Outdoor robotic device for eradication of ticks

• US 10,729,122 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2020
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Madelyn Jane Simon
• Original Assignee: Madelyn Jane Simon
• Inventors: Simon, Madelyn Jane
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P
• Application Number:
  US16/854,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20200245607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 105 Days
• Field of Search: 43140
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 13/003 Enclosures for fumigation, e.g. containers, bags or housings
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 2200/011 Crawling insects
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 5/08 with fans
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/30 Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change

Abstract

Disclosed herein are robotic devices which traverse a pre-defined coverage area in order to capture and eradicate ticks in the area. A vacuum mechanism provides a suction force for pulling ticks into the device through a frontal opening, after which the ticks are captured in a receptacle and crushed by at least one rotating arm. In certain embodiments, the devices include heat strips near the frontal opening of the device that mimic the human body temperature. Additionally, the device can include carbon dioxide emitters that pass carbon dioxide to the receptacle or through the frontal opening to increase attraction of ticks.

Claims

1. A robotic device for eradicating ticks comprising:

a motor powered by a battery;

at least one pair of wheels driven by the motor to move the device in a direction of travel;

a housing having a housing opening on a front surface of the housing, wherein the housing opening extends transverse from a bottom surface of the housing from which the one or more wheels extend and extends an entire width of the front surface of the housing, and wherein the front surface of the housing faces the direction of travel of the device;

a receptacle disposed within the housing;

a shaft disposed longitudinally within the receptacle and operatively coupled to the at least one pair of wheels via a transmission mechanism;

at least one rotatable arm coupled to the shaft within the receptacle;

a vacuum mechanism disposed within the housing and arranged to generate a suction force through the opening to the receptacle when activated by the battery; and

wherein the at least one rotatable arm includes a flexible portion disposed at an end of the rotatable arm which abuts an inner surface of the receptacle and wherein the rotatable arm causes the flexible portion of the rotatable arm to sweep along the circumference of the inner surface of the receptacle by rotating up to 360 degrees, and wherein the driving of the at least one pair of wheels causes a rotation of the at least one rotatable arm via the transmission mechanism.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least two rotatable arms.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the device comprises 4 rotatable arms, wherein each of the 4 rotatable arms are separated by 90 degrees of the inner circumference of the receptacle.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the flexible portion of the at least one rotatable arm that abuts the inner surface of the receptacle is comprised of rubber or vinyl.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one rotatable arm rotates up to 360 around the inner surface of the receptacle.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a passageway coupling the housing opening and the receptacle.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the receptacle includes one or more openings at an interface of the passageway and the receptacle is sized and shaped to pass ticks through.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the receptacle surface includes a permeable air filter sized and shaped to pass the suction force and not to pass ticks.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the air filter comprises dimensions of 1 mm by 1 mm.

10. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a wire mesh disposed on the front surface of the housing that covers the housing opening, wherein each opening of wire mesh sized between 10 mm by 10 mm to 13 mm by 13 mm.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the height of the device is adjustable.

12. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a carbon dioxide emitter that dispenses carbon dioxide through the housing opening.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the carbon dioxide emitter is disposed within the receptacle.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein rotation of the at least one rotatable arm directs carbon dioxide through the housing opening.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein a height of the housing opening is 1-3 inches and wherein the housing opening is located on the front surface of the housing at a height of 2-4 inches from the ground.

16. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a transparent window located on a top portion of the housing above the receptacle, and a viewing window in an outer surface of the receptacle, wherein contents of the receptacle can be viewed from the outside of the housing through transparent window and the viewing window.

17. The device according to claim 1, further comprising one or more heat strips disposed at the housing opening, wherein the one or more heat strips provide heat between 95-100 degrees Fahrenheit.

18. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a rain sensor, a bumper sensor, or a theft deterrent.

19. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a flexible film which covers the housing opening when the vacuum mechanism is not generating the suction force, and which flexes to reveal the housing opening when the vacuum mechanism generates the suction force.

20. A robotic device for eradicating ticks, the robotic device including at least one battery and at least one motor, the robotic device comprising:

at least one pair of wheels configured for rotation to drive the device in a direction of travel;

a housing having a housing opening on a front surface of the housing, wherein the housing opening extends transverse from a bottom surface of the housing from which the one or more wheels extend and extends an entire width of the front surface of the housing, and wherein the front surface of the housing faces the direction of travel of the device;

a receptacle disposed within the housing;

at least one rotatable arm disposed within the receptacle and configured for rotation;

a vacuum mechanism disposed within the housing and arranged to generate a suction force through the opening to the receptacle; and

wherein the at least one rotatable arm includes a flexible portion disposed at an end of the rotatable arm which abuts an inner surface of the receptacle and wherein upon a rotation of the rotatable arm, the rotatable arm causes the flexible portion of the rotatable arm to sweep along the circumference of the inner surface of the receptacle by rotating up to 360 degrees.