Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E04—BUILDING
  • E04H—BUILDINGS OR LIKE STRUCTURES FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSES; SWIMMING OR SPLASH BATHS OR POOLS; MASTS; FENCING; TENTS OR CANOPIES, IN GENERAL
  • E04H4/00—Swimming or splash baths or pools
  • E04H4/0006—Devices for producing waves in swimming pools
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63G—MERRY-GO-ROUNDS; SWINGS; ROCKING-HORSES; CHUTES; SWITCHBACKS; SIMILAR DEVICES FOR PUBLIC AMUSEMENT
  • A63G31/00—Amusement arrangements
  • A63G31/007—Amusement arrangements involving water
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E02—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING; FOUNDATIONS; SOIL SHIFTING
  • E02B—HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
  • E02B3/00—Engineering works in connection with control or use of streams, rivers, coasts, or other marine sites; Sealings or joints for engineering works in general
  • E02B3/04—Structures or apparatus for, or methods of, protecting banks, coasts, or harbours
  • E02B3/06—Moles; Piers; Quays; Quay walls; Groynes; Breakwaters ; Wave dissipating walls; Quay equipment
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B69/00—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports
  • A63B69/0093—Training appliances or apparatus for special sports for surfing, i.e. without a sail; for skate or snow boarding

Definitions

• the invention relates to a wave generating system, and in particular to a wave generating system in an aquatic environment provided with dissipative banks capable of absorbing energy from the waves and minimizing bounces of the waves.
• wave generating apparatus and systems are known in an aquatic environment, whose purpose is to artificially generate waves in said aquatic environment for human enjoyment and the practice of sports such as surfing.
• An example of a wave generator system is based on dragging a moving element through the water (for example under water, from above and in contact with water as a shovel, or approximately along the surface of the water), pushing the water and causing the formation of a wave; successive waves can be generated by causing the mobile element to move in circles, round trips, and / or including several mobile elements.
• Another example of a wave generator system is based on throwing or dropping water against a fixed profile, so that the water when hitting said profile changes direction in a predefined way and forms a wave.
• the wave can be generated relatively static, that is, without traveling along the aquatic environment, or it can be dynamic, that is, moving along the aquatic environment as occurs in the sea, where the waves they move for example towards a shore.
• the wave generating systems intended in particular for surfing have an added complexity with respect to other wave generating devices. Specifically, these systems pursue the formation of a wave with characteristics and forms very precise. On the one hand, the wave must be high and preferably dynamic for greater realism. In addition, the wave must travel with enough speed, and if possible breaking and presenting a tube in which the surfer can perform his routines or techniques. Getting a wave suitable for surfing is an extremely complex task; not in vain, for years it has even been considered that the perfect artificial wave, which accurately simulates a natural wave, does not exist or is impossible to generate.
• the aquatic environment of such systems may be a lake, pond or pool surrounded by walls or banks of varying inclination.
• the aquatic environment may have a ring shape, with walls or edges on the outside and inside.
• the wave when the wave reaches the limits of the aquatic environment and reaches the walls or banks, there is a total or partial rebound of the wave towards the aquatic environment, that is, what appears as a bouncing wave.
• the bouncing wave can collide with the next wave and blend with it, spoiling the shape of the wave.
• the bouncing wave runs through the water behind the wave generated by the system, preventing said water from calming down before the next wave passes (which is usually essential for waves to be generated with perfect forms). That is to say, in short, the bouncing wave supposes an important interference that harms the final shape of the wave making it less suitable for surfing, and that causes that the time between waves generated successively by the system must be increased to allow more time Water calms down, negatively affecting the economic performance of the system.
• the present invention aims to design a wave generation system in which the negative effect of the waves bouncing off the edges of the aquatic environment on the waves generated by the system is reduced or minimized.
• a wave generator system for the use of leisure or human sports, which comprises a soil on which a body of water is arranged.
• a certain mechanism not relevant to the invention, generates successive waves, with a time elapsing between each wave and the next.
• the waves can have a shape, size and speed suitable for surfing.
• the mass of water in which the waves are generated is provided with an edge towards which the waves travel.
• said shore comprises a permeable shore roof, a shore floor that has a decreasing height towards the ground under the body of water, and a space between floor and ceiling in which compartments are delimited by which the water that enters through the roof is braked and directed towards the body of water.
• Each compartment comprises at least one obstacle or barrier against which the water collides and that leaves a space of passage of water towards the body of water.
• the compartments are separated by transverse walls extending from the shore floor to the shore roof.
• the above solution has multiple and important advantageous effects.
• the fact that the water is collected in compartments that present barriers to the displacement of the water collected in the direction of the water mass allows the water to be gradually slowed by these barriers as it falls towards the water body , and finally reach the body of water with little energy and without generating turbulence in the body of water.
• the transverse walls which extend from the shore floor to the shore roof, confine the water so that it is directed mainly towards the body of water, shortening the time it takes for the water collected to be returned to the body of water All these advantages result in the wave being absorbed, dissipated and returned to the body of water in a time very small, allowing the wave generator system to generate the waves with a lower periodicity, without requiring the shore to have excessive dimensions.
• An additional advantage of the present invention is that it does not require the use of pumps or other active devices to return water from the wave to the body of water, but that the water returns by gravity. Consequently, the energy consumption associated with the pumps, which in known wave generating systems can consume almost twice as much electrical energy as the energy consumption required to form the wave itself, is avoided.
• the ability of the shore according to the invention to absorb the wave allows the shore to be constructed with a very reduced height (it is estimated that about one third of the height of conventional non-dissipating banks) without the wave overflowing from the aquatic environment Consequently, the maximum level of excavation to make the aquatic environment is lower, so it simplifies and reduces the construction cost of the installation.
• the shore by presenting the shore a better height and therefore generally a lower slope, the shore has a more open shape, similar to the shore of a real beach. This results in the user perceiving the shore as an aesthetically pleasing element and with which he can interact easily (for example, walking down the shore or sitting on the shore).
• An additional advantage of the system according to the invention is that the risk of the user being dragged along the shore by the foam of the wave is reduced, since the foam disappears very quickly through the permeable edge.
• the shores according to the invention provide a significant economic saving in the operation of the wave generating system, contribute to reduce the environmental impact of said system, offer greater safety to the user and constitute an aesthetically pleasing and comfortable element to use. .
• FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wave generator system according to the invention.
• FIG. 2 shows a view similar to the previous one, the edge roof being partially omitted to show the interior space of the shore, divided into compartments, said compartments in turn divided into sub-compartments.
• FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of part of a compartment.
• FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the system of Figure 1.
• FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wave generator system (1) according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.
• the wave generator system (1) which is normally used for entertainment or for sports such as surfing, comprises a body of water (2) that, in a calm situation, is bounded by a ground (3 ), a calm water surface (4) and an edge (5), said edge (5) being the edge of the calm water surface (4).
• the wave generator system (1) further comprises a shore (6) that extends along, or along, said edge (5) of the body of water (2).
• the shore (6) can extend completely around the body of water, in limited areas of the outer perimeter of the body of water, at some end of the body of water, on an interior island of the body of water, or according to any another configuration, not being relevant to the present invention.
• the shore (6) comprises a shore floor (7) and a shore roof (8) extending from an outer side (9) to a inner side (10) of the shore (6).
• the shore floor (7) and the shore roof (8) are arranged so that an interior space (1 1) is delimited between them.
• the interior space (1 1) is closed on the outer side (9) by an end wall (12), which in the present embodiment extends between an outer edge (13) of the edge floor (7) and a outer edge (14) of the shore roof (8).
• the end wall (12) may be made of a material that supports the weight and is preferably resistant to corrosion, for example precast concrete.
• the shore floor (7) has a decreasing height towards the ground (3) that is under the body of water (2), so that water that is on said shore floor (7) is directed by gravity towards the body of water (2).
• the edge floor (7) has an inclined flat upper surface (71); however, alternative embodiments are contemplated in which the shore floor (7) has a staggered, undulating upper surface (71) or with any other configuration that leads to a decrease in height of said upper surface (71) towards the ground (3) of the water body (2)
• the shore roof (8) on the other hand, is permeable, allowing the passage of water from above the shore roof (8) to the interior space (1 1) and the shore floor (7).
• the shore floor (7) is made of one or more materials of sufficient mechanical strength to support the weight of the shore (6) and the possible load supported by the shore (6) (users, water, sports equipment such as boards surfing, etc.)
• the shore floor (7) can be made of earth, cement, concrete, ceramics, steel, aluminum, wood or a combination of them.
• the edge floor (7) comprises a main part (7a) made of a material of lower strength, such as cement, and bands Longitudinal (7b) made of a material of greater resistance, such as concrete. The reason why the shore floor (7) is divided into said parts is explained below.
• the shore roof (8) is made of a material or combination of materials that allows the passage of water and at the same time offers sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the force of the waves that hit the shore (6) and an additional load, for example equivalent to a maximum number of users per unit area.
• the edge roof (8) can have grooves, holes or other spaces to allow the passage of water, or be made of a highly permeable material.
• the edge roof (8) is made by means of flat plates (8a) provided with holes (15) to allow the passage of water therethrough.
• the flat plates (8a) can be made, for example, of fiberglass with polyester and have a thickness of between 1 and 10 cm.
• the holes (15) can be for example circular and have a diameter of 2 cm.
• an opening of at least 50% is preferable to get all the water that reaches the shore to fall into the compartments before reaching the outer edge ( 14) from the shore roof (8).
• square holes 2.5 centimeters sideways can be made, separated 2.5 centimeters from each other.
• shape, dimensions and / or separation of the holes, grooves or gaps in general may vary.
• the holes may have a homogeneous shape, dimensions and / or separation, or that, on the contrary, the shape, dimension and / or separation between holes is heterogeneous and distributed in varying ways on the edge ceiling (8). For example, larger holes and other smaller holes may be available, forming a certain pattern, such as alternating rows of each other.
• the flat plates (8a) are inclined towards the body of water (2), so that the edge (6) has an essentially triangular cross-section.
• the shore roof (8) therefore has an outer surface (16) inclined towards the body of water (2), whereby it is possible to reduce the necessary width of the shore (6) to absorb the wave that falls on the roof of shore (8).
• the edge roof (8) intersects with the edge floor (6) in the inner edge (10) of the shore (6), and said intersection is arranged below the water level when the body of water (2) is at rest. That is, the inner edge (10) and a strip attached thereto to the shore roof (7) is underwater.
• alternative embodiments are contemplated in which said intersection may be flush with the water body (2) or above.
• Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the system (1) similar to the view of Figure 1, but some of the plates forming the edge roof (8) having been omitted in order to show the interior space (1 1) from the shore (6).
• the interior space (1 1) between the shore roof (8) and the shore floor (7) is divided into a plurality of compartments (17), separated by transverse walls (18).
• the transverse walls (18) can be made of a material that supports the weight and is preferably resistant to corrosion, for example precast concrete.
• the compartments (17) are delimited by the shore floor (7), the shore roof (8) and two transverse walls (18), and each compartment (17) constitutes a space that is directed from the outer side (9) from the shore to the inner side (10) of the shore (6).
• each compartment (17) comprises one or more obstacles or barriers (22) -four, in the embodiment of the figures-, so that the compartment (17) is divided into sub-compartments (17a, 17b , 17c, 17d, 17e).
• the barriers (22) can be made of a material that is not necessarily so suitable for supporting weight, but which allows to offer resistance to the passage of water (for example, a plastic sheet).
• Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a compartment (17) of the present embodiment, and in particular an enlarged cross-sectional view of a sub-compartment (17b), a example mode.
• the enlarged view allows us to observe in greater detail how the shore floor (7) is inclined at an angle (23) with the horizontal that allows the water that falls on the ground to be directed towards the body of water (2) (to the right, according to the position of the figure).
• the figure also helps to understand how the compartment (17) is delimited between the edge floor (7) and the edge roof (8) and two transverse walls (18), and how it comprises a series of barriers (22) separated between yes a certain distance and dividing the compartment (17) into sub-compartments, such as the sub-compartment (17b) represented.
• the figure illustrates a further aspect of the invention, consisting in that the barriers (22) are arranged so as to offer resistance to the passage of water inside the compartment (17) and in the direction of the body of water (2). Below each barrier (22) is a water passage space (24) that allows the passage of water in the direction of the body of water (2).
• the system (1) and in particular the shore (6), function as follows.
• the wave generator system (1) is normally configured to generate waves successively, at a certain frequency, that is, leaving a predetermined time between one wave and the next. Therefore, the waves generated by the system one by one arrive at the shore (6).
• a wave (25) reaching the shore (6) has been represented in a very schematic way and by dashed lines. As can be seen, the wave (25) reaches the permeable shore roof (8) and penetrates through it - in this case, through the holes (15) - to the compartments (17), so that each compartment (17) receives a part of the wave (25).
• the partial and temporary confinement of water within successive sub-compartments allows water to lose speed in any direction (vertical, longitudinal and transverse), which is especially convenient for example if the system (1) is such that the wave (25) reaches the edge obliquely, that is, not perpendicular to the edge (5) (in a view in the system plan), therefore with a velocity component of the longitudinal direction of the edge (5) and another component perpendicular to the edge (5).
• the shore (6) works by causing the wave to lose energy within each sub-compartment due to the collision with the transverse walls (18) and barriers (22) before moving on to the next sub-compartment, and so on until reaching the body of water (2) with very little energy and therefore without the ability to cause turbulence in the water and spoil the shape of the next wave that is approaching by the body of water (2).
• this effect has been very schematically represented by the arrow (26), which represents the water in its path since it enters the compartment (17) through a hole (15), runs through the sub-compartment (17b) , collides with a barrier (22) losing energy, and finally passes to the next sub-compartment (17c) through the water passage space (24).
• the water reaches the last sub-compartment (17d), it crosses the permeable edge roof (8) upwards and reaches the water body (2).
• the wave (25) can be dissipated in its entirety or completely, thus minimizing the time that the wave generator system (1) must wait between one wave and the next.
• the wave dissipation works without a pump or any other active element that requires the consumption of electrical energy.
• a part of the edge (6) - specifically, a strip in the inner side (10) - is inside the body of water (2) when said body of water is at rest. This contributes to a complete dissipation the dissipation of the wave (25) since it guarantees that all of it falls against the shore roof (8).
• the transverse walls (18) extend from the edge floor (7) to the edge ceiling (8). That is, the passage of water between adjacent compartments (17) through the transverse wall (18) that separates them is not allowed. This allows water to be directed more efficiently and quickly to the body of water (2). It is not essential, however, that there is a completely tight connection between the transverse walls (18) and the shore floor (7).
• the height of the compartments (17) decreases in the direction of the body of water (2). This characteristic favors that as the water gets closer to the body of water (2), it can continue to lose energy due to its impact against the shore roof (8).
• the barrier (22) is in the form of a continuous and uninterrupted wall extending from (ie, to) the edge roof (8).
• the water passage space (24) extends between said wall and the shore floor (7). That is, in the illustrated embodiment, the barrier (22) is an upper wall and the water does not pass over the wall.
• the wall confirming the barrier (22) extends from a transverse wall (18) to the other transverse wall (18) that delimit the compartment (17) .
• the passage space of Water (24) also extends from a transverse wall (18) to the other transverse wall (18) that delimit the compartment (17). This maximizes the dissipation of energy from the wave and the ability to dislodge water from the compartment (17).
• Figure 4 shows a complete cross-sectional view of the edge (6), so that a complete compartment (17) can be observed.
• the ground of (7) shore comprises an impermeable layer (27) that delimits the compartment (17) inferiorly, providing a tightness below the water that prevents a certain amount of Wave water (25) ends up being lost or leaking along the shore floor (7) in an unwanted manner, requiring a more frequent replenishment of water in the wave generator system (1) and raising the amount of water consumed by the system ( one ).
• the impermeable layer (27) of the present embodiment extends, continuously and uninterruptedly, below the end wall (12) and attached to a rear face of said end wall (12), allowing to achieve an ideal seal at the junction between the shore floor (7) and the extreme wall (12), minimizing water losses.
• the impermeable layer (27) therefore has a substantially L-shaped arrangement that favors that the water is only dislodged from the inner side (10) of the edge (6) towards the body of water (2).
• the impermeable layer (27) extends along the entire height of the end wall (13), that is, from the junction between the end wall (12) and the shore floor (7) to the outer edge (13) of the shore roof (8).
• the shore floor (7) must not be constructed entirely of a high strength material, such as concrete, but that the main part (7a) of the shore floor (7) can be manufactured for example of earth or cement and that only certain areas of greater resistance should be provided, for example the longitudinal bands (7b) of concrete, below the lower support projections (28).
• a support area or longitudinal band (7b) can also be included in the area of the shore floor (7) that is under the end wall (12).
• the longitudinal bands (7b) instead of constructing the entire high-resistance shore floor (7), reduces the construction cost of the system (1) in a very significant way, guaranteeing the correct structural and mechanical behavior of it.
• the amount of high strength material needed to build the shore floor (7) can be reduced by 70-90% with respect to the amount needed in case the entire shore floor (7) was built of a high strength material.
• the edge roof (8) comprises an upper mesh of textile material, said mesh providing an upper tread surface with a texture particularly pleasing to a user of the system.
• a mesh is a PVC coated polyester mesh.
• the sub-compartments form a two-dimensional mesh or grid separated by transverse walls (18) and barriers (22) arranged at 90 Q relative to each other, for greater energy dissipation and faster eviction of water towards the body of water (2).
• this may vary depending on other variables such as the slope of the shore floor (7) and the slope of the shore roof (8); for example, for banks with only a slight inclination, the sub-compartments can have a width and a length between 0.5 and 1.5 meters long.
• the passage spaces of Water (24) generally has a reduced height, around 2 to 20 cm, preferably between 2 and 10 cm. In these ranges an optimization of the braking of the wave is achieved (for which high walls would be preferable) and of the time it takes for the wave to be evicted from the compartments again to the body of water (for which large spaces of water passage).
• a space (29) is provided between each transverse wall (18) and the end wall (12), to allow the passage of a water pipe, not shown. In general, the passage of water between adjacent compartments (17) through said spaces (29) will not be possible.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
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• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Revetment (AREA)
• Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)

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Citations (3)

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• 2014
  • 2014-09-26 ES ES201431409A patent/ES2565002B1/es not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2015
  • 2015-09-21 JP JP2017535968A patent/JP2017535703A/ja active Pending
  • 2015-09-21 US US15/513,246 patent/US20170306639A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2015-09-21 CN CN201580051443.6A patent/CN107075863A/zh active Pending
  • 2015-09-21 WO PCT/ES2015/070682 patent/WO2016046435A1/es active Application Filing
  • 2015-09-21 AU AU2015323664A patent/AU2015323664A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2015-09-21 EP EP15781379.1A patent/EP3199724B1/en not_active Not-in-force
  • 2015-09-21 BR BR112017006130A patent/BR112017006130A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation

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