WATERCRAFT

Abstract

A watercraft according to one aspect includes: a watercraft body; a speaker supported by the watercraft body and exposed to an external environment; and processing circuitry supported by the watercraft body. The processing circuitry is configured to: acquire status information indicating a status of the watercraft; acquire sound information; based on the sound information, generate a speaker driving current that allows the speaker to emit a sound; and modify the speaker driving current based on the status information.

Claims

1. A watercraft comprising: a watercraft body; a speaker supported by the watercraft body and exposed to an external environment; and processing circuitry supported by the watercraft body, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to: acquire status information indicating a status of the watercraft; acquire sound information; based on the sound information, generate a speaker driving current that allows the speaker to emit a sound; and modify the speaker driving current based on the status information.

2. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes at least information related to a movement state of the watercraft body or information related to an alert state of operation of the watercraft.

3. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes watercraft speed information related to a moving speed of the watercraft body, and the processing circuitry is further configured to: based on the watercraft speed information, determine whether the moving speed is higher than a predetermined speed threshold; and upon determining that the moving speed is higher than the speed threshold, allow a volume of the sound emitted from the speaker to be higher than in a case where the moving speed is determined to be not higher than the speed threshold.

4. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes relative orientation information related to an orientation of an operator of the watercraft relative to the watercraft body, and the processing circuitry is further configured to, based on the relative orientation information, increase a volume of the sound emitted from the speaker with increasing amount of displacement of the operator relative to a straight line passing through the speaker and extending in a direction in which the speaker emits the sound.

5. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to, based on the status information, cause the speaker to output alert information related to an alert state of operation of the watercraft as the sound information.

6. The watercraft according to claim 5, wherein the alert information is sound information describing the alert state or sound information describing how to address the alert state.

7. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes location information indicating a self-location that is a geographical location of the watercraft body, and the processing circuitry is further configured to modify an output of the speaker driving current based on the location information.

8. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: determine whether the watercraft body is in a predetermined restricted area; and upon determining that the watercraft body is in the restricted area, allow a volume of the sound emitted from the speaker to be lower than in a case where the watercraft body is determined to be outside the restricted area.

9. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to, in response to a user action, enable or disable control in which the processing circuitry modifies the speaker driving current based on the status information.

10. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: based on the status information, set a frequency band for which the processing circuitry performs sound quality adjustment; and accentuate or attenuate a sound component included in the sound information and falling within the set frequency band.

11. The watercraft according to claim 1, further comprising a meter display supported by the watercraft body, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to display the status information on the meter display.

12. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the status information includes at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of: watercraft speed information related to a speed of the watercraft body; rotational speed information related to a rotational speed of a drive source of the watercraft body; attitude information related to an attitude of the watercraft body; information related to a steering angle of the watercraft body; turning information related to a turning state of the watercraft body; faulty information related to a faulty of the drive source of the watercraft body; fuel information related to a remaining amount of fuel of the drive source of the watercraft body; location information related to a geographical location of the watercraft body; information related to a status of a person on board the watercraft; and falling-overboard information related to occurrence of falling overboard in a body of water including the watercraft body.

13. The watercraft according to claim 1, wherein the modifying the speaker driving current based on the status information by the processing circuitry includes: changing a sound volume included in the sound information based on the status information by the processing circuitry; accentuating or attenuating a sound component included in the sound information and falling within a given frequency band based on the status information by the processing circuity; or stopping outputting of the sound information based on the status information by the processing circuitry.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away side view of a watercraft according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0006] FIG. 2 is a top view of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

[0007] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the watercraft of FIG. 1, showing a steering assembly and its vicinity as viewed from the left rear side.

[0008] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

[0009] FIG. 5 shows an example of an image on a meter display of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

[0010] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of control related to sound output of speakers of the watercraft of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiments

[0012] FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away side view of a watercraft 1 according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the watercraft 1 of FIG. 1. The watercraft 1 includes a watercraft body 2. The watercraft 1 described in the present embodiment is a personal watercraft designed to accommodate three or less persons including an operator.

[0013] The directions as mentioned in the following description are those coinciding with the directions in which the operator seated on a later-described seat 8 faces. The up-down direction and the transverse direction with respect to the watercraft body 2 at rest on the water will be respectively referred to as the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the watercraft body 2. The left-right direction of the watercraft body 2 may be referred to as the watercraft body width direction.

[0014] The watercraft body 2 includes a hull 11 and a deck 12 covering the upper portion of the hull 11. The watercraft body 2 includes a front bumper 13, two side bumpers 14, and a rear bumper 15. The front bumper 13 is located forward of and covers the front end portions of the hull 11 and the deck 12. The side bumpers 14 are located lateral to and cover the side end portions of the hull 11 and the deck 12. The rear bumper 15 is located rearward of and covers the rear end portions of the hull 11 and the deck 12.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the interior of the watercraft body 2 includes an engine room R, which accommodates an internal combustion engine 3 serving as a drive source. Hereinafter, the internal combustion engine 3 will be simply referred to as the engine 3. The output shaft of the engine 3 is connected to a propeller shaft 3a extending rearward. The rear end of the propeller shaft 3a is connected to a pump shaft 4a of a waterjet pump 4 located in the rear of the hull 11. An impeller 4b is mounted to the pump shaft 4a. A stator vane 4c is located rearward of the impeller 4b. A pump casing 4d is located radially outward of the impeller 4b and encloses the impeller 4b.

[0016] A water inlet 11a opens at the bottom of the hull 11. The water inlet 11a and the pump casing 4d are in communication via a water passage 11b. The pump casing 4d is provided with a pump nozzle 4e facing rearward of the watercraft body 2. The pump nozzle 4e decreases in diameter from front to rear, and an ejection orifice opens at the rear end of the pump nozzle 4e. To the ejection orifice of the pump nozzle 4e is connected a steering nozzle 5 which is swingable in the left-right direction. A bowl-shaped reverse bucket 6 is located in the vicinity of the steering nozzle 5. The reverse bucket 6 is pivotally supported by the hull 11 and pivotable between an advanced position where the reverse bucket 6 covers the ejection orifice of the steering nozzle 5 from behind to cause water ejected from the pump nozzle 4e to be redirected forward and a retracted position where the reverse bucket 6 allows the ejection orifice of the steering nozzle 5 to be open in the rearward direction.

[0017] In the personal watercraft 1, water drawn into the hull 11 through the water inlet 11a located at the bottom of the hull 11 is pressurized and accelerated by rotational power of the impeller 4b of the water jet pump 4 driven by the engine 3. The flow of water is regulated by the stator vane 4 and ejected rearward through the ejection orifice of the pump nozzle 4e and the steering nozzle 5 to produce propulsion power.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2, the deck 12 includes a seat support 21 and a pair of foot rests 22. The seat support 21 projects upward from the deck floor on which users can walk. The seat support 21 supports from below the seat 8 exposed to the external environment. The seat 8 is a straddle seat on which a user is seated in a straddling position. A cover 23 is located forward of the seat 8 to cover from above a steering post and a space around the steering post. The two foot rests 22 are located to the left and right of the seat support 21, respectively. The foot rests 22 constitute a part of the deck floor.

[0019] A steering assembly 7 is located forward of the seat 8. The steering assembly 7 includes a bar-shaped handle 31 located above the deck 12. The handle 31 includes an accelerator lever 32 as an accelerating action receiver. The accelerator lever 32 may be referred to as throttle lever. As shown in FIG. 2, the accelerator lever 32 is located to the right of a center plane C of the watercraft body 2 that divides the watercraft body 2 into left and right halves. Once the operator performs an action on the accelerator lever 32, the flow rate of air supplied to the engine 3 from outside the watercraft body 2 is adjusted, and accordingly the rotational power of the impeller 4b of the water jet pump 4 is changed. The handle 31 is pivotable relative to the deck 12. When the operator tilts the handle 31 to the left or right, the steering nozzle 5 swings to the left or right in conjunction with the tilting of the handle 31, thereby changing the movement direction of the personal watercraft 1.

[0020] The watercraft body 2 is equipped with a meter display 43 of meter equipment 40. The meter display 43 may be simply referred to as display 43. As shown in FIG. 2, the display 43 is located forward of the handle 31 and above the watercraft body 2. The display 43 is located at the center in the watercraft body width direction. In other words, the location of the display 43 is such that the center plane C dividing the watercraft body 2 into left and right halves passes through the display 43.

[0021] The display 43 is located on the upper surface of the cover 23. More specifically, the steering assembly 7 includes: a steering shaft having an upper end connected to the handle 31, the steering shaft extending obliquely forward and downward from the point of connection to the handle 31; and a steering post pivotally supporting the steering shaft to allow the steering shaft to pivot relative to the deck 12. The steering post is located below the handle 31 and above the foot rests 22, and the cover 23 covers from above the steering post and the space around the steering post. The display 43 is located on a portion of the upper surface of the cover 23, the portion of the upper surface being forward of the handle 31.

[0022] The watercraft body 2 is equipped with speakers 50. Each of the speakers 50 includes a magnet, a coil, and a diaphragm. In the present embodiment, each of the speakers 50 is embodied as a dynamic speaker. Specifically, in each of the speakers 50, a current (hereinafter referred to as speaker driving current) flows through the coil to vibrate the coil relative to the magnet. In each of the speakers 50, the vibration of the coil entails vibration of the diaphragm, with the result that air is vibrated to produce a sound. The diaphragm is enclosed in a housing, and this prevents emission of any reversely directed sound generated from the diaphragm. The speaker driving current flowing through the coil has a frequency and a current value which depend on the sound to be produced and is generated by an amplifier 53 which is an electric circuit. The amplifier 53 generates a current that allows each of the speakers 50 to emit a sound represented by a sound signal provided from a sound source device described later. In other words, the amplifier 53 generates an amplified current that allows the diaphragm to produce a vibration represented by the sound signal provided from the sound source device. The speakers 50 are located above the hull 11 and supported by the watercraft body 2. Like the seat 8, the speakers 50 are exposed to the external environment. In the present embodiment, the speakers 50 include two first speakers 51 and two second speakers 52.

[0023] The two first speakers 51, together with the display 43, are located on the upper surface of the cover 23. The two first speakers 51 are symmetrical about the center plane C dividing the watercraft body 2 into left and right halves. The two first speakers 51 are located to the left and right of the display 43, respectively. The two first speakers 51 are located forward of the handle 31 in the front-rear direction.

[0024] Each of the two second speakers 52 is supported by the front end portion of a corresponding one of the pair of foot rests 22. The two second speakers 52 are symmetrical about the center plane C dividing the watercraft body 2 into left and right halves. The two second speaker 52 are located below the two first speakers 51 and outward of the two first speakers 51 in the watercraft body width direction; that is, the two second speakers 52 are farther from the center plane C than the two first speakers 51.

[0025] Each of the speakers 50 is directional. As shown in FIG. 1, in side view, the sound emission direction in which the first speaker 51 faces relative to the watercraft body 2 and the sound emission direction in which the second speaker 52 faces relative to the watercraft body 2 differ from each other. That is, a sound axis L1 extending from the first speaker 51 along the central axis of the first speaker 51 and a sound axis L2 extending from the second speaker 52 along the central axis of the second speaker 51 are not parallel to each other. As shown in FIG. 1, when the watercraft 1 is at rest on the water, both the first speaker 51 and the second speaker 52 are located such that the sound axes L1 and L2 pass through the vicinity of the head of the operator seated on the seat 8. In side view, the sound axis L1 of the first speaker 51 and the sound axis L2 of the second speaker 52 intersect above a front portion of the seat 8, i.e., in the vicinity of the head of the operator seated on the seat 8.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, in top view, the sound axes L1 of the two first speakers 51 intersect behind the handle 31 and in the center plane C of the watercraft body 2. In top view, the sound axes L2 of the two second speakers 52 intersect behind the handle 31 and in the center plane C of the watercraft body 2. In FIG. 2, only the sound axis LI of the left first speaker 51 and the sound axis L2 of the left second speaker 52 are shown by dashed-double dotted lines for clarity of the figure. In this example, the point of intersection of the sound axes L1 of the two first speakers 51 and the point of intersection of the sound axes L2 of the two second speakers 52 are at the same location in top view. In top view, the sound axes L1 of the first speakers 51 intersect with the sound axes L2 of the second speakers 52 above the front portion of the seat 8, i.e., in the vicinity of the head of the operator seated on the seat 8. The point of intersection of the sound axes L1 of the two first speakers 51 and the point of intersection of the sound axes L2 of the two second speakers 52 need not coincide with each other in top view but may be at different locations in top view.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the watercraft 1 of FIG. 1, showing the steering assembly 7 and its vicinity as viewed from the left rear side. The watercraft body 2 is equipped with a meter-related action receiver 61 and an audio-related action receiver 62.

[0028] The meter-related action receiver 61 is located on a portion of the upper surface of the cover 23, the portion of the upper surface being rearward of the steering assembly 7 and forward of a central front end 8a of the seat 8. The meter-related action receiver 61 includes a rotatable adjusting knob 61a and push buttons 61b. The audio-related action receiver 62 is located on the upper surface of the cover 23 and to the left of the display 43. The audio-related action receiver 62 includes a rotatable adjusting knob 62a and push buttons 62b.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control system of the watercraft 1 of FIG. 1.

[0030] The watercraft 1 includes at least one sensor or switch. For example, the watercraft 1 includes an accelerator position sensor 63, a fuel sensor 64, a reverse position sensor 65, a trim switch 66, and a location sensor 67.

[0031] The watercraft 1 includes a fuel injection electronic control unit 70 (hereinafter referred to as FI-ECU 70) and an electric reverse electronic control unit 80 (hereinafter referred to as R-ECU 80). The meter equipment 40, the FI-ECU 70, and the R-ECU 80 are communicatively connected to one another via a controller area network 9 which may be called a CAN 9.

[0032] The FI-ECU 70 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 71 and a memory 72. The CPU 71 and the memory 72 are communicatively connected to each other. The CPU 71 controls the operations of the FI-ECU 70. The memory 72 stores various programs and data required for the operations of the FI-ECU 70. The memory 72 further stores information received from various sensors. The memory 72 need not be a single storage device but may be constituted by two or more storage devices. For example, the memory 72 may be any one of different storage devices such as a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, and a flash memory or may be a combination of two or more of these storage devices. For example, the operations of the FI-ECU 70 are implemented by the CPU 71 executing the programs stored in the memory 72.

[0033] The accelerator position sensor 63 is electrically connected to the FI-ECU 70. The engine 3, which is an object to be controlled by the FI-ECU 70, is also electrically connected to the FI-ECU 70.

[0034] The accelerator position sensor 63 detects the amount of an accelerating action performed by the operator on the accelerator lever 32. The CPU 71 of the FI-ECU 70 receives accelerating action information indicating the amount of the accelerating action and controls the engine 3 based on the accelerating action information.

[0035] A buzzer 91 is also electrically connected to the FI-ECU 70. The FI-ECU 70 includes a buzzer driving circuit that outputs a buzzer driving current to the buzzer 91. The buzzer 91 is configured to emit a sound using a piezoelectric element. For example, the FI-ECU 70 does or does not cause the buzzer 91 to output a buzzer sound depending on the status of the engine 3. The CPU 71 determines whether a given alert condition for activation of the buzzer 91 is satisfied. Upon determining that the alert condition is satisfied, the CPU 71 outputs a buzzer driving current from the buzzer driving circuit to the buzzer 91 and activates the buzzer 91 by the buzzer driving current, thus causing the buzzer 91 to output a buzzer sound. The speakers 50 described above can emit louder sounds than the buzzer 91. Preferably, the speakers 50 can emit sounds over a wider range of frequencies than the buzzer 91.

[0036] For example, the alert condition may be that the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3 is equal to or smaller than a given threshold. In the present embodiment, the fuel sensor 64 is electrically connected to the FI-ECU 70. The fuel sensor 64 detects the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3 serving as a drive source. The CPU 71 of the FI-ECU 70 receives remaining fuel information indicating the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3 from the fuel sensor 64 and determines whether the remaining amount is equal to or smaller than a given threshold. Upon determining that the remaining amount is equal to or smaller than the threshold, the CPU 71 causes the buzzer driving circuit to output a buzzer driving current to the buzzer 91 and causes the buzzer 91 to output a buzzer sound in order to inform the operator that the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3 is small.

[0037] For example, the alert condition may be that the engine 3 is malfunctioning. For example, upon acquiring information about a fault or malfunction of a component such as a fuel injector or igniter of the engine 3, the CPU 71 of the FI-ECU 70 may cause the buzzer driving circuit to output a buzzer driving current to the buzzer 91 and cause the buzzer 91 to output a buzzer sound.

[0038] The FI-ECU 70 sends the remaining fuel information received from the fuel sensor 64 to the meter equipment 40 via the CAN 9.

[0039] The R-ECU 80 includes a CPU 81 and a memory 82. The CPU 81 and the memory 82 are communicatively connected to each other. The CPU 81 controls the operations of the R-ECU 80. The memory 82 stores various programs and data required for the operations of the R-ECU 80. The memory 82 further stores information received from various sensors. The memory 82 need not be a single storage device but may be constituted by two or more storage devices. For example, the memory 82 may be any one of different storage devices such as a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, and a flash memory or may be a combination of two or more of these storage devices. For example, the operations of the R-ECU 80 are implemented by the CPU 81 executing the programs stored in the memory 82.

[0040] The reverse position sensor 65 and the trim switch 66 are electrically connected to the R-ECU 80. The R-ECU 80 is electrically connected to a reverse actuator 92 and a trim actuator 93 which are objects to be controlled by the R-ECU 80.

[0041] The reverse position sensor 65 detects an action performed by the operator to switch the watercraft 1 between forward movement and rearward movement. Specifically, the handle 31 includes a reverse lever that receives the operator's action, and the reverse position sensor 65 detects an action performed by the operator on the reverse lever. The reverse actuator 92 changes the position of the reverse bucket 6. The CPU 81 of the R-ECU 80 receives, from the reverse position sensor 65, reverse action information indicating an action performed by the operator to switch the watercraft 1 between forward movement and rearward movement, and operates the reverse actuator 92 based on the received reverse action information. The reverse actuator 92 moves the reverse bucket 6 between the retracted and advanced positions previously described, thus allowing the watercraft 1 to move forward or rearward.

[0042] The trim actuator 93 is an actuator that adjusts the trim angle of the watercraft body 2. The trim angle is the angle of the front-rear direction of the watercraft body 2 with respect to a horizontal plane. The trim angle, which is the angle in the direction of pitching of the watercraft body 2, may be referred to as pitch angle. The bow of a watercraft might be uplifted as the movement speed of the watercraft increases. In the present embodiment, the watercraft 1 can adjust the position of the bow while moving; that is, the watercraft 1 can adjust the trim angle while moving. Specifically, the steering nozzle 5 is pivotable relative to the watercraft body 2 about an axis extending in the left-right direction. The trim actuator 93 moves the steering nozzle 5 about the axis extending in the left-right direction of the watercraft body 2 relative to the front-rear direction of the watercraft body 2, thus adjusting the angular position of the steering nozzle 5 about the axis.

[0043] The trim actuator 93 operates in response to an action performed by the operator on the trim switch 66. The trim switch 66 is located on the handle 31 (see FIG. 3) and receives an action performed by the operator to change the trim angle. The trim switch 66 sends to the R-ECU 80 a trim angle command value corresponding to the action performed by the operator on the trim switch 66. The CPU 81 of the R-ECU 80 operates the trim actuator 93 based on the trim angle command value to change the direction in which the steering nozzle 5 extends. Thus, the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 is adjusted.

[0044] The R-ECU 80 sends the trim angle command value, which corresponds to the action performed by the operator on the trim switch 66, to the meter equipment 40 via the CAN 9.

[0045] The meter equipment 40 presents various pieces of information to the operator. The meter equipment 40 includes a CPU 41, a memory 42, a display 43, and a communicator 44. The components 41, 42, 43, and 44 are communicatively connected to one another.

[0046] The CPU 41 controls the operations of the meter equipment 40. The memory 42 stores various programs and data required for the operations of the meter equipment 40. The memory 42 need not be a single storage device but may be constituted by two or more storage devices. For example, the memory 42 may be any one of different storage devices such as a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, and a flash memory or may be a combination of two or more of these storage devices. For example, the operations of the meter equipment 40 are implemented by the CPU 41 executing the programs stored in the memory 42.

[0047] The CPU 41 controls the contents displayed on the display 43 based on received information. In the present embodiment, the display 43 is a liquid crystal display that displays information in digital form. The meter equipment 40 may include an instrument that indicates the moving speed or the like in analog form, instead of or in addition to the display 43.

[0048] The meter-related action receiver 61 is electrically connected to the meter equipment 40. The meter-related action receiver 61 receives actions performed by the operator in relation to the meter equipment 40. For example, the meter-related action receiver 61 receives an action related to on-screen image switching of the display 43, an action related to switching between drive modes described later, or any other related action. For example, like the audio-related action receiver 62, the meter-related action receiver 61 may receive actions performed by the operator in relation to sounds output by the speakers 50.

[0049] In the present embodiment, the meter equipment 40 has not only the meter display function of presenting various pieces of information to the operator but also an audio control function of controlling sounds output by the speakers 50. The meter equipment 40 is electrically connected to the speakers 50 via the amplifier 53. The meter equipment 40 outputs a current to the amplifier 53 based on sound information to be output by the speakers 50. The sound information is, for example, an audio content such as music, and the current output to the amplifier 53 is tailored to the audio content. An audio player serving as a sound source device may be electrically connected to the meter equipment 40. In this case, the meter equipment 40 may acquire a sound signal such as music information from the audio player and provide the sound signal to the amplifier 50. A mobile terminal serving as a wireless communicator may be electrically connected to the meter equipment 40. In this case, the meter equipment 40 may acquire a sound signal such as a telephone signal from the mobile terminal and provide the sound signal to the amplifier 50. For example, the meter equipment 40 includes a digital-analog conversion circuit that converts audio contents from digital signals to analog signals. The amplifier 53 amplifies the input current and outputs the amplified current to the speakers 50.

[0050] In the present embodiment, the meter equipment 40 receives sound information, which is to be output by the speakers 50, from an external entity via the communicator 44. The communicator 44 is a module including a communication circuit that enables wireless communication with a mobile terminal 100 carried by a person on board the watercraft 1. The mobile terminal 100 is, for example, a smartphone. The communicator 44 is embodied, for example, as an antenna or a RF (Radio Frequency) circuit. In the present embodiment, the wireless communication between the communicator 44 and the mobile terminal 100 is near field communication such as Bluetooth communication, and the communicator 44 and the mobile terminal 100 are enabled to wirelessly communicate with each other through pairing. Alternatively, the communicator 44 and the mobile terminal 100 may be communicatively connected to each other by wire.

[0051] Once the user performs an action on the mobile terminal 100 to select an audio content to be output by the speakers 50, the selected audio content is sent from the mobile terminal 100 to the meter equipment 40 via the communicator 44. The volume of the sounds output by the speakers 50 can also be controlled by using the mobile terminal 100. That is, once the user performs an action on the mobile terminal 100 to designate a sound volume, a sound volume command indicating the designated sound volume is sent from the mobile terminal 100 to the meter equipment 40 via the communicator 44. The meter equipment 40 adjusts the speaker driving current based on the received sound volume command, thus adjusting the volume of the sounds output by the speakers 50.

[0052] The audio content selection and the sound volume adjustment can be accomplished not only through actions on the mobile terminal 100 but also through actions on the audio-related action receiver 62. The audio-related action receiver 62 is electrically connected to the meter equipment 40. The audio-related action receiver 62 receives actions performed by the operator in relation to sounds output by the speakers 50. For example, the audio-related action receiver 62 receives an action to adjust the sound volume, a skip-forward action to play the next piece of music, a skip-backward action to play the previous piece of music, a muting action, an action to switch between audio modes described later, or any other related action.

[0053] A command corresponding to a manual action on the audio-related action receiver 62 is sent from the meter equipment 40 to the mobile terminal 100 via the communicator 44. The mobile terminal 100 performs control based on the received command. For example, in a case where an action such as the skip-forward action is performed on the audio-related action receiver 62 to selectively change the audio content from one audio content to another, a command corresponding to the performed action is sent to the mobile terminal 100, and the mobile terminal 100 changes the audio content to be sent to the meter equipment 40 based on the command.

[0054] When the watercraft 1 is moving, the meter equipment 40 blocks reception of action information indicating an action performed on the meter-related action receiver 61. The meter equipment 40 receives action information indicating an action performed on the audio-related action receiver 62, regardless of whether or not the watercraft 1 is moving. Since the meter equipment 40 receives action information indicating an action performed on the audio-related action receiver 62 even when the watercraft 1 is moving, the operator can change the music or adjust the sound volume while maneuvering the watercraft 1.

[0055] FIG. 5 shows an example of a meter image G displayed on the display 43 of the watercraft 1 of FIG. 1. The meter image G includes a drive mode area R1, a moving speed area B2, a trim angle area B3, a fuel amount area B4, and an audio area B5.

[0056] The drive mode area R1 is an area that displays a drive mode of the watercraft 1. In the present embodiment, the engine 3 is controlled in accordance with a drive mode selected from predetermined drive modes. The drive mode area R1 displays the currently selected drive mode. In the present embodiment, the drive mode can be switched in response to an action performed by the operator on the meter-related action receiver 61.

[0057] In the present embodiment, the selectable drive modes include a normal mode and a restricted output power mode. The normal mode is a mode in which the FI-ECU 70 performs predetermined normal control on the engine 3 in accordance with the amount of an accelerating action. The normal mode may be referred to as normal drive mode. The restricted output power mode is a mode in which the FI-ECU 70 controls the engine 3 such that the power output by the engine 3 as a function of the amount of an accelerating action is lower than in the normal mode. For example, it is prohibited to move watercrafts at high speeds in a region within a certain distance from the shore. Thus, the restricted output power mode is automatically selected depending on location information acquired by the location sensor 67 or manually selected in response to an action performed by the operator on the meter-related action receiver 61.

[0058] The moving speed area B2 is an area that displays the moving speed of the watercraft 1. In the present embodiment, the moving speed of the watercraft 1 is calculated based on the location coordinates of the watercraft 1 which are acquired by the location sensor 67. Specifically, the location sensor 67 is electrically connected to the meter equipment 40. The location sensor 67 acquires location information indicating the geographical location of the watercraft body 2. In the present embodiment, the location sensor 67 acquires the location coordinates of the watercraft 1 on the Earth and is, in particular, a receiver of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) such as GPS (Global Positioning System). The CPU 41 calculates the moving speed of the watercraft 1 from a change per unit time in the location coordinates received from the location sensor 67, and displays the calculated moving speed on the moving speed area B2.

[0059] The trim angle area B3 is an area that displays the trim angle of the watercraft body 2. The CPU 41 receives from the R-ECU 80 a trim angle command value corresponding to an action performed by the operator on the trim switch 66 and displays information corresponding to the trim angle command value on the trim angle area B3. Alternatively, the watercraft body 2 may be equipped with a trim angle sensor that detects the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 or a physical quantity corresponding to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2, and the CPU 41 may receive information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 from the trim angle sensor and display the received information on the trim angle area B3. The trim angle sensor may be, for example, a gyro sensor.

[0060] The fuel amount area B4 is an area that displays the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3. The CPU 41 receives remaining fuel information from the FI-ECU 70 via the CAN 9 and, based on the received remaining fuel information, displays information indicating the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3 on the fuel amount area B4.

[0061] The audio area B5 is an area that displays information related to sounds output by the speaker 50. The audio area B5 includes a sound information area B51 and an audio mode area B52.

[0062] The sound information area B51 is an area that displays information including the title of music being played, the artist name, and the elapsed time from the start of sound output, the elapsed time from the beginning of the music being played, or the total time for which the music has been played.

[0063] The audio mode area B52 is an area that displays an audio mode related to how to control the sound output of the speakers 50. In the present embodiment, the CPU 41 controls the sound output of the speakers 50 in accordance with an audio mode selected from predetermined audio modes. The audio mode area B52 displays the currently selected audio mode. In the present embodiment, the selectable audio modes include an ON mode, an OFF mode, and an AUTO mode.

[0064] The ON mode is a mode in which the sound output of the speakers 50 is controlled by a normal control method. When the audio mode is the ON mode, the volume or frequency characteristics of the sounds output by the speakers 50 are changed based on a preset value or in response to a user action. The ON mode may be referred to as manual adjustment mode. For example, the volume of the sounds output by the speakers 50 is adjusted in response to an action performed on the mobile terminal 100 or the audio-related action receiver 62.

[0065] The OFF mode is a mode in which the sound output of the speakers 50 is prohibited. When the audio mode is the OFF mode, no sounds are output by the speakers 50.

[0066] The AUTO mode is a mode in which the sound output of the speakers 50 is controlled in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1. When the audio mode is the AUTO mode, sound output control is performed in a manner suitable for the status of the watercraft 1. For example, in the AUTO mode, the volume or frequency characteristics of the sounds output by the speakers 50 are changed in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1. The AUTO mode, in which the sounds output by the speakers 50 are automatically adjusted in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1, may be referred to as automatic adjustment mode.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the audio mode can be switched in response to an action performed by the operator on the meter-related action receiver 61 or the audio-related action receiver 62. That is, the CPU 41 is configured to enable or disable the AUTO mode in response to a user action. The audio mode may be switched in response to a command sent from the mobile terminal 100 to the meter equipment.

[0068] An example of the flow of control related to the sound output of the speakers 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0069] As shown in FIG. 6, the CPU 41 of the meter equipment 40 acquires sound information (step S1). In the present embodiment, audio contents such as pieces of music are stored in a memory of the mobile terminal 100 carried by the user, and the meter equipment 40 receives an audio content, namely, sound information, from the mobile terminal 100 via the communicator 44.

[0070] The CPU 41 determines whether the ON mode, i.e., the manual adjustment mode, is currently selected as the audio mode (step S2). Upon determining that the manual adjustment mode is currently selected as the audio mode (step S2: Yes), the CPU 41 acquires a preset value or a manual command value (step S3).

[0071] Both the preset value and the manual command value are related to the volume or frequency characteristics of the sounds output by the speakers 50. The preset value may be a default value. The preset value is stored in the memory 42 in advance. The manual command value is sent from the mobile terminal 100 and received by the communicator 44. Alternatively, the manual command value is sent from the audio-related action receiver 62. For example, the manual command value is a command value indicating a sound volume designated by the user through an action on the mobile terminal 100 or the audio-related action receiver 62.

[0072] The CPU 41 performs sound output control in accordance with the acquired preset value or manual command value (step S4). Specifically, the meter equipment 40 and the amplifier 53 generate, based on the sound information and the preset value or manual command value, a speaker driving current that allows the speakers 50 to emit sounds. In this way, for example, the volume or frequency characteristics of the sounds output by the speakers 50 are adjusted in accordance with the acquired preset value or manual command value.

[0073] Upon determining that the manual adjustment mode is not currently selected as the audio mode (step S2: No), the CPU 41 determines whether the AUTO mode, i.e., the automatic adjustment mode, is currently selected as the audio mode (step S5). Upon determining that the automatic adjustment mode is currently selected as the audio mode (step S5: Yes), the CPU 41 acquires status information indicating the status of the watercraft 1 (step S6).

[0074] The status information may be information indicating the status of the watercraft body 2. For example, the status information may include at least information related to a movement state of the watercraft body 2 or information related to an alert state of watercraft operation. The status information includes at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of: watercraft speed information related to the speed of the watercraft body 2; rotational speed information related to the rotational speed of the drive source of the watercraft body 2; attitude information related to the attitude of the watercraft body 2; information related to the steering angle of the watercraft body 2; turning information related to a turning state of the watercraft body 2; fault information related to a fault of the drive source of the watercraft body 2; fuel information related to the remaining amount of the fuel of the drive source of the watercraft body 2; location information related to the location of the watercraft body 2; information related to the status of a person on board the watercraft 1; and falling-overboard information related to the occurrence of falling overboard in the body of water including the watercraft body 2.

[0075] The status of the watercraft 1 includes, in addition to the status of the watercraft body 2, the status of a person on board the watercraft 1 and the status of the surroundings of the watercraft 1. The status of a person on board the watercraft 1 may be one in which the person on board is taking a given action such as getting on the phone.

[0076] The status of the surroundings of the watercraft 1 may include the status of the body of water in which the watercraft 1 is located or the status of another watercraft in the vicinity of the watercraft 1. For example, the status of the body of water may be the weather status of the body of water in which the watercraft 1 is located. The information indicating the status of another watercraft in the vicinity of the watercraft 1 may include information related to the distance between the watercraft 1 and the other watercraft or information related to the location where a person fell overboard from the other watercraft or the location of the person overboard.

[0077] The attitude information related to the attitude of the watercraft body 2 may include at least the pitch angle, the roll angle, or the yaw angle of the watercraft body 2.

[0078] The status information includes relative orientation information related to the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2. The relative orientation information related to the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2 may be, for example, information related to the position of the head of the operator relative to the speakers 50. For example, the relative orientation information related to the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2 may be information for determination of whether the head of the operator is displaced relative to the sound axes of the speakers 50. The relative orientation information may be information of a detected orientation of the operator or may be information from which the orientation of the operator can be estimated. For example, a change in the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2 is estimated in response to a change in the attitude of the watercraft body. For example, a change in the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2 is estimated when the watercraft 1 is turning. Thus, the relative orientation information related to the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2 may be attitude information related to the attitude of the watercraft body 2 or turning information related to a turning state of the watercraft body 2. The turning information may be information based on which it can be determined that the watercraft 1 is turning. For example, the turning information may include information related to the steering angle of the watercraft body 2.

[0079] The location information related to the location of the watercraft body 2 may include location information indicating a self-location that is a geographical location of the watercraft body 2. The location information related to the location of the watercraft body 2 may include information indicating a locational relationship between the watercraft body 2 and another watercraft in the vicinity of the watercraft body 2. For example, the information indicating a locational relationship between the watercraft body 2 and another watercraft may include information related to the distance between the watercraft body 2 and the other watercraft.

[0080] The CPU 41 performs sound output control in accordance with the acquired status information (step S7). Specifically, the meter equipment 40 and the amplifier 53 generate, based on the sound information, a speaker driving current that allows the speakers 50 to emit sounds, and modify the speaker driving current based on the status information. Thus, for example, the volume or frequency characteristics of the sounds output by the speakers 50 are adjusted in accordance with the acquired status information. The CPU 41 or digital-analog conversion circuit included in the meter equipment 40 or a circuit included in the amplifier 53 is an example of the processing circuitry.

[0081] In a case where the determination in step S2 is that the manual adjustment mode is not currently selected and the determination in step S5 is that the automatic adjustment mode is not currently selected, namely in a case where it is determined that the OFF mode is currently selected as the audio mode (step S5: No), the CPU 41 does not allow the speakers 50 to output any sounds.

[0082] In the sound output control of step S7, the speaker driving current is modified based on the status information. For example, in the sound output control of step S7, the sound volume included in the sound information is changed, or a sound component included in the sound information and falling within a certain frequency band is accentuated or attenuated, or outputting of the sound information is stopped, depending on the status information. The following describes some examples of sound output control performed in steps S6 and S7 during the automatic adjustment mode.

EXAMPLE 1

[0083] Example 1 will be described in which sound volume adjustment control is performed in accordance with the moving speed of the watercraft 1. In Example 1, the status information is watercraft speed information related to the speed of the watercraft body 2. For example, in step S6 described above, the CPU 41 acquires the watercraft speed information by calculating the moving speed of the watercraft 1 from a change per unit time in the location coordinates received from the location sensor 67.

[0084] The CPU 41 determines, based on the watercraft speed information, whether the moving speed of the watercraft 1 is higher than a predetermined speed threshold. Upon determining that the moving speed is higher than the speed threshold, the CPU 41 allows the volume of the sounds emitted from the speakers 50 to be higher than in a case where the moving speed is determined to be not higher than the speed threshold.

[0085] Generally, the higher the moving speed of a watercraft is, the louder wave noise or wind noise is, and the more difficult it is for the operator of the watercraft to hear the sound of a speaker. According to Example 1, in a situation where wave noise or wind noise occurs, the volume of the sounds emitted from the speakers 50 can be increased to make the sounds easier to hear.

[0086] In the sound volume adjustment control, the speed threshold or the amount by which the speaker sound volume is increased may be a predetermined default value. Alternatively, the speed threshold or the amount by which the speaker sound volume is increased may be selectable by the operator. This allows the operator to set speaker sounds matching the operator's preference. The speed threshold may be zero. This means that the speaker sound volume may be set higher when the watercraft 1 is moving than when the watercraft 1 is at rest. Specifically, in a case where the operator sets a speaker sound volume in accordance with the operator's preference when the watercraft 1 is at rest or moving slowly, the sound volume adjustment control may be performed such that the speakers 50 output sounds with the set sound volume as long as the watercraft 1 is at rest or moving slowly and such that once the watercraft 1 starts to move relatively fast, the speakers 50 output sounds with a sound volume higher than the speaker sound volume set by the operator when the watercraft 1 was at rest or moving slowly. Alternatively, in a case where the operator sets a speaker sound volume in accordance with the operator's preference when the watercraft 1 is moving relatively fast, the sound volume adjustment control may be performed such that the speakers 50 output sounds with the set sound volume as long as the watercraft 1 is moving relatively fast and such that once the watercraft 1 comes to a stop, the speakers 50 output sounds with a sound volume lower than the speaker sound volume set by the operator when the watercraft 1 was moving relatively fast.

[0087] In the sound volume adjustment control, the volume of the speaker sounds may be gradually increased with increasing moving speed of the watercraft 1. This can prevent the speaker sounds from changing abruptly once the moving speed exceeds or falls below the speed threshold, thus improving the feeling provided by the speaker sounds. The amount by which the volume of the speaker sounds is increased as a function of the increase in the moving speed may be a predetermined default value. The amount by which the volume of the speaker sounds is increased as a function of the increase in the moving speed may be selectable by the operator. This allows the operator to set speaker sounds matching the operator's preference.

[0088] For example, in a case where the operator sets a speaker sound volume in accordance with the operator's preference when the watercraft 1 is planing, the sound volume adjustment control may be performed such that the speaker sound volume is increased as the moving speed of the watercraft 1 increases beyond the moving speed that the watercraft 1 had at the time of sound volume setting by the operator. The sound volume adjustment control may be performed such that the speaker sound volume is decreased as the moving speed of the watercraft 1 decreases below the moving speed that the watercraft 1 had at the time of sound volume setting by the operator. In this case, the CPU 41 may store the moving speed at the time of setting and the set speaker sound volume into a non-volatile memory. In this case, at the next time the watercraft 1 is started up, the speaker sound volume previously set by the operator and the moving speed associated with the speaker sound volume can be retrieved from the non-volatile memory. This eliminates the need for the operator to set the sound volume matching the operator's preference every time the operator starts up the watercraft 1.

[0089] Different speaker sound volume levels may be settable for different moving speeds by the operator. In this case, the sound volume adjustment control may be performed such that the speaker sound volume changes stepwise or continuously while the moving speed of the watercraft 1 changes in a range between the different moving speeds for which the sound volume levels are set. This makes it easier to achieve a speaker sound volume matching the operator's preference for every moving speed.

[0090] Although in the present embodiment the moving speed is calculated from a change per unit time in the location coordinates of the watercraft 1, the speaker sounds may be controlled based on a detected value of a parameter that changes depending on the moving speed. For example, in a case where the drive source is an internal combustion engine, the volume of the speaker sounds may be controlled in accordance with a parameter such as an engine speed, a fuel injection amount, a throttle position, or an engine output power whose change correlates with a change in the moving speed, instead of being controlled in accordance with the watercraft speed. For example, the speaker sound volume may be set lower when the engine is operating at an idling speed than when the engine is operating at a speed other than the idling speed.

[0091] In some cases, the drive mode of the watercraft 1 is set to the restricted output power mode in which the power output by the drive source in response to an accelerating action is lower than the power output by the drive source in response to the same accelerating action (i.e., the same amount of accelerating action) during the normal mode. The restricted output power mode is, for example, a slow movement mode. The slow movement mode is used, for example, when the watercraft 1 is berthing at a marina or moving through a canal. When the watercraft 1 is moving in the restricted output power mode, the speaker sound volume may be controlled to be lower than when the watercraft 1 is moving in the normal drive mode. The drive mode may be set to a mode in which the moving speed is restricted rather than to the restricted output power mode, and also in this case the speaker sound volume may be controlled to be lower than in the normal drive mode.

[0092] As described above, the speaker sound volume may be controlled in accordance with the type of the drive mode to which the watercraft 1 is set. Another example of the drive mode may be a beginner mode in which a change in output power associated with a change over time in the amount of an accelerating action is smaller than in the normal drive mode. In such a restricted output power mode, the speaker sound volume may be set lower than in an unrestricted output power mode in which there is no restriction on the output power. Other possible examples of the restricted output power mode include: a limp home mode in which the output power is restricted upon detection of a malfunction in the watercraft body or the drive source; and an economy mode in which the energy consumption is reduced taking into account a small remaining amount of energy supplied by an energy source such as a battery or fuel.

EXAMPLE 2

[0093] Example 2 will be described in which sound volume adjustment control is performed in accordance with the attitude of the watercraft body 2. In Example 2, the status information is information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2. The information related to the trim angle is an example of the attitude information related to the attitude of the watercraft body 2.

[0094] As previously stated, the speakers 50 are directional. Thus, the easiness with which the user hears the sounds of the speakers 50 can differ depending on the position of the user's head relative to the directions in which the speakers 50 face. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the speakers 50 are disposed to face toward the head of the operator seated on the seat 8 when the watercraft 1 is at rest on the water, namely, when the trim angle is 0. A change in the trim angle can cause a change in the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2. This can lead to the position of the operator's head being displaced relative to the directions in which the speakers 50 emit sounds, making it difficult for the operator to hear the sounds of the speakers 50. Example 2 is aimed at preventing the operator from having difficulty in hearing the sounds of the speakers 50 due to a change in the trim angle.

[0095] Specifically, in step S6 described above, for example, the CPU 41 acquires information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 as the status information. The information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 is an example of the relative orientation information related to the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2. For example, the CPU 41 acquires the information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 by receiving, via the R-ECU 80 and the CAN 9, a trim angle command value corresponding to an action performed by the operator on the trim switch 66. Alternatively, the watercraft body 2 may be equipped with a trim angle sensor that detects the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 or a physical quantity corresponding to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2, and the CPU 41 may receive the information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 from the trim angle sensor.

[0096] Based on the information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body 2, the CPU 41 increases the volume of the sound emitted from each speaker 50 with increasing amount of displacement of the operator relative to a straight line passing through the speaker 50 and extending in the direction in which the speaker 50 emits the sound. The straight line is the sound axis of the speaker 50. In other words, the CPU 41 allows the volume of the sounds emitted from the speakers 50 to be higher when the trim angle is not 0 than when the trim angle is 0.

[0097] According to Example 2, the volume of the sounds of the speakers 50 increases with increasing absolute value of the trim angle of the watercraft body 2. Thus, even in the event that a change in the trim angle of the watercraft body 2 causes displacement of the position of the user relative to the directions in which the speakers 50 emit the sounds, the sounds of the speakers 50 are likely to be prevented from becoming difficult for the user to hear. That is, even if the watercraft body 2 tilts and accordingly the operating posture of the operator changes, it is possible to prevent the operator from having difficulty in hearing the sounds emitted from the speakers 50.

[0098] In a variant of Example 2, instead of or in addition to being changed in response to a change in the trim angle, namely the pitch angle, of the watercraft body 2, the speaker sound volume may be changed in response to a change in the roll angle or yaw angle of the watercraft body 2. That is, the CPU 41 may acquire information related to the roll angle, roll rate, yaw angle, or yaw rate of the watercraft body 2 as the status information and use that information for the sound output control. The roll angle of the watercraft body 2 is the angle of the left-right direction of the watercraft body 2 with respect to a horizontal plane. As in the control based on the trim angle, when, for example, the roll angle of the watercraft body 2 is in a given roll angle range where the sounds of the speakers 50 are difficult to hear, the speaker sound volume may be set higher than when the roll angle is outside the given roll angle range.

[0099] It can be envisaged that when the watercraft 1 is turning, the position of the head of the operator is displaced relative to the directions in which the speakers 50 emit sounds. Thus, when the yaw rate of the watercraft body 2 is in a given yaw rate range where the sounds of the speakers 50 are difficult to hear, the speaker sound volume may be set higher than when the yaw rate is outside the given yaw rate range. The attitude of the watercraft body 2 may be identified based on the steering angle of the watercraft body 2 or a centrifugal force acting on the watercraft body 2 during turning, rather than on the roll angle, yaw angle, or pitch angle of the watercraft body 2. Thus, the relative orientation information related to the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2 may include not only information related to the attitude of the watercraft body 2, such as the roll angle, yaw angle, or pitch angle of the watercraft body 2 or the rate of change in any of these angles, but also information indicating a status in which the operator might change the head's position from a given position, such as information related to the steering angle of the watercraft body 2 or turning information related to a turning state of the watercraft body 2. In a case where the watercraft body 2 is equipped with a pair of left and right speakers 50, the sounds of the two speakers 50 may be controlled in accordance with the information indicating the position of the head of the operator, namely the relative orientation information related to the orientation of the operator relative to the watercraft body 2, such that the volume of the sound of one of the speakers 50 that is located inward in a turning direction and the volume of the sound of the other speaker 50 located outward in the turning direction are different from each other.

[0100] The speaker sound volume may be controlled based on the direction in which the watercraft body 2 is moving, rather than on the attitude of the watercraft body 2. Specifically, in response to a determination that the reverse bucket 6 is in use to eject a jet stream in a direction other than the rearward direction, the speaker sound volume may be set lower than in a state where a jet stream is ejected without the use of the reverse bucket 6. The state where the direction of a jet stream is changed by means of the reverse bucket 6 is presumably a state where the moving speed is low or zero, and the speaker sound volume can be prevented from becoming extremely high in such a state.

EXAMPLE 3

[0101] Example 3 will be described in which the speakers 50 are controlled to output alert information. In Example 3, the status information is information for determination of whether the watercraft body 2 is in an alert state of operation. Examples of the alert state include: a state where the engine 3 is malfunctioning; a state where the engine 3 is running short of fuel; a state where the watercraft 1 is located in a no-go zone; a state where the watercraft is located in proximity to the no-go zone; and a state where a battery mounted on the watercraft 1 is running short of charge.

[0102] When the alert state is a state where the engine 3 is running short of fuel, the status information is remaining fuel information indicating the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3. For example, in step S6 described above, the CPU 41 acquires the remaining fuel information by receiving, via the FI-ECU 70 and the CAN 9, information detected by the fuel sensor 64 and indicating the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3.

[0103] The CPU 41 determines, based on the remaining fuel information, whether the remaining amount of the fuel of the engine 3 is equal to or smaller than a given threshold. Upon determining that the remaining amount is equal to or smaller than the given threshold, the CPU 41 causes the speakers 50 to output alert information related to the alert state of watercraft operation. The alert information may be an alert sound like a buzzer sound or may be sound information describing the details of the alert state or sound information describing how to address the alert state. Such alert information or sound information is stored, for example, as sound data in the memory 42.

[0104] When the alert state is a state where the engine 3 is malfunctioning, the status information may be, for example, information acquired by a sensor that detects a malfunction of the engine 3. An example of the sensor is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of a part associated with the engine 3 or the temperature of the fuel of the engine 3. The sensor that detects a malfunction of the engine 3 may be the FI-ECU 70.

[0105] The CPU 41 determines whether the engine 3 is malfunctioning based on the information acquired by the sensor that detects a malfunction of the engine 3. Upon determining that the engine 3 is malfunctioning, the CPU 41 causes the speakers 50 to output alert information indicating the details of the alert state of watercraft operation. For example, the CPU 41 may cause the speakers to output information indicating in which part of the engine 3 there is the malfunction, indicating how to correct the malfunction, or indicating how to call at a port in the malfunctioning state.

[0106] According to Example 3, where the speakers 50 are used to inform the operator of an alert state, the operator can easily recognize the alert state. Additionally, for example, in a case where sound information describing the alert state is output as the alert information by the speakers 50, the operator can know what the alert state is or how to address the alert state more easily than in a case where alert sounds are output by the speakers 50.

EXAMPLE 4

[0107] Example 4 will be described in which sound volume adjustment control is performed in accordance with the location of the watercraft 1. In Example 4, the status information is location information indicating a self-location that is a geographical location of the watercraft body 2. For example, in step S6 described above, the CPU 41 acquires the location information by receiving it from the location sensor 67. In the sound volume adjustment control of Example 4, the meter equipment 40 and the amplifier 53 modify the speaker driving current based on the location information. Thus, the sound output of the speakers 50 can be made suitable for the location of the watercraft 1.

[0108] For example, in step S7 described above, the CPU 41 determines, based on the location information, whether the watercraft body 2 is in a predetermined restricted area. The restricted area is an area where a restriction is imposed on the sound output of the speakers 50. For example, the restricted area is an area where output of high-volume sounds is prohibited. For example, information related to the restricted area is stored in the memory 42 in advance. The restricted area can be set, for example, within a given distance from the shore. Upon determining that the watercraft body 2 is in the restricted area, the CPU 41 allows the volume of the sounds emitted from the speakers 50 to be lower than in a case where the watercraft body 2 is determined to be outside the restricted area. Upon determining that the watercraft body 2 is in the restricted area, for example, the CPU 41 may restrict the volume of the sounds of the speakers 50 to or below a given sound volume.

[0109] Reducing the volume of the sounds emitted from the speakers 50 includes stopping the sound output of the speakers 50. That is, the CPU 41 may stop the sound output of the speakers 50 upon determining that the watercraft body 2 is in the restricted area.

[0110] According to Example 4, for example, in the event that the watercraft 1 enters an area where output of high-volume sounds is prohibited, the sound output of the speakers 50 can be controlled without any user action to prevent output of any high-volume sounds. Additionally, for example, once the watercraft 1 leaves the area where output of high-volume sounds is prohibited, the speaker sound output can be controlled without any user action to start the sound output of the speakers 50 or increase the volume of the sounds of the speakers 50.

EXAMPLE 5

[0111] Example 5 will be described in which sound quality adjustment control is performed in accordance with the status information. The meter equipment 40 has an equalizer function and can accentuate or attenuate sound components included in audio contents and falling within a given frequency band. That is, the meter equipment 40 is configured to adjust the sound quality of audio contents. In Example 5, the CPU 41 sets, based on the acquired status information, a frequency band for which the CPU 41 performs sound quality adjustment, and accentuates or attenuates sound components included in an audio content and falling within the set frequency band. Thus, the quality of the sounds output by the speakers 50 can be adjusted in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1 to allow the sounds to be easily heard by the user.

[0112] In Example 5, the status information may be mode information indicating the mode which is set in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1. In the memory 42, the mode information indicating the mode, and information indicating the frequency band the sound components in which are accentuated or attenuated, are stored in association with each other.

[0113] An example of the mode indicated by the mode information is a telephone mode indicating that a person on board is on a phone call. For example, in a case where a person on board makes a phone call using the mobile terminal 100, the sounds of the speakers 50 might make it difficult to hear the voice of the person on the other end of the phone. To address this problem, in the sound quality adjustment control of Example 5, the quality of the sounds emitted from the speakers 50 is changed in response to selection of the telephone mode to make it easier to hear the voice of the person on the other end of the phone.

[0114] For example, when making a phone call using the mobile terminal 100, the operator performs an action on the audio-related action receiver 62 to select the telephone mode. In response to the selection of the telephone mode, the CPU 41 acquires the mode information indicating the telephone mode.

[0115] In the memory 42, the mode information indicating the telephone mode, and information indicating the frequency band the sound components in which are attenuated relative to sound components in other frequency bands, are stored in association with each other. Generally, a voice on a phone tends to be heard as a low voice. Thus, for example, in the telephone mode of Example 5, sound components in a low-frequency band are attenuated to prevent mixing of the voice on the phone and the sounds of the speakers 50. Upon determining that the mode indicated by the mode information is the telephone mode, the CPU 41 attenuates sound components included in an audio content and falling within the low-frequency band associated with the telephone mode, and causes the speakers 50 to emit the resulting audio content with the low-frequency sound components attenuated. In other words, the CPU 41 changes the quality of the sounds of the speakers 50 such that the sounds of the speakers 50 are higher-pitched than the sounds of the original audio content. This makes it easier to hear the voice of the person on the other end of the phone. In the telephone mode, high-frequency sound components included in an audio content may be accentuated instead of or in addition to attenuating those sound components included in the audio content and falling within the low-frequency band associated with the telephone mode.

[0116] Another example of the mode indicated by the mode information is a movement-induced noise canceling mode. Possible movement-induced noises include wind noise, wave noise, and engine noise. For example, when the watercraft 1 is moving, wind noise occurs and makes it difficult for the operator to hear the sounds of the speakers 50. To address this problem, in the sound quality adjustment control of Example 5, the quality of the sounds emitted from the speakers 50 is changed in response to selection of the movement-induced noise canceling mode to prevent the sounds of the speakers 50 from becoming difficult to hear due to wind noise.

[0117] For example, once the operator performs an action on the audio-related action receiver 62 to select the movement-induced noise canceling mode, the CPU 41 acquires the mode information indicating the movement-induced noise canceling mode. Alternatively, the movement-induced noise canceling mode may be automatically selected without any action of a person on board. For example, the CPU 41 may acquire movement information related to the moving speed of the watercraft body 2, determine whether the moving speed is equal to or higher than a given speed threshold, and automatically select the movement-induced noise canceling mode upon determining that the moving speed is equal to or higher than the given speed threshold.

[0118] In the memory 42, the mode information indicating the movement-induced noise canceling mode, and information indicating a frequency band the sound components in which are accentuated or attenuated relative to sound components in other frequency bands, are stored in association with each other. Upon determining that the mode indicated by the mode information is a wind noise canceling mode, the CPU 41 accentuates or attenuates sound components included in an audio content and falling within the frequency band associated with the movement-induced noise canceling mode, and causes the speakers 50 to emit the resulting audio content with the sound components accentuated or attenuated. This can prevent the sounds of the speakers 50 from becoming difficult to hear due to movement-induced noise, in particular wind noise. For example, the sound output of the speakers may be controlled such that the sounds of the speakers have a phase opposite to that of wind noise and cancel the wind noise or such that the sound volume is increased for a frequency band the sound components in which are difficult to hear due to the wind noise.

[0119] In a case where the movement-induced noise is expected to increase in proportion to the moving speed, the volume of speaker sounds falling within the frequency band of the movement-induced noise may be increased as the moving speed increases. This can make the speaker sounds easier to hear in the presence of the movement-induced noise. The movement-induced noise may include a sound component such as engine noise whose frequency changes as a function of the engine speed. In this case, speaker sounds falling within the frequency band of the engine noise and having a phase opposite to that of the engine noise may be produced to cancel the engine noise. This can reduce the engine noise perceived by the operator.

[0120] As described above, in the present embodiment, the sound output of the speakers 50 is modified in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1. Thus, suitable sounds can be emitted from the speakers 50 in response to a change in the status of the watercraft 1. This makes it easier for the operator to hear the sounds of the speakers 50. For example, the sound volume can be increased when the watercraft 1 is moving, and this enables the operator to easily hear the sounds of the speakers 50 even in the presence of wave noise accompanying the movement of the watercraft 1.

[0121] In the present embodiment, in a case where the status information includes at least information related to a movement state of the watercraft body 2 or information related to an alert state of watercraft operation, sounds suitable for the movement state or the alert state can be emitted from the speakers 50.

[0122] In the present embodiment, the user can choose between the automatic adjustment mode in which the sound output of the speakers 50 is controlled in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1 and the manual adjustment mode in which the sound output of the speakers 50 is controlled irrespective of the status of the watercraft 1. In other words, the meter equipment 40 of the present embodiment is configured to, in response to a user action, enable or disable the control in which the meter equipment 40 modifies the speaker driving current based on the status information. This allows the user to choose, depending on the user's preference, whether to modify the sound output of the speakers 50 in accordance with the status of the watercraft 1.

[0123] In the present embodiment, the meter equipment 40 has a meter display function of presenting various pieces of information to the operator and an audio control function of controlling sounds output by the speakers 50. Thus, in the present embodiment, the configuration of the control system included in the watercraft 1 can be more compact than in a case where the watercraft body 2 is equipped with another device having an audio control function in addition to the meter equipment 40. The meter equipment 40 may display information indicating that the speaker sound volume is increased or reduced under sound volume adjustment control. This allows the operator to know that the speaker sounds are changed under control, thus reducing a feeling of strangeness that the operator can have toward the change in the speaker sounds. The meter equipment 40 which displays the state of the watercraft 1 provides signals to the amplifier 53. Thus, the wiring can be simpler than in a case where a sensor that detects the state of the watercraft 1 provides signals to the amplifier 53.

Other Embodiments

[0124] The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

[0125] Although in the above embodiment the watercraft described is a personal watercraft designed to accommodate three or less persons including an operator, the personal watercraft may be a two-person or four-person watercraft. For example, the personal watercraft may be a one-person watercraft which accommodates only the operator. For example, the personal watercraft may be a stand-up personal watercraft that the operator operates in a standing position.

[0126] The present disclosure is also applicable to watercrafts other than personal watercrafts. For example, the present disclosure is applicable to a jet boat larger than personal watercrafts and having a length of, for example, 12 feet or more. The present disclosure is not limited to watercrafts propelled by waterjet but applicable to a small watercraft such as a motor boat which includes only an engine as a drive source. That is, the present disclosure is also applicable to a small watercraft equipped with a speaker exposed to the external environment. In other words, the present disclosure is applicable to any watercraft in which an operation space occupied by the operator during operation and a speaker are exposed to the external environment and viewable from the outside.

[0127] The drive source may be embodied as a device other than an internal combustion engine and may be embodied, for example, as an electric motor. The watercraft of the present disclosure is not limited to including a single drive source but may include two or more drive sources. For example, an internal combustion engine for jet propulsion which serves as a main propulsion source and an electric motor which serves as an auxiliary propulsion source may be used in combination.

[0128] Although the watercraft 1 of the above embodiment includes four speakers 50, the number and arrangement of the speakers included in the watercraft 1 are not limited to those in the above embodiment. For example, the watercraft 1 may include one speaker. However, equipping the watercraft body with two or more speakers can produce a surround-sound effect. For example, the watercraft body may be equipped with either the pair of first speakers described in the above embodiment or the pair of second speakers described in the above embodiment. For example, a speaker or speakers may be mounted either above or below the upper surface of the seat. For example, a speaker or speakers may be locally mounted on either the left or right half of the watercraft body. A pair of left and right speakers may be mounted to be asymmetrical about the center plane C of the watercraft body which divides the watercraft body into left and right halves. A speaker or speakers may be mounted under the handle, on the handle, or below the seat.

[0129] The speaker sound output-related control shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example. For example, although in the above embodiment the audio mode can be selected from among the ON mode, the OFF mode, and the AUTO mode by a user action, the audio mode need not be selectable by a user action. For example, the audio mode may be selectable between the AUTO mode and the OFF mode, and sound output control may be performed in accordance with the status information whenever sounds are output by the speakers. Two adjacent steps shown in sequence in the flowchart may, in some cases, be carried out simultaneously or in a reverse order.

[0130] Although in the above embodiment the meter equipment 40 has an audio control function of controlling the sounds output by the speakers 50, the meter equipment 40 need not have the audio control function, and the watercraft body may be equipped with an audio controller separate from the meter equipment 40 of the watercraft. That is, the processing circuitry that performs the audio control need not include any circuitry included in the meter equipment 40 and may be processing circuitry mounted on the watercraft separately from the meter equipment 40. That is, it is sufficient that the speakers be controllable based on the state of the watercraft. For example, an audio controller separate from the meter equipment may perform steps S2 to S7 described above based on the status information provided from any other processing circuitry such as the FI-ECU or R-ECU without intervention of the meter equipment.

[0131] Although the meter-related action receiver and the audio-related action receiver are described above as examples of the input interface included in the watercraft to receive user actions, the arrangement and configuration of the input interface included in the watercraft to receive user actions are not limited to those of the meter-related and audio-related action receivers described above. For example, the meter-related action receiver serving as an input interface may be a touch panel mounted on the meter display to receive touch inputs. The watercraft may include only either the meter-related action receiver or the audio-related action receiver. The input interface included in the watercraft to receive user actions may be an adjustment knob, a button, a lever, a touch panel, a joystick, a microphone, or any combination thereof.

[0132] Although in the above embodiment a sound volume command related to the sound volume of an audio content can be sent to the processing circuitry of the watercraft from a mobile terminal carried by a person on board the watercraft, other commands such as a command related to audio mode selection may be sent from the mobile terminal to the processing circuitry of the watercraft.

[0133] The control system of the watercraft is not limited to that described in the above embodiment. For example, in a case where the processing circuitry is configured to cause the speakers to output alert information as in Example 3, the watercraft need not include any buzzer.

[0134] The watercraft 1 need not include some of the detectors such as the sensors and switch which are described in the above embodiment. The connections among the sensors, the switch, the meter equipment, and the ECUs are not limited to those described in the above embodiment.

[0135] Although in the above embodiment, sound information, namely, an audio content, is wirelessly sent to the meter equipment of the watercraft from a mobile terminal carried by a person on board, the acquisition of the audio content is not limited to using the method described in the above embodiment. For example, an audio content as sound information may be stored in a memory of the meter equipment or of any other equipment secured to the watercraft body, and the processing circuitry may retrieve the audio content as sound information from the memory. That is, a sound source device may be connected by wire or wirelessly to the audio controller that performs the audio control. The sound source device need not be a mobile terminal and may be, for example, an audio player or a radio player. The sound source device may retrieve a sound signal stored in a storage medium such as a CD, an SD flash memory, or a USB memory and transmit the sound signal to the amplifier. The sound signal may be transmitted from a server to the processing circuitry of the watercraft body which is included in the audio controller or amplifier via a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

[0136] The acquisition of the status information is not limited to using the method described in the above embodiment. For example, although in the method described above, information related to the moving speed is acquired as the status information using location information detected by the location sensor, the information related to the moving speed may be acquired using a speed sensor, the engine speed, the trim angle, or an acceleration sensor. For example, trim angle information as the status information may be a trim angle command value corresponding to an action performed by the operator on the trim switch 66, may be information detected by a trim angle sensor, or may be the angular position of the steering nozzle about an axis extending in the left-right direction of the watercraft body 2 relative to the front-rear direction of the watercraft body 2.

[0137] The location sensor that acquires location information indicating the geographical location of the watercraft body need not be mounted on the watercraft body. For example, location information acquired by a GNSS receiver mounted in a mobile terminal such as a smartphone carried by a person on board the watercraft may be transmitted from the mobile terminal to the processing circuitry of the watercraft body, and the processing circuitry may acquire the transmitted location information. The acquisition of the location information related to the geographical location of the watercraft body is not limited to using GNSS. For example, an antenna capable of communication with a base station, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, an inertial measurement unit, information stored in a memory, or any combination thereof may be used to allow the processing circuitry to measure or estimate the geographical location of the watercraft body, thus acquiring the location information indicating the geographical location of the watercraft body.

[0138] Although in the above embodiment Examples 1 to 5 are described as examples of the control operations in which the speaker driving current is modified based on the status information, the control operations in which the speaker driving current is modified based on the status information are not limited to those in Examples 1 to 5.

[0139] Whether the watercraft body 2 is in the predetermined restricted area may be determined using location information acquired by a GPS sensor or may be determined using information other than the location information acquired by the GPS sensor. For example, in a case where the user manually sets the drive mode to the restricted output power mode once the watercraft comes relatively close to the shore, the processing circuitry may indirectly determine that the watercraft body 2 is in the predetermined restricted area based on information indicating that the restricted output power mode has been set as the drive mode.

[0140] For example, the restricted area need not be a fixed area such as an area close to the shore. For example, the restricted area may be changed from one area to another in the body of water depending on the status of the surroundings of the watercraft. For example, the restricted area may be created or deleted depending on the status of the surroundings of the watercraft.

[0141] For example, the restricted area may be an area defined in relation to the location of an object movable on the water such as another watercraft. For example, the processing circuitry of the watercraft may receive location information of the other watercraft as the status information and may reduce the volume of the sounds output by the speakers 50 upon determining that the distance between the location of the other watercraft and the self-location is equal to or smaller than a given distance threshold.

[0142] For example, in the event that a person has fallen overboard from another watercraft in the body of water including the watercraft body 2, the restricted area may be an area defined in relation to the location where the person fell overboard or the location of the person overboard. For example, the processing circuitry of the watercraft may receive, as the status information, falling-overboard information related to the occurrence of falling overboard in the body of water including the watercraft body 2. The falling-overboard information includes information related to the location where a person fell overboard or the location of the person overboard. The processing circuitry of the watercraft may stop the sound output of the speakers 50 upon determining that the distance between the self-location and the location where the person fell overboard or the location of the person overboard is equal to or smaller than a given distance threshold.

[0143] For example, the processing circuitry of the watercraft may stop the sound output of the speakers 50 when activating a buzzer. For example, in the above embodiment, the CPU 71 determines whether a given alert condition for activation of the buzzer 91 is satisfied. Upon determining that the alert condition is satisfied, the CPU 71 outputs a buzzer driving current from the buzzer driving circuit to the buzzer 91. Upon determining that the alert condition is satisfied, the CPU 71 may send to the meter equipment 40 a stop command to stop the sound output of the speakers 50, and the CPU 41 of the meter equipment 40 may stop the sound output of the speakers 50 based on the stop command. This makes it easier to hear the buzzer sound of the buzzer 91.

[0144] For example, the processing circuitry may acquire rotational speed information related to the rotational speed of the drive source of the watercraft body and may, based on the watercraft speed information or the rotational speed information, control the output of the sound information such that the volume of the sounds output by the speakers increases with an increase in the speed of the watercraft body or the rotational speed of the drive source. The higher the watercraft speed is, the louder the wind noise is, and the more difficult it is for the user to hear the sounds of the speakers. In the above configuration, where the volume of the sounds output by the speakers increases with an increase in the watercraft speed, the sounds of the speakers are likely to be prevented from becoming difficult to hear due to the wind noise.

[0145] For example, the speakers may be directional, and the status information may include trim angle information related to the trim angle of the watercraft body. In this case, the processing circuitry of the watercraft may be configured to, based on the trim angle information acquired as the status information, control the output of the sound information such that the volume of the sounds output by the speakers increases with an increase in the trim angle.

[0146] For example, the watercraft may include a buzzer supported by the watercraft body and buzzer control circuitry configured to control the output of a buzzer sound of the buzzer, and the status information may include alert information indicating that the drive source of the watercraft body is faulty or that the remaining amount of the fuel of the drive source is below a given threshold. In this case, the buzzer control circuitry may be configured to cause the buzzer to output the buzzer sound upon acquiring the alert information, and the processing circuitry may be configured to reduce the volume of the sounds output by the speakers or stop the sound output of the speakers upon acquiring the alert information. Since the volume of the sounds output by the speakers is reduced or the sound output of the speakers is stopped when the buzzer outputs the buzzer sound, it becomes easier for the user to hear the buzzer sound.

[0147] For example, the processing circuitry of the watercraft may be configured to: determine whether the watercraft body is in a predetermined restricted area; upon determining that the watercraft body is in the restricted area, allow the sound volume to be lower than when the watercraft body is outside the restricted area; acquire target location information indicating a target location that is a location of a given target; and control the output of the sound information in accordance with a locational relationship between the self-location and the target location.

[0148] For example, the processing circuitry of the watercraft may be configured to: based on the status information, select a sound quality adjustment mode from different types of sound quality adjustment modes; and accentuate or attenuate sound components that are included in sounds represented by the sound information and that fall within a frequency band associated with the selected sound quality adjustment mode.

[0149] For example, the controlling the output of the sound information based on the status information by the processing circuitry of the watercraft may include: generating an adjustment command based on the status information by the processing circuitry; transmitting the adjustment command from the processing circuitry to a mobile terminal carried by a person on board the watercraft via a communicator; and changing the content displayed on the mobile terminal based on the adjustment command. In the above configuration, the sound output of the speakers can be controlled in accordance with the status of the watercraft, and at the same time the content displayed on the mobile terminal serving as a sound source can be changed.

[0150] The functionality of the elements disclosed herein may be implemented using circuitry or processing circuitry which includes general purpose processors, special purpose processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), conventional circuitry and/or combinations thereof which are configured or programmed to perform the disclosed functionality. Processors are considered processing circuitry or circuitry as they include transistors and other circuitry therein. In the present disclosure, the circuitry, units, or means are hardware that carry out or are programmed to perform the recited functionality. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein or otherwise known hardware which is programmed or configured to carry out the recited functionality. When the hardware is a processor which may be considered a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or units are a combination of hardware and software, the software being used to configure the hardware and/or processor.

[0151] Various programs disclosed herein are stored in a storage. The storage is a readable and writable device or readable device built in or externally connected to a computer, and may be, for example, a hard disk, a flash memory, or an optical disk. The programs stored in the storage may be executed by a computer to which the storage is directly connected or may be downloaded into and executed by a computer connected to the storage via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0152] The above embodiments have been described to illustrate the technology disclosed in the present application. The technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and is applicable also to embodiments obtained by making appropriate modifications, replacements, additions, and/or omissions to the above embodiments. The elements described in the above embodiments may be combined into other embodiments. For example, one or more features or a method in one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. One or more features in an embodiment may be extracted separately from the other features in the embodiment. For convenience of illustration of the technology, the elements disclosed in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description include not only elements essential for problem solution but also elements inessential for problem solution.

DISCLOSED ASPECTS

[0153] The following aspects disclose preferred embodiments.

Aspect 1

[0154] A watercraft including: [0155] a watercraft body; [0156] a speaker supported by the watercraft body and exposed to an external environment; and [0157] processing circuitry supported by the watercraft body, wherein [0158] the processing circuitry is configured to: [0159] acquire status information indicating a status of the watercraft; [0160] acquire sound information; [0161] based on the sound information, generate a speaker driving current that allows the speaker to emit a sound; and [0162] modify the speaker driving current based on the status information.

[0163] According to aspect 1, the sound output of the speaker is modified in accordance with the status of the watercraft. Thus, a suitable sound can be emitted from the speaker in response to a change in the status of the watercraft. This makes it easier for the operator of the watercraft to hear the sound of the speaker. For example, the sound volume can be increased when the watercraft is moving, and this enables the operator to easily hear the sound of the speaker even in the presence of wave noise accompanying the movement of the watercraft.

Aspect 2

[0164] The watercraft according to aspect 1, wherein [0165] the status information includes at least information related to a movement state of the watercraft body or information related to an alert state of operation of the watercraft.

[0166] According to aspect 2, a sound suitable for the movement state or the alert state can be emitted from the speaker.

Aspect 3

[0167] The watercraft according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein [0168] the status information includes movement information related to a moving speed of the watercraft body, and [0169] the processing circuitry is further configured to: [0170] based on the movement information, determine whether the moving speed is higher than a predetermined speed threshold; and [0171] upon determining that the moving speed is higher than the speed threshold, allow a volume of the sound emitted from the speaker to be higher than in a case where the moving speed is determined to be not higher than the speed threshold.

[0172] According to aspect 3, the operator can easily hear the sound emitted from the speaker even in the presence of wave noise or wind noise.

Aspect 4

[0173] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein [0174] the status information includes relative orientation information related to an orientation of an operator of the watercraft relative to the watercraft body, and [0175] the processing circuitry is further configured to, based on the relative orientation information, increase a volume of the sound emitted from the speaker with increasing amount of displacement of the operator relative to a straight line passing through the speaker and extending in a direction in which the speaker emits the sound.

[0176] According to aspect 4, the operator can easily hear the sound emitted from the speaker even if the operating posture of the operator changes.

Aspect 5

[0177] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein [0178] the processing circuitry is further configured to, based on the status information, cause the speaker to output alert information related to an alert state of operation of the watercraft as the sound information.

[0179] According to aspect 5, the use of the speaker makes it easier for the operator to recognize the alert state.

Aspect 6

[0180] The watercraft according to aspect 5, wherein [0181] the alert information is sound information describing the alert state or sound information describing how to address the alert state.

[0182] According to aspect 6, it is easier for the operator to know the details of the alert state than in a case where an alert sound is output by the speaker.

Aspect 7

[0183] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein [0184] the status information includes location information indicating a self-location that is a geographical location of the watercraft body, and [0185] the processing circuitry is further configured to modify an output of the speaker driving current based on the location information.

[0186] According to aspect 7, the sound output of the speaker can be made suitable for the location of the watercraft.

Aspect 8

[0187] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 7, wherein [0188] the processing circuitry is further configured to: [0189] determine whether the watercraft body is in a predetermined restricted area; and [0190] upon determining that the watercraft body is in the restricted area, allow a volume of the sound emitted from the speaker to be lower than in a case where the watercraft body is determined to be outside the restricted area.

[0191] According to aspect 8, for example, in the event that the watercraft enters an area where output of high-volume sounds is prohibited, the sound output of the speaker can be controlled without any user action to prevent output of any high-volume sound. Additionally, for example, once the watercraft leaves the area where output of high-volume sounds is prohibited, the speaker sound output can be controlled without any user action to start the sound output of the speaker or increase the volume of the sound of the speaker.

Aspect 9

[0192] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 8, wherein [0193] the processing circuitry is further configured to, in response to a user action, enable or disable control in which the processing circuitry modifies the speaker driving current based on the status information.

[0194] According to aspect 9, the user can choose, depending on the user's preference, whether to modify the sound output of the speaker in accordance with the status of the watercraft.

Aspect 10

[0195] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein [0196] the processing circuitry is further configured to: [0197] based on the status information, set a frequency band for which the processing circuitry performs sound quality adjustment; and [0198] accentuate or attenuate a sound component included in the sound information and falling within the set frequency band.

[0199] According to aspect 10, the quality of the sound output by the speaker can be adjusted in accordance with the status of the watercraft to allow the sound to be easily heard by the user.

Aspect 11

[0200] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, further including a meter display located above the watercraft body, wherein [0201] the processing circuitry is further configured to display the status information on the meter display.

[0202] According to aspect 11, the processing circuitry performs display control of the meter display as well as audio-related control. This allows for compactification of the control system included in the watercraft.

Aspect 12

[0203] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, wherein [0204] the status information includes at least one piece of information selected from the group consisting of: watercraft speed information related to a speed of the watercraft body; rotational speed information related to a rotational speed of a drive source of the watercraft body; attitude information related to an attitude of the watercraft body; information related to a steering angle of the watercraft body; turning information related to a turning state of the watercraft body; faulty information related to a faulty of the drive source of the watercraft body; fuel information related to a remaining amount of fuel of the drive source of the watercraft body; location information related to a location of the watercraft body; and falling-overboard information related to occurrence of falling overboard in a body of water including the watercraft body.

Aspect 13

[0205] The watercraft according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, wherein [0206] the modifying the speaker driving current based on the status information by the processing circuitry includes: [0207] changing a sound volume included in the sound information based on the status information by the processing circuitry; [0208] accentuating or attenuating a sound component included in the sound information and falling within a given frequency band based on the status information by the processing circuity; or [0209] stopping outputting of the sound information based on the status information by the processing circuitry.

[0210] The above embodiments have been described to illustrate the technology disclosed in the present application. The technology of the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and is applicable also to embodiments obtained by making appropriate modifications, replacements, additions, and/or omissions to the above embodiments. The elements described in the above embodiments may be combined into other embodiments. For example, one or more features or a method in one embodiment may be used in another embodiment. One or more features in an embodiment may be extracted separately from the other features in the embodiment. For convenience of illustration of the technology, the elements disclosed in the accompanying drawings and the detailed description include not only elements essential for problem solution but also elements inessential for problem solution.