Marine propulsion – Means for accomodating or moving engine fluids – Cooling for engine
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-30
2004-04-27
Sotelo, Jesus D. (Department: 3617)
Marine propulsion
Means for accomodating or moving engine fluids
Cooling for engine
C114S055500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06726514
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present nonprovisional application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-335611 filed on Oct. 31, 2001 the entire contents thereof is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a personal watercraft in which a saddle type seat is provided at approximately a central portion of a body, an engine is mounted under the seat with its axial line extending in the longitudinal direction of the body, and respective intake pipes communicate with a plurality of cylinders provided in the engine and extend from a side surface of the engine.
2. Description of Background Art
Personal watercrafts of this type have been known, for example, from Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 8-48287 entitled “Personal Planing Watercraft.” The personal watercraft will be hereinafter described in detail with reference to the
FIG. 13
that corresponds to
FIG. 1
of the above document. It is to be noted that parts of the personal watercraft in the following drawing are denoted by new reference numerals.
FIG. 13
is a sectional view of a related art personal watercraft. A personal watercraft
100
includes, at approximately a central portion of a deck
101
, left and right side walls
102
and
103
. A saddle-type seat
104
is provided on upper ends of the left and right side walls
102
and
103
. An engine
105
is provided under the seat
104
with its axial line extending in the longitudinal direction of a body
106
. Cylinders
105
a
. . . (symbol “ . . . ” indicates a plural number) in the engine
105
are tilted rightwardly, to largely expand a left side space
107
located on the left side of the engine
105
. Intake system components
108
are provided in the left side space
107
. With this configuration, the intake system components
108
can be prevented from protruding largely on the left side of a center
106
a
of the body
106
.
By preventing the intake system components
108
from protruding largely on the left side of the center
106
a
of the body
106
, a distance between the left and right side walls
102
and
103
on the deck
101
can be reduced in size. As a result, a driver can keep a natural posture when sitting astride the saddle-type seat
104
with his or her feet resting on foot-rest portions
101
a.
The intake system components
108
are mainly composed of air funnels
108
a
. . . , an intake silencer
108
b
, and an intake pipe
108
c
. The intake silencer
108
b
is in communication with the cylinders
105
a
. . . via the air funnels
108
a
. . . , and the intake pipe
108
c
is in communication with the intake silencer
108
b.
According to the intake system components
108
, air sucked in the intake pipe
108
c
via an air suction port
108
d
of the intake pipe
108
c
is directed to the intake silencer
108
b
, and the air led in the intake silencer
108
b
is introduced into the cylinders
105
a
. . . via the air funnels
108
a . . .
According to this configuration of the related art personal watercraft, however, the intake pipe
108
c
extends rearwardly from a rear wall of the intake silencer
108
b
and also extends in the horizontal direction toward the center
106
a
of the body
106
. A connection lower end
108
e
, at which the intake pipe
108
c
is connected to the rear wall of the intake silencer
108
b
is positioned over a bottom surface
108
f
of the intake silencer
108
b.
Accordingly, if sea water or other water penetrates into the intake silencer
108
b
, the water possibly remains in the intake system components
108
, particularly, in the intake silencer
108
b.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a personal watercraft capable of preventing sea water or other water from remaining in intake system components.
To solve the above-described problem, according to the present invention, there is provided a personal watercraft, in which a saddle-type seat is disposed at approximately a central portion of a body. An engine is mounted under the seat with an axial line of a crankshaft of the engine extending in the longitudinal direction of the body. A plurality of cylinders are provided in the engine that extend along the longitudinal direction of the body with respective intake pipes communicating with the cylinders extending from a side surface of the engine. An air box for containing the intake pipes is disposed in a space between the engine and a side wall. The personal watercraft includes the air box having at its portion in front of or behind the intake pipes, a swelled portion swelled inwardly of the body in the width direction; and an air suction port is formed in a lower portion of the swelled portion.
The air suction port is formed in the lower portion of the swelled portion of the air box. Accordingly, if sea water or other water penetrates into the air box, the water can be directed to the air suction port and be discharged outwardly from the air suction port. As a result, it is possible to prevent sea water or other water from remaining in the air box.
The air box has, at its portion in front of or behind the intake pipes, the swelled portion. In other words, the swelled portion can be disposed in front of or behind the engine. Accordingly, even if the swelled portion is swelled inwardly of the body in the width direction, it does not interfere with the engine. As a result, an outer side surface of the swelled portion can be made as close to the center side of the body as possible, so that the distance between the left and right side walls extending downwardly from the seat can be reduced in size.
According to the present invention, a bottom surface of the air box is tilted at a descending gradient toward the air suction port.
Since the bottom surface of the air box is tilted at a descending gradient toward the air suction port, if sea water or other water penetrates into the air box, the water can be efficiently directed along the descending gradient towards the air suction port and can be discharged from the air suction port. As a result, it is possible to prevent sea water or other water from remaining in the air box.
According to the present invention, an intake trap is disposed in the swelled portion at a position between the intake pipes and the air suction port.
Since the intake trap is provided between the intake pipes and the air suction port, even if dust is contained in air sucked from the air suction port, the dust can be removed by the intake trap. As a result, it is possible to supply clean air having been filtered by the intake trap via the intake pipes to the cylinders.
If a flame flows into the swelled portion side by a phenomenon such as back fire, the flow of the flame can be blocked by the intake trap.
According to the present invention, a breather pipe is mounted on the swelled portion via a breather trap.
Since the breather pipe is provided in the swelled portion via the breather trap, if a flame flows into the swelled portion side by a phenomenon such as back fire, the flow of the flame can be blocked by the breather trap.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5906524 (1999-05-01), Ozawa et al.
patent: 5957072 (1999-09-01), Hattori
patent: 6027384 (2000-02-01), Nitta et al.
patent: 6551156 (2003-04-01), Nakamura et al.
Patent Abstracts of Japan, JP-08-048287-A, Feb. 20, 1996, “Compact Planing Boat,” Nitta Shigemitsu et al.
Nakajima Jun
Noda Yoshiaki
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Sotelo Jesus D.
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