Rotating Indoor Ski Drum With Artificial Snow Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing artificial snow sports environments, such as indoor slopes and resort snowmaking facilities, fail to provide an exciting and physically demanding experience for advanced skiers and snowboarders, as they are either weather-dependent or suited mainly for beginners and family groups.
Innovation Solution
A large, revolving cylindrical housing with an internally coated skiable surface of artificially created ice crystals, utilizing a network of heat conductive tubes and a refrigerant system to form and maintain the ice surface, combined with a water spray mechanism to generate fine ice particles, and optionally, a solid layer of artificial skiable material tiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If indoor slope facilities are used, then accessibility to skiing is improved for city dwellers, but the excitement and physical demand are reduced making them suitable mainly for beginners
Solution Approach 1:
The support surface is made movable by rotating the drum about its central longitudinal axis. This dynamic element creates variable friction conditions that can influence user movement, providing both accessibility for beginners and adjustable challenge for advanced users seeking excitement and physical demand
2Reliability
If resort snowmaking facilities are used, then skiing experience can be maintained at adequate skill level, but weather dependency and location requirements limit accessibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces weather-dependent natural snowmaking with a controlled mechanical system. A drum with heat conductive tubes and refrigerant circulation creates artificial snow through phase change, eliminating atmospheric condition dependencies and enabling reliable skiing experience delivery at accessible urban locations
3Adaptability or versatility
If a drum rotatable about its central longitudinal axis is used, then movement of users can be influenced to create physical challenge, but the complexity of the apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drum structure serves multiple functions: it supports the skiable surface, provides the rotating mechanism for influencing user movement, and houses the heat conductive tubes for snowmaking. This multi-functionality reduces overall apparatus complexity while maintaining the ability to create physical challenge through variable rotation speeds and directions
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus provides a dynamic and thrilling skiing or snowboarding experience by creating a continuous, rotating artificial snow surface that can be adjusted for varying skill levels, catering to 'extreme' enthusiasts by ensuring consistent conditions and physical challenge.
Implementation Method 1
a manifold arrangement for delivering a refrigerant to said tubes at a temperature sufficient to freeze water that contacts the tubes
Implementation Method 2
The apparatus comprises a support surface which is inclined and which is moveable in one direction, whereby movement of a user travelling in a second direction on the support surface is retarded or otherwise influenced by movement of the support surface
Data Source
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AI summary
A snow sports apparatus (10) including: a hollow housing (12) having an internal generally cylindrical surface (12) and supported, with its axis having a major horizontal component, for rotation about said axis; and means (60) to provide on said internal generally cylindrical surface (30), a surface that, as the housing (12) is rotated, is relatively traversable downwardly on skis or a snowboard on the initial rising part (115) of the surface's travel.