CN110785531A

CN110785531A - Modular pool

Info

Publication number: CN110785531A
Application number: CN201880035176.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 加利特·科亨
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-04-10
Filing date: 2018-04-09
Publication date: 2020-02-11
Also published as: WO2018189741A1; EP3610100A1; US20200040595A1; IL251688A0; CA3059477A1; EP3610100A4; AU2018251307A1

Abstract

An above ground modular pool unsupported by a dike, having a plurality of interconnected and inflatable water exposure units made entirely of a reinforced composite polymeric material and having a plurality of floor panels, each floor panel of the plurality of floor panels being connected to one or more of the water exposure units such that each water exposure unit of the plurality of water exposure units has a structural strength sufficient to withstand hydraulic pressure applied to it by a body of water received in the pool.

Description

Modular pool

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of water storage tanks. More particularly, the present invention relates to structurally strong, composite and inflatable modular tanks that can be assembled economically and quickly.

Background

A number of modular swimming pools are known from the prior art including WO 2016/092099, CN 204435975, WO 2014/099628, US 2005/0086732, US5,652,972 and GB 2261164. These prior art tanks with annular or polygonal configuration comprise either pre-manufactured parts which can be combined or dedicated building elements for reinforcing the modular elements, and therefore occupy a considerable volume when stored and generally require time-consuming assembly operations.

It would be desirable to provide an inflatable modular swimming pool that can be compactly stored and quickly assembled to define a customized volume of water received within the inflatable modular swimming pool. However, the structural strength of prior art inflatable pools is low and, therefore, prior art inflatable pools can only safely receive a limited volume of water, typically limited to water depths of 1.5 m. Even with water depths of 1.5m, the prior art modular elements still suffer deformations such as bending or bulging outwards. Deformation of prior art inflatable pools tends to result in structural failure, which can be life threatening to a swimmer located within the pool.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an inflatable and structurally sound modular tank capable of defining custom sizes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides an above ground modular pool unsupported by a dike comprising a plurality of interconnected and inflatable water exposure units and comprising a plurality of floor panels, the plurality of water exposure units being made entirely of a reinforced composite polymeric material, each floor panel of the plurality of floor panels being connected to one or more of the water exposure units such that each water exposure unit of the plurality of water exposure units has a structural strength sufficient to withstand a hydraulic pressure applied to it by a body of water received in the pool.

Each of the water exposure units preferably includes an airtight portion.

In one embodiment, the airtight portion comprises a plurality of inflatable cells incorporated in the membrane, said airtight portion being adapted to distribute the pressure of the air inflated into the airtight portion substantially uniformly.

In one aspect, each of the water exposure units further comprises an energy absorbing portion connected to the airtight portion and exposed to waves propagating in the body of water or hydraulic pressure of the body of water.

In one embodiment, the gas-tight portion is a hollow section of the pressure equalization member. The hollow section has a body configured to have an open proximal end and a closed distal end except having an opening into which is fitted a one-way flow control device adapted to open upon exposure to a predetermined trigger pressure level within the section interior, an initial air pressure within the section interior being maintainable when the body is connected to the body of a further hollow section adjacent the body and pressurised air formed within the section interior being dischargeable to the interior of the further section.

In one aspect, each of the water exposure units comprises one or more releasable connections by which adjacent water exposure units can be connected together.

In one aspect, a sufficient number of water exposure units may be connected together continuously and horizontally to define an olympic-scale swimming pool.

In one aspect, a sufficient number of water exposed units are vertically connected together to define a pool having a depth of at least 2m, for example a pool having a water depth of up to 10 m.

It will be understood that the pool length is not limited at all, and that a pool length of 500m or more may be assumed.

Drawings

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective partial cross-sectional view of an assembled cell according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the cell of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through a water exposure unit for combination with the basin of FIG. 1, shown in a somewhat perspective view;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the side of the water exposing unit of FIG. 3 shown without the honeycomb portion;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view from the top of an assembled rectilinear pool according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view from the top of a portion of a rectilinear pool according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view from the side of a vertical section through the peripheral wall of the basin and the overflow basin of FIG. 6, as viewed from the interior of the basin;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view from the top of a portion of the annular tank;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view from the side of a vertical section through the peripheral wall of the basin and the overflow basin of FIG. 8, as viewed from the interior of the basin;

fig. 10 schematically illustrates the structure of two interconnected and independently movable sections of a pressure equalizing tubular member from above;

FIG. 11 schematically illustrates a plurality of the segments of FIG. 10 from above, showing portions of the pressure equalizing tubular member defined by the segments; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a cell according to another embodiment of the invention taken along a plane that intersects both the inside and outside of the cell.

Detailed Description

The present invention is an inflatable and structurally sound above-ground modular pool. Although the figures illustrate a swimming pool, it will be understood that the present invention is equally applicable to any other type of pool or liquid reservoir, including but not limited to ponds, sprinkler reservoirs, and water treatment reservoirs.

The costs for constructing prior art water storage tanks are considerable and typically include metal or concrete support elements which often require experienced workers to make and assemble, and also typically include the costs for constructing an earth dike around the storage tank.

The modular cell of the present invention eliminates these costs by using inflatable cells made entirely of reinforced composite polymer materials such as polyurethane and PVC. Maintenance costs are also reduced and life is significantly extended when the tank lacks metal or concrete support elements. All that is required to build the pool is to interconnect adjacent cells, such as by releasable connectors, to define a continuous wall of custom shape and size, inflation of the cells, and deployment of a continuous water contact liner that interfaces with all cells.

The applicant is not aware of the existence of any such inflatable modular tank: the inflatable modular pool is made entirely of reinforced composite polymeric material, having sufficient structural strength to withstand, without having to be supported externally by an earth embankment, the hydraulic pressure applied to the pool by the liquid received in a pool having a water depth of at least 2m, for example an olympic-scale swimming pool, or even a pool up to a depth of 10 m.

When it is desired to change the size of the pool after the water is drained, one or more connectors are released and a desired number of units are added and connected to the existing structure, and the custom interfacing liner is then deployed. The releasable connectors may be used not only to connect adjacent longitudinal or transverse inflatable units together to customise the surface area of the pool, but also to connect vertically adjacent inflatable units together to customise the depth of liquid contained within the pool.

Although each cell is inflatable, the stiffness of the wall comprising one or more cells is surprisingly high and similar to the stiffness of a concrete wall to assist a swimmer, e.g. a swimmer who desires to change swimming direction or a backstroke swimmer at the start of a swimming stroke, when the swimmer touches the wall with their foot.

The components of the cell can be compactly stored after each of the cells is separated and deflated.

In one embodiment, the reinforced composite polymer material may be made from a drop stitch fabric matrix. The miss-knit fabric matrix is produced by weaving yarns such as polyester, Kevlar and other polymer fibers between two or more fabric plies, such as made of PVC, at a specific distance from each other. A typical drop-stitch fabric matrix may include a large number, e.g., on the order of thousands, of vertical fibers of uniform length.

The yarns may be woven in a straight line along a continuous directional axis to coincide with the warp yarns. After being pulled through the fabric layer, the yarn may be wound over or under a plurality of weft yarns following adjacent warp yarns in the pattern. The drop stitch yarns may be patterned to form evenly spaced rows. In this way it is ensured that the yarns are not loose, while the matrix has a density of, for example, at least 50 threads per square inch and a thickness in the range of 2 inches to 30 inches. Once the substrates are woven together, an airtight overlay or laminate is bonded to the fabric sheet. Thus, the drop-stitch fabric substrate is imparted with good resistance to flexing when inflated to relatively high pressures.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective partial cross-sectional view of an assembled cell 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The tank 10 comprises a plurality of interconnected and inflatable linear water exposure units, such as units 5a to 5i, a plurality of interconnected deck members, such as members 7a to 7i, which may be interconnected with the respective water exposure units, a plurality of floor panels 3 connected to one or more of the water exposure units, and a plurality of compressors 9 for inflating the respective water exposure units via respective conduits 8. The basin 10 may also include anchoring elements to promote stability on loose underlying support materials such as soil or sand.

Adjacent water exposing units may be releasably connected to each other. An exemplary releasable connection is by 3M ^TMManufactured mushroom hasp ^TM(Dual Lock ^TM) Fastener, mushroom hasp ^TMThe fastener includes a mushroom-shaped shank that audibly snaps together to form a secure attachment with an adjacent piece. Both the handle and the adjacent piece may be adhered to a substrate of an adjacent inflatable unit.

Fig. 2 illustrates a bottom view of the pool 10 showing a plurality of floor panels, such as floor panels 3a to 3 e.

According to international standards, such as israel standard 6701, which was passed 8 months in 2008, it is advantageous to add water to the basin 10 from below the floor panel.

Each of the floor panels may be configured with a plurality of spaced apart small diameter holes 27 (fig. 5), the small diameter holes 27 being formed throughout the floor panel material and typically having a thickness in the range of 4cm to 10 cm. Nozzles, which emit high-pressure jets, are fitted at the bottom of the respective holes so as not to injure the swimmers when the pool constitutes a swimming pool. A conduit extends horizontally from each nozzle to the pump.

An exemplary structure of the water exposing unit 5 is illustrated in fig. 3. The cell 5 comprises an inflatable and airtight cellular portion 11, the portion 11 comprising a plurality of cells 12 incorporated in a membrane (membrane) for enhancing structural strength when inflated. Each cell 12 may be interconnected with one or more adjacent cells as shown, or alternatively, each cell 12 may be isolated from adjacent cells as shown in fig. 1. This multi-cell (cellular) configuration serves to evenly distribute the higher pressure of the inflation air. The portion 11 may be defined by a reinforcing plate at one or more surfaces of the portion 11. Tests carried out by the applicant have shown that the strength of each portion 11 reaches 700kg/m ²And may be up to 1000kg/m ²To 1500kg/m ²。

An energy absorbing section 15 is positioned inside the section 11, i.e. in the direction of the water, the energy absorbing section 15 serving to attenuate the wave energy of any waves propagating through the body of water located within the tank. The energy absorbing portion 15 comprises one or more tubular elements 16, said one or more tubular elements 16 being bonded to a lower water liner 17, the lower water liner 17 being softer than the stiffening sheet of the portion 11 and being exposed to low amplitude waves or hydraulic pressure. The liner 17 is connected to the upper L-shaped dissipation element 19 or is integrally formed with the upper L-shaped dissipation element 19. The spacing between the two legs of the L-shaped dissipation element 19 provides sufficient resilience to enable the spacing between the two legs to be reduced when a wave force is applied to the dissipation element 19 or passed through the water liner 17 and thereby dissipate the wave energy.

As shown in fig. 4, the reinforcing plate 13 of the portion 11 may be configured to have a plurality of ports 14 through which the inflation air flows into the respective cells.

The configuration of the honeycombed portion and the configuration of each layer of honeycombed portion preferably varies depending on the selected use, for example, depending on the size of the cell and whether the inflatable cells are connected vertically or horizontally to adjacent cells.

Example 1

The honeycomb portion of the inflatable cell was made of 11 layers with a net thickness of 20 cm. Both the outermost layer and the innermost layer are 5mm thick and are made of a material having a thickness of 20kg/m ³To 190kg/m ³A non-slip mat made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) foam of density (c). Adjacent to each non-slip mat is a set of 3 layers made of PVC material having a combined thickness of 0.6 to 1.2 mm. Adjacent to the first PVC layer is a corresponding base PVC fabric having a thickness of 1.2mm and made of PVC yarns and yarns of other materials. A plurality of polyester filaments extend between the two base PVC fabrics to define cells having a length in the range of 5cm to 20cm and to define a spacing between adjacent filaments in the range of 2mm to 10 mm.

The honeycomb portion is inflated to a pressure of 9 to 12psia and has a tensile strength of 80 to 150 kg/cm.

Fig. 5-10 illustrate another embodiment of the invention wherein the modular tank includes an air-tight pressure equalization tubular member that provides each of the walls of the modular tank with structural strength sufficient to withstand hydraulic pressures associated with a body of water having a depth of at least 2 m. The tubular member is manufactured from a plurality of interconnected, independently movable, gas-tight sections that impart modularity to the cell. One or more segments locally deform upon exposure to energy associated with an impact against the wall of the pool, resulting in a temporary increase in the internal pressure of the one or more segments. The higher pressure air is discharged to adjacent sections until all sections reach a uniform pressure and uniform shape.

The assembled rectilinear pool 20 is illustrated in fig. 5. The pool 20 comprises a floor panel 22, an inner liner 24 connected to the periphery of the floor panel 22 and projecting upwardly from the periphery of the floor panel 22 to define the size of the pool, a peripheral wall 26 spaced outwardly from the inner liner 24 and having similar dimensions to the liner 24, and a plurality of, say, four, overflow tanks 29 located outwardly from the peripheral wall 26. The liner 24 interfaces with all of the water exposed segment units disposed at a given side of the basin.

The floor panel 22 may be made of a single panel, as shown, or alternatively the floor panel 22 may be made of a plurality of interconnected panels, as shown in fig. 2. Each of the floor panels may be inflatable or, alternatively, may be non-inflatable and is configured with a small radius aperture 27 to facilitate the inflow of water from below.

A peripheral wall 26, also connected to the floor panel 22, projects upwardly from the upper edge 23 of the lining 24. Holes 32 are formed at selected areas of an upper portion 34 of the peripheral wall 26, and water overflowing the liner 24 is discharged to the corresponding overflow tank 29 through the holes 32. The aperture 32 may also be formed to some extent in the lower portion 36 of the peripheral wall 26, i.e. in the outer liner which is a pressure equalising tubular member adapted to cover and connect to the liner 24 and the peripheral wall 26. The longitudinal axis of the tubular member is generally parallel to the liner 24.

The rectilinear pool 30 illustrated in fig. 6 is configured to have an overflow pool 39, the overflow pool 39 meeting the entire peripheral wall 36 and being spaced outwardly from the entire peripheral wall 36. The overflow pool 39 is made of a material which is continuous with the outer lining of the peripheral wall 36, and the overflow pool 39 is connected to a tubular member 47, for example a tubular member 47 having a diameter of 0.5m, which defines the depth of the water within the overflow pool 39. The tubular member 47 may be a pressure equalizing segmented member.

As shown in fig. 7, the peripheral wall 36 and each interconnectable water exposure unit defining the peripheral wall comprise sections of each of two adjoining and connected tubular pressure-equalizing

tubular members

41 and 42, the member 42 being located directly below the member 41. Each of the

tubular members

41 and 42 may be defined by a diameter substantially greater than that of the tubular member 42, for example 1m, to define a correspondingly greater peripheral wall height, for example a peripheral wall height suitable for holding a body of water having a depth of 2 m. A stabilizer element 37 with a triangular cross-section is connected to the two

tubular members

41 and 42, such that the apex of the stabilizer element 37 is located close to the longitudinal interconnection zone 35 between the

members

41 and 42, and such that the long sides of the stabilizer element 37 are connected to the inner lining 34. Another similarly shaped stabilizing element 38 is attached to the outer liner 31.

Liners

31 and 34 are also made of composite materials, but they typically have a different construction than tubular members.

It will be appreciated that the peripheral wall may be defined by more than two vertically spaced tubular elements to increase the height of the peripheral wall.

The peripheral wall 36 may be configured with an integral step for supporting a swimmer wishing to rest. The upper surface of the step is preferably located 1.2m below the water surface, according to safety standards. The walls of previous prior art inflatable pools have not been provided with steps capable of supporting the swimmer.

The steps may be made of inflatable linear blocks 44 of limited length, which linear blocks 44 are connected to the sides of the respective tubular member sections. The block 44 is made of a suitable construct that supports inflation to a higher pressure sufficient to provide a stiffness similar to or even greater than the stiffness of the lower tubular member 42. The upper surface of the block 44 is connected to the outer liner 31 and covered by the outer liner 31. Adjacent blocks 44 may be connected to each other.

It will be appreciated that the pool 10 of figure 1 may also be configured with an integral step for supporting a swimmer who wishes to rest.

The annular basin 50 illustrated in fig. 8 and 9 is configured with an overflow basin 59, the overflow basin 59 bordering and being spaced outwardly from the entire peripheral wall 56. Since the annular peripheral wall 56 is constructed with only one tubular member 52, the basin 50 can be used as a shallow pool of water due to the limited depth of water that can be collected within the volume defined by the tubular member 52. The tubular member 52 is concentric with the outer tubular member 58, the outer tubular member 58 has a diameter smaller than the diameter of the tubular member 52, and the material that constitutes the overflow sump 59 and is continuous with the outer liner 57 is connected to the outer tubular member 58.

Fig. 10 and 11 schematically illustrate a plurality of interconnected and independently movable segments defining an annular pressure-equalizing tubular member 52 in order to illustrate the principles of this embodiment of the present invention.

Each of the plurality of segments, such as the illustrated

segments

53a and 53b, is made of a composite film and is configured to have a tapered shape. The tapered configuration is characterized by a tubular body 61 that narrows at its distal tip 63 to a small diameter opening to which air within the segment interior 64 is forced to flow. A one-way valve 67 is fitted in the opening to allow only one-way flow of pressurized air when exposed to a predetermined trigger pressure level.

The main body 61 of the section 53b is carefully positioned relative to the main body 61 of the section 53a and connected with the main body 61 of the section 53a to define the appropriate angular relationship between the main body 61 of the section 53b and the main body 61 of the section 53a that results in the annular configuration of the tubular member 52. The body 61 may also have an intermediate element 65 that facilitates flexibility of the segments to conform to a desired shape.

When the proximal end 68 of the main body 61 of the section 53b is connected to the distal end 69 of the main body 61 of the section 53a, or to any other suitable area of the section 53a, by the hermetically sealed and pressure resistant connection 62, the interior 64 of the section 53b is converted into a pressure vessel. This arrangement of the pressure vessel ensures that the initial pressure reached by the interior 64 after the stiffening-promoting inflation air is introduced through the air valve of the tubular member 52 will be subsequently maintained, but still allows the pressurized air formed within the interior 64 of the section 53b to be discharged to the interior of the section 53 a. The presence of the connection 62 and the non-return valve 67 prevents any backflow of pressurized air into the section 53 b. Likewise, the same type of interconnection exists for other pairs of adjacent segments.

Therefore, when the section 53b is impacted, its internal pressure temporarily rises above the initial pressure, for example, due to the volume reduction of the interior 64. The one-way valve 67 is thus opened, allowing pressurized air to vent from section 53b to section 53a until the pressure within the interior of section 53b decreases below the predetermined trigger pressure level. As the pressure within the section 53a thus increases, pressurized air will be discharged from the section 53a to the sections adjacent to the section 53a and in a similar manner, pressurized air will be discharged successively to all sections of the annular tubular member 52 until the pressure within the interior of each section becomes equal.

This same pressure equalization response also occurs in the

tubular members

41 and 42 of fig. 7.

Although the conical shape has some advantages in terms of ease of manufacture, the pressure equalization member may also be manufactured from a plurality of interconnected hollow sections having different shapes.

All of the joints described herein may be welded joints made in conjunction with a first composite sheet positioned in juxtaposition with a second composite sheet to create a seam or other reinforcement means between the first and second composite sheets. The weld connection may be released by suitable application of heat or by other means known to those skilled in the art, allowing the size of the pool to be varied. Alternatively, adjacent sections may be releasably connected by other means, such as by hook and loop fasteners.

Fig. 12 illustrates a pool 70 constructed with a plurality of miss-knitted fabric matrices 71 to 75 such as illustrated on the inside and outside of a pressure equalization member 79 for reinforcing the pressure equalization member 79.

It will be appreciated that the number and location of the miss fabric matrices may vary depending on the size of the pool and the amount of hydraulic pressure applied. In addition, the matrix need not be positioned uniformly at a given section of the cell, but may be localized at a given location where enhanced reinforcement is desired.

Example 2

Tubular pressure equalization member with a diameter of 0.8m made of a plurality of interconnected PVC with a diameter of 1.6t/m ²To 1.7t/m ²Is manufactured with a conical section of strength.

Although some embodiments of the invention have been described by way of illustration, it will be apparent that the invention may be carried out with many modifications, variations and adaptations, and with the numerous equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope of the claims, as well as being within the scope of those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An above ground modular pool unsupported by a dike comprising a plurality of interconnected and inflatable water exposure units made entirely of a reinforced composite polymeric material and comprising a plurality of floor panels, each floor panel of the plurality of floor panels being connected to one or more of the water exposure units such that each water exposure unit of the plurality of water exposure units has a structural strength sufficient to withstand hydraulic pressure applied to it by a body of water received in the pool.

2. The modular tank of claim 1, wherein each of the water exposure units includes an air tight section.

3. A modular pool as claimed in claim 2, wherein the air tight section comprises a plurality of inflatable cells incorporated in a membrane, the air tight section being adapted to distribute the pressure of air inflated into the air tight section substantially evenly.

4. The modular tank of claim 3, wherein each of the water exposure units further comprises an energy absorbing portion connected to the airtight portion and exposed to waves propagating in the body of water or hydraulic pressure of the body of water.

5. A modular tank as in claim 2, wherein the air-tight portion is a hollow section of a pressure equalization member.

6. A modular cell as claimed in claim 5 wherein the hollow section has a body configured with an open proximal end and a closed distal end except having an opening within which is fitted a one-way flow control device adapted to open when exposed to a predetermined trigger pressure level within a section interior, the initial air pressure within the section interior being maintainable when the body is connected to the body of a further hollow section adjacent the body and the pressurised air formed within the section interior being dischargeable to the interior of the further section.

7. The modular tank of claim 1, wherein each of the water exposure units comprises one or more releasable connections by which adjacent water exposure units can be connected together.

8. The modular pool of claim 7, wherein a sufficient number of water exposure units are connected together continuously and horizontally to define an Olympic scale swimming pool.

9. The modular tank of claim 7, wherein a sufficient number of water exposed units are vertically connected together to define a tank having a water depth of at least 2 m.

10. The modular tank of claim 9, wherein a sufficient number of water exposed units are vertically connected together to define a tank having a water depth of up to 10 m.