Aquarium equipment

Abstract

In a water tank device that generates a vortex in the tank using the water flow produced by the water discharge section, the device generates a localized vortex in the tank that is easily visible to the observer. [Solution] The water discharge section P includes a first water discharge section 41 that generates a first water flow F1 in the water tank 10, and a second water discharge section 42 that generates a second water flow F2 slower than the first water flow F1 in the water tank 10. In the water tank 10, the first water flow F1 generated by the first water discharge section 41 and the second water flow F2 generated by the second water discharge section 42 are merged at a predetermined confluence section 60.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an aquarium apparatus including a water tank in which water is stored and a water discharging unit that discharges water into the water tank to generate a water flow, and forms a vortex in the water tank by the water flow generated by the water discharging unit.

Background Art

[0002] As a conventional aquarium apparatus, an aquarium apparatus (see Patent Document 1) installed in an aquarium or the like for breeding and displaying aquatic organisms is known. The aquarium apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is configured to generate a swirling flow in the water tank by the water flow generated by the water discharging unit for the purpose of actively collecting excrement, uneaten food, etc. at the drainage part at the central bottom or the overflow part at the outer peripheral top. That is, in the aquarium apparatus described in Patent Document 1, while draining water at the drainage part at the central bottom or the overflow part at the outer peripheral top, water is discharged from the water discharging units arranged at each of the four corners of the water tank along a certain swirling direction around the central axis, so that the entire water in the water tank swirls around the central axis, and the above swirling flow is generated in the water tank. On the other hand, in an aquarium apparatus installed in an aquarium or the like, in order to perform a more impressive display, generating a vortex that can be clearly visually recognized by an observer in the water tank has been studied.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In order to generate a vortex that is clearly visible to an observer within the tank using the tank apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to swirl the water throughout the tank at a very high flow velocity. To achieve this, it is necessary to employ a discharge section with a very large water discharge volume and velocity, and problems such as the water level becoming too high in the outer perimeter of the tank arise. Therefore, it is desirable to generate localized vortices within the tank without swirling the water throughout the entire tank. In view of these circumstances, the main objective of the present invention is to provide a technique for locally generating a vortex within a water tank that is easily visible to an observer, in a water tank device that forms a vortex in the water tank by the water flow generated at the water outlet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a water tank in which water is stored, It comprises a water discharge unit that discharges water into the water tank to generate a water flow, A water tank device that forms a vortex in the water tank by the water flow generated by the water discharge part, The water discharge section comprises a first water discharge section that generates a first water flow in the water tank, and a second water discharge section that generates a second water flow slower than the first water flow in the water tank. The key feature is that, within the water tank, the second water flow generated by the second water discharge unit is merged with the first water flow generated by the first water discharge unit at a predetermined confluence point.

[0006] In this configuration, at the confluence point in the tank, the first water flow and the second water flow, which is slower than the first water flow, merge. Therefore, at the confluence point in the tank, a rotational force is locally generated due to the velocity difference between the first and second water flows, and this rotational force generates a vortex. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to locally generate a vortex within the water tank that is clearly visible to an observer in a water tank device that generates a vortex in the water tank by the water flow generated at the water discharge section.

[0007] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the first water discharge section is a first lateral water discharge section that generates a lateral water flow as the first water flow, The key feature of the second water discharge section is that it is a second lateral water discharge section that generates a second lateral water flow as the second water flow.

[0008] In this configuration, at the confluence point in the tank, a first lateral water flow and a second lateral water flow that is slower than the first lateral water flow merge. Therefore, at the confluence point in the tank, a rotational force around the vertical axis is locally generated due to the velocity difference between the first and second lateral water flows, and this rotational force generates a vertically elongated vortex. Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to locally generate a vertically elongated vortex within the water tank, which is easily visible to an observer, in a water tank device that forms a vortex in the water tank by the water flow generated at the water outlet.

[0009] A third characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the water tank has an observation side section made of a transparent material, A first lateral water flow guide unit is provided in the water tank to guide the first lateral water flow towards the confluence in a predetermined specific direction, and a second lateral water flow guide unit is provided in the water tank to guide the second lateral water flow towards the confluence in a direction intersecting the specific direction. The key point is that the aforementioned specific direction is either the direction toward the observation side portion or the direction along the observation side portion.

[0010] In this configuration, a first lateral water flow is guided by a first lateral water flow guide in a predetermined specific direction toward the confluence in the tank, while a second lateral water flow, slower than the first lateral water flow, is guided by a second lateral water flow guide in a direction intersecting the aforementioned specific direction. As a result, a vertically elongated vortex is generated at the confluence due to the velocity difference between the first and second lateral water flows, and this generated vertically elongated vortex moves along the specific direction toward which the first lateral water flow, which is faster than the second lateral water flow, is heading. Furthermore, by setting this specific direction to either the direction toward the observation side or the direction along the observation side, the elongated vortex generated at the confluence can be moved toward or along the observation side, allowing the movement of the vortex to be easily observed from the observation side.

[0011] The fourth characteristic feature of the present invention is that the water discharge section includes an upward water discharge section that takes in water from the bottom side of the confluence section and discharges it upward along the side surface of the water tank.

[0012] In this configuration, the upward-facing discharge section draws water from the bottom of the confluence and discharges it upward along the side of the tank. This creates an upward water flow near the side, raising the water level, while creating a downward water flow at the confluence, lowering the water level. To compensate for this difference in water level, water continuously flows from the side towards the confluence near the water surface. This maintains the vortex generated at the confluence in a longer, vertical shape, making it more visible to the observer. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Plan view showing the configuration of the aquarium device of this embodiment [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view AA in Figure 1 [Figure 3] BB cross-section in Figure 1 [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] An embodiment of the aquarium apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The aquarium apparatus of this embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 (hereinafter referred to as "this aquarium apparatus") is set up in aquariums and the like for raising and displaying aquatic organisms such as fish (not shown), and comprises an aquarium 10 in which water is stored. This water tank device is equipped with a water discharge part P composed of a water pump that discharges water into the water tank 10 to generate a water flow. In order to perform a more impressive display without swirling the water in the entire water tank 10, a characteristic configuration is adopted to locally form a vortex S that can be clearly visually recognized by an observer in the water tank 10 by the water flow generated by the water discharge part P. Hereinafter, the details of the characteristic configuration will be described.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the water tank 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and two adjacent side faces are configured as a first observation side face 11 and a second observation side face 12 made of a transparent material for an observer to observe the inside from the outside, and the remaining two side faces are configured of a concrete wall or the like.

[0016] In the water tank 10, as the water discharge part P, a first water discharge part 41 that generates a first water flow F1 in the water tank 10 and a second water discharge part 42 that generates a second water flow F2 slower than the first water flow F1 in the water tank 10 are provided. Furthermore, the first water discharge part 41 is a first lateral water discharge part 41 that takes water from near the second observation side face 12 and discharges it horizontally into the water tank 10 to generate a first lateral water flow F1 that is substantially horizontal as the first water flow F1. Similarly, the second water discharge part 42 is a second lateral water discharge part 42 that takes water from near the second observation side face 12 and discharges it horizontally into the water tank 10 to generate a second lateral water flow F2 that is substantially horizontal as the second water flow F2.

[0017] In the water tank 10, the second lateral water flow F2 generated by the second lateral water discharge part 42 merges with the first lateral water flow F1 generated by the first lateral water discharge part 41 at a predetermined confluence part 60. Furthermore, a first lateral water flow guide part 21 that guides the first lateral water flow F1 in a predetermined specific direction X to the confluence part 60 and a second lateral water flow guide part 22 that guides the second lateral water flow F2 in a direction intersecting the specific direction X to the confluence part 60 are provided in the water tank 10. Incidentally, these first lateral water flow guide part 21 and second lateral water flow guide part 22 can be configured by the side faces of artificial rocks installed in the water tank 10. Specifically, the first lateral water flow guide portion 21 is formed as a substantially arc-shaped wall surface in a plan view so as to bend the direction of the first lateral water flow F1 discharged from the first lateral water discharge portion 41 by approximately 90° and direct it toward the confluence portion 60. On the other hand, the second lateral water flow guide portion 22 is formed as a substantially linear wall surface in a plan view so as to direct the second lateral water flow F2 discharged from the second lateral water discharge portion 42 as it is without substantially changing its direction and direct it toward the confluence portion 60.

[0018] And the specific direction X is the direction from the confluence portion 60 toward the second observation side surface portion 12, and is also the direction along the first observation side surface portion 11 from the confluence portion 60. That is, with respect to the confluence portion 60 in the water tank 10, the first lateral water flow F1 is guided by the first lateral water flow guide portion 21 in the specific direction X from the confluence portion 60 toward the second observation side surface portion 12, and the second lateral water flow F2, which is slower than the first lateral water flow F1, is guided by the second lateral water flow guide portion 22 to intersect the specific direction X and be directed in the direction toward the first observation side surface portion 11.

[0019] According to the above configuration, in the confluence portion 60 in the water tank 10, the first lateral water flow F1 and the second lateral water flow F2, which is slower than the first lateral water flow F1, merge. Then, in the confluence portion becomes the direction along the first observation side surface portion 11 from the confluence portion 60. Furthermore, at the confluence section 60, the elongated vortex S generated by the velocity difference between the first lateral water flow F1 and the second lateral water flow F2 will move along a specific direction X towards which the first lateral water flow F1, which is faster than the second lateral water flow F2, is headed. Since this specific direction X is the direction from the confluence section 60 along the first observation side section 11, the elongated vortex S generated at the confluence section 60 can be moved along the first observation side section 11, and its movement can be easily observed from the first observation side section 11. Also, since this specific direction X is the direction from the confluence section 60 towards the second observation side section 12, the elongated vortex S generated at the confluence section 60 can be moved towards the second observation side section 12, and its movement can be easily observed from the second observation side section 12.

[0020] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the water tank 10 is provided with two water discharge sections P: a first upward water discharge section 51 (an example of an upward water discharge section) which takes in water from the bottom side 60a of the confluence section 60 and discharges it upward along the first observation side surface 11 of the water tank 10; and a second upward water discharge section 52 (an example of an upward water discharge section) which takes in water from the bottom side 60a of the confluence section 60 and discharges it upward along the second observation side surface 12 of the water tank 10.

[0021] As shown in Figure 2, the first upward discharge section 51 discharges water taken from the bottom side 60a of the confluence section 60 diagonally upward toward the first observation side section 11. As a result, within the water tank 10, the third water flow F3 generated by the discharge of the first upward discharge section 51 flows upward near the first observation side section 11, moves away from the first observation side section 11 when it reaches the water surface and flows toward the confluence section 60, and then flows downward toward the bottom side 60a when it reaches the confluence section 60. In other words, at the water surface in the water tank 10, the water level rises near the first observation side section 11 due to the upward flow, and the water level falls near the confluence section 60 due to the downward flow. To fill this difference in water levels, water flows in from the vicinity of the first observation side section 11 toward the vicinity of the confluence section 60. As a result, the vortex S generated in the confluence section 60 is maintained in a longer, elongated state, allowing observers to better visualize the vortex S when observing the interior through the first observation side section 11 and the second observation side section 12.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the second upward discharge section 52 discharges water taken from the bottom side 60a of the confluence section 60 diagonally upward toward the second observation side section 12. As a result, within the water tank 10, the fourth water flow F4 generated by the discharge of the second upward discharge section 52 flows upward near the second observation side section 12, and when it reaches near the water surface, it moves away from the second observation side section 12 and flows toward the confluence section 60, and when it reaches the confluence section 60, it flows downward toward the bottom side 60a. In other words, at the water surface in the water tank 10, the water level rises near the second observation side section 12 due to the upward flow, and the water level falls near the confluence section 60 due to the downward flow, and in order to fill these water level differences, water flows in from near the second observation side section 12 toward the confluence section 60. As a result, the vortex S generated in the confluence section 60 is maintained in a longer, elongated state, allowing observers to better visualize the vortex S when observing the interior through the first observation side section 11 and the second observation side section 12.

[0023] [Another embodiment] Other embodiments of the present invention will now be described. Note that the configurations of each embodiment described below are not limited to being applied individually, but can also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0024] (1) In the above embodiment, the first water flow F1 generated by the first water discharge section 41 is a first lateral water flow F1 in a substantially horizontal direction, and the second water flow F2 generated by the second water discharge section 42 is a second lateral water flow F2 in a substantially horizontal direction, and a velocity difference is provided between them so that they merge at the confluence section 60, thereby generating a vortex S at the confluence section 60. However, the first lateral water flow F1 and the second lateral water flow F2 do not need to be in a substantially horizontal direction, and may be slightly upward or downward water flows.

[0025] (2) In the above embodiment, of the four side surfaces constituting the roughly rectangular aquarium 10 in plan view, two adjacent side surfaces are designated as the first observation side surface 11 and the second observation side surface 12, which are made of transparent material. However, the number and position of the observation side surfaces can be changed as appropriate.

[0026] (3) In the above embodiment, a first upward water discharge section 51 and a second upward water discharge section 52 are provided as the water discharge section P, but one or both of these upward water discharge sections 51 and 52 may be omitted as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0027] 10 aquariums 11. First side view for observation (side view for observation) 12. Second side section for observation (side section for observation) 21. First lateral water flow guide section 22 Second lateral water flow guide section 41. First water discharge section, first sideways water discharge section 42. Second water outlet, second sideways water outlet 51 First upward water discharge section (upward water discharge section) 52. Second upward water discharge section (upward water discharge section) 60 Confluence 60a Bottom side F1 First water flow, first lateral water flow F2 Second water flow, second sideways water flow P Water outlet S vortex X Specific direction

Claims

1. A tank in which water is stored inside, It comprises a water discharge unit that discharges water into the water tank to generate a water flow, A water tank device that forms a vortex in the water tank by the water flow generated by the water discharge part, The water discharge section comprises a first water discharge section that generates a first water flow in the water tank, and a second water discharge section that generates a second water flow slower than the first water flow in the water tank. A water tank device in which, within the water tank, a first water flow generated by a first water discharge unit and a second water flow generated by a second water discharge unit are merged at a predetermined confluence.

2. The first water discharge section is a first lateral water discharge section that generates a lateral water flow as the first water flow, The water tank apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second water discharge unit is a second lateral water discharge unit that generates a second lateral water flow as the second water flow.

3. The aforementioned water tank has an observation side section made of a transparent material, A first lateral water flow guide unit is provided in the water tank to guide the first lateral water flow towards the confluence in a predetermined specific direction, and a second lateral water flow guide unit is provided in the water tank to guide the second lateral water flow towards the confluence in a direction intersecting the specific direction. The aquarium apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the specific direction is a direction toward the observation side portion or a direction along the observation side portion.

4. The water tank apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising an upward water discharge section which takes in water from the bottom side of the confluence and discharges the water upward along the side surface of the water tank.

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