IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0387451
(2009-05-01)
|
등록번호 |
US-8166582
(2012-05-01)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
|
출원인 / 주소 |
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
1 인용 특허 :
26 |
초록
▼
An alternative propulsion or motive force for the riders of water features based on generated waves. A wave generator may be used to propel individuals or vessels within a chute for recreation or transportation. In one form, a pool or container having a body of water is configured to support an arti
An alternative propulsion or motive force for the riders of water features based on generated waves. A wave generator may be used to propel individuals or vessels within a chute for recreation or transportation. In one form, a pool or container having a body of water is configured to support an artificial wave generator which uses compressed gas to discharge water and generate a wave-like motion within a body of water. A source of make-up fluid is configured to mitigate internal low pressure conditions caused by the water discharge to enable effective wave generation with reduced quantities of compressed air. Portions of the waves generated in a pool may be captured in a variety of ways by chutes for stand-alone rides or for portions of chutes in water slides.
대표청구항
▼
1. A water feature for propelling a rider, the water feature comprising: a basin for containing a body of water, the basin having a basin proximal end and basin distal end;a water slide chute having a bottom and two sides, the bottom and two sides defining a channel suitable for receiving a rider, t
1. A water feature for propelling a rider, the water feature comprising: a basin for containing a body of water, the basin having a basin proximal end and basin distal end;a water slide chute having a bottom and two sides, the bottom and two sides defining a channel suitable for receiving a rider, the channel having a channel proximal end and a channel distal end, the channel being in fluid communication with the basin and the body of water at the channel proximal end, the channel further adapted to contain at least a portion of the body of water within the chute;at least one wave generator adapted to generate at least one wave within the body of water, the wave generator comprising: an elongated tubular chamber having a substantially closed rear end and a substantially open front end wherein the body of water is in fluid communication with the substantially open front end of the chamber;an anchor for securing the chamber and for maintaining the chamber in a desired orientation with respect to the basin proximal end and the body of water;a gas compression compartment in fluid communication with the substantially closed rear end of the chamber;a gas control valve in fluid communication with the gas compression compartment and the chamber, the gas control valve adapted to operatively control the flow of compressed gas from the gas compression compartment to the chamber;a make-up fluid conduit in fluid communication with the chamber;wherein actuation of the gas control valve is capable of causing compressed gas to be released into the rear end of the chamber to forcibly expel fluid within the chamber out of the open front end into the body of water;wherein the make-up fluid conduit is adapted to introduce fluid into the rear end of the chamber to relieve low pressure in the chamber; andwherein the wave generator, the basin, and the channel are configured so that when the wave generator generates at least one wave within the body of water, the basin proximal end is adapted to receive the at least one wave and the channel proximal end is adapted to receive from the basin at least a portion of the at least one wave within at least a portion of the body of water contained within the chute to propel the rider in a distal direction along the channel. 2. The water feature of claim 1, the water feature further comprising at least one river return to collect overflow fluid from the body of water, wherein the river return is in fluid communication with the body of water and the make-up fluid conduit. 3. The water feature of claim 2, the make-up fluid conduit comprising a supply of make-up fluid. 4. The water feature of claim 3, wherein the supply of make-up fluid is selected from the group consisting of gas, liquid and mixtures thereof. 5. The water feature of claim 3, the wave generator further comprising a fluid control valve in fluid communication with the make-up fluid conduit and the rear end of the chamber, wherein the fluid control valve is adapted to control the introduction of fluid into the chamber, and wherein actuation of the fluid control valve causes the make-up fluid to flow into the rear end of the chamber when the chamber reaches a predetermined low pressure. 6. The water feature of claim 5, wherein the fluid control valve is a check valve. 7. The water feature of claim 1, wherein the gas compression compartment comprises a compressed gas tank and a gas compressor, wherein the compressed gas tank is fluidly connected to the gas compressor. 8. The water feature of claim 7, wherein the volume of the compressed gas tank is at least equal to the volume of the chamber. 9. The water feature of claim 1, the water feature further comprising a discharge check valve coupled to a portion of the front end of the chamber to enable the discharge of the chamber to the body of water but substantially inhibit reverse flow from the body of water into the front end of the chamber. 10. The water feature of claim 1, wherein the chute comprises a plurality of chutes, and wherein the plurality of chutes are juxtaposed in parallel fashion. 11. The water feature of claim 1, the wave generator further comprising at least one computer processor and a control system operably connected between the gas compression compartment and the computer processor so as to enable computer control of the wave generator. 12. The water feature of claim 1, wherein the chamber is positioned at an incline such that the slope between the rear end and the front end of the chamber ranges from about 0 to about 5 percent. 13. The water feature of claim 1, the water feature further comprising a pool, wherein at least a portion of the chute is located within the pool and wherein at least a portion of the body of water is located within the pool. 14. The water feature of claim 1, the water feature further comprising a collection grate in fluid communication with the make-up fluid conduit. 15. A water feature for propelling a rider, the water feature comprising: at least one pool containing a body of water having a resting water level;a water slide chute having a bottom, two sides, an upstream end, and a downstream end, wherein at least a portion of the chute is contained within the pool;at least one wave generator for generating at least one wave within the body of water, the wave generator in fluid communication with the pool, the wave generator comprising: an elongated tubular chamber having a substantially closed rear end and a substantially open front end;an anchor for securing the chamber and for maintaining the chamber in a desired orientation with respect to the body of water, wherein the body of water is in fluid communication with the substantially open front end of the chamber;a gas compression compartment in fluid communication with the substantially closed rear end of the chamber;a gas control valve in fluid communication with the gas compression compartment and the chamber, the gas control valve adapted to operatively control the flow of compressed gas from the gas compression compartment to the chamber;a make-up fluid conduit in fluid communication with the rear end of the chamber;wherein actuation of the gas control valve causes compressed gas to be released into the rear end of the chamber to forcibly expel fluid within the chamber out of the open front end into the body of water;wherein the make-up fluid conduit is adapted to introduce fluid into the rear end of the chamber to relieve low pressure in the chamber; andwherein the wave has a trough water level in the body of water below the resting water level and a crest water level in the body of water above the resting water level, and wherein the chute is aligned in the direction of the wave and that the top of the sides of the portion of the chute contained within the pool are above the resting water level and below the crest water level, such that a portion of the at least one wave enters the chute in a direction moving from the upstream end to the downstream end of the chute. 16. The water feature of claim 15, wherein the wave generator is not contained within the chute. 17. The water feature of claim 15, wherein the chamber is positioned at an incline such that the slope between the rear end and the front end of the chamber ranges from about 0 to about 5 percent. 18. The water feature of claim 15, the water feature further comprising a collection grate in fluid communication with the make-up fluid conduit. 19. A water feature for propelling a rider, the water feature comprising: a water slide chute having a bottom, two sides, an upstream end, and a downstream end, wherein the chute is adapted to contain at least a portion of a body of water within the chute;at least one wave generator adapted to generate at least one wave within the body of water, with the chute being aligned in the direction of the wave and being adapted to receive the wave, and the wave generator and top sides of the chute are configured such that the top of the sides of the chute are above a resting water level of the water and below a crest water level of the wave, and wherein the wave generator is located at the upstream end of the chute, the wave generator comprising: an elongated tubular chamber having a substantially closed rear end and a substantially open front end;an anchor for securing the chamber and for maintaining the chamber in a desired orientation with respect to the body of water, wherein the body of water is in fluid communication with the substantially open front end of the chamber;a gas compression compartment in fluid communication with the substantially closed rear end of the chamber;a gas control valve in fluid communication with the gas compression compartment and the chamber, the gas control valve adapted to operatively control the flow of compressed gas from the gas compression compartment to the chamber;a make-up fluid conduit in fluid communication with the chamber;wherein actuation of the gas control valve is capable of causing compressed gas to be released into the rear end of the chamber to forcibly expel fluid within the chamber out of the open front end into the body of water at the upstream end of the water slide chute and so as to travel along the chute toward the downstream end;wherein the make-up fluid conduit is adapted to introduce fluid into the rear end of the chamber to relieve low pressure in the chamber;a fluid control valve in fluid communication with the make-up fluid conduit and the rear end of the chamber, wherein the fluid control valve is adapted to control the introduction of fluid into the chamber, and wherein actuation of the fluid control valve causes the make-up fluid to flow into the rear end of the chamber when the chamber reaches a predetermined low pressure; andthe water feature further comprises a basin in fluid communication with the wave generator and chute, wherein the basin contains at least a portion of the body of water, and wherein the basin is located upstream of the chute and downstream of the wave generator. 20. The water feature of claim 19, the water feature further comprising at least one river return to collect overflow fluid from the body of water, wherein the river return is in fluid communication with the body of water and the make-up fluid conduit. 21. The water feature of claim 20, the water feature further comprising a sensor, wherein the sensor is linked to the water feature and is adapted to detect the presence of the rider.
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