IP Library Granted Patent US 11,319,034
Granted Patent B1
US 11,319,034 · App. 17/085,222 · Granted May 3, 2022

Personal watercraft

Inventors: Toshio Araki (Kakogawa, JP); Hiroaki Maeda (Kakogawa, JP); Yoshinobu Uozumi (Amagasaki, JP)
Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B63B34/10F02B61/045B63B2029/043B63B2201/08
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,319,034
App. No.
17/085,222
Granted
May 3, 2022
Kind
B1
Abstract

A personal watercraft includes: a watercraft body including a hull and a deck covering an upper portion of the hull; a light emitter supported by the watercraft body; and a protection cover covering the light emitter and permeable to light emitted by the light emitter, wherein the watercraft body includes a flow-regulating structure, and the flow-regulating structure includes: a fluid inlet through which an external fluid enters the watercraft body; and an upper flow-regulating wall and a lower flow-regulating wall that are opposed to each other in an up-down direction, the upper and lower flow-regulating walls being located between the fluid inlet and the protection cover to regulate flow of the fluid entering the watercraft body through the fluid inlet and moving toward the protection cover.

Claims (53)

1. A personal watercraft comprising:

a watercraft body comprising a hull and a deck covering an upper portion of the hull;

a light emitter supported by the watercraft body; and

a protection cover covering the light emitter and permeable to light emitted by the light emitter, wherein

the watercraft body comprises a flow-regulating structure, and

the flow-regulating structure comprises:

a fluid inlet through which an external fluid enters the watercraft body; and

an upper flow-regulating wall and a lower flow-regulating wall that are opposed to each other in an up-down direction, the upper and lower flow-regulating walls being located between the fluid inlet and the protection cover to regulate flow of the fluid entering the watercraft body through the fluid inlet and moving toward the protection cover.

2. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein the flow-regulating structure is located around the protection cover and configured to project in a horizontal direction toward an outside of the watercraft body and surround a periphery of the protection cover.

3. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein

the watercraft body comprises an overhang projecting toward an outside of the watercraft body, and

the overhang comprises:

an overhang lower portion included in the upper flow-regulating wall; and

an overhang upper portion connected to a front end of the overhang lower portion and lying above the overhang lower portion, the overhang upper portion extending obliquely upward from the front end of the overhang lower portion toward an inside of the watercraft body to cover an upper portion of the protection cover.

4. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein

the protection cover has an outer surface facing toward the fluid inlet, and

an angle of inclination of the outer surface with respect to a vertical direction is 10 degrees or less when the watercraft body is at rest on water.

5. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein

the watercraft body comprises a bumper covering a region where the hull and the deck are connected, and

the flow-regulating structure is provided in the bumper.

6. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein

the flow-regulating structure is located at a front end portion of the watercraft body,

the protection cover has an outer surface facing toward the fluid inlet, and

the outer surface extends rearward with increasing distance from a center plane diving the watercraft body into right and left halves.

7. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a handle located above the deck; and

a straddle seat located rearward of the handle, wherein

the light emitter and the protection cover are located below the highest point of an upper surface of the straddle seat in side view.

8. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , further comprising a base located between the light emitter and the watercraft body and connecting the light emitter and the protection cover to the watercraft body, wherein

the light emitter, the protection cover, and the base are integrated into a light unit.

9. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , further comprising a base located between the light emitter and the watercraft body and connecting the light emitter and the protection cover to the deck, wherein

the deck comprises a mounting wall on which the base is mounted, and

the base is secured to the mounting wall, with a surface of the base in contact with a surface of the mounting wall.

10. The personal watercraft according to claim 9 , wherein

the mounting wall is provided with a through hole, and

the personal watercraft further comprises:

a projecting portion projecting from the base toward an inside of the watercraft body and inserted through the through hole;

a light-side connector provided in the projecting portion and electrically connected to the light emitter;

a watercraft body-side connector located between the hull and the deck in the up-down direction and connected to the light-side connector; and

an electric power supply located between the hull and the deck in the up-down direction, the electric power supply being electrically connected to the watercraft body-side connector to supply electric power to the light emitter through the watercraft body-side connector and the light-side connector.

11. The personal watercraft according to claim 5 , wherein

each of the upper and lower flow-regulating walls has an edge facing toward an inside of the watercraft body, and

a gap is provided between the edge of each of the upper and lower flow-regulating walls and the protection cover.

12. The personal watercraft according to claim 1 , wherein

the flow-regulating structure further comprises a right flow-regulating wall and a left flow-regulating wall that are opposed to each other in a right-left direction, the right and left flow-regulating walls being located between the fluid inlet and the protection cover to regulate flow of the fluid entering the watercraft body through the fluid inlet and moving toward the protection cover.

13. A personal watercraft comprising:

a watercraft body comprising a hull and a deck covering an upper portion of the hull;

a light emitter supported by the watercraft body; and

a protection cover covering the light emitter and permeable to light emitted by the light emitter, wherein

the watercraft body comprises a flow-regulating structure, and

the flow-regulating structure comprises:

a fluid inlet through which an external fluid enters the watercraft body; and

a right flow-regulating wall and a left flow-regulating wall that are opposed to each other in a right-left direction, the right and left flow-regulating walls being located between the fluid inlet and the protection cover to regulate flow of the fluid entering the watercraft body through the fluid inlet and moving toward the protection cover.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 059630/0169 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2020
From: ARAKI, TOSHIO; MAEDA, HIROAKI; UOZUMI, YOSHINOBU
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 054224/0371 →
Cited By (1)
US 12,442,251