a voltage source 14, a resistive sensor 154, and a wash down sensor 50. The wash down sensor 50 is coupled to the resistive sensor 154 and configured to prevent false detection of a rodent when the rodent monitoring or killing mechanism 150 is exposed to water.

(21) The circuit for the wash down sensor 50 is shown in FIG. 4. The circuit operates in conjunction with the resistive sensor 154 of the rodent monitoring or killing mechanism which, in the embodiment for an electronic rodent trap as shown in FIG. 4, includes the first and second plates 18, 22. While not shown in FIG. 4, a third plate 20 may also be present but does not change the operation of the wash down sensor as described herein.

(22) The resistive sensor 154 provides a detection signal 52 which varies between high and low signal levels, with the detection signal being low in the absence of a detected resistance. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the circuit preferably also uses the same voltage source 14 and microprocessor 12, to which the plates are connected, already resident in the electronics of the trap. Alternatively, a separate microprocessor could be employed but this is not preferred.

(23) The circuit of the wash down sensor 50 includes a high impedance load 54, a low impedance load 56, a capacitor 55 and a switching element 58. The high impedance load 54 may be an additional resistor in the circuit as shown in FIG. 4 or may be represented by the intrinsic impedance of the microprocessor itself. The switching element 58 may be embodied with a MOSFET, bipolar transistor or the like. The low impedance load 56 may be an implicit resistor and is coupled to ground through the switching element as shown. Alternatively, the low impedance load may be embodied as an internal pull-down resistor incorporated directly into the microprocessor pin, in which case the switching element could be within the microprocessor itself.

(24) When a resistance is sensed across the plates, the detection signal 52 goes from low to high. In response, the microprocessor 12 activates a low impedance enable signal 60 which is sent to the switching element 58, causing the switching element to close and provide a path to ground through the low impedance load 56 which quickly discharges the capacitor 55. If the sensed resistance is higher than the low impedance load, such as with a rodent, the detection signal will go back low as the voltage drop across the rodent is much higher than the voltage drop across the low impedance load.

(25) Thus, when resistance is sensed in operation, activation of the resistive sensor by a rodent will cause the detection signal to go high and then, following activation of the wash down sensor, the detection signal will go back low as shown in FIG. 5 because the rodent has a higher resistance than the low impedance load 56 and the voltage drop across the low impedance load is lower than the voltage drop across the rodent.

(26) However, in order to distinguish between water spray and rodent presence as being the cause of the detection signal going back low, the microprocessor according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention measures resistance over time as shown in FIG. 5A. In particular the capacitor, once discharged, takes delay time T.sub.d to charge through the resistance on the plates, with the time to recharge being approximately proportional to the resistance. If the sensed resistance as measured taking a sample set of values at regular time intervals, T.sub.sample, shows a relatively linear decrease or a relatively linear increase over the sample set of resistance measurements y.sub.0−y.sub.n as shown in FIG. 6, the microprocessor will interpret the high level detection signal as having been caused by water spray followed by drying and will not initiate a killing cycle.

(27) If, on the other hand, measurement of the sensed resistance over the sample set of values shows a widely varying, non-linear variation in resistance levels as shown in FIG. 7, such wide variation is consistent with the movements of a rodent on the plates. Specifically, as the animal moves around, more or less skin surface contacts the plates, which results in a widely varying, very non-linear resistance variation. In this case, the microprocessor interprets the detection signal going back to low as indicative of a rodent on the plates 18, 22. When the rodent monitoring or killing mechanism 150 is embodied as an electronic rodent trap, the trap will then initiate a high voltage killing cycle.

(28) The variation in sensed resistance as measured across the sample set of values is calculated using a variation of standard deviation. According to a preferred embodiment, the deviation is measured not against the mean of the sample set of values but against a linear fit using the start point Y.sub.0 and the end point Y.sub.n of the sample set as the end points of a line as illustrated in FIG. 8. Using the delta (Y.sub.n−Y.sub.0) the value, Lsigma, is calculated according to the equation shown in FIG. 9. The Lsigma value is then compared against a threshold, the threshold being a numerical value derived on the basis of the tested resistance of live rodents, with values above the threshold representing the presence of a live animal.

(29) When measuring resistance across the plates over the sample set of resistance values y.sub.0−y.sub.n), the trap begins taking resistance measurement samples when a trigger event is detected, i.e., when the detection signal provided by the resistive sensor goes high or appropriate resistance is detected between the third plate and the voltage source. Between 5 and 10 samples are then collected at regular time intervals, T.sub.sample, with the Lsigma value being computed on each block of 5 samples. According to a preferred embodiment, the interval is every 100 milliseconds for a mouse and every 250 milliseconds for a rat. If the level and linearity of the resistance measurements taken over the 10 sample interval are not consistent with a rodent, the trap determines that no rodent is present and enters the active standby mode awaiting the next trigger event.

(30) FIG. 10 illustrates the signal response that occurs when the resistive sensor is activated by the presence of an immersing level of water across the plates. Submersion of the plates causes the detection signal to go high and to remain high after the wash down sensor is activated because the water has a resistance that is the same as, or lower than, the low impedance load of the wash down sensor such that the voltage drop across the water is lower than the voltage drop across the low impedance load. The detection signal remaining high indicates to the microprocessor that water is present, and not a rodent, and that a high voltage killing cycle should not be initiated.

(31) The present invention is also directed to a method of operation for a rodent trap or monitoring station having a resistive sensor and a wash down sensor that includes a circuit configured to determine whether a sensed resistance is consistent with a rodent or is due to the presence of water.

(32) As summarized in FIG. 11 in connection with an electronic rodent trap such as that described in the '466 patent and representatively shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the method includes placing the trap in an active standby mode, step 300. If resistance is detected by the resistive sensor, step 302, the wash down sensor is activated, step 304. The trap then determines, with the wash down sensor enabled, whether the detection signal has gone back low, step 306. If not, the trap is determined to be flooded and returns to the active standby mode, step 300, without initiating a killing cycle.

(33) If the detection signal has gone back low, step 306, the trap measures the delay time T.sub.d, step 308, to determine if the resistance meets a threshold level consistent with a rodent, step 310. If the resistance is below the threshold, the trap returns to the active standby state, step 300, without initiating a high voltage killing cycle. If, however, the resistance meets a threshold level consistent with a rodent, step 310, the trap determines whether a minimum number of samples have been collected, step 312, in order to most accurately distinguish between the presence of a rodent and possible water spray on the plates followed by drying. If the minimum number of samples have not been collected, step 312, the trap collects additional samples, step 314, until the minimum number of samples has been collected while the detection signal continues to remain low and the resistance continues to meet the threshold level, step 310.

(34) Once the minimum number of samples is obtained, step 312, the trap computes Lsigma, step 316, and determines whether Lsigma divided by the mean of the samples is greater than a threshold, step 318. If not, and if the maximum number of samples has been exceeded, step 320, the trap returns to the active standby mode, step 300. If Lsigma divided by the mean of the samples is not greater than the threshold, step 318, and the maximum number of samples has not been exceeded, step 320, the trap collects additional samples, step 314, and continues to analyze the detection signal and resistance levels.

(35) Finally, if Lsigma divided by the mean of the samples is greater than the threshold, step 318, the trap determines that the samples indicated a non-linear variation in resistance that demonstrates a rodent is present and activates a killing cycle, step 322. After the killing cycle, the trap may undergo steps to rearm as is disclosed in the '466 patent, await servicing, or take other action as may be appropriate for the particular trap configuration within which the wash down sensor according to the present invention is implemented.

(36) The method is further intended to be employed with any kind of rodent monitoring and/or killing mechanism that includes a resistive sensor and a wash down sensor as has been described herein.

(37) The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention may be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by the dimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specific examples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown and described. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.