JPH0313670A - Heat insulating cover for warm-water pool - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the heat insulating effect by providing an air feeding means on a nonpermeable bag body covering nearly the whole water surface, sinking the bag body on the bottom when a pool is used, and floating it to cover the water surface when the pool is not used. CONSTITUTION:A bag body 1 made of a nonpermeable material is floated to cover nearly the whole water surface of a warm-water pool P. Unit bag bodies 1a constituting the bag body 1 are connected to an air feeding pipe 11. When the pool P is used, the air of the bog body 1 is discharged to sink the bag body 1 on the bottom of the pool P. When the pool P is not used, air is fed to the bag body 1 to float it on the water surface W and cover the water surface. The heat insulating effect of the warm-water pool P can be improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a heat insulating lid for a heated swimming pool.

(Prior Art) In recent years, heated pools have become widespread as facilities where swimming can be done outside of summer. However, in general, hot water pools have a long rest time compared to the usage time, so there is a lot of heat loss from the vast surface during the rest period, for example from night to morning. If we consider a heated pool to be a type of hot water storage tank, it is a problem from the perspective of thermal economy, and losses are particularly noticeable in the winter.

If high-temperature spring water (hot water) is available at a hot spring area, the above problem is not so serious, but if the heat is supplied by a hot water boiler, etc. for an outdoor heated pool, fuel costs will increase, putting pressure on management. It turns out.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) It is possible to cover a heated pool with a lid like a bathtub, but the area is so vast that it is almost impossible to open and close it manually. Mechanizing this will not only increase equipment costs, but also create unnecessary equipment while using the pool, which not only impairs the comfort of the users, but may even cause harm, which is another problem. may cause.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat insulating lid for a hot water pool that can be easily opened and closed without manual effort or mechanical force.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve this objective, the inventor of the present invention has made various studies and found that when the pool is in use, it sinks to the bottom and forms the bottom surface, and when the pool is not in use, it easily floats to the surface of the water. The idea was to create a heat-retaining method that acts as a cover.

That is, the present invention provides a non-breathable bag having an area that can cover almost the entire water surface, a conduit means for communicating the inside of the bag with a gas supply means, and a system for maintaining the internal pressure of the bag. and a switching means for breaking, by supplying pressurized gas to maintain the internal pressure, the bag floats to the surface of the water, and by discharging the pressurized gas and breaking the internal pressure, the bag returns to the bottom. To provide a thermal insulation lid for a hot water pool having a sedimentation structure.

It is desirable that the bag assumes a flat sheet shape when the pressurized gas is discharged and the internal pressure is broken. This is done in consideration of safety in case your feet touch the bottom while swimming.

Furthermore, it is preferable that the bag body is a combination of a plurality of small bags connected together.This is not only easy to manufacture, but also requires the use of a plurality of small bags in order to uniformly sink and float each part of the lid over the entire surface of the pool. This is because it is convenient to simultaneously supply and discharge pressurized gas to and from the small bag.

The material of the bag can be appropriately selected from among flexible and strong plastic sheets, vinyl leather, rubberized cloth, rubber, and the like. In short, these materials must be impermeable to air and thus also impermeable to water.

As the gas supply means, a commercially available compressor, especially one with an accumulator, or a pressure gas storage tank equipped with a compressor, etc. can be used.
In addition, a large cylinder containing liquefied compressed gas or the like may be used. Further, although air is generally used as a gas, nitrogen or the like may also be used.

As the conduit means for connecting the bag to the gas supply means, a pressure-resistant hose is suitable in the vicinity of the bag.

However, steel pipes or vinyl pipes can be used as appropriate between the compressor and the pool.

As a switching means for maintaining and breaking the internal pressure, it is easy to use a three-way switching valve attached to the compressor, but it is also possible to connect a pipe different from the above-mentioned pipe to the bag body and attach a breaker valve to the end of the pipe. Other configurations are also possible.

In order to optimize the flotation and sinking speeds, a vacuum pump as a rapid pressure reduction means may be installed in parallel with the compressor, and a four-way switching valve may be installed in place of the three-way switching valve, and/or the above-mentioned attaching weights to the bag in a manner that does not impair the flatness of the bag;
is also optional. In the latter case, if a plate-shaped weight is attached to the top surface of the bag, it becomes more convenient as a bottom surface of the pool.

(Function) As is already clear from the above description, the bag constituting the insulating lid of the present invention is exposed to atmospheric pressure plus water pressure when it is on the bottom of the pool, so it expands by blowing pressurized gas. It begins to rise when the increase in buoyancy exceeds a certain value. The airtight chamber of the bag is escaped from, and the hot water above the heat-insulating lid passes through a small hole as necessary to the lower side, and when it rises further and reaches the pool water surface, it stops naturally and functions as a lid. It turns out.

This will prevent temperature drops due to radiation and evaporation.
Of course, an even more noteworthy effect is that the gas inside the bag acts as a heat insulating layer, allowing heat to be transferred from the water surface to the air above the water surface.
It should be noted that the resulting air layer convection can also be effectively prevented.

(Effects of the Invention) The insulating lid for a hot water pool of the present invention is not only easy to manufacture, but also easy to use and operate. Furthermore, the most important effect is that there is no risk of damaging the original appearance or function of the pool.

(Example) Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

Unit bag body 1 manufactured by molding non-breathable synthetic rubber
a are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the pool and constitute a bag body 1 that covers almost the entire surface of the pool.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the unit bag 1a consists of a main body 2 and ears 3 that protrude from the main body toward the adjacent unit bag 1a at regular intervals. The ears 3' of adjacent unit bags 1a are fitted into the recessed portions between these ears 3 with a narrow gap 4 in between.

The gap 4, which has a zigzag shape in a plan view, has a width that does not impair the heat retention of the lid and is sufficient to allow water to pass through during floating and sinking.

A string-like body, for example, a vinyl rope 6, which connects the unit bags 1a-la, is inserted through a flat hole 55 that passes through the ear portion 33' in the horizontal direction.

On the other hand, an airtight chamber 7 is formed in the main body 2 as a closed space-like interior of the bag that does not communicate with the hole 5 and extends over almost the entire width.

In the heat-insulating lid bag 1 having such a structure, when pressurized gas is blown from the airtight chamber 7 and the internal pressure is broken,
As shown in Figure 1, it is sinking to the bottom of pool P. And since the surface is substantially flat, there is no inconvenience for swimmers.

When the pool usage time is over, the air is discharged from a pressurized air tank 8 equipped with a compressor (not shown) as a gas supply means, a three-way switching valve 9 as a switching means, a pressure hose 10 as a conduit means, and each unit bag. Pressurized gas is almost simultaneously supplied to all the unit bags through the 7-shaped pipe 11 for branching to.

At this time, the main body 2 of the unit bag has no choice but to contract in the width direction as shown by the arrow S as it expands, and the vinyl row 16 moves from one end of the hole 5 to the other end and connects with the ear part 3. The relative positional relationship will be shifted (Figures 4 and 5).

In this way, the bag rises to the water surface W while letting water escape through the slightly enlarged gap 4, and functions as a heat-insulating lid (FIG. 2).

To make it sink again, all you have to do is operate the three-way switching valve 9 to cut off the communication with the tank and release the pressure gas inside the bag to the atmosphere, and the bag will quietly sink to the bottom due to its own weight and be kept warm. The hot water that had been previously used can be put back into use with only a small amount of heat replenishment.

It is obvious that various modifications can be made to the above embodiment. For example, the bag body may be made integral with the entire surface of the pool, and a pressure-resistant hose may be led inside and branched appropriately within the bag body to cover the entire surface of the pool. It is also possible to configure the structure to float and sink at the same time. In this case, it is desirable to appropriately place holes for lumbering during floating and sinking.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The figures show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a partially cutaway schematic perspective view of the insulating lid sunk to the bottom of the pool, and Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the insulating lid floating on the surface of the pool. Partially cutaway schematic perspective view, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the main part, Figure 4 is IV-I of Figure 3.
A cross-sectional view showing the main parts of the insulation lid in a depressed state along the V line,
FIG. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4, showing the main parts in a floating state of the heat insulating lid. In the figure, 1 is a bag body, 1a is a unit bag body, 8 is a pressure tank (gas supply means), 9 is a three-way switching valve (switching means), and IO is a pressure-resistant hose (pipe line means).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A non-breathable bag having an area that can cover almost the entire water surface, a conduit means for communicating the inside of the bag with a gas supply means, and an internal pressure of the bag. The bag is equipped with switching means for maintaining and breaking, and by supplying pressurized gas to maintain the internal pressure, the bag floats to the surface of the water, and by discharging the pressurized gas and breaking the internal pressure, the bag is brought to the bottom. A heat insulating lid for a heated pool, characterized in that it has a configuration that allows the water to sink to the bottom. 2. The thermal insulation lid for a hot water pool according to claim 1, wherein the bag body assumes a substantially flat sheet shape due to the pressurized gas discharge and internal pressure break. 3. The heat insulating lid for a hot water pool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bag is a plurality of unit bags connected together. 4. The thermal insulation lid for a hot water pool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bag body is the same size and integral with the entire surface of the pool, and is provided with a hole for water escape.