Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
  • F16P—SAFETY DEVICES IN GENERAL; SAFETY DEVICES FOR PRESSES
  • F16P3/00—Safety devices acting in conjunction with the control or operation of a machine; Control arrangements requiring the simultaneous use of two or more parts of the body
  • F16P3/12—Safety devices acting in conjunction with the control or operation of a machine; Control arrangements requiring the simultaneous use of two or more parts of the body with means, e.g. feelers, which in case of the presence of a body part of a person in or near the danger zone influence the control or operation of the machine
  • F16P3/16—Safety devices acting in conjunction with the control or operation of a machine; Control arrangements requiring the simultaneous use of two or more parts of the body with means, e.g. feelers, which in case of the presence of a body part of a person in or near the danger zone influence the control or operation of the machine with feeling members moved by the machine
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
  • A63C17/00—Roller skates; Skate-boards
  • A63C17/01—Skateboards
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63C—SKATES; SKIS; ROLLER SKATES; DESIGN OR LAYOUT OF COURTS, RINKS OR THE LIKE
  • A63C17/00—Roller skates; Skate-boards
  • A63C17/12—Roller skates; Skate-boards with driving mechanisms
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
  • B60K28/00—Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions
  • B60K28/02—Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions responsive to conditions relating to the driver
  • B60K28/04—Safety devices for propulsion-unit control, specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles, e.g. preventing fuel supply or ignition in the event of potentially dangerous conditions responsive to conditions relating to the driver responsive to presence or absence of the driver, e.g. to weight or lack thereof
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B63—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; RELATED EQUIPMENT
  • B63B—SHIPS OR OTHER WATERBORNE VESSELS; EQUIPMENT FOR SHIPPING 
  • B63B34/00—Vessels specially adapted for water sports or leisure; Body-supporting devices specially adapted for water sports or leisure
  • B63B34/60—Arrangements for towing, e.g. for use with water-skis or wakeboards
  • B63B34/63—Holding means for the user, e.g. handle bars or harnesses

Definitions

• This invention relates to a craft e.g. a motorised skateboard, or to a water craft of the type which can be termed a motorised surf-board, such as, for example, of the type described in my co-pending British Patent Application No. 4020/77 (Serial No ) and in my British Patent No. 1375 766.
• Watercraft of this type generally have a substantially planar hull and are provided with a propulsion unit, such as a propeller or a water jet propulsion unit.
• a propulsion unit such as a propeller or a water jet propulsion unit.
• the rider stands on the hull and controls the speed of the craft by a hand-held throttle. Steering is accomplished by means of foot controls and/or by means of altering the weight distribution of the rider on the hull.
• These craft are capable of high speeds and it is desirable to provide means to disable the propulsion unit in the event that the rider falls off.
• a runaway motorised surf-board is not the most desirable of objects on a crowded beach.
• skateboard propulsion means be disabled in the absence of the rider of the board.
• a motorised platform craft such as a motorised surf-board, skateboard or the like, having a platform adapted to receive a standing rider, a propulsion unit, a throttle unit for the propulsion unit which is arranged to be held in, and to be controlled by, a hand of the rider, and characterized in that there is also provided a dead mans handle device arranged to be held in a hand of the rider and which is arranged to prevent propulsion when not so held.
• a motorised platform craft such as a motorised surf-board, skateboard or the like, a platform adapted to receive a standing rider, a propulsion unit, a throttle unit for the propulsion unit which is arranged to be held in, and to be controlled by a hand of the rider, and characterized in that there is provided means for preventing the propulsion of the board;
• the prevention means comprising a pressure switch responsive to pressure changes in a fluid, a fluid reservoir, and means connecting the fluid reservoir to the pressure switch whereby the latter is responsive to changes in pressure within the fluid reservoir, said fluid reservoir being associated with the throttle means, being arranged such that it may be held within the throttle hand of the rider, and, when so held, the pressure of fluid within the reservoir causing the pressure switch to be in a first condition which enables the propulsion unit to drive the craft and, when not so held, the pressure of fluid within the reservoir causing the pressure switch to be in a second condition which prevents the propulsion unit from driving the craft.
• the craft is a motorised surf-board of the type described in the aforementioned Patent Application and Patent.
• the pressure switch may be capable of controlling a drive unit of the propulsion unit (for example a clutch) but preferably it is an electrical switch which, when in the second condition, simply switches off the propulsion unit. It might be, for instance, installed in the ignition circuit of an internal combustion engine employed to propel the craft.
• the fluid reservoir is preferably an enclosed sac or balloon of a suitable, preferably resilient material and of a size to fit conveniently in the palm of the rider's throttle hand.
• this positive pressure on the reservoir is released and the pressure switch transfers to its second condition and disables the craft.
• an internal combustion engine 2 employed to drive a water jet propulsion unit of a watercraft (not shown).
• a switch 4 is incorporated in the ignition circuit of the engine 2 and is connected by an air tube 6, suitably of rubber or plastics material, to an air sac 8 of resilient material.
• the watercraft includes a hand throttle 10 coupled to the watercraft by a lanyard 12.
• a throttle cable 14 extends to the engine 2 from a finger-operable accelerator machanism 16.
• the throttle 10 includes a frame 18 which, at one end as shown, has the air sac 8 connected thereto.
• the throttle 10 In use, the throttle 10 is held in the hand of a rider of the watercraft and the accelerator mechanism 16 gripped by the fingers. With such a configuration, the air sac 8 is pressed in the palm of the hand and the positive air pressure so exerted closes the switch 4. In the event of the hand throttle 10 being, released, the switch 4 opens to open-circuit the ignition circuit of the engine and cause the latter to cut-out.
• the dead man's handle device constitutes a trigger or other pressure switch means arranged on or adjacent the throttle control and mechanically connected by means of levers, linkages, bowden cables or the like, to the propulsion unit, and arranged so that only when the trigger or switch means is actuated by the hand of the rider, can the craft be propelled by the propulsion unit.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Ocean & Marine Engineering (AREA)
• Electroluminescent Light Sources (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=10500435

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Families Citing this family (3)

Family Cites Families (8)

• 1979
  • 1979-10-18 WO PCT/GB1979/000166 patent/WO1980000823A1/en not_active Ceased
• 1980
  • 1980-05-07 EP EP79901220A patent/EP0020439A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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