Motor-vehicle horn

Details Motor-vehicle horn Motor-vehicle horn

1994-03-11

1995-05-30

Crosland, Donnie L.

Communications: electrical

Audible indication

Diaphragm

3403885, 3403911, 116137R, 116142R, 181159, 181144, G08B 300

Patent

active

054205638

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to motor-vehicle horns.
More specifically, the subject of the invention is a horn of the type including: of a chamber of variable volume, part of which extends movably in the solenoid so as to cause the diaphragm to vibrate along a predetermined axis when the control solenoid is excited by an intermittent current.
A horn of this type is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,473.
In electromagnetic horns of this type which have been produced up to now, the mass which is made to oscillate as a result of the intermittent excitation of the control solenoid is usually between about 15 and 70 g and typically 40-50 g. The oscillation of such a mass generates reactions in the support casing of the horn. These reactions reate problems of two kinds. In the first place, they involve the need to introduce damping in order not to cause the bodywork of the motor vehicle to which the horn is connected to vibrate, which could generate noise.
Moreover, the support casing of the horn must move relative to the diaphragm in a suitable manner since otherwise the level of sound generated would be compromised to an extend depending on the phase relationship between the oscillations of the support casing and of the internal oscillating mass.
If a horn of the conventional type defined above is not connected properly to the bodywork of the motor vehicle, there may be an intolerable decline in the sound emitted. It is therefore necessary to take particular care withe the mounting of this type of horn, which is usually done with the use of brackets of a suitable design.
A first object of the invention is to provide a motor-vehicle which is not subject to the problems and disadvantages outlined above.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by a horn of the type defined above, the main characteristic of which lies in the fact that it also includes: which is spaced from and faces the first diaphragm so as to constitute a second wall of the variable-volume chamber, and facing the first armature and separated therefrom at least by an air gap, the second armature being adapted, together with the first armature and the air gap, to form a magnetic circuit which is affected by the flux generated by the at least one control solenoid so that the intermittent excitation of the solenoid correspondingly causes the armatures to move in opposition and the diaphragms to vibrate in counterphase.
The horn according to the invention thus has two oscillating units, preferably of equal mass, which vibrate in counterphase and are mutually balanced. Any reaction of the support casing or cover against the bodywork of the motor vehicle, as well as the resulting troublesome problems of horns of the prior art, are thus practically eliminated.
The horn according to the invention is also characterised by a number of further improvements to which the appended claims relate.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will in any case become clear from the detailed description which follows, with reference to the appended drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a horn according to the invention,
FIG. 2 is a side view of the horn taken on the arrow II of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line III--III of FIG. 1,
FIG. 4 is a section taken on the line IV--IV of FIG. 3,
FIG. 5 is a section taken on the line V--V of FIG. 4,
FIG. 6 is a view of a detail indicated VI in FIG. 5, on an enlarged scale,
FIG. 7 is a section taken on the line VII--VII of FIG. 5,
FIG. 8 is a partial view taken on the curved section line VIII--VIII of FIG. 3,
FIG. 9 is a partially-sectioned, exploded, partial perspective view of the horn of the preceding drawings,
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a resilient plate usable in the horn according to the invention,
FIG. 11 is a section taken on the line XI--XI of FIG. 10, and
FIG. 12 is a cross-section taken on the line XII--XII of FIG. 11.
With reference to the drawings, a motor-vehicle horn according to the invention includes a

REFERENCES:
patent: 4241334 (1980-12-01), Shintaku

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