Deep water swell and wave generator

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods for generating deep-water swells in man-made pools. A wave-generating system includes a partially enclosed basin with three side walls and a floor, open on one side to the pool; a hollow vessel configured to move vertically within the basin between DOWN and UP positions; and a drive assembly that raises and lowers the vessel. Vertical motion of the vessel displaces water so that a swell exits the basin and propagates into the pool as a surfable wave. A corresponding method includes positioning the hollow vessel in the basin, holding it in a DOWN position to displace water, rapidly raising it to draw water inward, and then lowering it to force water outward, thereby forming a swell that emulates natural ocean waves.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A wave generating system for producing deep-water swells in a man-made pool, the system comprising:
 a partially enclosed basin having three side walls and a floor, the basin being open on one side to the pool;   a hollow vessel sized to move vertically within the basin between a DOWN position and an UP position; and   a drive assembly configured to raise and lower the hollow vessel within the basin,   wherein displacement of water by vertical motion of the hollow vessel generates a swell that exits the basin through the open side and propagates into the pool as a surfable wave.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow vessel is sized comparable to a shipping container. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow vessel contains air at ambient pressure. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the hollow vessel includes ballast material to reduce buoyancy. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the drive assembly comprises hydraulic piston cylinders connected to mechanical arms. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the hydraulic piston cylinders are operated by electrically driven hydraulic pumps. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising guide wheels coupled to the hollow vessel to maintain spacing between the vessel and the basin walls. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the guide wheels comprise polyurethane or hard rubber treads mounted on forged steel hubs with sealed bearings. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising multiple rows of elastomeric seals positioned on the basin walls to interfere with the vessel during vertical travel. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein each row of seals comprises first and second resilient lips oriented to engage the vessel during upward and downward travel, respectively. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a guide wheel assembly is embedded in a recess of a basin wall such that the hollow vessel travels within the basin without wheels mounted on its exterior. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein an upper wall spans the open side of the basin and is vertically spaced above the basin floor to define a lower-edge aperture through which water exchanges between the basin and the pool. 
     
     
         13 . A method of generating surfable waves in a man-made pool, the method comprising:
 positioning a hollow vessel in a partially enclosed basin having an open side to the pool;   holding the hollow vessel in a DOWN position to displace a volume of water within the basin;   rapidly raising the hollow vessel to an UP position above the waterline to draw water inward from the pool into the basin; and   rapidly lowering the hollow vessel back toward the DOWN position to force water outward from the basin into the pool,   wherein the outward movement of water forms a swell that propagates into the pool as a wave.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising adjusting cycle times of the raising and lowering. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising operating multiple vessels in sequence or unison to control wave size and shape. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the cycle of raising and lowering is repeated to produce a succession of waves. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the hollow vessel is neutrally buoyant or negatively buoyant. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising using seals disposed along the basin walls to block upward bypass flow around the vessel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising maintaining alignment of the vessel using guide wheels engaging the basin structure. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein raising and lowering of the hollow vessel is powered by hydraulic piston cylinders operated by electrically driven pumps. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising configuring and storing, via a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more wave menus that specify vessel positions, lift and re-entry speeds, cycle times, and dwell intervals for repeatable wave generation. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising employing an artificial intelligence (AI)-based face-recognition system to detect persons in or near a surf zone and automatically pausing or adjusting vessel motion to enhance operational safety.