Personal watercraft

• US 8,751,158 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors Ltd (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited)
• Inventors: Kamio, Kunihiko, Kanamori, Minoru, Ozaki, Atsufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US12/324,748
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: 701/21, 701/213, 701/444, 701/468, 701/491, 701/541, 224/406, 224/408, 224/410, 224/274, 224/401, 224/413, 114 555- 5558
• US Class Current: 701/444
• CPC Class Codes: B63B 34/10 Power-driven personal watercraft, e.g. water scooters water jet propulsion B63H11/00; jet steering B63H25/46; Accessories therefor

Abstract

A personal watercraft includes a handle having a pair of right and left grip portions, and a handle pad configured to cover a region of the handle, the region being located between the pair of grip portions. The handle pad is provided on a surface thereof with an accommodating concave portion configured to accommodate therein a portable information device.

Claims

1. A personal watercraft comprising:

a hull;

a deck covering the hull;

an engine disposed in an inner space defined by the hull and the deck;

a water jet pump driven by the engine and causing an impeller to rotate to obtain a propulsion force;

a handle having a pair of right and left grip portions;

a handle pad configured to cover a region of the handle, the region being located between the pair of grip portions, the handle pad having a hollow shape and being made of elastic resin;

a load absorbing member disposed in an inner space of the handle pad so that the handle pad is configured to effectively absorb a shock generated when a rider bumps against the handle pad during driving of the watercraft;

an electronic control unit configured to control the engine; and

an external connector configured to communicatively couple the electronic control unit to a portable information device accommodated in an accommodating concave portion and configured to receive and transmit GPS based signals from the portable information device to the electronic control unit;

wherein the handle pad is provided on an upper surface thereof with the accommodating concave portion configured to be opposite to the rider and accommodate therein the portable information device detachably such that the portable information device is entirely disposed inside the concave portion of the handle pad and does not protrude outside therefrom; and

the electronic control unit calculates a driving speed from the GPS based signals which is received via the external connector and controls an engine speed of the engine such that the driving speed is not higher than a predetermined upper limit value.

2. The personal watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the accommodating concave portion is provided with a mounting portion configured to detachably fasten the portable information device.

3. The personal watercraft according to claim 2, wherein the mounting portion includes a threaded hole.

4. The personal watercraft according to claim 2, wherein the mounting portion includes a case fastened to the handle pad.

5. The personal watercraft according to claim 2, wherein the mounting portion includes a hook-and-loop fastener.

6. The personal watercraft according to claim 2, wherein the mounting portion includes a band mounting portion.

7. The personal watercraft according to claim 1;

wherein the accommodating concave portion has a bottom wall portion, and side wall portions extending from right and left sides of the bottom wall portion; and

wherein the accommodating concave portion is configured to open in a normal line direction of a surface of the bottom wall portion and to open in a direction perpendicular to the normal line direction which is perpendicular to a rightward and leftward direction.

8. The personal watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the accommodating concave portion has a bottom wall portion, and side wall portions extending substantially vertically from a periphery of the bottom wall portion so as to surround the portable information device.

9. The personal watercraft according to claim 1, further comprising a shock absorber provided between the handle and a body of the personal watercraft.