Wave generator

• US 4,558,474 A
• Filed: 08/03/1983
• Issued: 12/17/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ecopool Design Limited
• Original Assignee: Ecopool Design Limited
• Inventors: Bastenhof, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Dennis L.
• Application Number:
  US06/520,078
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 405/79-81, 405/87, 405/52, 4/491, 4/505, 4/508, 4/494, 137/596.18, 137/596
• 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 pneumatic wave generator for a surf pool, comprising a caisson divided into a plurality of wave generating chambers, a ventilator space provided with a powered source of air and a system of conduits coupled to inlet and outlet valves which together are capable of alternately effecting forced aspiration and expiration above the water surfaces in the wave generating chambers thereby to generate waves in a body of water in communication with the chambers. According to the invention, in each of the wave generating chambers, the coupling of the air inlet valve and the air outlet valve, provided with a common drive, is of great advantage in improving the system efficiency. The expiration may be enhanced by coupling the expirating chambers to the air input of the powered air source forming a closed air pressure system in which a partial vacuum is thus applied to the expirating chambers.

Claims

1. A pneumatic wave generator for a surf pool, comprising a caisson divided into a plurality of wave generating chambers, and a source of forced air capable of effecting aspiration by applying compressed air to the space above the water surfaces in the wave generating chambers via a conduit system provided with an air inlet valve for said aspiration and an air outlet valve for expiration from said chambers, means for coupling each air inlet valve and air outlet valve to operate together through a common drive means, further including means for connecting said source of forced air to apply suction to a chamber during expiration.

2. The wave generator of claim 1 further including an enclosed space, containing said source of forced air wherein means are provided connecting an intake of said source and said air outlet valve via said enclosed space.

3. The wave generator of claim 2, wherein said enclosed space comprises an equipment room.

4. A wave generating system for use in generating waves in a swimming pool comprising:

one or more chambers communicative with said swimming pool through a below the water passage and having a sealed portion extending above the water level of said pool;

a source of forced air having an air intake;

a source of suction having an air exhaust; and

coupled valve means for alternately connecting the forced air and suction to the air intake and the air exhaust into the chambers to create a wave effect in said pool.

5. A wave generating system for use in generating waves in a swimming pool comprising:

one or more chambers communicative with said swimming pool through a below the water passage and having a sealed portion extending above the water level of said pool;

controlled valve means for selectively connecting forced air into each of the chambers to create a wave effect in said pool;

a source of forced air; and

a common plenum connecting to each said controlled valve means and said source of forced air.

6. The wave generator according to claim 5, wherein the controlled valve means includes a servo cylinder drive.

7. The wave generator of claim 5, further including an enclosed space, containing said source of forced air wherein means are provided connecting an intake of said source and said controlled valve means via said enclosed space.

8. The wave generator of claim 7, wherein said enclosed space comprises an equipment room.

9. The wave generator of claim 5, further including means for connecting said source of forced air to apply suction to a chamber during expiration.

10. The wave generator according to claim 5, wherein the controlled valve means of at least one of said wave generating chambers has a circular aperture having a butterfly-valve therein.

11. The wave generator according to claim 5, wherein the air outlet of the plenum has a cross-sectional area which is greater than the air inlet of the plenum cross-sectional area.

12. The wave generator according to claim 5, wherein the controlled valve means comprises an air inlet valve and an air outlet valve.

13. The wave generator according to claim 12, wherein each wave generating chamber air inlet valve has an aperture of one shape, and the air outlet valve comprises two sections located on opposite sides of the air inlet valve.

14. The wave generator according to claim 12, wherein the air inlet valve includes an inlet valve cover connected by a tensional connecting element to a drive means, and the air outlet valve sections are connected by tensional connecting elements to the valve cover of the air inlet valve.

15. The wave generator according to claim 14, wherein the tensional connecting elements are cables.

16. The wave generator according to claim 14, wherein each wave generating chamber includes a front wall, rear wall, roof, and two opposite side walls, which front wall extends from one side wall to the opposite said side wall, and extends from the roof of the wave generating chamber and the plenum located behind it to a point spaced-apart from the bottom of the pool, so that water can pass between said front wall and said bottom, and wherein the rear wall of the wave generating chamber is spaced-apart from a rearmost wall of the surf pool to create an interspace therebetween, which interspace is divided into two parts by a plate extending substantially horizontally, the upper part forming an expiration duct, and a lower part forming an aspiration duct of the plenum, and wherein the source of forced air is connected at least to said aspiration duct.

17. The wave generator according to claim 16, wherein the cross-sectional area of the expiration duct is greater than the cross-sectional area of the aspiration duct.

18. The wave generator according to claim 16, wherein each wave generating chamber includes channels in the wall between each said chamber and the aspiration duct and the expiration duct, respectively, and the channels having the air inlet valve and the air outlet valve therein, respectively.

19. The wave generator according to claim 16, wherein the plenum for at least one of the aspiration and expiration of the wave generating chambers is integral with said chambers in a wall of the surf pool, and together with said chambers is built from the material used for the wall of said pool.