CA1184825A

CA1184825A - Submersible swimming pool cover

Info

Publication number: CA1184825A
Application number: CA000336153A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Gordon C. Stead
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1979-09-20
Filing date: 1979-09-20
Publication date: 1985-04-02

Abstract

TITLE

SUBMERSIBLE SWIMMING POOL COVER

INVENTOR

Gordon Charles STEAD

ABSTRACT

A submersible floating swimming pool cover is provided consisting of a multiplicity of long narrow planks or panels of synthetic plastics material, assembled in side-by-side parallel relationship, to form a flat deck, by means of connectors that permit limited relative angular movement. The panels are many times longer than they are wide and are adapted to extend widthwise across a pool so that the cover has articulations or hinge joints spaced along the length of the pool but none across the width. Each panel is a substan-tially rigid shell of hollow box section with internal bracing and has negative buoyancy, the cover being caused to rise and to float by the inflation of air sacs disposed in the panel shells.

Description

s This invention relates to covers for swimming pools and like bodies of water.
At the present time there are a number of swimming pool covers used to help retain heat, keep the water clean and provide protection ~gains-t drowning. These, however, generally have the disadvantage of having to be removed from the pool and stored when the pool is in use. An object of -the present invention is to enable a non-removable - pool cover to be employed that does not interfere in any way with swimming and has other important advantages.
According to the presen-t invention, a floating cover is employed that is arranged for sinking to the bo-ttom o~
the pool when not in use. Advantageously, such a cover can not only provide a high degree of thermal insulation to prevent heat loss but also it can be readily adapted to provide heating of the pool water by solar energy.
Arrangements according to the invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-Figures la and lb are, respectively, a plan and side elevation of a panel of a swimming pool cover according to the invention, Figure lc is a view in sec-tion on -the line 3-3 of Figure 1, ~igure 2 is 'a longitundinal view of a swimming pool s showing the cover in use, and Eigure 3 is a diagram showing an adaption of the pool cover to give solar heating of the pool water.
In the drawings, a floating ocver is manufactured either in one piece or in panels 1~ (Figure 1) preferably rectangular in shape and measuring 12ft x 2f-t x lft in depth. The panels are of composite hollow construction with framing as necessary -to maintain rigidity and each has a - buoyant and heat-insulating core 12, preferably of expanded polystyrene foam and chambers 13 filled wi-th sand or other ballast to give the panel as a whole marginally negative buoyancy. The skin 14 of each panel may consist of glass-fibre-reinforced synthetic resin material and may, in addition, be surfaced at the top, as at 15, for special decorative effec-t or wearing qualities.
The panels 11 are joined together to form either a flexible or rigid cover depending on requirements. Thus, flexible connections may, for example, be incorporated between certain panels in order that -the cover can follow the contours of the pool floor when resting on the bottom.
Each panel has around its periphery, either at its exterior or just inside the panel, an inflatable collar or air sac 16 which is interconnected with the air sacs of other panels and can be inflated by an airline connection from an air pump via a controi valve.

When a set of panels have been connected together on the pool floor to cover the whole area of the pool, the pool is filled with water and the cover will remain on the floor because of the overall negative buoyancy of the cover assembly, as at 17 in Figure~2. Now if the air pump is operated the col-lars or air sacs of the panels are inflated thus making the cover assembly buoyant and -causing it to rise to the surface of the water as at 18 in Figure 2. Once a predetermined pressure is achieved, as determined by -the control valve, a physical seal may be created between adjacent panels by the inflated collars.
The pool water is thus very effectively insulated from the ambient air. People and animals can be prevented from falling into the water if suificient buoyancy is built into the cover. A further benefit is that any debris which would normally fall into the water can be removed from the cover prior to it being submerged.
When the pool is required for use a changeover valve in the air line is operated so that -the air pump can ac-t as an exhauster to extract air frorn the cover which then will sink slowly until it rests on the bottom. It is therefore unnecessary for the floor of the pool to have a decorative or wearing surface.
To achieve the heating of the pool water by solar energy, the cover is suitably coloured or surfaced with metal s and is left floating on or just below the surface of the water, as at 19 in Figure 3. Cooler water from the bottom of the pool is pumped or drawn up tubes by air lifts, as at 20, toIhe top of the cover wher~ it is distributed over .
the cover surface. The water thus-distributed in a more or less thin film over.the cover is warmed by the cover surface, which is continually gaining heat from the sun, and then trickles back into the main body of pool water below. Heat - sensors controlling the pump or pumps are positioned to allow the process to continue for so long as the water in circulation is gaining heat above the cover. The heat gain in the water below is sustained by the insulating effect of the cover.
Another possibility is the incorporation of solar panels into the surface of the cover, i.e. by the provision of circulating pipes under translucent sheeting.
Instead of each panel being filled with foam material and having a surrounding air collar, it can simply be left with an empty interior and either filled with air to cause it to float or flooded with water to cause it to sink. In -this case, since the external skin or shell of the panel has no internal foam suppor-t, it may be necessary for it to be made thicker or braced internally if it is to maintain a hollow beam configuration.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A floating cover for a pool that is arranged for sinking to the bottom of the pool when not in use, said cover comp-rising a multiplicity of substantially rigid elongated plank-like panels, each many times longer than it is wide, assembled in parallel side-by-side relationship with their longer dimen-sions adapted to be extended widthwise of the pool, all panels having substantially identical transverse cross-sections, each panel further having negative buoyancy, inflatable means in-corporated in a sufficient number of said panels thereby to cause the cover to float when said inflatable means are infla-ted, and connecting means between the adjacent sides of the panels to join them one to another in said assembled relation-ship with limited freedom of relative angular movement.

2. A cover according to claim 1, wherein said inflatable means comprises inflatable air sac means within the panels interconnected at the ends of the panels for inflation by a common air line,

3. A cover according to claim 1, wherein each panel is in the form of a substantially rigid shell having top, bottom and side walls, and said inflatable means comprise flexible air sacs extending within the interiors of said shells.

4. A cover according to claim 3, wherein each panel shell is of synthetic plastics material.

5. A cover according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein each panel shell is internally braced.

6. A swimming pool cover comprising a multiplicity of narrow elongated substantially rigid equal width plank-like flat-topped panels each many times longer than it is wide assembled in side-by-side parallel relationship in succession along the pool, each panel being of a length extending sub-stantially the whole distance across the pool, connecton means connecting said panels in said side-by-side relationship with limited freedom for relative angular movement, and floatation means operable selectively to float the assembly of panels at the pool water surface or sink said assembly to the floor of the pool.

7. A floating cover for a swimming pool that is arranged for sinking to the bottom of the pool when not in use, said cover comprising a multiplicity of generally rectangular equal width elongated plank-like panels all having substantially identi-cal transverse cross-sections, each panel being in the form of a substantially rigid beam of hollow shell form many times longer than it is wide with substantially parallel upper and lower surfaces and having negative buoyancy, connecting means at the sides of the panels to join them one to another in side-by-side parallel relationship along the pool so as to provide a substantially continuous flat deck, said connecting means providing limited freedom of relative angular movement, and inflatable air sac means disposed within at least some of said panels, said inflatable air sac means upon inflation causing the cover to float and providing sufficient buoyancy to support at least one person on any portion of the flat deck.