Apparatus and Method for the Control of Engine Throttle for Inboard and Outboard Boat Motors

Abstract

A ski boat throttle control system incorporating a rotary assembly such as a thumbwheel within the control lever knob which is part of the control lever assembly that is gripped and held by the operator of the boat during use. The incorporation of such a thumbwheel assembly allows the operator to make more controlled adjustment to the speed of the boat when the boat is in normal operational mode and to intuitively make adjustments to the cruise control speed of the boat when in cruise control.

1 . An apparatus for controlling the speed of a ski boat, said ski boat having a propulsion system, and said apparatus comprising:
 a. a control lever assembly including a base assembly and a control arm, said control arm having a handle at a distal end thereof, and said control arm being connected at a proximal end to said base assembly, in pivotal relationship with said base assembly;   b. said base assembly being adapted for physical mounting to a ski boat in a fixed orientation on a surface of said ski boat;   c. a thumbwheel assembly within said control lever handle, said thumbwheel assembly comprising a thumbwheel rotatably mounted to said handle in a manner such that a portion of said thumbwheel protrudes beyond a surface of said handle, thereby allowing thumbed rotation of said thumbwheel by a hand otherwise operably gripping said handle;   d. said thumbwheel assembly further comprising controls and circuitry suitable for recognizing and translating rotational motion of said thumbwheel into recognizable signals that are characteristic of the rotational position of said thumbwheel relative to said control lever handle; and   e. said control lever assembly being adapted to convey recognizable signals directly or indirectly to said propulsion system for modifying the speed of said ski boat relative to both (1) the angle of pivot of said control lever arm relative to said base assembly and (2) the position of said thumbwheel relative to said control lever handle.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the controls and circuitry of said thumbwheel assembly are adapted to operate in one of at least two operating modes, one of said modes being characteristic of modifying cruise control parameters and a second mode being characterized of modifying overall ski boat speed.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein:
 said surface of said handle is on a lateral side surface of said handle such that said thumbwheel is positioned to protrude laterally from said handle. 
 
     
     
         4 . An apparatus for controlling the speed of a ski boat, said apparatus comprising:
 a. a control lever assembly including a base assembly and a control arm, said control arm having a handle at a distal end thereof, and said control arm being connected at a proximal end to said base assembly, in pivotal relationship with said base assembly;   b. said base assembly being adapted for physical mounting to a ski boat in a fixed orientation on a surface of said ski boat, said ski boat having a propulsion system;   c. a rotary assembly within said control lever handle, said rotary assembly comprising a rotary member rotatably mounted to said handle in a manner such that a portion of said rotary member protrudes beyond a surface of said handle, thereby allowing thumbed rotation of said rotary member by a hand otherwise operably gripping said handle;   d. said rotary assembly further comprising controls and circuitry suitable for recognizing and translating rotational motion of said rotary member into recognizable signals that are characteristic of the rotational position of said rotary member relative to said control lever handle; and   e. said control lever assembly being adapted to convey recognizable signals directly or indirectly to said propulsion system for modifying the speed of said ski boat relative to both (1) the angle of pivot of said control lever arm relative to said base assembly and (2) the position of said rotary member relative to said control lever handle.   
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for controlling the speed of a watercraft, said apparatus comprising:
 a. a control lever assembly including a control lever arm which supports and retains a control lever knob;   b. a fine control thumbwheel assembly within said control lever knob;   c. said thumbwheel assembly consisting of controls and circuitry suitable for recognizing and translating rotational motion into a recognizable electronic or mechanical signal;   d. an engine control unit; and   e. said engine control unit being further adapted to receive and translate said signal into a modification of the throttle control mechanism of the said watercraft   
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein said engine control unit is adapted to operate in one of at least two operating modes, one of said modes being characteristic of modifying cruise control parameters and a second mode being characterized of modifying overall ski boat speed. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  further comprising a mode selector switch positioned on said control lever assembly to be manually accessible by an operator of said watercraft, said mode selector switch being associated with said engine control unit to enable manual selection of said one of said at least two operating modes. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7  wherein said thumbwheel is rotatably mounted to said handle in a manner such that a portion of said thumbwheel protrudes beyond a surface of said handle, thereby allowing thumbed rotation of said thumbwheel by a hand otherwise operably gripping said handle, said surface of said handle being on a lateral side surface of said handle such that said thumbwheel is positioned to protrude laterally from said handle. 
     
     
         9 . A ski boat comprising:
 a. a propulsion system;   b. a speed control system comprising a control lever assembly including a base assembly and a control arm, said control arm having a handle at a distal end thereof, said control arm being pivotally connected at a proximal end to said base assembly, and said base assembly being adapted for physical mounting to a ski boat in a fixed orientation on a substantially vertical interior wall of said ski boat;   c. a thumbwheel assembly within said control lever handle, said thumbwheel assembly comprising a thumbwheel rotatably mounted to said handle in a manner such that a portion of said thumbwheel protrudes beyond a lateral side surface of said handle such that said thumbwheel is positioned to protrude laterally from said handle surface of said handle, thereby allowing thumbed rotation of said thumbwheel by a hand otherwise operably gripping said handle;   d. said speed control system assembly further comprising controls and circuitry suitable for recognizing and translating rotational motion of said thumbwheel into recognizable signals that are characteristic of the rotational position of said thumbwheel relative to said control lever handle;   e. said speed control system being adapted to operate in one of at least two operating modes, one of said modes being characterized by said recognizable signals causing modification of said cruise control parameters, and second modes being characterized by said recognizable signals causing modification overall ski boat speed;   f. a mode selector switch positioned on said control lever assembly to be manually accessible by an operator of said watercraft, said mode selector switch being associated with said engine control unit to enable manual selection of said one of said at least two operating modes; and   g. said control lever assembly being adapted to convey recognizable signals directly or indirectly to said propulsion system for modifying the speed of said ski boat relative to both (1) the angle of pivot of said control lever arm relative to said base assembly and (2) the position of said thumbwheel relative to said control lever handle.   
     
     
         10 . The ski boat of  claim 9 , wherein:
 a. said propulsion system includes both a fixed-shaft propeller system as well as a docking thrust system;   b. said speed control system being adapted to control said docking thrust system in response to movement of said thumbwheel relative to said handle; and   c. said speed control system being adapted to control said fixed-shaft propeller system in response to pivotal movement of said control arm relative to said base assembly.