Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01M—CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS; APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS
  • A01M31/00—Hunting appliances
  • A01M31/002—Detecting animals in a given area
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01M—CATCHING, TRAPPING OR SCARING OF ANIMALS; APPARATUS FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF NOXIOUS ANIMALS OR NOXIOUS PLANTS
  • A01M25/00—Devices for dispensing poison for animals
  • A01M25/002—Bait holders, i.e. stationary devices for holding poisonous bait at the disposal of the animal
  • A01M25/004—Bait stations, i.e. boxes completely enclosing the bait and provided with animal entrances

Definitions

• This invention relates to pest control and is particularly concerned with the control of rodents such as mice and rats.
• Control of pests such as mice and rats is predominantly by the strategic placement of poisoned bait in areas known to be infested. When those areas are within buildings or factory areas, there is a need to prevent accidental contact with poisoned bait by people or by domestic animals such as cats and dogs, or by livestock such as cattle or sheep.
• bait stations so structured that bait is held safe but can be accessed by the pests to be controlled. Such bait stations need periodic but regular checking and fresh bait added when necessary.
• the infested area is domestic accommodation, i.e. an individual house, bungalow, flat or the like, periodic checking of a bait station is not particularly difficult or time consuming.
• the infested area is such as a factory unit, industrial or commercial site, multi-storey office block, block of flats or a housing estate, considerable numbers of bait stations are needed, and if installation and monitoring of such bait stations is left to a pest control officer, there can be a considerable cost in terms of an attendant to perform the locating of and checking of what can be several hundred bait stations spread throughout one infested area.
• the pest control officer has no means of knowing that a particular bait station requires attention in terms of replacing and replenishing any bait eaten, and much time can be wasted by finding and checking bait stations that do not require attention.
• a first object of the invention is to provide a means of sensing and signalling the amount of bait within a particular bait station.
• a bait station comprises a holder for bait, weighing means associated with the holder, and signalling means to emit a signal confirming the amount of bait on the holder.
• the signal emitted from the signalling means may be received at a fixed monitoring station, or may be received by a mobile monitor carried by an officer. Whilst it is unlikely that a rodent would enter a bait station and not eat the bait on the holder, there may be an advantage to be gained by having additional sensing and signalling means in a bait station, and a second objective of the invention is to provide a means of sensing and signalling that a bait station has been entered.
• the signal emitted to confirm the weight of bait on a holder in a bait station may serve the secondary purpose of acting as a locating signal, such that at a fixed monitoring station, or and more usefully, on a mobile monitor carried by an officer, the location of a bait station can be identified and shown on a map of the infested area installed on the monitoring means.
• each bait station may be provided with a second signalling means such as a GPS chipset to confirm its location.
• the means to weigh bait on a holder in a bait station can, for example, be a strain gauge with an associated micro-controller able to transmit messages confirming the weight or a weight change of bait on the holder. Additional strain gauges can be provided at the entrance to a bait station, to sense the entry of a rodent and signal the micro-controller to transmit a message that the bait station has been entered. Signalling method can be, for example the use of GSM/GPRS mobile technology. Equally, a micro GPS system can be installed and also linked to the micro-controller, for a message to be transmitted to confirm the location of the bait station.
• a still further aspect of the invention is a method of sensing the weight or change of weight of bait in a bait station and comprises positioning bait in a hopper in the bait station, the weight of which applies a bending moment on a strain gauge associated with the hopper, signalling a micro-controller with the change in resistivity of the strain gauge, which is proportionate to the weight of bait, periodically further signalling the microprocessor with readings of the resistivity of the strain gauge, and periodically emitting a signal for receipt by a fixed or mobile monitoring station, to show that the weight of bait remains at the level of the first signal, or that the weight of bait has been reduced, and whereby to cause an operative to visit the bait station showing a reduction in the weight of bait, and replenish the bait in the hopper.
• Figure 1 is a schematic sectional plan view of a bait station in accordance with the invention with the lid open;
• FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional side elevation of the bait station of Figure 1 with the lid closed;
• Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of Figure 2 from one side
• Figure 4 is a schematic side elevation of Figure 2 from the other side; and Figure 5 is a block diagram representation of the electric/electronic components of the bait station of Figures 1 to 4.
• a bait station 1 is formed as a generally rectangular box-like structure with a housing 2, having a lid 3 containing control unit 4, and associated power source (e.g. a battery).
• the housing 2 and lid 3 are hinged together at 5, and the housing 2 has an entrance area 6 with access holes 7 at each side, and a rearward area 8 containing a hopper 9 for bait, there being an access hole 10 in a dividing wall 1 1 to allow a rodent entering the entrance area to reach the hopper 9.
• the hopper 9 is secured by a stem 12 to the end of a flexible arm 13 attached to a support 14, the flexible arm having at least one strain gauge 15 attached to or incorporated in it.
• the flexible arm 13 is caused to bend when bait is placed on the hopper 9, to a degree determined by the weight of bait.
• the strain resistance of the at least one strain gauge 15 varies in proportion to the degree to which the flexible arm 13 bends, and a signal is caused to be emitted proportional to the weight of bait placed on the hopper 9.
• the control unit 4 causes signals to be emitted periodically, and in the circumstance of a rodent entering the bait station and taking some of or all of the bait in the hopper, the signal subsequently emitted shows that the weight of bait has been reduced, confirming to an operative that that bait station needs to be visited to replenish the bait in the hopper.
• Equally possible is for there to be an input signal to the control unit 4 to cause the reading of a spot value of the resistance in the strain gauge 15, and a subsequent transmission of a signal confirming the weight of bait in the hopper 9 to a fixed or mobile monitoring station with an attendant output signal of the resistance and hence the weight of bait in the hopper 9.
• the manner of operation of the bait station of Figures 1 to 4 is represented by Figure 5.
• the weighing sensor in the form of the strain gauge 15 has its resistance monitored by the control unit 4, powered by its battery, the control unit including a microprocessor that can be pre-programmed to cause a periodic measurement of the resistance of the strain gauge, but could be pre-programmed with added functionality to react to an input signal to cause the taking of a spot reading of the resistance of the strain gauge.
• the control unit 4 is in electronic connection with a signalling means 16 having a GSM/GPRS modem as its primary component, and whereby a signal representing the resistance of the strain gauge 15 is caused to be transmitted wirelessly to a remote station that can be a fixed receiver 17 or can be a mobile hand held receiver 18, in which there is a compatible GSM/GPRS modem.
• a signalling means 16 having a GSM/GPRS modem as its primary component, and whereby a signal representing the resistance of the strain gauge 15 is caused to be transmitted wirelessly to a remote station that can be a fixed receiver 17 or can be a mobile hand held receiver 18, in which there is a compatible GSM/GPRS modem.
• control unit can be provided with a means of calibrating the weighing mechanism, to ensure that the signals reflecting the weight of bait in the hopper is accurate.
• an operator interface such as a push button may be added to the unit, which an operator can push to indicate that the unit has been manually inspected. The subsequent signal then transmitted by the unit will then indicate that manual inspection has been performed.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Insects & Arthropods (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Pest Control & Pesticides (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Toxicology (AREA)
• Catching Or Destruction (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=43980785

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (15)

Family Cites Families (3)

• 2011
  • 2011-03-10 GB GBGB1104089.6A patent/GB201104089D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2012
  • 2012-03-09 WO PCT/GB2012/000231 patent/WO2012120263A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2012-03-09 EP EP12710987.4A patent/EP2683234A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events