CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority from Chinese Application CN202222153303.X, filed Aug. 16, 2022 in China, and Chinese Application CN202321653640.3, filed Jun. 27, 2023 in China, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
1. Field
Example embodiments relate to above-ground pools, and more specifically, to a non-inflatable above-ground pool.
2. Description of Related Art
An above-ground pool generally has an inflatable pool wall, and is usually provided with a control box in which a water pump, a filter, a heater, an air pump, and other components are held. Such a control box is placed outside a pool body and needs to be in fluid communication with the inside of the pool by means of a pipeline passing through the inflatable pool wall.
Such an inflatable pool has the disadvantage of poor thermal insulation, in that the pool wall dissipates heat quickly. In addition, such an inflatable pool is time-consuming and laborious to inflate and deflate and not easy to store quickly, and after inflation, due to increased air pressure in an air chamber when the temperature is high, is prone to expansion and deformation, which affects the pool appearance and is also prone to tearing and damage to cause air leakage, resulting in short service life. The entire pool has, therefore, a complex structure, is not easy to assemble and occupies a large space.
SUMMARY
Example embodiments may address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and other disadvantages not described above. Also, example embodiments are not required to overcome the disadvantages described above, and may not overcome any of the problems described above.
According to an aspect of an example embodiment, a non-inflatable above-ground pool comprises: a pool bottom comprising an upper bottom sheet and a lower bottom sheet connected to each other; and a pool wall connected to an edge of the pool bottom, such that the pool bottom and pool wall together enclose a water storage cavity, wherein the pool wall comprises: an inner wall comprising a lower edge connected to the lower bottom sheet, an outer wall, a top sheet connected to an upper edge of each of the inner wall and the outer wall, such that the inner wall, the outer wall, and the top sheet together enclose a filling chamber, and a support wall body disposed within the filling chamber.
The outer wall may comprise a lower edge connected to the lower bottom sheet.
The pool wall may further comprise a gasket connected to the lower edge of the outer wall.
The gasket may be connected to the lower bottom sheet.
The lower edge of the inner wall may be bent in one of a direction towards and a direction away from the outer wall, at a location at which the lower edge of the inner wall is connected to the lower bottom sheet.
The pool wall may further comprise a connecting sheet, wherein the lower edge of the inner wall is connected to the lower bottom sheet via the connecting sheet.
The pool bottom may further comprise a surrounding strip, which is connected to an edge of the upper bottom sheet and connected to the lower bottom sheet to thereby enclose a wave-making channel that is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity.
The surrounding strip may comprise an outer edge portion extending from a position where the surrounding strip is connected to the lower bottom sheet toward the pool wall, and wherein the outer edge portion is connected to the lower edge of the inner wall.
The support wall body may be made of an expanded polyethylene foam.
The non-inflatable above-ground pool may further comprise: a control box comprising a water pump; a water inlet pipe extending through the pool wall and through a first opening in the support wall body and a water outlet pipe extending through the pool wall and through the first opening in the support wall body, wherein the water pump is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity via the water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe.
The control box may further comprise: an air pump; an air inlet pipe extending through the pool wall and through a second opening in the support wall body, wherein the air pump is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity via the air inlet pipe.
The non-inflatable above-ground pool may further comprise: a water discharge pipe extending through the pool wall and through a third opening in the support wall body passes.
According to an aspect of another example embodiment, an above-ground pool comprises: a pool bottom; a pool wall connected to an edge of the pool bottom, such that the pool bottom and the pool wall together define a water storage cavity, wherein the pool wall comprises: an inner wall, an outer wall, and a top sheet, wherein each of the inner wall and the outer wall comprise having an upper edge connected to the top sheet and a lower edge connected to the pool bottom, thereby defining a filling chamber; and a support wall body disposed in the filling chamber, the support wall body having a wall body opening formed therein; and a control box disposed in the wall body opening and in fluid communication with the water storage cavity via the inner wall.
The support wall body may comprise a foam material.
The control box may comprise a water pump integrated with a filter and a heater, and the inner wall has a water inlet hole and a water outlet hole formed therethrough, thereby allowing the water pump to be in fluid communication with the water storage cavity.
The above-ground pool may further comprise: a water inlet joint traversing the water inlet hole and connected to the water pump, such that the inner wall is clamped between the water inlet joint and the water pump; and a water outlet joint traversing the water outlet hole and connected to the water pump, such that the inner wall is clamped between the water outlet joint and the water pump.
The control box may comprise an air pump, and the outer wall may have an air inlet hole formed therethrough, and the inner wall may have an air outlet hole formed therethrough, such that the air pump is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity.
The pool bottom may comprise a wave-making channel arranged adjacent to the inner wall and in fluid communication with the water storage cavity, and the above-ground pool may further comprise a connecting channel enabling fluid communication between the air outlet hole and the wave-making channel.
The outer wall may have a panel hole and a cord hole formed therethrough, and the control box may comprise a control panel extending through the panel hole and a power cord extending through the cord hole.
The pool wall may further comprise a connecting sheet comprising an upper edge connected to an outer edge of the top sheet, and a lower edge detachably connected to an upper edge of the outer wall.
The above-ground pool may further comprise a pool cover sized to cover the water storage cavity and detachably connected to the outer wall.
The above-ground pool may further comprise a pool cover liner attached to a bottom of the pool cover.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of example embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an above-ground pool according to an example embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded view of a pool body of the above-ground pool according to an example embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded view of a support wall body of the above-ground pool according to an example embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing mounting of the support wall body of the above-ground pool according to an example embodiment;
FIG. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first example embodiment of an above-ground pool;
FIG. 5B is a schematic enlarged view of region C1 of FIG. 5A;
FIG. 6A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second example embodiment of an above-ground pool;
FIG. 6B is a schematic enlarged view of region C2 of FIG. 6A;
FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a third example embodiment of an above-ground pool;
FIG. 7B is a schematic enlarged view of region C3 of FIG. 7A;
FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fourth example embodiment of an above-ground pool;
FIG. 8B is a schematic enlarged view of region C4 of FIG. 8A;
FIG. 9A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fifth example embodiment of an above-ground pool;
FIG. 9B is a schematic enlarged view of region C5 of FIG. 9A;
FIG. 10A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a sixth example embodiment of an above-ground pool; and
FIG. 10B is a schematic enlarged view of region C6 of FIG. 10A.
FIG. 11 is a schematic overall structural view of an example embodiment of an above-ground pool;
FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a pool body of the above-ground pool of FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a schematic exploded view of the pool body of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a schematic top view of the pool body of FIG. 12;
FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the pool body of FIG. 12;
FIG. 16 is a schematic partial enlarged view of a pool wall of the pool body of FIG. 15;
FIG. 17 is a schematic exploded view of a body jacket of the pool body of FIG. 12;
FIG. 18 is a schematic perspective view of a filling material of the pool body of FIG. 12;
FIG. 19 is a schematic perspective view of an alternate example embodiment of a pool body of an above-ground pool; and
FIG. 20 is a schematic perspective view of an inner wall of the pool body of FIG. 19.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In this regard, the example embodiments may have different forms and may not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein.
It will be understood that the terms “include,” “including”, “comprise, and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
It will be further understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections may not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section.
As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Expressions such as “at least one of” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
Various terms are used to refer to particular system components. Different companies may refer to a component by different names—this document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function.
Matters of these example embodiments that are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which these example embodiments pertain may not be described here in detail.
In this description, the directional expressions such as “upper,” “lower,” “top,” and “bottom” are not absolute, but relative. The directional expressions are appropriate when various components are arranged as shown in the figures, but should change accordingly when positions of the various components in the figures change. In addition, “inner” and “outer” are defined with reference to the radially inward and outward directions of an above-ground pool as shown.
In this specification, the terms such as “connection” and “mounting” should be construed in a broad sense, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited. For example, the connection may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection, may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; and may be a direct connection, an indirect connection, or an association through a certain function. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms herein would be understood according to specific circumstances.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a non-inflatable above-ground pool according to one or more example embodiments comprises a pool body 1 and a control box 14. The pool body 1 comprises a pool bottom 11 and a pool wall 12 surrounding the pool bottom 11 and connected to an edge of the pool bottom 11. The pool bottom 11 and the pool wall 12 together enclose a water storage cavity 100 of the above-ground pool. The control box 14 is arranged outside the pool body 1 and comprises an air pump and a water pump that is integrated with a heater. The control box 14 is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity by means of a plurality of fluid pipelines passing through the pool wall 12 so as to allow the above-ground pool to have various functions such as filtering, heating and wave-making massage.
The pool bottom 11 may be a multi-layer structure sandwiched with a buffer material therein. For example, with reference to FIGS. 5A to 10B, the pool bottom 11 may comprise an upper bottom sheet 113 and a lower bottom sheet 114 which may be made of, for example, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film material, a PVC composite material or other polymer film materials, and a buffer layer 115 made of, for example, expanded polyethylene (EPE), flocculated polyester fiber, etc. An inner ring edge 1133 of the upper bottom sheet 113 adjacent to an edge 1132 thereof is welded to the lower bottom sheet 114 to enclose a pool bottom filling chamber 101 in which the buffer layer 115 is filled to achieve the functions of thermal insulation, buffering, etc.
The pool wall 12 comprises an inner wall 121, an outer wall 122, a top sheet 123, and a first (or upper) connecting sheet 124 that connects the top sheet 123 to the outer wall 122. Similar to the upper bottom sheet 113 and the lower bottom sheet 114, the sheets of the pool wall 12 may all be made of, for example, a PVC film material, a PVC composite material or other polymer film materials, and form a body jacket 10 together with the pool bottom 11. An upper edge of the inner wall 121 is welded to an inner edge of the top sheet 123, and a lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121 may be directly welded to the lower bottom sheet 114 (see FIGS. 5B, 6B, 7B and 8B) or may be connected to the lower bottom sheet 114 by means of an additional second- (or lower) connecting sheet 117 (see FIGS. 9B and 10B), which will be described in detail below according to one or more example embodiments. An upper edge of the outer wall 122 is detachably connected to a lower edge of a first (or upper) connecting sheet 124 by means of, for example, a connecting component 17 such as a zipper, a buckle, or a hook-and-loop fastener sewed thereon, an upper edge of the first connecting sheet 124 is connected to the outer edge of the top sheet 123, and a lower edge 1228 of the outer wall 122 may be welded to an outer edge of the lower bottom sheet 114 (see FIGS. 5B, 6B, 9B, 10B) or may be welded to an additional gasket 125 (see FIGS. 7B and 8B), which will also be described in detail below according to one or more example embodiments. In this way, the inner wall 121, the outer wall 122, the top sheet 123, the first connecting sheet 124, and the lower bottom sheet 114 or the gasket 125 together enclose a pool wall filling chamber 102 for filling a wall body. It can be understood that the first connecting sheet 124 may be omitted, and the first connecting sheet 124 may be provided for the purpose of allowing the detachable connecting component 17, such as a zipper, to be arranged on the outer side of the pool wall 12 and also preventing the arrangement of same on the outer edge of the top sheet 123, which is convenient for a user to mount and remove the wall body.
For example, the support wall body 13 made of a foam material such as the EPE may be filled in the pool wall filling chamber. The EPE material has a good thermal insulation effect and has limited energy consumption. The support wall body 13 is formed by, for example, eight support units 131 sequentially joined in a circumferential direction, and a top portion 130 of each support unit 131 slightly protrudes out of the water storage cavity 100 of the pool as compared with a remaining part thereof. Each support unit 131 is configured to have, for example, an angled shape as shown, such that the support units are sequentially joined to form a polygonal support wall body 13. It can be understood that the material of the support wall body 13 is not limited, for example, the support wall body may also be made of a foam material such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In addition, the shape of the support unit 131 is not limited, for example, the inner and outer surfaces of each support unit 131 may also be configured to be arc-shaped, such that the support units are sequentially joined to form a circular support wall body 13.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the above-ground pool comprises a body jacket 10 and support wall body 13. The body jacket 10 of the above-ground pool is manufactured by, for example, sewing the connecting component 17 such as a zipper on the outer wall 122 and the first connecting sheet 124, welding the first connecting sheet 124 to the top sheet 123, welding the top sheet 123 to the inner wall 121, allowing the inner wall 121 to be directly welded to the lower bottom sheet 114 or connected to the lower bottom sheet 114 by means of the additional second (or lower) connecting sheet 117, and welding the outer wall 122 to the lower bottom sheet 114 or to the additional gasket 125. When the above-ground pool is mounted by a user, the assembled body jacket 10 is unfolded, the support units 131 are sequentially placed into the pool wall filling chamber to form a circle of support wall body 13, and then the connecting component 17 is closed to connect the outer wall 122 to the first connecting sheet 124 to achieve fixing and forming of the pool wall 12, and finally the water inlet pipe, the water outlet pipe, the air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe on the pool wall 12 are respectively connected to the corresponding interfaces on the control box 14. When disassembled, it is only necessary to open the connecting component 17 and sequentially take out the support units 131. Compared with an inflatable pool wall, the non-inflatable assembled pool wall is not prone to deformation, is convenient to assemble and use, and has good aesthetics.
The water pump in the control box 14 is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity 100 by means of the water inlet pipe 153 and the water outlet pipe 154 passing through the pool wall 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the inner wall 121 is provided with an inner wall water inlet hole 1215 and an inner wall water outlet hole 1216 through which the water inlet pipe 153 and the water outlet pipe 154 respectively pass. The outer wall 122 is provided with an outer wall water inlet hole 1225 and an outer wall water outlet hole 1226 through which the water inlet pipe 153 and the water outlet pipe 154 respectively pass, and one of the support units 131 of the support wall body 13 is correspondingly provided with a first opening 133 through which the water inlet pipe 153 and the water outlet pipe 154 pass. Therefore, water in the water storage cavity 100 can enter the water pump via the water outlet pipe 154, be filtered and heated, and then return to the water storage cavity 100 via the water inlet pipe 153.
The air pump in the control box 14 is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity 100 by means of an air inlet pipe 155 passing through the pool wall 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the inner wall 121 is provided with an inner wall air intake hole 1217 through which the air inlet pipe 155 passes, the outer wall 122 is provided with an outer wall air intake hole 1227 through which the air inlet pipe 155 passes, and one of the support units 131 of the support wall body 13 is correspondingly provided with a second opening 134 through which the air inlet pipe 155 passes. In addition, especially with reference to FIGS. 5A to 10B, the pool bottom 11 further comprises an annular surrounding strip 116, and the surrounding strip 116 is connected to the edge 1132 of the upper bottom sheet 113 and is connected to the lower bottom sheet 114 along an outer ring edge 1134, near the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121, in particular near the side of the inner wall 121 facing the water storage cavity 100. The surrounding strip 116, an annular portion 1131 located between the edge 1132 of the upper bottom sheet 113 and the inner ring edge 1133 (in correspondence of which the upper bottom sheet 113 is connected to the lower bottom sheet 114), and the lower bottom sheet 114 together enclose an annular wave-making channel 111, and the wave-making channel 111 may be, for example, in fluid communication with the water storage cavity 100 by means of a plurality of jet holes 1110 uniformly arranged in a circumferential direction, and in fluid communication with the inner wall air intake hole 1217 by means of a connecting channel 16. More specifically, one end of the connecting channel 16 may be welded to the inner wall 121 around the inner wall air intake hole 1217, and the other end thereof may be welded to the surrounding strip 116 of the wave-making channel 111. In this way, air entering the air pump from the outside can enter the wave-making channel 111 via the air inlet pipe 155 and the connecting channel 16, and may then be sprayed to the water storage cavity via the jet holes 1110 of the wave-making channel 111 so as to provide a comfortable wave-making massage function for the user of the above-ground pool.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the above-ground pool further comprises a water discharge pipe 156 passing through the pool wall 12, and one of the support units 131 of the support wall body 13 is provided with a third opening 135 through which the water discharge pipe 156 passes. The first opening 133, the second opening 134 and the third opening 135 may be arranged on the same support unit 131 of the support wall body 13.
The above description of the structure of the above-ground pool with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 is applicable to the example embodiments described.
Differences among the first six example embodiments of the non-inflatable above-ground pool described herein will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5A to 10B. These differences are related to involve a manner of connection between the pool bottom 11 and the pool wall 12 of the above-ground pool.
First Example Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in an above-ground pool according to the first example embodiment, the lower edge 1228 of the outer wall 122 is welded to the edge of the lower bottom sheet 114 in a manner of bending towards the inner wall 121, and the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121 is welded to the lower bottom sheet 114 in a manner of bending away from the outer wall 122. In this way, the inner wall 121, the outer wall 122, the top sheet 123, the first connecting sheet 124 and the lower bottom sheet 114 together enclose the pool wall filling chamber 102 for filling the wall body. This connecting manner between the inner wall 121 and the lower bottom sheet 114 slightly increases the bottom volume of the pool wall filling chamber 102, which is convenient for mounting the support wall body 13 and is convenient for resisting the large water pressure applied to the bottom of the inner wall 121.
Second Example Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, in an above-ground pool according to the second example embodiment, a difference from the first example embodiment lies in that the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121 is welded to the lower bottom sheet 114 in a manner of bending towards the outer wall 122, such that the bottom of the inner wall 121 can better fit with the support wall body 13.
Third Example Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, in an above-ground pool according to the third example embodiment, a difference from the first example embodiment lies in that the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121 is welded to the edge of the lower bottom sheet 114 in a manner of bending towards the outer wall 122. In addition, the pool wall 12 further comprises the gasket 125, the lower edge 1228 of the outer wall 122 is welded to the outer edge of the gasket 125 in a manner of bending towards the inner wall 121, the gasket 125 extends from the lower edge 1228 of the outer wall 122 towards the inner wall 121, and a gap 1250 exists between the inner edge of the gasket 125 and the edge of the lower bottom sheet 114. In this way, the inner wall 121, the outer wall 122, the top sheet 123, the first connecting sheet 124 and the gasket 125 together enclose the pool wall filling chamber 102 for filling the wall body that is partially closed by the gasket 125 at the bottom of the pool wall 12.
Fourth Example Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in an above-ground pool according to the fourth example embodiment, a difference from the third example embodiment lies in that the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121 is welded to the edge of the lower bottom sheet 114 in a manner of bending away from the outer wall 122, and the inner edge of the gasket 125 extends towards the center of the bottom of the water storage cavity of the pool and is welded to the lower bottom sheet 114, such that the pool wall filling chamber is completely closed by the gasket 125 at the bottom of the pool wall 12. As shown in FIG. 8B, the inner edge of the gasket 125 may extend to a central region of the wave-making channel 111 and be welded to the bottom surface of the lower bottom sheet 114.
Fifth Example Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, in an above-ground pool according to the fifth example embodiment, a difference from the first example embodiment lies in that the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121 is connected to the lower bottom sheet 114 by means of the second connecting sheet 117 that extends towards the inside of the water storage cavity and bends downwards. More specifically, the second connecting sheet 117 is in the shape of a closed circular ring having a C-shaped cross section, the outer edge of the second connecting sheet 117 is welded to the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121, and the inner edge of the second connecting sheet 117 is welded to the lower bottom sheet 114. In this way, the inner wall 121, the outer wall 122, the top sheet 123, the first connecting sheet 124, the second connecting sheet 117 and the lower bottom sheet 114 together enclose the pool wall filling chamber 102 for filling the wall body.
Sixth Example Embodiment
As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, in an above-ground pool according to the sixth example embodiment, a difference from the fifth example embodiment lies in that the second connecting sheet 117 in the fifth example embodiment is configured as a part of the surrounding strip 116. That is to say, an outer edge portion 1161, which is formed by the surrounding strip 116 extending upwards and towards the pool wall 12 from the position where the surrounding strip 116 is welded to the lower bottom sheet 114 along the outer ring edge 1134, is welded to the lower edge 1214 of the inner wall 121. In this way, the inner wall 121, the outer wall 122, the top sheet 123, the first connecting sheet 124, the outer edge portion 1161 of the surrounding strip 116, and the lower bottom sheet 114 together enclose the pool wall filling chamber for filling the wall body.
Another primary example embodiment of a non-inflatable above-ground pool, along with further example embodiments will be described below with reference to FIGS. 11 to 20.
As shown in FIG. 11, the non-inflatable above-ground pool comprises a pool body 1, a pool cover 2 that may cover the top of the pool body 1, and a pool cover liner 3.
As shown in FIGS. 11 to 17, the pool body 1 comprises a pool bottom 11 and a pool wall 12 that surrounds the pool bottom 11 and is connected to an edge of the pool bottom 11. The pool bottom 11 and the pool wall 12 together define a water storage cavity 100 of the above-ground pool. The pool bottom 11 may have, for example, a multi-layer structure sandwiched with a buffer material such as pearl cotton.
More specifically, the pool wall 12 comprises an inner wall 121, an outer wall 122, a top sheet 123, and a connecting sheet 124. Similar to those of the pool bottom 11, the components of the pool wall 12 may all be made of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film material, for example, and form a body jacket together with the pool bottom 11. An upper edge of the inner wall 121 is connected to an inner edge of the top sheet 123 by means of welding, a lower edge of the inner wall 121 is connected to the pool bottom 11 by means of welding, an upper edge of the outer wall 122 is detachably connected to a lower edge of the connecting sheet 124 by means of a connecting component 17 such as a sewed zipper (see the enlarged part in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16), a release buckle, or a hook-and-loop fastener, a lower edge of the outer wall 122 is connected to an outer edge of the pool bottom 11 by means of welding, and an upper edge of the connecting sheet 124 is connected to an outer edge of the top sheet 123 by means of welding. In this way, the inner wall 121, the outer wall 122, the top sheet 123, the connecting sheet 124, and the pool bottom 11 together define a filling chamber 102 for filling the wall body 13. It can be understood that the connecting sheet 124 is not necessarily provided, and the purpose of providing the connecting sheet is to allow the detachable connecting component 17, such as a zipper, to be arranged on the outer side of the pool wall. In addition, the arrangement of the detachable connecting component on the outer edge of the top sheet of the pool should be avoided, which makes it convenient for a user to install and remove the wall body.
As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 18, for example, a support wall body 13 made of a foam material, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), is filled in the filling chamber 102 of the pool wall 12, the support wall body 13 is formed, for example, of a plurality of support units spliced in sequence along the circumferential direction, and a top portion 130 of each support unit slightly protrudes outward relative to the rest. One of the support units 131A is thicker than the other support units and is provided with a wall body opening 132. An outer surface 1311 of the support unit 131A is configured to have an arc shape, and an inner surface 1312 thereof is configured to have a flat shape. The wall body opening 132 is shaped and sized to coordinate with the control box, that is, the wall body opening 132 can accommodate the control box therein. With the exception of this support unit 131A, the inner and outer surfaces of each of the other support units are each configured to have an inward angled shape, so that the support units are spliced in sequence to form a polygonal support wall body 13. It can be understood that the shape of the support unit is not limited, for example, the inner and outer surfaces of each support unit can be configured to have an inward arc shape, so that the support units are spliced in sequence to form a circular support wall body. Compared with an inflatable pool wall, the non-inflatable assembled pool wall is not easily deformable, is easy to assemble and use, and has good aesthetics.
As shown in FIGS. 11 to 17, the pool body 1 further comprises a control box 14 integrated with a water pump and an air pump. A filter and a heater are integrated in the water pump. The control box 14 is embedded in the wall body opening 132 and is in fluid communication with the water storage cavity via the inner wall 121, so as to allow the above-ground pool to have various functions such as filtering, heating, and wave-making massage.
More specifically, the inner wall 121 is provided with a water inlet hole 1211 and a water outlet hole 1212 that allow the water pump to be in fluid communication with the water storage cavity, and the pool body 1 further comprises a water inlet joint 151 and a water outlet joint 152. The water inlet joint 151 passes through the water inlet hole 1211 and is tightly connected to the water pump, for example, by means of screw fitting, and allows the inner wall 121 to be clamped between the water inlet joint 151 and the water pump. The water outlet joint 152 passes through the water outlet hole 1212 and is tightly connected to the water pump, for example, by means of screw fitting, and allows the inner wall 121 to be clamped between the water outlet joint 152 and the water pump. Therefore, the water in the water storage cavity can enter the water pump via the water inlet joint 151, be filtered and heated, and then return to the water storage cavity via the water outlet joint 152.
As shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, according to an alternate example embodiment, the pool body 1 may further comprise a first sealing member 181 arranged around the water inlet hole 1211 and between the inner wall 121 and the water inlet joint 151, and a second sealing member 182 arranged around the water outlet hole 1212 and between the inner wall 121 and the water outlet joint 152. Since the water inlet joint 151 and the water outlet joint 152 respectively pass through the water inlet hole 1211 and the water outlet hole 1212 and are then connected to the water pump, these sealing members are provided to ensure the tightness of the inner wall 121 to prevent the water in the water storage cavity from entering the pool wall 12 through the water inlet hole 1211 and the water outlet hole 1212. Optionally, the first sealing member 181 and the second sealing member 182 may be fixedly arranged on the inner wall 121.
In addition, the outer wall 122 is provided with an air inlet hole 1223, and the inner wall 121 is provided with an air outlet hole 1213 that allows the air pump to be in fluid communication with the water storage cavity. In this example embodiment, the pool bottom 11 comprises an annular wave-making channel 111, the wave-making channel 111 being arranged adjacent to the inner wall 121 and in fluid communication with the water storage cavity through a plurality of jet holes 1110 evenly arranged along the circumferential direction, and the pool body 1 further comprises a connecting channel 16 that allows the air outlet hole 1213 to be in fluid communication with the wave-making channel 111, with one end of the connecting channel 16 being connected to the inner wall 121 around the air outlet hole 1213 by means of welding, and the other end thereof being connected to the wave-making channel 111 by means of welding. In this way, the air entering the air pump through the air inlet hole 1223 can enter the annular wave-making channel 111 through the air outlet hole 1213 and the connecting channel 16, and is then sprayed into the water storage cavity through the jet hole of the wave-making channel 111, so as to provide a comfortable wave-making massage function for a user of the pool. In this example embodiment, the pool bottom 11 is further provided with a pool bottom opening 112. The pool bottom opening 112 is adapted to the bottom of the control box 14, and may not only be used as an auxiliary air inlet, but also used for positioning the control box 14 during assembly of the pool wall 12.
In an example alternative implementation shown in FIG. 20, the pool body 1 may further comprise an air outlet pipe 19 that is tightly connected to the air pump, for example, by means of screw fitting, and the air outlet pipe 19 passes through the air outlet hole 1213 and allows the air pump to be in fluid communication with the connecting channel 16. In addition, the pool body 1 may further comprise a third sealing member 183 arranged around the air outlet hole 1213 and between the inner wall 121 and the air outlet pipe 19.
In addition, the control box 14 comprises a control panel 141 and a power cord 142 that extend from the body of the control box, and the outer wall 122 is provided with a panel hole 1221 for the control panel 141 to pass through and a cord hole 1222 for the power cord 142 to pass through. The control panel 141 protruding from the pool wall 12 through the panel hole 1221 is used by a user to start, stop, or adjust the various functions of the control box 14 mentioned above.
Since the control box 14 is integrated into the pool wall 12 of the pool body 1 rather than placed outside the pool body 1, the pipeline structure of the pool may be simplified without affecting the function of the poor, and the entire pool has a concise appearance and does not occupy additional floor space.
As shown in FIG. 11, the pool cover 2 is used to cover the water storage cavity and is detachably connected to the outer wall 122, so as to provide a thermal insulation effect before a user enters the pool. In this embodiment, the outer edge of the pool cover 2 is provided with a plurality of first inserts 21, and the outer wall 122 is provided with a plurality of second inserts 1224 that may be in insert-fit with the first inserts 21. Of course, this detachable connection manner is not restrictive, and these inserts may also be replaced with zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners and other components.
In addition, the pool cover liner 3 attached to the bottom of the pool cover 2 is shaped and sized to adapt to the water storage cavity. The pool cover liner 3 may have an inflatable structure, or may be additionally provided with a thermal insulation layer inside, and thus can be used together with the pool cover 2 to further reduce the heat loss of the above-ground pool.
It may be understood that the example embodiments described herein may be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or aspects within each example embodiment may be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other example embodiments.
While example embodiments have been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope as defined by the following claims.
Patent Application
20240060324
