Water jet propulsion watercraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9630698-B2
Application number	US-201514708379-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2015
Priority date	Jul 6, 2011
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

A water jet propulsion watercraft includes an exhaust passage, a catalyst member, a water lock, a first oxygen sensor, and a second oxygen sensor. The exhaust passage guides exhaust gas from an engine to an exterior of a hull of the watercraft. The catalyst member is arranged inside the exhaust passage. The water lock is arranged in the exhaust passage downstream of the catalyst member. The first oxygen sensor is arranged in the exhaust passage upstream of the catalyst member. The second oxygen sensor is arranged in the exhaust passage at a position downstream of the catalyst member and upstream of the water lock.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water jet propulsion watercraft comprising:
a hull;
an engine housed in the hull, the engine including a plurality of exhaust ports;
a jet propulsion unit arranged to be driven by the engine and configured to draw in water from around the hull and jet the water out;
an exhaust passage configured to guide exhaust gas from the engine to an exterior of the hull;
a catalytic converter unit including a catalyst member arranged in a catalyst housing of the exhaust passage;
a water lock arranged in the exhaust passage downstream of the catalyst member;
a first oxygen sensor arranged in the exhaust passage upstream of the catalyst member; and
a second oxygen sensor arranged in the exhaust passage at a position downstream of the catalyst member and upstream of the water lock; wherein
the exhaust passage includes a first pipe body arranged to face a side surface of the engine and configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the watercraft;
the first oxygen sensor or the second oxygen sensor is arranged at a position higher than a widthwise oriented centerline of the first pipe body and closer to the engine in a widthwise direction of the watercraft than a vertically oriented centerline of the first pipe body when the first pipe body is viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to an axial centerline of the first pipe body;
an axial centerline of the catalyst housing extends in the widthwise direction of the watercraft; and
the catalyst housing is located rearward of the engine.

2. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a pipe section in which the second oxygen sensor is installed; and
an axial centerline of the pipe section is not parallel to an axial centerline of the water lock.

3. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a first pipe section in which the second oxygen sensor is installed and a second pipe section that is positioned downstream of the first pipe section and upstream of the water lock; and
an axial centerline of the first pipe section is not parallel to an axial centerline of the second pipe section.

4. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a decreasing diameter section that is positioned downstream of the catalyst member and has a cross-sectional area that decreases as the decreasing diameter section extends in a downstream direction; and
the second oxygen sensor is arranged in the decreasing diameter section or downstream of the decreasing diameter section in the exhaust passage.

5. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein
the exhaust passage includes an exhaust manifold connected to the engine;
the exhaust manifold includes a plurality of branch pipes connected to the plurality of exhaust ports and a collector pipe connected to the branch pipes; and
the branch pipes are configured to extend in a horizontal direction from the exhaust ports.

6. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein
the exhaust passage includes an exhaust manifold connected to the engine;
the exhaust manifold includes a plurality of branch pipes connected to the plurality of exhaust ports and a collector pipe including a plurality of connection openings connected to the branch pipes;
the branch pipes are configured to extend laterally from the plurality of exhaust ports;
the collector pipe is configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the watercraft along a side of the engine; and
the first oxygen sensor is installed in the collector pipe and is positioned in a region including a connection opening that is positioned farthest downstream among the plurality of connection openings or at a position downstream of the region.

7. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a first exhaust pipe that connects the engine and the catalytic converter unit;
the first exhaust pipe includes a flexible pipe section; and
the first oxygen sensor is positioned upstream of the flexible pipe section in the first exhaust pipe.

8. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a first exhaust pipe connected to the engine, the catalytic converter unit is connected to the first exhaust pipe, and a second exhaust pipe connects the catalytic converter unit and the water lock together; and
bottom portions of internal surfaces of the first exhaust pipe, the catalytic converter unit, and the second exhaust pipe are configured such that there are no portions that slope upward in a downstream direction.

9. The water jet propulsion watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the catalyst member has a longitudinal centerline extending in the longitudinal direction of the watercraft, and the first oxygen sensor and the second oxygen sensor are arranged on opposing sides of the longitudinal centerline of the catalyst member.

10. A water jet propulsion unit comprising:
an engine including a plurality of exhaust ports;
a jet propulsion unit arranged to be driven by the engine and configured to draw in water and jet the water out;
an exhaust passage configured to guide exhaust gas from the engine;
a catalytic converter unit including a catalyst member arranged in a catalyst housing of the exhaust passage;
a water lock arranged in the exhaust passage downstream of the catalyst member;
a first oxygen sensor arranged in the exhaust passage upstream of the catalyst member; and
a second oxygen sensor arranged in the exhaust passage at a position downstream of the catalyst member and upstream of the water lock; wherein
the exhaust passage includes a first pipe body arranged to face a side surface of the engine and configured to extend in a longitudinal direction of the water jet propulsion unit;
the first oxygen sensor or the second oxygen sensor is arranged at a position higher than a widthwise oriented centerline of the first pipe body and closer to the engine in a widthwise direction of the water jet propulsion unit than a vertically oriented centerline of the first pipe body when the first pipe body is viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to an axial centerline of the first pipe body;
an axial centerline of the catalyst housing extends in the widthwise direction of the water jet propulsion unit; and
the catalyst housing is located rearward of the engine.

11. The water jet propulsion unit according to claim 10 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a pipe section in which the second oxygen sensor is installed; and
an axial centerline of the pipe section is not parallel to an axial centerline of the water lock.

12. The water jet propulsion unit according to claim 10 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a first pipe section in which the second oxygen sensor is installed and a second pipe section that is positioned downstream of the first pipe section and upstream of the water lock; and
an axial centerline of the first pipe section is not parallel to an axial centerline of the second pipe section.

13. The water jet propulsion unit according to claim 10 , wherein the exhaust passage includes a decreasing diameter section that is positioned downstream of the catalyst member and has a cross-sectional area that decreases as the decreasing diameter section extends in a downstream direction; and
the second oxygen sensor is arranged in the decreasing diameter section or downstream of the decreasing diameter section in the exhaust passage.

14. The water jet propulsion unit according to claim 10

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morota Koichiro
• Kinoshita Yoshimasa

Classifications

• B63H21/32 Primary

  Arrangements of propulsion power-unit exhaust uptakes; Funnels peculiar to vessels · CPC title

• F01N13/10

  of exhaust manifolds {(with cooling jacket F01N3/046)} · CPC title

• F02B61/04

  for driving propellers · CPC title

• F01N13/12

  specially adapted for submerged exhausting · CPC title

• F01N2560/025

  for measuring or detecting O2, e.g. lambda sensors · CPC title