METHOD OF CONTROLLING A PERSONAL WATERCRAFT
First Claim
1. A personal watercraft comprising:
- a watercraft body having;
a hull; and
a deck disposed on the hull;
an engine supported by the hull;
a jet propulsion system supported by the hull and operatively connected to the engine to propel the watercraft;
at least one straddle-type seat supported on the deck, the at least one seat including a driver seating portion for receiving a driver and at least one passenger seating portion for receiving at least one passenger;
a steering device disposed generally forwardly of the driver seating portion for steering the watercraft;
at least one sensor disposed on the watercraft for detecting at least one of a presence and an absence of a passenger on the watercraft; and
a control unit electrically connected to the at least one sensor, the control unit controlling an operation of the watercraft, the control unit entering a first control mode in response to a signal received from the at least one sensor indicative of the presence of a passenger on the watercraft;
wherein the control unit prevents at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value when in the first control mode.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A personal watercraft comprises at least one seat including a driver seating portion and at least one passenger seating portion. At least one sensor is disposed on the watercraft for detecting at least one of a presence and an absence of a passenger on the watercraft. A control unit is electrically connected to the at least one sensor. The control unit enters a first control mode in response to a signal received from the at least one sensor indicative of the presence of a passenger on the watercraft. The control unit prevents at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value when in the first control mode.
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Citations
36 Claims
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1. A personal watercraft comprising:
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a watercraft body having; a hull; and a deck disposed on the hull; an engine supported by the hull; a jet propulsion system supported by the hull and operatively connected to the engine to propel the watercraft; at least one straddle-type seat supported on the deck, the at least one seat including a driver seating portion for receiving a driver and at least one passenger seating portion for receiving at least one passenger; a steering device disposed generally forwardly of the driver seating portion for steering the watercraft; at least one sensor disposed on the watercraft for detecting at least one of a presence and an absence of a passenger on the watercraft; and a control unit electrically connected to the at least one sensor, the control unit controlling an operation of the watercraft, the control unit entering a first control mode in response to a signal received from the at least one sensor indicative of the presence of a passenger on the watercraft; wherein the control unit prevents at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value when in the first control mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of controlling a personal watercraft, comprising:
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causing a control unit to enter a first control mode in response to a signal received from at least one sensor indicative of a presence of a passenger on the watercraft; causing the control unit to enter a second control mode in response to an other signal when the control unit is in the first control mode; preventing at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value while the control unit is in the first control mode; and allowing the at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft to exceed the predetermined value while the control unit is in the second control mode. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22)
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23. A personal watercraft comprising:
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a watercraft body having; a hull; and a deck disposed on the hull; an engine supported by the hull; a jet propulsion system supported by the hull and operatively connected to the engine to propel the watercraft; at least one straddle-type seat supported on the deck, the at least one seat including a driver seating portion for receiving a driver and at least one passenger seating portion for receiving at least one passenger; a steering device disposed generally forwardly of the driver seating portion for steering the watercraft; a control unit electrically connected to the engine, the control unit controlling an operation of the watercraft, the control unit entering a first control mode at engine start-up; and at least one switch disposed on the watercraft body, the at least one switch being electrically connected to the control unit, actuation of the at least one switch when the control unit is in the first control mode causing the control unit to enter a second control mode, wherein the control unit prevents at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value when in the first control mode, and wherein the control unit allows the at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft to exceed the predetermined value when in the second control mode. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A method of controlling a personal watercraft, comprising:
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causing a control unit to enter a first control mode at engine start-up; causing the control unit to enter a second control mode in response to a first signal received from at least one driver-actuated switch of the watercraft when the control unit is in the first control mode; preventing at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value while the control unit is in the first control mode; and allowing the at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft to exceed the predetermined value while the control unit is in the second control mode. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification