Amusement Slide Bowl with Segmented Exits and Water Biasing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current leisure and amusement slide systems have limited throughput due to the need for sufficient intervals between riders to prevent collisions, leading to queuing issues for users and increased operational demands for operators.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a waterslide apparatus with a bowl and multiple entrances, chutes, and a nozzle to direct riders around the bowl, allowing simultaneous entry and exit through separate ports, reducing collision likelihood and enabling multiple users to ride safely and efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single exit aperture is provided in the bowl base, then riders can exit the bowl safely, but the throughput is limited due to the need for sufficient intervals between riders
Solution Approach 1:
The single exit aperture is segmented into multiple exit apertures (first exit aperture and second exit aperture) positioned at different locations on the bowl base. This allows multiple riders to exit simultaneously or in closer succession, increasing throughput while maintaining safety through spatial separation of exit paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The exit system transitions from a single-point exit (zero-dimensional constraint) to a distributed multi-point exit system. By positioning exit apertures at different angular positions around the bowl base, the system adds spatial dimensionality to the exit process, enabling parallel rider flow and increasing overall capacity.
2Productivity
If multiple riders are allowed to use the bowl simultaneously, then throughput increases, but the likelihood of rider collision increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bowl is divided into multiple operational zones with separate entrance apertures and exit apertures positioned at different angular positions. This spatial segmentation allows multiple riders to occupy different sectors of the bowl simultaneously, increasing throughput while reducing collision risk through physical separation of rider paths.
Solution Approach 2:
A nozzle system providing a jet of water acts as an intermediary mechanism to actively manage rider trajectories. The water jet biases riders toward specific paths within the bowl, guiding them away from potential collision zones and ensuring safe passage through the shared space, thereby enabling higher throughput without compromising safety.
3Reliability
If riders must exit completely before the next rider enters, then collision risk is minimized, but queuing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slide system is segmented into multiple independent rider flow paths with separate entrances and exits positioned at different angular positions around the bowl. This allows overlapping rider cycles where one rider is entering while another is exiting, eliminating the need for complete rider clearance before the next entry and significantly reducing queuing time while maintaining safety through spatial separation.
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
This configuration allows for increased throughput by ensuring riders travel without collisions, enhancing user experience and operational efficiency by allowing multiple users to ride simultaneously while maintaining safety.
Implementation Method 1
A nozzle is provided for directing a jet of water to bias a rider towards an edge of the pool
Data Source
AI summary
Leisure and amusement slide elements and systems are disclosed. In one embodiment, a waterslide includes a bowl having a curved sidewall, two or more rider entrances for enabling riders to slide into the bowl and to circuit at least a portion of the bowl, and a receptacle for forming a pool of water to receive a rider exiting the bowl. A nozzle is provided for directing a jet of water to bias a rider towards an edge of the pool. Another slide apparatus includes a bowl having upper and lower ends and first and second entrances distinct from one another and spaced apart from the bowl lower end. The first and second entrances are configured to bias all users of the first and second entrances to travel about at least a portion of the bowl in a common direction, whether clockwise or counter-clockwise.