IP Library Granted Patent US 11,667,352
Granted Patent B2
US 11,667,352 · App. 16/850,480 · Granted Jun 6, 2023

Foiling watercraft

Inventors: Nicholas Leason (Aguadilla, PR); Alan R. Taylor (Myakka City, FL); Matt Dessig (Sarasota, FL); Christopher Alexander Ruiz (Sarasota, FL)
B63B1/285B63B1/322B63B34/10B63B39/04B63B39/06
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,667,352
App. No.
16/850,480
Granted
Jun 6, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A personal watercraft comprising a body having a seat and a hull, the seat configured to support a user with the body floating in water, a plurality of hydrofoils extending outwards from the body and coupled to a positioning system, the plurality of hydrofoils being configured, in combination, to raise the hull of the personal watercraft above a waterline in the water when the personal watercraft is in use and under the influence of a propulsion force, one or more sensors that provide sensor data of the watercraft during use, a computer-readable medium having a processor and a memory having instructions that, when executed by the processor read the sensor data, and based on the read sensor data, send a signal to the positioning system to adjust the position for at least one of the plurality of hydrofoils.

Claims (32)

1. A personal watercraft comprising:

a body having a seat and a hull, the seat configured to support a user with the body floating in water;

a plurality of hydrofoils extending outwards from the body and coupled to a positioning system, the plurality of hydrofoils being configured, in combination, to raise the hull of the personal watercraft above a waterline in the water when the personal watercraft is in use and under the influence of a propulsion force, the plurality of hydrofoils including two front hydrofoils disposed on opposing sides of a centerline of the hull, each of the two front hydrofoils being J-shaped;

a rear hydrofoil of the plurality of hydrofoils extending from a central portion of the hull, the rear hydrofoil being retractable and extendable relative to the hull;

one or more sensors that provide sensor data of the watercraft during use;

a computer-readable medium having a processor and a memory having instructions that, when executed by the processor:

read the sensor data; and

based on the read sensor data, send a signal to the positioning system to adjust the position for at least one of the plurality of hydrofoils.

2. The personal watercraft of claim 1 , wherein each of the hydrofoils has a strut extending vertically outward away from the body of the personal watercraft and a transverse foil section extending transverse to the strut.

3. The personal watercraft of claim 2 , wherein the transverse section of each hydrofoil extends transverse to the strut.

4. The personal watercraft of claim 3 , wherein the sensor data includes any of speed data, force data, position data, or proximity data.

5. The personal watercraft of claim 1 , wherein the sensor data includes a first data and a second data, wherein the instructions are based on the first data for a first of the plurality of hydrofoils of the plurality of hydrofoils and a second data for a second of the plurality of hydrofoils of the plurality of hydrofoils, the first data being different than the second data, wherein the first data is a first proximity data or force data and the second data is a second proximity data or force data.

6. The personal watercraft of claim 5 , wherein a y-axis extends vertically through the body, an x-axis extends horizontally through the body, and a z-axis extends lengthwise through the body, and the sensor data comprises data that positions each of the plurality of hydrofoils at a different position along at least one of the y-axis, the x-axis, and the z-axis.

7. The personal watercraft of claim 6 , wherein the sensor data comprises data that positions each of the plurality of hydrofoils at a different position along each of the y-axis, the x-axis, and the z-axis.

8. The personal watercraft of claim 6 , wherein the instructions include first and second instructions that correspond to first and second different riding modes for the personal watercraft, the first instructions, when executed, sends a first signal to the positioning system to adjust the position for each of the plurality of hydrofoils based on a first positioning data for each of the plurality of hydrofoils, and the second instructions, when executed, sends a second signal to the positioning system to adjust the position for each of the plurality of hydrofoils based on a second positioning data for each of the plurality of hydrofoils, the first and second positioning data for the first and second riding modes resulting in a different riding experience for the personal watercraft.

9. The personal watercraft of claim 1 , wherein the rear hydrofoil of the plurality of hydrofoils extends outwards from a rear of the body, the rear hydrofoil including a propulsion system and being movable along a y-axis extending vertically through the body.

10. The personal watercraft of claim 1 , further comprising a propulsion system for providing the propulsion force.

11. The personal watercraft of claim 10 , wherein the one or more sensors include a first proximity or force sensor, the first proximity or force sensor configured to provide a portion of the sensor data to the computer-readable medium.

12. A personal watercraft comprising:

a body having a seat and a hull, the seat configured to support a user with the body floating in water;

a plurality of hydrofoils extending outwards from the body and operably coupled to a positioning system including:

a rear hydrofoil extending from a centerline of the hull;

two front hydrofoils extending from the hull disposed on opposing sides of a centerline of the hull, each of the two front hydrofoils being J-shaped, wherein at least one of the rear hydrofoil and the two front hydrofoils includes an adjustable surface;

one or more sensors that provide sensor data of the watercraft during use; and

a processor configured to read the sensor data and adjust the position for at least one of the plurality of hydrofoils.

13. The watercraft of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of hydrofoils includes a strut and a transverse foil section.

14. The watercraft of claim 12 , wherein the processor is configured to read the sensor data and communicate with a servo to rotate the adjustable surface to modify a course of the watercraft.

15. The watercraft of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plurality of hydrofoils is independently retractable and extendable from the hull.

16. The watercraft of claim 12 , wherein the processor independently adjusts each of the plurality of hydrofoils along the y-axis based on a reading of at least one of the position data and the sensor data.

17. The watercraft of claim 12 , wherein the rear hydrofoil includes the adjustable surface.

18. The watercraft of claim 17 , wherein the adjustable surface includes two adjustable surfaces, each adjustable surface disposed on opposite sides of a strut on a trailing surface of the rear hydrofoil.

19. The watercraft of claim 18 , wherein each adjustable surface is configured to control the pitch and roll of the watercraft.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 20, 2020
From: LEASON, NICHOLAS; TAYLOR, ALAN R.; DESSIG, MATT; RUIZ, CHRISTOPHER ALEXANDER
To: MHL CUSTOM, INC.
Reel/Frame 052713/0626 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210323637A1 · Oct 21, 2021
Cited By (8)
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