Marine propulsion – Means to control the supply of energy responsive to a sensed...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-19
2003-07-22
Avila, Stephen (Department: 3617)
Marine propulsion
Means to control the supply of energy responsive to a sensed...
C440S002000, C440S084000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595811
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to personal watercraft vehicles. In particular, the present invention relates to a novel multiplex communication system capable of exchanging information between components of a personal watercraft vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art and General Background
In an effort to improve reliability and increase operator comfort and safety, personal watercraft (PWCs) vehicles, much like their land and air counterparts, have recently included electronic systems to assist watercraft operations as well as to control and monitor key watercraft components. For example, PWCs may employ electronic mechanisms, such as, sensors, gauges, and controllers, to furnish trekking information, such as watercraft velocity, air and water temperature, travel distance, and directional
avigation data. PWCs may additionally employ such mechanisms to operational information, such as, indicate fuel, oil, and battery levels, engine speed, engine temperature, and engine status.
Generally, these electronic mechanisms are electrically coupled to specific PWC components, requiring dedicated communication paths or links therebetween. Such dedicated links are typically achieved by implementing a network of wired interconnections between the mechanisms and components. Naturally, the more features incorporated in PWCs, the more sophisticated the electronic systems, and the more complicated and cumbersome the wiring networks. In some cases, the wiring networks are configured as wiring harnesses, comprising bundled wires and cables, and conventional methods for configuring, installing, and maintaining wiring networks may prove to be difficult and cost-prohibitive.
Moreover, the drawbacks of conventional wiring networks are exacerbated by the fact that PWCs suffer from strict space limitations. By design, PWCs contain hydrodynamic profiles and contours that subject wiring harnesses to cramped spaces, odd angles, and complex routing configurations, which may require the bending, curving, and twisting of the harness and, hence, compromise the integrity of the harness's bundled wires. Consider, for example, the cross-sectional side view of a PWC
100
, as depicted in FIG.
1
. PWC
100
includes an instrumentation panel or cluster
104
, facing towards the operator as he or she is seated in a straddle-type seat
101
, in order to display information to the operator. Such information may include display trekking and operational information, such as watercraft velocity, air and water temperature, battery levels, engine speed, engine temperature, and engine status. Cluster
104
is coupled to various electronic mechanisms via a conventional wiring harness
106
. In particular, conventional wiring harness
106
comprises a plurality of wires connecting cluster
104
to the electronic mechanisms coupled to the PWC
100
components that furnish the desired information.
Cluster
104
may be mounted on a cluster mounting portion
108
on the bow portion
110
of the PWC
100
deck. The cluster mounting portion
108
may have a substantially slanted and streamlined profile from its aft end
108
A to its fore end
108
B. As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, such a profile limits the space available to route a large conventional wiring harnesses
106
that provides connectivity between cluster
104
and various PWC
100
components.
Furthermore, PWC
100
may include a bow storage compartment
112
used for storing items. Storage compartment
112
may be disposed in bow portion
110
of PWC
100
, underneath mounting portion
108
. In this configuration, mounting portion
108
may be hingedly-attached, via a hinge
109
, to bow portion
110
and serve as a hood or lid to storage compartment
112
. Mounting portion
108
may, therefore, be selectively opened or closed to provide entry into, or conceal, storage compartment
112
. Such opening and closing of mounting portion
108
may, over time, compromise the integrity of the bundled wires within conventional wiring harness
106
.
It will be appreciated that wiring networks are also susceptible to the harsh conditions typically experienced by PWCs
100
. Wiring networks have to be protected from external influences, such as, moisture, rapid temperature fluctuations, salt, dirt, vibrations, and mechanical impacts. Given the strict space limitations noted above, it may be difficult to ensure the protection of conventional wiring networks from these external influences.
It will also be appreciated that conventional wiring networks limit the number of modifications and upgradeable options available on PWCs. Simple changes to cluster
104
displays, for example, may require identifying associated cables, untangling wiring harnesses, installing new cables, and test/troubleshooting new connections. The performance and expense of such tasks generally discourage PWC modifications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Systems and methods consistent with the principles of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, provide for a multiplex communication system capable of exchanging information between components of a personal watercraft vehicle.
In one embodiment, the multiplex communication system includes an engine electronic control unit electrically coupled to a plurality of watercraft engine sensors in which the watercraft engine sensors are operatively coupled to the watercraft engine and generate watercraft engine-related data and the engine electronic control unit is configured to process the engine-related data. The system also includes a multipurpose electronic control unit electrically coupled to a plurality of watercraft operation sensors in which the watercraft operation sensors are operatively coupled to a plurality of watercraft components and generate watercraft operational data and the multipurpose electronic control unit is configured to process the operational data. The system further includes a cluster electronic control unit coupled to a cluster display apparatus in which the cluster display apparatus is configured to display the engine-related and operational data. The system also provides for a system bus configured to operatively interconnect the engine electronic control unit, the multipurpose electronic control unit, and the cluster electronic control unit and arranged to support the transmission of said engine-related and operational data. Each of the electronic control units communicate with each other and exchange data via the system bus.
Additional aspects of the present invention include providing the electronic control units with processing mechanisms and associated memory devices, wherein the processing performed by the electronic control units include computation of performance parameters, control message generation, and multiplexing/de-multiplexing and transmission/reception operations in accordance with the Controller Area Network transmission protocol.
Other aspects of the present invention include configuring the system bus as a 2-wire circuit and incorporating a terminating connector at one end of the bus to terminate the 2-wire bus circuit and incorporating a terminating resistor within the engine electronic control unit disposed at the opposite end of the 2-wire bus circuit to terminate the circuit. In addition, the interconnection of the electronic control units is achieved by arranging the system bus in a T configuration, such that the multipurpose electronic control unit is implemented as a bridge connecting the engine electronic control unit at one end of the system bus and the terminating connector at the opposite end of the system bus. The cluster electronic control unit is connected to the multipurpose electronic control unit between the engine electronic control unit and the terminating connector.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4177454 (1979-12-01), Shinoda et al.
patent: 4646295 (1987-02-01), Basile
patent: 5043727 (1991-08-01), Ito
patent: 5418526 (1995-05-01), Crawford
patent: 5507672 (1996-04-01), Imaeda
Road Vehicle—Interchange of Digital Information—
Berthiaume Yves
Dagenais Dominic
Proulx Stephane
Quellette Eric
Avila Stephen
Bombardier Inc.
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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