Method of controlling a personal watercraft
First Claim
Patent Images
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 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 at least one passenger seating portion; 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 at least one passenger seating portion;
the control unit preventing at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value in response to the signal received from the at least one sensor being indicative of the presence of a passenger on the at least one passenger seating portion;
the at least one performance characteristic including at least one of a torque output of the engine, a rate of change of the torque output, an acceleration of the watercraft, and a rate of change of the acceleration of the watercraft; and
the predetermined value being a corresponding one of a predetermined torque output of the engine, a predetermined rate of change of the torque output, a predetermined acceleration of the watercraft, and a predetermined rate of change of the acceleration of the watercraft.
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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.
31 Citations
25 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 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 at least one passenger seating portion; 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 at least one passenger seating portion; the control unit preventing at least one performance characteristic of the watercraft from exceeding a predetermined value in response to the signal received from the at least one sensor being indicative of the presence of a passenger on the at least one passenger seating portion; the at least one performance characteristic including at least one of a torque output of the engine, a rate of change of the torque output, an acceleration of the watercraft, and a rate of change of the acceleration of the watercraft; and the predetermined value being a corresponding one of a predetermined torque output of the engine, a predetermined rate of change of the torque output, a predetermined acceleration of the watercraft, and a predetermined rate of change of the acceleration of the watercraft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of controlling a personal watercraft having a driver seating portion for receiving a driver and at least one passenger seating portion for receiving at least one passenger, the method 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 at least one passenger seating portion; 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 in response to the signal received from the at least one sensor being indicative of a presence of a passenger on the at least one passenger seating portion; 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; the at least one performance characteristic including at least one of a torque output of an engine of the watercraft, a rate of change of the torque output, an acceleration of the watercraft, and a rate of change of the acceleration of the watercraft; and the predetermined value is a corresponding one of a predetermined torque output of the engine, a predetermined rate of change of the torque output, a predetermined acceleration of the watercraft, and a predetermined rate of change of the acceleration of the watercraft. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. 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; displaying information on a display cluster when the control unit is in the first control mode; causing the control unit to enter a second control mode from the first control mode in response to both; a first signal received from at least one driver-actuated switch of the watercraft, and the information having been displayed for a predetermined period of time; 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 (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification