IN-GROUND BARRIER FOR BLOCKING INSECTS AND RODENTS FOD ACCESS TO RUNWAYS

Abstract

The in-ground barrier for blocking insects and rodents FOD access to runways has a main trough or body having a bottom part and two parallel upright and opposing walls, an inclined board mounted, so as to be pivotable with respect to the outer upright wall and a lid pivotably mounted at the opposite upright or inner wall. Rodents and insects slide on the inclined board and will fall in the trough and are not able to crawl back, so as to escape or pass across the barrier, thereby being blocked from the runway.

Claims

1. An In-Ground barrier for blocking insects and rodents FOD access to runways comprising a trough having a bottom and, contiguous thereto, oppositely disposed first and second upright walls, a downwardly inclined ramp mounted to an upper edge of said first wall, downwardly inclined into said trough at a first angle, and a cantilevered frangible lid mounted at an upper edge of said second wall so as to define an opening into said trough from said upper edge of said first wall, a lowermost edge of said ramp cantilevered into said trough without touching said bottom or said second wall, and defining a gap between said lowermost edge of said ramp and said second wall, and wherein said lid and said ramp overlap when viewed in a birds-eye aerial view from above so as to occlude, from said aerial view, a view of said bottom of said trough, whereby FOD entering said opening fall through said gap in to said trough so as to reside on said bottom unable to climb from said trough by a blocking operation of said ramp and said lid, and whereby the FOD in said trough remain unseen from said aerial view.

2. In-Ground barrier of claim 1, wherein said top lid is frangible, so as to be collapsible, and dimensioned so that upon said collapse, a free edge of said lid, distal from said second wall lands on said upper edge of said first wall.

3. In-Ground barrier of claim 1, wherein said second wall is adapted to be an inner wall, innermost relative to a runway.

4. In-Ground barrier of claim 1, wherein said trough has a width, and wherein said lid has a width, and wherein the width of said trough is substantially equal to the width of said lid.

5. In-Ground barrier of claim 1, wherein the width of said ramp is less that the width of said lid.

6. In-Ground barrier of claim 1, wherein said lid forms an angle to a horizontal and said ramp forms an included angle to said first wall, and wherein said angle is in the range of 15-60, and wherein said angle is in the range of 105-150.

7. In-Ground barrier of claim 6, wherein said angle is equal to substantially said angle plus 90.

8. In-Ground barrier of claim 1, wherein said bottom, walls, lid and ramp in said trough are fabricated from a low-friction material to reduce traction for FOD insects in said trough to crawl out of said trough.

9. In-Ground barrier of claim 1, wherein said trough further comprises at least one drainage channel.

10. A method of using the In-Ground barrier of claim 1, comprising providing said barrier of claim 1, mounting said barrier into a perimeter of a runway or taxiway so that said upper edge of said first wall is substantially flush to a ground surface of said perimeter and said second wall is closest to the runway, so as to dispose said first wall away from the runway.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the FOD insects are exterminated when in said trough.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said trough is installed in said perimeter so as to substantially parallel and adjacent edge of the runway or taxiway.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said barrier is installed between runway lights around the runway.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to solve the problems described above, the present invention provides a safety device for airports or airfields runways, more particularly an in-ground barrier for blocking insects and rodents FOD from having access to the runways and taxiways of airport or airfield areas.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a representation of an in-ground barrier, showing in cross section the trough (10) which includes a bottom part (1), two parallel upright and opposing walls (2outer wall and 2inner wall), a frangible lid (3) and a downwardly inclined ramp (4).

[0024] FIG. 2 is the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1, showing the barrier mounted in the ground in a trench and surrounded by gravel (5). By way of example, and without intending to be limiting, measurements are shown, illustrating the height by which the bottom (1) is elevated above the floor of the trench (18 inches), the distance between the floor of the trench and ground level (24 inches), and the space between the trough (10) and the walls of the trench (9 inches).

[0025] FIG. 3 represents a plan view of the barrier, in a birds-eye view looking down on lid 3 covering trough 10 surrounding runway 8. In an alternative embodiment, not shown, trough 10 may extend between runway lights 7. Lid (3), and partially ramp 4 depending on the angle of the viewing from above, block a view down into trough (10). FOD 6 is shown approaching the barrier in direction A.

[0026] Thus, as summarized above, the in-ground barrier for blocking insects and rodents FOD access to runways comprises a trough (10) having a bottom (1) and two parallel upright and opposing wallsouter wall 2 and inner wall 2, wherein wall 2 is closest to the runway, configured in a U shape cross-section. A ramp (4) is mounted to, and is downwardly inclined into, trough (10) from an upper edge 2a of outer wall 2. Ramp 4 forms an angle with wall 2. A lid (3) is mounted to the top edge of 2a of the opposite upright wall, so as to from an angle . Rodents and insects FOD slide or move downwardly on the ramp (4) and fall to the bottom (1). They are unable to crawl back up out of the trough (10) formed by the bottom (1) and the side walls 2 and 2, as the upper edges 2a and 2a are blocked by lid (3) and ramp (4) respectively.

[0027] Advantageously, according to a further aspect of the invention, the lid may be frangible in the sense that it is downwardly collapsible.

[0028] The width r of the ramp (4) is less than the width l of the lid (3), so that the terminating edge 4a of ramp (4) is not in contact with the bottom (1) or with wall 2. The width r of the ramp (4) may be almost equal to the width b of the bottom (1) so that there is a small gap g between the ramp (4) and the opposing wall.

[0029] In another aspect of the invention, both the lid (3) and the ramp (4) are respectively configured in angles and , wherein angle may be in the range of 15-60. Angle may be equal to or different from angle plus 90.

[0030] In another aspect of the invention the bottom, walls, lid and ramp may be fabricated from a low-friction material which provides little or otherwise insufficient traction on the surfaces thereof for the insects and rodents to crawl back up out of the trough.

[0031] In another embodiment the trapped insects and rodents are exterminated with insecticide, rodenticide or other means applied into the trough.

[0032] The in-ground barrier for blocking insects and rodents FOD access to runways may further be provided with drainage channels (not shown), which are useful in draining water from trough (10), for example, as a result of run-off from standing water on the runway resulting from rain.

[0033] The in-ground barrier for blocking insects and rodents FOD access to runways of the present invention works as follows:

(a) Rodents and insects walk or otherwise move over the downwardly inclined ramp (4) and slide/fall into the trough (10) main cavity, defined by the bottom and sidewalls, where they are trapped and not able crawl out.
(b) Insecticide, rodenticide or other means to kill FOD may be placed into trough.
(c) To clean and empty trough (10), water ducts (not showed in the figures) may be provided to flush away the dead FOD, for example, to repositories, were they are discharged and/or otherwise disposed of.
(d) Lid (3) is frangible so that easily collapses and closes over through (10), when compressed by a landing wheel of an airplane or other vehicle running on its surface, so as to allow an aircraft departing the runway to do so unimpeded by the barrier.
(e) Lid (3) provides a cover that, in conjunction with ramp (4), completely blocks or occludes seeing into bottom (1) of the trough (10) from an aerial or birds-eye view. Thus birds will not be able to see insects trapped in the trough (10) and will not be able to get at them, due to the small size of the opening o and gap g. Thus trough (10) does not become a feeding trough for the birds, which would only add to the bird problem, not reduce it.

[0034] The scope of the described invention is intended to include all embodiments coming within the meaning of the following claims. The foregoing examples illustrate useful forms of the invention, but are not to be considered as limiting its scope, as those skilled in the art will be aware that additional variants and modifications of the invention can readily be formulated without departing from the meaning of the following claims.