ES2921377T3 - Pool edge marking device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention refers to the use of a thin plate (20) to mark a limitation of a swimming pool, the thin plate (20) has a flat front (22) and a flat back (23), which is limited by a narrow circumferential edge (21) are, whereby the front (22) is provided with a first marking and the back (23) is provided with a second marking different from the first marking, and the thin plate (20) is also fastened (24) for the assembly of the plate (20) in the area of the edge of a swimming pool, for example, in a roof structure (18), whereby the fortifications are designed in such a way that the plate (20) can be oriented perpendicular to the surface of the water (12) and parallel to a limitation (15) of the pool. The invention also affects a correspondingly equipped indoor swimming pool. (Automatic translation with Google Translate, without legal value)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Device for marking pool edges

The present invention relates to a device for marking the limits of a swimming pool for backstroke swimmers, particularly in indoor swimming pools, and to an indoor swimming pool equipped with said device.

Swimming is generally promoted by sports doctors as a particularly effective endurance sport and at the same time gentle on the joints. The backstroke, in which the swimmer lies with their back in the water in a stretched position, has been found to be particularly advantageous. The backstroke is an asymmetrical swimming style in which the arms are alternately inserted into the water above the head and pushed forward underwater while the legs move up and down from the hips. The back, in particular, relieves the spine during sport and promotes general posture due to the body tension required for the back and the sequence of symmetrical movements, which strengthens the back muscles and stretches the chest.

The disadvantage of backstroke swimming, however, is that orientation in the pool is only possible to a limited extent, so that the end of the pool in particular is difficult to assess, and therefore backstroke swimming is always it is associated with a certain fear of colliding with the edge of the pool. Frequently turning or stretching your head too far for better orientation can cause strain and reduce the physiologically positive effects of your back.

While breaststroke swimmers can always find their way around well and freestyle swimmers in sports pools have floor markings for the corresponding lanes in the pool, which often also include markings marking the end of the lane, there are no orientation aids for backstroke swimmers who swim facing up. Therefore, there is a need for a cost-effective and reliable orientation aid for swimmers that enables them to reliably recognize the approach to the edge of the pool when swimming and take appropriate action, for example, to reverse the direction of swimming. or to cushion the impact on the edge of the pool by holding your arms properly. Therefore, the present invention is based on the technical problem of specifying a corresponding device, particularly suitable for backstroke swimmers, to mark the limits of swimming pools. US2015/067957 A1, DE 3529467 A1, DE 2024457 A1 and EP 2707559 A2 describe prior art pool markers and orientation aids for backstroke swimmers.

This technical problem is solved by using a thin plate with the features of attached claim 1 to mark a boundary of a swimming pool. Preferred developments of the invention are the subject of the dependent patent claims.

Therefore, the present invention relates to the use of a thin plate to mark a swimming pool boundary, where the thin plate has a flat front side and a flat rear side, which are delimited by a narrow peripheral edge, where the front side is provided with a first mark and the back with a second mark different from the first mark, and where the thin plate also has fastening means for mounting the plate in the area of the edge of the pool, the means being designed fastening in such a way that the plate is perpendicular to the surface of the water and is orientable parallel to the edge of the pool.

The present invention is based on the consideration of arranging a thin plate in the pool boundary area in such a way that the narrow peripheral edge of the plate is aligned with a swimmer so that the swimmer, looking in the direction of the thin plate, notice a transition from the first mark to the second mark when you are a critical distance from the edge of the pool.

The holding means for mounting the plate can be designed in different ways, as long as it is ensured that the holding means reliably hold the plate perpendicular to the water surface and can be oriented parallel to the boundary of the pool to be marked. The fixing means can comprise, for example, a support, with the help of which the thin plate can be placed on the edge of the pool. However, according to a particularly preferred embodiment, the fixing means are designed to mount the plate to a ceiling structure, as it is then ensured that the swimmer can directly perceive the thin plate when swimming on his back without having to turn the arm. head, for example, as would be the case with a poolside setup.

By vertical orientation of the plate to the pool water surface, it is meant that a plane corresponding to the front or rear of the plate is oriented perpendicular to the plane of the water surface, or that one perpendicular to the front or back of the plate is oriented parallel to the water surface. If mounted above the water surface, such as a ceiling mount, the front or back of the plate would be oriented directly perpendicular to the plane of the water surface. When mounted on the edge of the pool, the corresponding arrangement actually refers to the levels at the front and rear of the plate or the water surface, that is, imaginary levels that protrude beyond the real limits of the surface of the water or the front and back of the plate. Ultimately, the intersection of the plane of the plate (front and back) with the plane of the water surface defines an imaginary marking line that is opposite the boundary of the pool to be marked and towards which the swimmer swims in a substantially vertical orientation in the direction of the edge of the pool. At the level of this imaginary boundary line, the swimmer is essentially at the narrow peripheral edge of the thin plate, so that there is now a transition from the front side initially visible to posteriorly visible posterior side of plate. If the plate is installed on the edge of the pool, the swimmer has to slightly turn his head to one side in order to perceive the plate, which is then oriented perpendicular to its longitudinal axis. When mounted on the ceiling, a narrow peripheral rim section points vertically towards the water surface. Therefore, a swimmer, particularly a backstroke swimmer, can only see the front or back of the plate from their position on the water's surface. Only in the brief moment when the swimmer is directly under the plate does he look directly at the partial area of the surrounding narrow rim directed towards the surface of the water. At that moment, the perception of the plate changes from being visible from the front to being visible from the back, and vice versa. Orientation of the plate parallel to a pool boundary ensures that the swimmer can easily see the longitudinal axis alignment of his body and thus the direction of swimming with respect to the pool boundary. According to the invention, the front and back of the plate are provided with different markings so that the front can be distinguished from the back. Due to this measure it is possible, with the appropriate mounting of the plate in a fixed relation to the edge of the pool, to give the backstroke swimmer a corresponding orientation, so that he always knows if he is near the edge of the pool, depending whether the front or back is visible from your position. In fact, if the swimmer is directly under the plate and the front view changes to the rear view, by mounting the plate correctly, the swimmer can confidently assume that he is very close to the edge of the pool and take the proper precautions to avoid an impact on the edge of the pool. A pool edge in the sense of the present invention can be a conventional vertical pool edge, which protrudes perpendicularly or at an angle above the water surface. Pool boundaries can also end with the water surface in infinity pools or so-called infinity pools and can therefore be particularly difficult for a swimmer to see.

The roof structure can be designed in different ways. A roof structure in the sense of the present invention can be understood as any stationary device that extends over the pool water surface in the vicinity of the pool boundary to be marked, in such a way that the thin plate of according to the invention it can be attached to it in the desired orientation. For example, it can be a support that extends over the surface of the swimming pool water at a height where the roof structure does not represent an obstacle for the users of the swimming pool. Such a support can also be used, for example, in an outdoor swimming pool. However, the invention is particularly preferably used in indoor swimming pools. In this case, the ceiling structure to which the marker is attached is preferably the ceiling of the indoor pool itself.

The first and second front and back markings, respectively, may be configured in any suitable manner that enables a swimmer to distinguish the front and back from each other, particularly from the perspective of a backstroke swimmer. In a particularly simple example, the first and second markings are front and rear color markings of different colors. The front and back can be partially or fully formed in the respective color. Particularly preferred is a color scheme as is generally known for traffic lights, namely the red/green scheme, red being generally recognized as a warning. Of course, in order to mark a swimming pool boundary, the plaque must be placed above the surface of the water at a certain distance from the boundary it is intended to warn about, this particular distance being much less than the distance of the plaque to a opposite limitation. If the front side of the plate faces the opposite boundary, i.e. towards the essentially free water surface, the front side is colored green, for example, while the back side of the plate, which is directed towards the limit to mark, is red. When crossing under the plate, the swimmer sees a color change from green to red and is thus warned of an impending collision with the boundary.

Additionally or alternatively, text and/or graphic symbols may be provided, such as "STOP" (on the back, which may be marked in red) and "GO" (on the front, which may be marked in green).

The thin plate that can be used to mark a pool perimeter can come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, as long as it is ensured that, from a backstroke swimmer's perspective, the different markings on the front and back can be clearly identified. For example, the plate can be round or elliptical, as long as the fastening means ensure that an orientation perpendicular to the water surface and parallel to an edge of the pool can be guaranteed. However, the plate particularly preferably has a polygonal shape, in particular a square shape, in which the peripheral edge consists of rectilinear sections (edges). The polygon particularly preferably has at least two opposite parallel edges, which allows a particularly simple orientation of the plate perpendicular to the water surface and parallel to a boundary of the pool. For example, two fixing points can be provided on one of two opposite parallel edges, which are then fixed to the vestibule ceiling along an imaginary line running parallel to the corresponding boundary of the pool. This ensures a corresponding parallel alignment of the plate as a whole, with the opposite edge pointing perpendicularly in the direction of the water surface. More preferably, the thin plate is rectangular.

By "thin plate" in the sense of the present invention, is meant a plate whose thickness is small compared to its other dimensions (in particular, its length parallel to the edge of the pool and its height perpendicular to the water surface), and in particular less than 1/10 of the corresponding dimensions. A typical plate suitable for the present use may have, for example, a length of 50 cm and a height of 40 cm. Then, the thickness of the plate is usually less than 4 cm, and preferably less than 2 cm.

The length of the plate parallel to the edge of the pool can be chosen so that the plate can be placed on only one lane of the pool. In such a case, a special lane of an indoor swimming pool reserved or preferred for backstroke swimmers could also be marked with the plate according to the invention. However, the color changing effect can also be seen to some extent from adjacent lanes, so even if the board is installed in a way that is not specific to a particular pool lane, non-swimmers directly below the plate can benefit from the installation of a correspondingly narrow plate. However, swimmers who swim toward the plate have to look to one side, which impairs the usefulness of the plate for these swimmers. Therefore, the plate can also be designed so wide that it spans several lanes of the pool. In an Olympic swimming pool, for example, the width of the lane is 2.5 m, so a plate spanning two adjacent lanes can have a length (parallel to the width of the lane) of, say, 4 to 5 m. It is also possible to provide several shorter plates side by side for each lifeline or every second lifeline.

The material of the plate to be used in the present invention can also be any, as long as the different front and rear markings can be reliably and durably applied. For example, the plate may be made of a wood, plastic or metal material suitable for such environments.

According to a preferred embodiment, the thin plate has at least a partial section of the peripheral edge, that is, at least in the partial section of the peripheral edge that points along the imaginary marking line of the edge of the pool in the swimmer's direction when the swimmer simply crosses the imaginary marking line with his head. A "widened front profile" means, in the present context, that the corresponding partial section of the edge of the thin plate has a widening which, perpendicular to the plane of the plate, protrudes beyond the thickness of the plate on the front side and/or or back of the plate. The widened front profile of this embodiment allows specific individualization of the swimmer when using the plate according to the invention. In the simplest case, i.e. in the case of a thin plate without widened front profile, which is mounted in a fixed place on the ceiling or on the edge of the pool, the desired warning notice in front of the edge of the pool it occurs in the same way for all swimmers, that is, through the observable change in visibility from the front to the back of the plate. However, depending on the swimmer, notification defined in this way may come too early or too late, for example, depending on swimming speed, intended turning maneuver, and other criteria. By widening the section of the peripheral edge of the plate that faces the swimmer, it is ensured that, depending on the position of the swimmer in relation to the plate, a different part of the front or rear is covered by the widened front profile, of so that each user has an individual visibility configuration of the front or back of the plate, which, in short, is an individualized marking line, at which the swimmer can prepare to turn or stop before reaching the Pool edge.

According to a preferred embodiment, the widened front profile is configured as a prism, preferably in the form of a truncated cone, whose tip or truncated cone tip lies in the extension of the plane of the plate. Preferably, the lateral surfaces of the prism have a different marking, for example a different color and/or pattern, than the front or rear of the thin plate, so that there is a clear contrast between the lateral surface of the prism and the surface of the plate. On the back of the plate, for example, near the base of the plate, i.e. at the transition from the plate to the widened front profile, a warning such as “Stop” applicable, which the swimmer only sees when he has crossed the imaginary marking line to the point that the widened front profile no longer covers the base of the plate, and the corresponding warning notice becomes visible. The plate is then preferably installed or hung in such a way that this warning notice is only visible immediately before the edge of the pool is reached.

The invention also relates to an indoor swimming pool, which has a swimming pool with a peripheral boundary and a roof, wherein at least one thin plate for marking the boundary is arranged on at least one boundary of the pool at a certain distance from the boundary by above the water surface, where the thin plate has a flat front side and a flat back side delimited by a narrow peripheral edge, where the front side is provided with a first marking and the back side is provided with a second marking different from the first brand, and in which the thin plate also has fastening means for mounting the plate in the covered pool area, the plate being mounted in such a way that the plate is oriented perpendicular to the water surface and parallel to the edge of the pool to be marked with the plate. The distance from the plate to the boundary to be marked is preferably between 1 and 5 m, particularly preferably between 1 and 2 m (measured in the projection of the plate on the plane of the water surface), so that the swimmer that you are at the corresponding distance from the boundary, for example, when you swim below the plate at a distance of 2 m from the boundary, you can see the corresponding color change of the plate from, for example, green to red.

In a variant of the invention, the fixing means are designed for mounting the plate on the ceiling (18) of the covered swimming pool. In another variant of the invention, the fixing means for mounting the plate are designed in the area of the edge of the covered swimming pool. Of course, the plate according to the invention can also comprise fixing means that allow it to be mounted on the ceiling or on the edge of the swimming pool.

The indoor pool is preferably rectangular in shape, with two opposite shorter end edges and two opposite longer side edges, with corresponding lanes for swimmers running parallel to the longer sides of the pool. In such a case, the markings according to the invention of the limit of the pool refer then to the two shorter opposite front boundaries of the pool. Therefore, preferably, at least one thin plate is provided in each case as a corresponding mark in front of the shorter front limits of the pool, so that a swimmer is warned about the corresponding limit of the pool at each point of reference. investment of your lifeline.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a pool equipped with a thin plate to mark a pool boundary;

Figure 2 shows a view of the covered pool of Figure 1 from a different perspective;

Figure 3 shows a side view of the signage according to the invention in an indoor swimming pool;

Figure 4 shows a variant of Figure 1, where several thin plates are provided to mark the limit of the pool;

Figure 5 shows another variant of Figure 1, where the thin plate extends over several tracks; Y

Figure 6 shows a preferred embodiment, where the thin plate has an enlarged face profile in the form of a truncated prism.

With reference to Figure 1, a pool 11 filled with water can be seen defining a surface 12 of water. The pool 11 is surrounded by a boundary 13, consisting of straight sections in the example shown, and with two longer, opposite side boundaries or pool edges 14 and two shorter, opposite front boundaries or pool edges 15 (where , in Fig. 1, only the upper front limit 15) is shown. The lanes that a swimmer usually takes then run parallel to the longer edges 14 of the pool, so that a particular swimmer runs the risk of hitting the edge 15 of the pool suddenly when approaching the shorter edges 15 of the pool. swimming pool. In the example shown, a backstroke swimmer 16 is shown swimming in a direction shown by arrow 17. The view of the backstroke swimmer 16 is directed upwards towards a roof structure 18 on which a plate 20 is provided. thin at a distance d of about 2 m as the final boundary mark. The plate 15 has a peripheral edge 21 delimiting a flat front side 22 and a rear side 23 opposite the front side (see Figure 2). In the example shown, the peripheral edge consists of rectilinear sections 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, which are in pairs opposite each other. On the straight upper edge 21 b, fixing means 24 are provided, with which the plate 20 is fixed to the roof structure 18 in such a way that the edges 21b, 21d run parallel to the edge 15 of the pool, while the edges 21a, 21c are oriented perpendicular to the surface 12 of the water. In Fig. 1, the swimmer 16 is still facing the plate 20 (seen in the projection of the plate 20 on the water surface) and can therefore only see the front side 22, which can be filled with a green color, for example.

In Figure 2, the position of the swimmer after passing under the plate 20 is shown, so that from his perspective the rear side 23 of the plate is visible (for example), clearly indicating to him that he is directly on the surface. in front of the limit 15 of the pool and will take the necessary precautions to avoid the impact on the limit 15.

In Figure 3, a side view of a variant of the pool boundary marking of Figure 1 is shown. The principle of the thin plate 20 arranged parallel to the boundary of the pool 15 to be marked and perpendicular to the surface 12 of the water remains unchanged. In contrast to the marking in Figures 1 and 2, the pool 11 is now in a covered pool 10. Therefore, a separate bracket is not required to mount the thin plate 20, but the plate 20 can be mounted directly to the roof 19 of the covered swimming pool 10 . For this purpose, as shown in Figure 3, fixing means 24 are provided which, in this embodiment, comprise a left and right suspension 24a, 24b, which can be suspended, for example by means of hooks, on corresponding ceiling hooks provided in the proper orientation to the edge of the pool. It can be seen in particular in the side view of Fig. 3 that, due to the small thickness of the plate 20 (seen in the swimming direction), a sudden color change from green to red occurs when the swimmer passes under it. of plate 20, which signals to the backstroke swimmer very precisely that the front limit 15 is immediately reached.

In Figures 4 and 5, variants of the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 are shown, in which several shorter plates 20a-20f (Figure 4) and one longer plate 20g (Figure 5) are fixed to the structure of pool roof. In the case of Figure 4.

Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the present invention, in which the thin plate 20 has a widened front profile 30 at its straight edge portion 21 d which, in the example shown, is formed as a frustoconical prism. The elements of the thin plate that have already been described in connection with the previous embodiments are indicated with the same reference numerals and are not explained further here. The prism 30 has a base 31 which widens the peripheral edge 21 in the area of the straight edge section 21d, thus covering part of the front side 22 when looking in the direction of the arrow 26, or part of the rear side 23 of the thin plate 20 when looking in the direction of the arrow 27, in particular in the area of the base 25 of the plate, ie the area where the thin plate 20 merges with the widened front profile 30 . A warning can be placed on the rear 23 in this base area 25, for example. The frustoconical prism shown in Figure 6 has side faces 32 and front faces 33 in addition to its base 31. The side surfaces 32 are inclined in the direction of the swimmer and are preferably provided with a marking that differs optically, for example in color, from the mark on the front or back of the plate. The upper surface 34 of the truncated cone shaped prism can also be provided with a marking that differs from the other surfaces, so that the swimmer is provided with a wide variety of orientation aids from which he can select his individual target configuration to reach. the edge of the pool. In particular, in this embodiment, the plate according to the invention is also suitable for use on the edge of the pool, since the necessary turning movement of the head makes people look to the side less often and, due to the different perceivable configurations, significantly more information about the swimmer's current position is conveyed.

List of reference signs

10 indoor pool

11 pool

12 water surface

13 pool limit

14 side limits or edge of the pool

15 front limits or pool edge

16 backstroke swimmer

17 arrow

18 roof structure

19 indoor pool roof

20 thin plate

20a-f short, thin plates

20g long thin plate

21 peripheral edge

21a, b, c, d straight edge sections

22 flat front side

23 flat rear side

24 fixing means

24a, b left and right suspension

25 base plate

26 arrow

27 arrow

30 front profile, prism

31 prism base

32 lateral face of the prism

33 front surface of the prism

34 upper surface of the prism

d distance

Claims (15)

1. Use of a thin plate (20) to mark a boundary of a pool for backstroke swimmers, wherein the thin plate (20) has a flat front side (22) and a rear front side (23) that are delimited by a narrow peripheral edge (21), where the front side (22) is provided with a first mark and the back side (23) is provided with a second mark different from the first mark, and where the thin plate (20) also has fixing means (24) for mounting the plate (20) in the area of the edge of the pool, where the fixing means are configured in such a way that the plate ( 20) can be oriented perpendicular to the surface of the water (12) and parallel to a boundary (15) of the pool. Use according to claim 1, wherein the fixing means (24) are configured to mount the plate (20) to a ceiling structure (18). Use according to claim 2, wherein the roof structure (18) spans the pool in the form of a support. Use according to claim 2, wherein the roof structure (18) is the roof (19) of an indoor swimming pool (10). 5. Use according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first and second markings comprise color markings in different colours. 6. Use according to claim 5, wherein the front side is marked green and the rear side is marked red. 7. Use according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first and second markings comprise text symbols and/or graphic symbols. 8. Use according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the thin plate has a polygonal, in particular rectangular, contour. 9. Use according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the thin plate has a front profile that is widened in at least a partial section (21d) of the peripheral edge (21). 10. Use according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the widened front profile has the shape of a frustoconical prism. 11. Covered swimming pool (10) comprising a swimming pool (11) with a peripheral edge (14, 15) and a roof (19), characterized in that, in at least one limit (15) of the swimming pool, at a certain distance ( d) of the limit, at least one thin plate (20) is arranged to mark the limit (15) for backstroke swimmers on the surface of the water, where the thin plate (20) has a flat front side (22) and a flat rear side (23) that are delimited by a narrow peripheral edge (21), where the front side (22) is provided with a first mark and the rear side (23) is provided with a second mark different from the first mark , and where the thin plate (20) also has fixing means (24) for mounting the plate in the area of the limit of the covered pool, where the plate (20) is mounted in such a way that the plate is oriented perpendicular to the surface (20) of the water and parallel to a boundary (15) of the pool (11) which is supposed to be marked do for the plate. Indoor pool according to claim 11, wherein the fixing means for mounting the plate are formed on the roof (18) of the indoor pool. 13. Indoor pool according to claim 12, wherein the fixing means for mounting the plate are formed in the area of the edge of the indoor pool. Covered swimming pool according to any of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the specified distance (d) from the thin plate to the limit (15) of the swimming pool is in the range of 1 to 5 m. 15. Indoor pool according to any of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the pool (11) is rectangular in shape with two shorter front limits (15) opposite each other and two longer lateral limits (14) opposite each other. , wherein the two mutually opposite front boundaries (15) are each equipped with at least one thin plate (20) for marking the boundaries (15).