METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WAVE FORMATION IN SWIM POOLS

• US 3,629,877 A
• Filed: 08/07/1969
• Issued: 12/28/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Christian H. Boes, Siegfried A. Schuster
• Original Assignee: Christian H. Boes, Siegfried A. Schuster
• Inventors: Schuster, Siegfried A., Boes, Christian H.
• Application Number:
  US04/848,300
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• US Class Current: 4/491
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 4/0006 Devices for producing waves in swimming pools generating current of water in swimming pools A63B69/125

Abstract

A swim pool is disclosed with a method and apparatus for forming waves for the enjoyment of the swimmers with the waves formed by an air pressure source directly acting on a plurality of separate portions of the water surface in wave-forming tanks to cause depression of the water and consequent formation of the waves without requiring any mechanical apparatus to be immersed in the water. The swim pool has a width equal to at least one wavelength of the waves in the water and a standing wave is caused to move along the length of the pool by applying force alternately on first and second parts of the water surface of the width of the pool.

Claims

1. The method of forming waves in a body of water having a water surface and contained in a wave-activated swimming pool having sidewalls, end walls and a bottom wall characterized by the fact that at least part of the water surface is directly brought into contact at one end of said pool with air from an air pressure source, and air from said air pressure source is consecutively and with periodical timing forced directly down upon laterally adjoining portions of the water surface of water contained in laterally adjacent wave forming tanks to thus cause wave formation.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 characterized by the fact that frequencies of application of air pressure and dephasing on different portions of the water surface are harmonized in a way that the maximum height of the wave lies in the middle of the swimming pool.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, including bringing air from the air pressure source to bear upon at least one portion of the water surface and then alternately upon two other portions of the water surface.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, including brining the air pressure source to act against two different portions of the water surface and then alternately on three other portions of the water surface.

5. Apparatus for forming waves in the surface of water contained in a wave-activated swimming pool having a width and length, comprising in combination, means dividing the width of the pool into at least first and second parts of the water surface, means applying a force periodically on one of said parts approximately half the time period to establish a wave traveling generally parallel to the length dimension of the swimming pool, the width of the pool being at least one wavelength, and said first part having a dimension parallel to said width of approximately one-fourth said wavelength.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein the width of the swim pool is equal to a multiple of a half wavelength.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said force means is an air pressure source having a motor-driven air blower.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, including at least first and second wave-forming tanks as said first and second parts and including a movable valve between an air pressure source as said force means and said wave-forming tanks to periodically apply air pressure into said wave-forming tanks.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, including an uneven plurality of tanks.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 9 including means to conneCt said air pressure source alternately with at least two different wave-forming tanks.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, wherein said air pressure source works directly inside said wave-forming tanks.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, in which the width of each wave-forming tank is a whole multiple of a quarter of a wavelength to thus superimpose a standing wave in the cross direction of the waves.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, including a wave-forming tank adjacent a sidewall having a lesser width than a wave-forming tank spaced from the two sidewalls of the swimming pool.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 13, wherein the width of the wave forming tank adjacent a sidewall is substantially half the width of a wave-forming tank spaced from the two sidewalls of the swim pool.

15. Apparatus as set forth in claim 8, including a wave-forming tank adjacent one sidewall and another wave-forming tank adjacent another side wall with these two wave-forming tanks each having a width substantially one-half that of the intermediate wave-forming tank or tanks spaced from said sidewalls.

16. The method of forming waves in the surface of water contained in a wave-activated swimming pool having a width and length characterized by the fact that said pool contains means dividing the width of said pool into at least first and second parts applying force means periodically directly on the surface of the water in one of said parts approximately one-half the time period to establish a wave traveling generally parallel to the length of said pool, the width of the pool being at least one wavelength, said first part having a dimension parallel to said pool width approximately one-fourth said wavelength, and another of said parts having a dimension parallel to said pool width approximately one-half said wavelength.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16, including applying force means periodically on a part other than said one of said parts approximately half the time.

18. The method as set forth in claim 17, wherein said force means are applied alternately on said one of said parts and said other part.

19. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein the force means is applied to said first part at a time when no force means is applied to said another part.

20. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein said width includes a third part with said second part being intermediate said first and third parts, and said second part having a dimension parallel to said width dimension approximately one-half the wavelength.

21. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein said width dimension W of the pool is established according to the formula W ( lambda /2)(K+1), where lambda is the wavelength of a water wave, and K is any positive integer.

22. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, including said second parts having a dimension parallel to said pool width approximately one-half the wavelength.

23. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said force is an air pressure force acting on the surface of the water in said one part.