US 7,743,734 B2Granted

Method and device for generating waves in an aquarium

AssigneeTunze Aquarientechnik GmbH

InventorAxel Tunze

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Abstract

In order to generate waves in a volume of water (12) of an aquarium, it is proposed that a storage container (22) which extends beyond the surface of the volume of water (12) should be provided in the aquarium (10). Using a pump (32), water is periodically pumped from the water container (10) into the storage container (22) and returned from the storage container (23) into the aquarium (10). The energy delivered to the water during this leads to fluctuations in the position of the free surface (14) of the volume of water (12) and in-phase operation of the pump (32) provides stronger surface displacements in the aquarium (10), which are comparable with a wave in open water and which expose the plants and living beings in the aquarium to an alternating mechanical load.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A device for generating waves in the form of volumes of water moving to and fro periodically in a volume of water which is held in an aquarium, the device comprising:

a wave generator for delivering of at least one of kinetic and potential energy to a subvolume of an aquarium volume of water, the wave generator further comprising a storage container for the subvolume of water separated from the aquarium at least in one dimension and a delivery instrument having a pump for at least one of intermittently delivering water from the aquarium volume into the storage container and intermittently discharging water from the storage container subvolume into the aquarium volume of water;
wherein the pump is submersed in the subvolume in the storage container, the pump includes a delivery piece in fluid communication with the aquarium volume, the delivery piece is positioned below a free surface of the aquarium volume and having an axial alignment substantially parallel to the free surface for discharge of a bulk volume of water fluid in a direction substantially parallel to the free surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.