Control assembly for a watercraft

Abstract

A control assembly for a watercraft is presented comprising a housing defining at least one passage adapted to receive a steering column therethrough, a lever being pivotally connected to the housing about a first axis, the first axis being offset from the at least one passage, the lever being adapted to be disposed between a steering wheel of the watercraft and a dashboard of the watercraft, and an electronic motor control system operatively connected to the lever, the electronic motor control system producing signals operative to control a speed of a motor in response to the lever being rotated about the first axis. A watercraft including a control assembly is also disclosed.

1 . A control assembly for a watercraft comprising:
 an assembly housing defining at least one passage for selectively receiving a steering column therethrough, the assembly housing being disposed between a steering wheel of the watercraft and a dashboard of the watercraft when the control assembly is installed on the watercraft,   the assembly housing being selectively connected to a steering column housing between the steering column housing and the steering wheel when the control assembly is installed on the watercraft, the steering column housing being disposed around the steering column;   a lever being pivotally connected to the assembly housing about a first axis, the first axis being offset from the at least one passage, the lever being disposed between the steering wheel and the dashboard when the control assembly is installed on the watercraft; and   an electronic motor control system operatively connected to the lever, the electronic motor control system producing signals operative to control a speed of a motor in response to the lever being rotated about the first axis.   
     
     
         2 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the motor is an engine; and   the electronic motor control system produces signals operative to control at least one of a throttle valve, a fuel injector, and a spark timing of the engine.   
     
     
         3 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 rotating the lever in a first direction about the first axis from a neutral position causes the motor to produce forward motion of the watercraft; and   rotating the lever in a second direction opposite the first direction about the first axis from the neutral position causes the motor to produce reverse motion of the watercraft.   
     
     
         4 . The control assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the lever is rotatable in the first direction about the first axis from the neutral position to a plurality of forward positions, a first plurality of angles of rotation being defined between the neutral position and the plurality of forward positions, each one of the first plurality of angles of rotation corresponding to a desired speed of the motor in a forward direction, larger angles of rotation corresponding to higher desired speeds of the motor. 
     
     
         5 . The control assembly of  claim 4 , wherein the lever is rotatable in the second direction about the first axis from the neutral position to a plurality of reverse positions, a second plurality of angles of rotation being defined between the neutral position and the plurality of reverse positions, each one of the second plurality of angles of rotation corresponding to a desired speed of the motor in a reverse direction, larger angles of rotation corresponding to higher desired speeds of the motor. 
     
     
         6 . The control assembly of  claim 5 , wherein a maximum angle of rotation of the first plurality of angles of rotation is larger than a maximum angle of rotation of the second plurality of angles of rotation. 
     
     
         7 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:
 an ignition switch disposed on the lever; and   buttons adapted for receiving a start-up key code, the buttons being disposed on the lever.   
     
     
         8 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the lever is pivotable about a second axis, the second axis being skewed relative to the first axis; and   the electronic motor control system produces signals operative to control a trim of the watercraft in response to the lever being pivoted about the second axis.   
     
     
         9 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a resistance adjustment screw disposed on the assembly housing, the resistance adjustment screw adapted to modify a resistance to rotation of the lever about the first axis. 
     
     
         10 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a display connected to the assembly housing. 
     
     
         11 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lever is a first lever and the motor is a first motor, the control assembly further comprising:
 a second lever being pivotally connected to the assembly housing about a second axis, the second axis being offset from the at least one passage, the second lever being operatively connected to the electronic motor control system, the electronic motor control system produces signals operative to control a speed of a second motor in response to the second lever being rotated about the second axis.   
     
     
         12 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a trim switch disposed on the lever. 
     
     
         13 . The control assembly of  claim 12 , wherein the trim switch is disposed on an end face of the lever. 
     
     
         14 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the lever includes at least a neck portion and a head portion, the neck portion being narrower than the head portion. 
     
     
         15 . The control assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a tuning switch disposed on the lever, the tuning switch producing signals operative to change at least one of a position of a throttle valve, fuel injection and spark timing of the engine in steps. 
     
     
         16 . A watercraft comprising:
 a hull;   a deck disposed on the hull;   a dashboard connected to the deck;   a steering assembly disposed on the deck, including a steering wheel, a steering column, and a steering column housing disposed around the steering column, the steering wheel being pivotally connected to the steering column about a steering axis, the steering column being operatively connected to the dashboard;   a motor connected to the hull; and   a speed control assembly disposed between the dashboard and the steering wheel, the speed control assembly comprising:
 an assembly housing, the assembly housing defining at least one passage, the steering column extending through the at least one passage, 
 the assembly housing being selectively connected to the steering column housing between the steering column housing and the steering wheel; 
 a lever being pivotally connected to the assembly housing about a first axis, the first axis being offset from the at least one passage, the lever being disposed between the steering wheel and the dashboard; and 
 an electronic motor control system operatively connected to the lever, the electronic motor control system producing signals operative to control a speed of a motor in response to the lever being rotated about the first axis. 
   
     
     
         17 . The watercraft of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first axis is parallel to a steering axis; and   the first axis is disposed below and to a side of the steering axis.   
     
     
         18 . The watercraft of  claim 16 , wherein:
 rotating the lever in a first direction about the first axis from a neutral position causes the motor to produce forward motion of the watercraft; and   rotating the lever in a second direction opposite the first direction about the first axis from the neutral position causes the motor to produce reverse motion of the watercraft.   
     
     
         19 . The watercraft of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the steering column is adapted to tilt with respect to the dashboard about a horizontal axis; and   the assembly housing is adapted to tilt with the steering column.   
     
     
         20 . The watercraft of  claim 16 , wherein the lever is a first lever and the motor is a first motor, the watercraft further comprising:
 a second lever being pivotally connected to the assembly housing about a second axis, the second axis being offset from the at least one passage, the second lever being operatively connected to the electronic motor control system, the electronic motor control system produces signals operative to control a speed of a second motor in response to the second lever being rotated about the second axis.