Patents by Inventor Yoshimasa Kinoshita

Yoshimasa Kinoshita has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9555867
    Abstract: A jet propelled watercraft includes a prime mover, a jet pump driven by the prime mover and jetting water from a jet port, a reverse gate changing a direction of the jet flow jetted from the jet pump, a shift actuator capable of moving a position of the reverse gate to a plurality of shift positions including a forward drive position, at which the direction of the jet flow is toward the rear of the body, a reverse drive position, at which the direction of the jet flow is toward the front of the body, and an intermediate position in between these positions, and a controller configured or programmed to execute a stoppage shift control of controlling the shift actuator to move the reverse gate to the forward drive position when stoppage of the prime mover is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukitaka Okamoto, Yoshimasa Kinoshita, Masaru Suzuki
  • Patent number: 9527564
    Abstract: A small vessel propulsion system includes a mode switching signal output outputting a mode switching signal to switch a travel mode among a plurality of travel modes including a first mode of making a small vessel travel in accordance with operation of an accelerator operator and a second mode of making the small vessel travel in accordance with a command different from the operation of the accelerator operator, and a controller configured or programmed to switch the shift position of the shift mechanism to the forward drive position by controlling the shift actuator and switch the travel mode to the second mode when the mode switching signal output outputs the mode switching signal to switch from the first mode to the second mode and the shift position detector detects a shift position other than the forward drive position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 9463854
    Abstract: A jet propelled watercraft includes a jet pump that jets water rearward from a jet port, a reverse gate, a reverse gate moving mechanism, and a withdrawal controller. The reverse gate is movable in an up/down direction between a reverse drive position at which an entirety of the jet port is covered and a forward drive position at which the entirety of the jet port is open. In a state of being positioned at the reverse drive position, the reverse gate guides forward the water that has been guided to the jet port. The reverse gate moving mechanism includes an electric motor that generates power to move the reverse gate between the reverse drive position and the forward drive position, and a transmitting mechanism that connects the electric motor and the reverse gate. The withdrawal controller monitors malfunctions of the reverse gate moving mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2016
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20160264227
    Abstract: A watercraft includes a plurality of devices, a central controller, and a display device. The central controller is programmed to execute centralized control of the devices. The display device includes a touch panel function. The display device is configured to communicate with the central controller, and to display information regarding watercraft in a Graphical User Interface (GUI) format.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2016
    Publication date: September 15, 2016
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA, Shu AKUZAWA
  • Publication number: 20160039503
    Abstract: A small vessel propulsion system includes a mode switching signal output outputting a mode switching signal to switch a travel mode among a plurality of travel modes including a first mode of making a small vessel travel in accordance with operation of an accelerator operator and a second mode of making the small vessel travel in accordance with a command different from the operation of the accelerator operator, and a controller configured or programmed to switch the shift position of the shift mechanism to the forward drive position by controlling the shift actuator and switch the travel mode to the second mode when the mode switching signal output outputs the mode switching signal to switch from the first mode to the second mode and the shift position detector detects a shift position other than the forward drive position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventor: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA
  • Publication number: 20160039504
    Abstract: A jet propelled watercraft includes a prime mover, a jet pump driven by the prime mover and jetting water from a jet port, a reverse gate changing a direction of the jet flow jetted from the jet pump, a shift actuator capable of moving a position of the reverse gate to a plurality of shift positions including a forward drive position, at which the direction of the jet flow is toward the rear of the body, a reverse drive position, at which the direction of the jet flow is toward the front of the body, and an intermediate position in between these positions, and a controller configured or programmed to execute a stoppage shift control of controlling the shift actuator to move the reverse gate to the forward drive position when stoppage of the prime mover is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Inventors: Yukitaka OKAMOTO, Yoshimasa KINOSHITA, Masaru SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20150239545
    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.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2015
    Publication date: August 27, 2015
    Inventors: Koichiro MOROTA, Yoshimasa KINOSHITA
  • Patent number: 9056664
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichiro Morota, Yoshimasa Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 9032891
    Abstract: A watercraft includes a watercraft body, a watercraft propulsion device, a water protective case, a communication device, and a display device. The watercraft propulsion device propels the watercraft body. The water protective case is arranged on the watercraft body. The communication device communicates with a mobile terminal arranged inside the water protective case. The display device displays content of the mobile terminal based on data received from the mobile terminal through the communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshimasa Kinoshita, Shu Akuzawa, Tatsuya Yoshida
  • Publication number: 20150118069
    Abstract: A jet propelled watercraft includes a vessel body, a jet propulsion mechanism, a bucket, and a controller. The jet propulsion mechanism is configured to propel the vessel body. The controller is configured and programmed to control a thrust of the jet propulsion mechanism to propel the vessel body. The bucket is configured to move to a retracted position spaced away from the jet of water ejected from the jet propulsion mechanism and a jet receiving position to receive the jet of water ejected from the jet propulsion mechanism. The controller is configured and programmed to change an increase rate of the thrust in accordance with a forward speed of the vessel body until the thrust is increased to a predetermined value after the bucket has been moved from the retracted position to the jet receiving position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventor: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA
  • Patent number: 8998661
    Abstract: A water jet propulsion boat includes a boat body, an engine, a jet propulsion mechanism, a first accelerator operation section, a second accelerator operation section, a reverse gate, and a control section. The engine is accommodated in the boat body. The jet propulsion mechanism generates a propulsion power using a drive power from the engine. The reverse gate is arranged to move to a first position and to a second position. The boat body advances when the reverse gate is in the first position. The reverse gate reduces the propulsion power which advances the boat body when the reverse gate is in the second position. The control section is programmed to set the position of the reverse gate and a throttle opening of the engine based on an operation amount of the first accelerator operation section and an operation amount of the second accelerator operation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20150093946
    Abstract: A watercraft includes a vessel body, a propulsion mechanism, an engine, a shift operating unit, a vessel body state determining unit, and an engine controlling unit. The propulsion mechanism is switched among a forward thrust state to forwardly move the vessel body, a rearward thrust state to rearwardly move the vessel body, and a neutral state to maintain the vessel body in a stationary state. The shift operating unit is configured to move to a forward thrust position, a rearward thrust position, and a neutral position. The vessel body state determining unit is programmed and configured to determine whether or not the vessel body is in the stationary state. The engine controlling unit is programmed and configured to stop the engine when the shift operating unit is located in the neutral position and the vessel body state determining unit determines that the vessel body is in the stationary state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2014
    Publication date: April 2, 2015
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA, Yukitaka OKAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20150040866
    Abstract: An engine system for a vessel propulsion device includes an engine including an intake amount adjusting unit and an ignition plug, and configured to generate a drive force for the vessel propulsion device. The engine system includes an ignition timing control unit, a knocking detecting unit, a knocking retard control unit that retards the ignition timing of the ignition plug by a unit retard amount when the knocking detecting unit detects knocking, an abnormality judging unit that, when a state where the knocking detecting unit detects knocking at intervals within a predetermined time continues, judges that an abnormality has occurred based on a continued state of knocking detection, and an intake amount limiting unit that limits the intake amount of the engine based on judgment of an abnormality made by the abnormality judging unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2014
    Publication date: February 12, 2015
    Inventor: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA
  • Patent number: 8886442
    Abstract: A water jet propulsion watercraft includes a hull, an engine, a jet propulsion device, a fuel injection apparatus, an exhaust channel, and an engine control unit. The engine includes a combustion chamber arranged to combust fuel therein, an exhaust port arranged to discharge exhaust gas, an exhaust valve arranged to open and close the exhaust port, an intake port arranged for flow of air and the fuel into the combustion chamber, and an intake valve arranged to open and close the intake port. The engine control unit is arranged to control the engine to deliver the exhaust gas, retained at the intake side relative to the exhaust port, to the exhaust channel side in a state where a fuel injection amount of the fuel injection apparatus is set lower than an ordinary fuel injection amount during a predetermined period when starting of the engine is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Kinoshita
  • Patent number: 8753154
    Abstract: In a watercraft, a storage device stores area information including position information regarding a specified area. A controller compares a current position of a watercraft main body obtained by a global navigation satellite system receiver to the position information related to the specified area. The controller controls the watercraft main body in accordance with a normal mode when the current position of the watercraft main body is within the specified area. The controller controls the watercraft main body in accordance with a limited mode in which at least a portion of a plurality of functions of the watercraft main body are limited in comparison with the normal mode when the current position of the watercraft main body is not within the specified area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenichi Fujino, Yoshimasa Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20140102075
    Abstract: A jet propelled watercraft includes a jet pump that jets water rearward from a jet port, a reverse gate, a reverse gate moving mechanism, and a withdrawal controller. The reverse gate is movable in an up/down direction between a reverse drive position at which an entirety of the jet port is covered and a forward drive position at which the entirety of the jet port is open. In a state of being positioned at the reverse drive position, the reverse gate guides forward the water that has been guided to the jet port. The reverse gate moving mechanism includes an electric motor that generates power to move the reverse gate between the reverse drive position and the forward drive position, and a transmitting mechanism that connects the electric motor and the reverse gate. The withdrawal controller monitors malfunctions of the reverse gate moving mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicant: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA
  • Patent number: 8646430
    Abstract: A small planing boat includes a multi-cylinder engine, and a propulsion unit driven by the engine for propelling a hull by drawing up and jetting out water. The engine can be configured to change the number of deactivated cylinders in a phased manner corresponding to an engine speed when the engine speed becomes a prescribed speed or more, and can include a memory for storing cylinder deactivation sequence schedules for determining sequences of cylinders that are deactivated and increasing the number of deactivated cylinders in a phased manner. An operation control device configured to deactivate the cylinders of the engine in a phased manner in accordance with the cylinder deactivation sequence schedules stored in the memory. The operation control device shifts the cylinder deactivation sequence schedules to be read out from the memory to another cylinder deactivation sequence schedule corresponding to an operational state of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Kinoshita
  • Publication number: 20130344754
    Abstract: A water jet propulsion boat includes a boat body, an engine, a jet propulsion mechanism, a first accelerator operation section, a second accelerator operation section, a reverse gate, and a control section. The engine is accommodated in the boat body. The jet propulsion mechanism generates a propulsion power using a drive power from the engine. The reverse gate is arranged to move to a first position and to a second position. The boat body advances when the reverse gate is in the first position. The reverse gate reduces the propulsion power which advances the boat body when the reverse gate is in the second position. The control section is programmed to set the position of the reverse gate and a throttle opening of the engine based on an operation amount of the first accelerator operation section and an operation amount of the second accelerator operation section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2013
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA, I
  • Publication number: 20130255560
    Abstract: A watercraft includes a watercraft body, a watercraft propulsion device, a water protective case, a communication device, and a display device. The watercraft propulsion device propels the watercraft body. The water protective case is arranged on the watercraft body. The communication device communicates with a mobile terminal arranged inside the water protective case. The display device displays content of the mobile terminal based on data received from the mobile terminal through the communication device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Publication date: October 3, 2013
    Applicant: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA, Shu AKUZAWA, Tatsuya YOSHIDA
  • Publication number: 20130252490
    Abstract: In a watercraft, an engine rotational speed sensor detects a rotational speed of an engine. A determining section determines if a prescribed execution condition indicating that a hull body is moving is satisfied. A filter processing section applies a filter process to the engine rotational speed detected by the engine speed sensor to acquire a filtered engine rotational speed. A control section executes a maximum speed limiting control to limit a maximum speed of the watercraft when the prescribed execution condition is satisfied and the filtered engine rotational speed is larger than a prescribed rotational speed threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Publication date: September 26, 2013
    Applicant: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshimasa KINOSHITA