Method of decelerating a watercraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9517826-B1
Application number	US-201514611414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 2, 2015
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

A method of decelerating a watercraft is disclosed. The watercraft has a hull, a deck, a seat, a motor connected to at least one of the hull and the deck, a jet propulsion system operatively connected to the motor, and a reverse gate connected to at least one of the hull and the jet propulsion system. The reverse gate is movable between at least a stowed position and a deceleration position. The method has the steps of: receiving a deceleration signal; moving the reverse gate toward the deceleration position in response to receiving the deceleration signal; as the reverse gate is moving toward the deceleration position, increasing a thrust request at an intermediate position of the reverse gate, the intermediate position being intermediate the stowed and decelerations positions; and increasing the speed of the motor in response to increasing the thrust request.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of decelerating a watercraft, the watercraft having a hull, a deck disposed on the hull, a seat disposed on the deck, a motor connected to at least one of the hull and the deck, a jet propulsion system operatively connected to the motor, and a reverse gate connected to at least one of the hull and the jet propulsion system, the reverse gate being movable between at least a stowed position and a deceleration position, the method comprising:
receiving a deceleration signal;
moving the reverse gate toward the deceleration position in response to receiving the deceleration signal;
as the reverse gate is moving toward the deceleration position, increasing a thrust request at an intermediate position of the reverse gate, the intermediate position being intermediate the stowed and deceleration positions; and
increasing the speed of the motor in response to increasing the thrust request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate position is a position between 10 degrees above a middle position of the reverse gate and 20 degrees below the middle position of the reverse gate, the middle position of the reverse gate being halfway between a fully stowed position and a fully lowered position of the reverse gate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate position is between the stowed position and a neutral position.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
reducing the thrust request upon receiving the deceleration signal prior to moving the reverse gate toward the deceleration position;
reducing a speed of the motor in response to the reduction of the thrust request;
wherein moving the reverse gate toward the deceleration position includes moving the reverse gate toward the deceleration position once the speed of the motor is reduced at or below a reverse gate actuation speed; and
further comprising continuing to reduce the speed of the motor as the reverse gate moves toward the intermediate position.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein reducing the thrust request includes reducing the thrust request to an idle thrust request.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein increasing the speed of the motor in response to increasing the thrust request includes increasing the speed of the motor to a watercraft deceleration speed, the watercraft deceleration speed being greater than an idle speed of the motor and less than the reverse gate actuation speed.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the speed of the motor reaches the watercraft deceleration speed at a position of the reverse gate that is between a neutral position of the reverse gate and the deceleration position.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the deceleration signal is indicative of an actuation of a deceleration device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the deceleration device is a lever.

10. A watercraft comprising:
a hull;
a deck disposed on the hull;
a seat disposed on the deck;
a motor connected to one of the hull and the deck;
a jet propulsion system operatively connected to the motor;
an electronic control unit (ECU) communicating with the motor for controlling an operation of the motor;
a motor speed sensor for sensing a rotational speed of the motor and being in communication with the ECU;
a reverse gate operatively connected to at least one of the hull and the jet propulsion system, the reverse gate being movable between at least a stowed position and a deceleration position;
a reverse gate actuator operatively connected to the reverse gate for moving the reverse gate between at least the stowed position and the deceleration position, and being in communication with the ECU;
a deceleration device position sensor in communication with the ECU; and
a deceleration device connected to the deceleration device position sensor, the deceleration device position sensor sensing a position of the deceleration device,
the ECU being configured to, upon receiving a deceleration signal indicative of an actuation of the deceleration device from the deceleration device position sensor:
send an actuation signal to the reverse gate actuator to move the reverse gate toward the deceleration position; and
as the reverse gate is moving toward the deceleration position, increase the thrust request at an intermediate position of the reverse gate to increase the speed of the motor, the intermediate position being intermediate the stowed and deceleration positions.

11. The watercraft of claim 10 , wherein the intermediate position is a position between 10 degrees above a middle position of the reverse gate and 20 degrees below the middle position of the reverse gate, the middle position of the reverse gate being halfway between a fully stowed and a fully lowered position of the reverse gate.

12. The watercraft of claim 10 , wherein the intermediate position is between the stowed position and a neutral position.

13. The watercraft of claim 10 , wherein the ECU is further configured to, upon receiving the deceleration signal:
reduce the thrust request, prior to sending the actuation signal, to reduce the speed of the motor, and
send the actuation signal once a motor speed signal received from the motor speed sensor indicates that the speed of the motor is at or below a reverse gate actuation speed,
the motor speed continuing to reduce as the reverse gate moves toward the reverse gate position.

14. The watercraft of claim 13 , wherein the ECU is configured to reduce the thrust request to an idle thrust request upon receiving the deceleration signal.

15. The watercraft of claim 13 , wherein the ECU is configured to increase the speed of the motor to a watercraft deceleration speed in response to the increase of the thrust request, the watercraft deceleration speed being greater than an idle speed of the motor and less than the reverse gate actuation speed.

16. The watercraft of claim 15 , wherein the ECU is configured to increase the speed of the motor to the watercraft deceleration speed such that the motor reaches the watercraft deceleration speed between a neutral position of the reverse gate and the deceleration position.

17. The watercraft of claim 10 , wherein the deceleration device is a lever.

18. The watercraft of claim 10 , further comprising a motor compartment defined between the hull and the deck, the motor being disposed in the motor compartment.

19. The watercraft of claim 10 , further comprising a handlebar connected to the deck;
wherein the deceleration device is mounted to the handlebar, and
wherein the seat is a straddle seat.

20. The watercraft of claim 10 , wherein the reverse gate actuator is an electric motor.

Assignees

• Bombardier Recreational Products Inc

Inventors

• Leblond Mathieu

Classifications

• B63B34/10

  Power-driven personal watercraft, e.g. water scooters (water jet propulsion B63H11/00; jet steering B63H25/46); Accessories therefor · CPC title

• B63H11/113

  Pivoted outlet · CPC title

• B63H21/21 Primary

  Control means for engine or transmission, specially adapted for use on marine vessels · CPC title

• B63B35/731

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B63H2021/216

  using electric control means · CPC title