536results about "Watercrafts" patented technology

A hybrid fuel / electric powered watercraft includes an electronic turning machine (ETM), and internal combustion engine, and a propulsion system, which are operatively connected to each other, preferably via one or more clutches. An electronic control unit (ECU) controls the ETM, clutch(es), and engine. At low speeds, the ECU disengages at least one clutch and solely uses the ETM to power the propulsion unit and propel the watercraft. At high speeds, the ECU engages the clutch and uses both the engine and the ETM or just the engine to power the propulsion system. When the watercraft's battery discharges, the ECU operates the ETM in a generator mode and runs the engine to charge the battery. The watercraft can also include a shore button feature that selectively limits / governs the speed of the watercraft. A clutch may be used to avoid driving the propulsion system when the engine is idling or being started.

A watercraft includes a watercraft control mechanism that is capable of steering, decelerating, and / or trimming a watercraft without causing the stern to elevate and the bow to dive; steers or assists steering in off-power situations; steers, trims and / or decelerates a watercraft, or assists in steering, trimming, and / or decelerating a watercraft that can be stowed or retracted to minimize hydrodynamic drag at high speeds; steers, trims and / or decelerates a watercraft, or assists in steering, trimming, and / or decelerating a watercraft that does not become clogged or jammed by seaweed or flotsam or foreign objects floating in the water; and decelerates or assists in decelerating a watercraft in a smooth and stable manner when the watercraft is travelling at high speeds.

A watercraft includes an improved engine control system that eases watercraft operation. The watercraft includes a propulsion device, such as a jet propulsion unit, and an engine that powers the propulsion unit. The engine control system is configured to limit engine speed under certain conditions.

An improved seat design for a small watercraft increases the ability of a rider on the watercraft to monitor activities taking place behind the watercraft. The watercraft includes a contoured rear seat that is wider than the front seat. The wider surface area provides riders with the ability to quickly turn and look behind the watercraft. The rear seat also includes several handles or grips to provide added stability to a watercraft rider.

An internal combustion engine, which can be disposed in a water vehicle, includes an exhaust system having features improving the performance, ease of manufacturing, and / or the water preclusive effects thereof. The exhaust system can include an exhaust manifold defining a plurality of exhaust runners and being made from at least two parts. The exhaust system can also include a plurality of individual exhaust passages extending from exhaust ports of the engine to a forward end of the engine. The exhaust system can also include an exhaust passage which extends from the exhaust ports to varying elevations relative to the exhaust ports, as well as other features.

A watercraft includes a number of subassemblies, including an inflatable hull, a drive system, a battery, a seat assembly and a steering and thrust control. Each of the subassemblies of may be of one or more particular designs which are detailed herein. A watercraft in accordance with the teaching herein may use one or more of these designs and each such watercraft is within the scope of this disclosure.

An improved exhaust system for a marine engine utilizes a catalyst positioned within the exhaust system to maximize engine performance while minimizing the deterioration of catalyst. The exhaust system includes an exhaust manifold, an expansion chamber, a water trap and an exhaust pipe connecting the expansion chamber to the water trap. The exhaust pipe includes a catalyst chamber that houses the catalyst in such a way as to minimize the collection of water in the catalyst chamber as well as to inhibit a back flow of water to the catalyst chamber. The expansion chamber and the exhaust pipe are preferably fixed to the body of the engine to reduce vibration generated by the passage of the exhaust gases through the exhaust system.

An improved mounting assembly for a steering shaft on a watercraft, which increases the strength and stability of the steering assembly while significantly reducing the manufacturing complexity of the watercraft. The mounting assembly comprises an elongated body having at least a first and second bearing surface, these bearing surfaces rotatably supporting the steering shaft within the elongated body. The elongated body is further attached to a mounting flange, with the mounting flange being attached to the steering column platform which is secured to the upper or lower hull of the watercraft. The disclosed steering operator mounting assembly further significantly reduces or eliminates the corrosive effects of water and / or salt on the components of the steering assembly most susceptible to such corrosion, such as the bowden-wire cable assembly.

A watercraft includes an engine output control device that can adjust the maximum output of the engine. The output device can be constructed of mechanical devices for adjusting the relationship between the movement of a throttle lever and a throttle valve, an electronic device for proportionally controlling the position of throttle valves in relation to the movement of the throttle lever, are other devices for controlling engine speeds in other ways.

A multiple-cylinder engine for a planing water vehicle includes an operation control device which changes the number of deactivated cylinders step by step in response to an engine speed when the engine speed exceeds a preset speed. The operation control device can have a plurality of cylinder deactivation order maps used for instructing an increment order of cylinders which are deactivated step by step when the engine speed exceeds the preset speed. The operation control device can exchange one of the cylinder deactivation order maps which is currently used for another one of the maps in accordance with an operation state of the engine.

Steering-force detection sections, including a pressure-receiving section and a received-pressure detection section, are spaced from one another in the vicinity of a steering shaft. The steering shaft can include a pressing member for applying pressure to the pressure-receiving section when steering handlebars are rotated in either direction to the maximum steering angle. The pressure-receiving section and the received-pressure detection section are coaxially mounted in a pressure-receiving section casing and a detection section casing, respectively, through a guide tube, so that the pressure-receiving directions of both the pressure-receiving sections are parallel to one another and perpendicular to the direction in which the steering-force detection sections are spaced. The detection section casing includes mounting openings for mounting the received-pressure detecting sections and an electric circuit board, which is integrally connected to the received-pressure detecting sections. The mounting openings are formed in the same direction as each other and perpendicularly to the pressure-receiving direction of the pressure-receiving section.

A personal watercraft includes a catalytic exhaust system in order to reduce discharge of pollutants. The exhaust system includes an exhaust passage and a catalyzer that is located within an expansion chamber of the exhaust passage. A water jacket is provided adjacent the expansion chamber and a portion of water from the water jacket merges with the exhaust pipe at a merge point downstream from the catalyzer. The distance within the exhaust passage between an exhaust port of a combustion chamber and the front of the catalyzer and from the rear of the catalyzer to the coolant-exhaust merge point is such that a pressure wave from the combustion chamber reflects back from downstream of the catalyzer carries an exhaust / water mixture from the merge point upstream across the catalyst, thereby cooling the catalyzer. Also, an insertion port disposed in the exhaust system upstream of the catalyzer injects cooling water into the exhaust system, thus cooling the exhaust gases and the catalyzer.

A small planing boat can include a multi-cylinder engine, and a propulsion unit driven by the engine, such as a jet pump, for propelling a hull by drawing up and jetting out water. The engine can be configured to change the number of deactivated cylinders in a phased manner corresponding to an engine speed when the engine speed becomes a prescribed speed or more, and can include memory devices for storing a plurality of cylinder deactivation sequence schedules for determining sequences of cylinders that are deactivated and increasing the number of deactivated cylinders in a phased manner. An operation control device configured to deactivate the cylinders of the engine in a phased manner in accordance with the cylinder deactivation sequence schedules stored in the memory devices. The operation control device shifts the cylinder deactivation sequence schedules to be read out from the memory devices to another cylinder deactivation sequence schedule corresponding to an operational state of the engine.

A round boat has a one-piece, open-topped hull having a substantially flat bottom and outwardly concave but substantially vertical sides surmounted by flared gunnels. The concave sides mate with the inner walls of a toroidal-shaped flotation device, such as an inflated bladder, or tube, which fills the concavity and supports the hull. The tube and the hull are substantially coplanar such that cargo and passengers are supported within the toroidal opening of the tube. The tube and hull may be provided with a covering, or sheath, to help protect the tube from unnecessary wear or damage, and to provide means for replaceable decoration or identification. At least one seat is mounted to and projects radially inward from the gunnels to center the weight of a passenger above the hull, thereby increasing stability of the boat with the added weight of each additional passenger. The seat may include a swivel for convenience of movement. Also mounted to the gunnels and projecting radially outward over the tube, motor mount means supports a lateral transom for mounting an outboard motor to serve as both propulsion and steering. A tray projecting inward from the motor mount means includes cavities for small articles such as fishing lures, drinks or navigation equipment. A battery compartment mounted on the hull floor provides propulsion energy. A two-person boat as described is light weight and can be lifted by one person and rolled on its side for loading and unloading. The tube may be deflated for storage.

Personal watercraft having extruded rigid rub rails that can be curved in vertical and horizontal dimensions to provide complex geometries in watercraft. One rub rail has a pair of resilient opposed converging wings extending outwardly from the rub rail to form an open channel along the rub rail length. A first bottom lip can extend inwardly to hug the downwardly facing surface of the top deck. A second lip can curve upward and inward beneath the first inwardly extending bottom lip. The second lip can provide an increased ability to hug sharp horizontally curved corners of the watercraft without wrinkling, for example, the rear corners of the watercraft. The rub rail can be both vertically and horizontally curved in the same region and be affixed to a vertical bond flange. In some personal watercraft, the rub rail is formed of a rigid material having a Shore A hardness of at least about 90. The complex geometries of some rub rails are created by heating the rub rail, securing the rub rail to a forming jig or fixture, and allowing the rub rail to cool. The cooled rub rail can thus have the preformed, complex geometry of the top deck to which it is to be affixed, while having a transverse profile than cannot be made by injection molding.

A personal watercraft including a hull and at least two pontoons repositionably attached to the hull with at least one pontoon attached proximate the starboard side and at least one pontoon attached proximate the port side. The pontoons are laterally and longitudinally repositionable as between a storage position in which the pontoons are generally longitudinally aligned relative to the hull and have a minimized lateral distance between the pontoons, and a flotation position in which the pontoons are shifted aft relative to the longitudinally aligned storage position and have a maximized lateral distance between the pontoons.Also, a personal watercraft having one or both of (i) a pair of laterally spaced hitch attachments secured to the hull proximate the bow of the hull, and / or (ii) a pair of laterally spaced hitch attachments secured to the hull proximate the stern of the hull 20. This aspect of the personal watercraft permits the personal watercraft to be used with various accessories such as a towing attachment, a wheeled attachment, a transom, an interconnecting linkage and a supplemental decking attachment.

An improved cushioning apparatus on a watercraft enhances the comfort of the ride, reduce rider fatigue, and cushion impact forces experienced by the watercraft hull, while allowing for convenient and easy access to various engine components for maintenance and repair of the engine. The cushioning apparatus absorbs at least a portion of any impact force which the rider experienced from the hull, as well as provides at least one degree of movement between the seated rider and the hull in order to cushion such impact forces. The cushioning apparatus may also isolate the rider, at least to some degree, from vibrations experienced by the hull. In one mode, the cushioning apparatus is connected to the watercraft by quick-disconnect fittings, which allow the seat and support frame to be easily moved away from an engine access opening for maintenance of the engine. Furthermore, a quick-access opening is disclosed which allows a rider to access various engine components without requiring that the cushioning apparatus be disconnected from the watercraft. Moreover, the cushioning apparatus increases the convenience and stability of the watercraft for heavier load conditions such as when multiple riders are riding on the watercraft.

A watercraft has a pivoting, shock absorbing component that absorbs forces applied to its hull. The watercraft includes a hull, a deck coupled to the hull, an engine, and a jet propulsion system movably coupled to the engine. In one embodiment, a forward hull portion couples to the deck and a rearward hull portion movably couples to the deck and / or the forward hull portion. The jet propulsion system mounts to the rearward hull portion, while the engine mounts to the deck. A suspension element is disposed between the hull rear portion and either the deck or the hull forward portion. In another embodiment, the hull and deck are movably coupled to each other.

A small watercraft includes an improved fuel supply system that is configured and arranged to provide a compact engine design while promoting air cooling of at least a portion of the fuel supply system. In one mode, a fuel pump of the system is at least partially located within an air flow path between an outlet of an air duct and an inlet of the engine induction system. The air flow cools the fuel pump to reduce its operating temperature. As a result, the durability and performance of the fuel pump is improved despite the fuel pump lying in close proximity to the engine's exhaust system. Shock-absorbent mounts also couple at least a portion of the fuel supply system (e.g., the fuel pump and a fuel delivery rail) to the hull of the watercraft. These fuel system components consequently experience lessened impact when the watercraft skips over the body of water on which it is planing, and are thus less susceptible to breakage.

A personal flying water jet apparatus consisting of two towing connected units: one is a floating platform, mainly an inflatable Ski Tube (12A) (and so on), equipped with water jet nozzles (18) directed downward and mounted on both sides by means of brackets (20); the other is an inlet port (24) fixed on a tow line (16) and connected with nozzles (18) by mean of a hose (22). While the tube is being towed, the kinetic head appears and pressurized water is discharged at the nozzles (18) producing a thrust, so the rider (10) will fly. An additional version of the apparatus is: the nozzle (18) can be fixed on the rider's (10) back, so this lifting assembly performs like a Backpack, but the floating platform can be made in the shape of a life jacket (12B).

A trim operating lever device is disclosed which can downwardly or vertically swing a nozzle capable of adjusting the jet direction of jet water. When the trim operating lever is gripped with a finger of the hand which is gripping the steering handle, a lever of the lever lock means can be substantially simultaneously operated with the finger, to effect locking. Therefore, the number of operations by the left hand necessary for swinging the nozzle is reduced. Also, because the trim operating lever makes it possible to enlarge the operating force, the nozzle can be swung quickly.

A hull and seat assembly configured to be easily installed, secured and operated on production stand up PWC. The hull assembly (21) increases buoyancy and stability sufficient for multi-rider sit down operation while maintaining peak performance geometry. The arrangement of the hull provides rider foot wells (30,31), allows it to be fabricated and installed in one piece, and provides unobstructed water jet flow and turning capability. The seat assembly (81) provides a tandem seat for multiple riders, positions the handle pole and provides a platform (29) that eases boarding from deep water. The seat assembly fills the stand up foot well and extends rear of the transom for increased longitudinal stability. Storage space is provided in both the hull (53) and seat assemblies (66). The connection strategy concurrently secures the hull (21), seat (81) and PWC (26) together with one releasable fastener (70) and is arranged to be fail safe.

The present invention is a docking system for personal watercraft such as a Jet Ski which docking system is moored to the shore by at least one stake which permit the dock to float several feet away from the shore. The present invention docking system has a shape which is conformed to the shape of the personal watercraft with the method of having a rolling means on a rope stretched across the entrance to the dock so that the dock itself is pulled adjacent the sides of the personal watercraft as it enters the slip so that the personal watercraft will not bang against other personal watercraft and is snugly retained within the dock. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the dock comprises an island which maintains a multiplicity of personal watercraft at 90 degrees to each other so that a multiplicity of personal watercraft can be moored at the same time and moored in a configuration so that they will not hit each other.

A vehicle including an engine, a fuel tank configured to store a fuel supplied to the engine, a fuel gauge configured to detect a fuel level of the fuel inside the fuel tank, and a tilting detector configured to determine whether or not a body of the vehicle is tilted, based on a signal output from the fuel gauge.

A lubrication system for an internal combustion engine includes an oil pump assembly driven by the crankshaft. The oil pump can be mounted in various positions for maintaining a low center of gravity of the engine. Optionally, or in addition, the engine can include a bearing disposed between a valvetrain drive gear and an output drive gear.