GB2239121A

GB2239121A - Electric horn for automobiles

Info

Publication number: GB2239121A
Application number: GB9025703A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mitsuru Sakamoto; Yoshikazu Iwatake
Original assignee: NIKKO KINZOKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI
Current assignee: NIKKO KINZOKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI
Priority date: 1989-11-30
Filing date: 1990-11-27
Publication date: 1991-06-19
Anticipated expiration: 2010-11-27
Also published as: GB2239121B; GB9025703D0; CN1052081A; JPH0378000U; JPH0750800Y2; CN1022615C

Abstract

An electric horn for automobiles, comprising a bowl-shaped housing means or body, an electromagnetic actuator coil 2 and core structure 3, 5 in the housing body, and a diaphragm 6 with a resonator 7 also in said housing body, said diaphragm being formed with a steep bent part 9 around its circumference which engages an annular recess in the open- end of said housing. The steep bent portion allows the diaphragm and resonator to be recessed into the bowl-shaped housing to provide a slimmer construction. <IMAGE>

Description

ELECTRIC HORN FOR AUTOMOBILES The present invention relates to an electric horn for use on automobiles and, more particularly, to a type of such automobile horn in which an electromagnetic coil with a fixed central core and a diaphragm means with a movable core are both provided in a housing means installed inside the body of an automobile in such a manner as to generate a warning sound by the action of the diaphragm means to open or close the contact points of the electromagnetic coil.

There have been known several types of electromagnetic horn devices for similar use, such as disclosed, for example, in the Japanese Utility Model Kokai Publication No.88999 of 1989 and the Japanese Utility Model Kokai Publication No.13099 of 1989.

The former application proposed an electric horn device of a construction in which the periphery of a bowl-shaped housing means carrying an open surface portion thereon is fitted with a corresponding bowl-shaped cover means one above the other, and a diaphragm means carrying a movable core and a resonator means at both sides of its central screw member has its periphery wound tightly around, and securely fit onto, the corresponding periphery of the housing by means of the periphery of said cover means. Due to such structure, the overall height of this type of horn device is liable to become high, subjecting itself to certain limitation in the place or location of installation.

The latter application proposed a similar horn device but does not employ such cover means, which will make the overall height of its horn device lower by the extent of its cover means. In this case, however, since a resonator means is exposed open on the surface of the housing body, it tends to be contacted by cables or wires laid inside the body of an automobile. If such contact occurs, then a warning sound emitted by the resonator is jammed or silenced as a result of their interaction or mutually interceptive action.

Some improvement in this respect has long been sought to overcome such structural defects and weaknesses.

It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide an improvement over the known types of electric automobile horns in which an electromagnetic coil carrying a fixed core at its center and a diaphragm carrying on its one side a movable core to form an opening for vibration Fherebetween and on its other side a resonator means which co-operates with said movable core as one body are provided in a housing means carrying an open surface part and so disposed as to engage or disengage the contact points of said electromagnetic coil by the vibrating action of said diaphragm.

According to the present invention, there is provided an improved electric horn device for automobiles over the above-described known art, wherein the periphery of said diaphragm means is provided with a steep bent part so designed to engage the under-side of the open surface part of said housing body along the inner periphery thereof, said steep bent part having its peripheral edge securely fixed to the peripheral edge of the open surface part of said housing body.

In the horn device of the present invention as described, since the diaphragm carrying the steep bent portion on its periphery is completely accommodated inside the housing body, a resonator means attached to the outer side of the diaphragm can also be accommodated inside the open surface part of said housing body, thus making the total height of the horn device lower to the extent desired and, at the same time, enabling the resonator to avoid possible contact with cables or wires laid inside the body of an automobile, hence serving to overcome the weaknesses of the known art.

In addition, by having the edge of the steep bent periphery of said diaphragm securely engage in the peripheral edge part of said housing body, which edge part being bent inwardly to form the open surface, and also providing a suitable opening between the outer periphery of said steep bent part and the inner periphery of said housing body, the manufacture of the horn is rendered easier and less costly. Another advantage of the structure described above is that such enables the resonator to stabilise its vibrating action to ensure the consistent emission of a warning sound and the increased durability of the vibrating function.

The present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment thereof. In the drawings, Fig 1 is a front elevation of the horn device under the present invention, Fig 2 is a side view of said horn device as vertically sectioned along its central line, and Fig 3 is rear view of the device corresponding to Fig 1.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a housing means 1' its inner periphery, 10 its open surface portion, 2 and electromagnetic coil, 3 fixed core, 4 a fitting bolt member, 5 a movable core, 6 a diaphragm means, 7 a resonator means, 8 a connecting rod member, 9 a steep bent part, 9' its peripheral edge, 11 the peripheral edge of the housing means, the letter c an opening, the numeral 12 a terminal, 13 a fixed member, 14 a movable member, the letters a and b contact points1 the numeral 15 a bracket member, 16 a nut member and 17 a hole for a fixing bolt.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 is a housing means formed in a bowl shape with a two-tier bottom portion and provided at its open end a flat surface portion 10, 2 is an electromagnetic coil mounted on the bottom part of the housing means 1, 3 a fixed core member mounted in the center of the magnetic coil 2 and provided with a bolt member 4 protruding therefrom to be fit onto the rear side of the housing body 1, 5 a movable core member mounted inside the magnetic coil 2 at a position opposite to the fixed core member 3 and so disposed as to form a vibration opening between it and the fixed core 3, 6 a diaphragm means having its central part secured to the movable core 5 and its outer side connected to a resonator 7 as one functional body, 8 a connecting rod member formed as an extension of the movable core 5 coaxial with the latter 5 and disposed to fasten and fix the resonator 7 securely onto the central portion of the diaphragm 6, 9 a steep bent portion provided along the periphery of the diaphragm 6 and so formed as to engage or overlay the upper inner periphery 1' of the housing body 1, which steep bent portion 9 having a sufficient depth to permit the resonator 7 and the tip end of the connecting member 8 to be completely accommodated inside the open surface 10 of the housing body 1 and said steep bent portion 9 being so disposed as to form a suitable opening c between its outer periphery and the inner peripheral surface 1' of the housing body 1.Further, the edge 9' of the steep bent periphery 9 is so disposed as to securely engage in the peripheral edge part 11 of the housing body 1, said edge part 11 being bent over inwardly to form the open surface 10 of the housing body 1. Through this engagement between the peripheral edge part 9' and 11, the diaphragm 6 is enabled to vibrate and is fixed to the housing body 1.

The numeral 12 is a terminal member fixed to the bottom part of the housing body 1 at one side of the magnetic coil 2, 13 a fixed member carrying a contact point a, 14 a movable member disposed to press-contact the movable core 5 constantly and carrying another contact point b at its tip end. Through this arrangement, when the electromagnetic coil 2 is electrified, the shift or change in the position of the movable core toward or away from the fixed core 3 causes the contact points a and b to engage or disengage each other, thereby actuating the vibration of the diaphragm 6 and the resonator 7.

The numeral 15 is a bracket member held in position by a nut member 16 which tightens and fixes its end portion onto the fitting bolt member 4 protruding outwardly of the housing body 1, and 17 is a hole through which the horn device is fitted or mounted inside the body of an automobile by means of the bracket 15.

Since the diaphragm means is provided with the steeply bent portion on its periphery, and the resonator means is fixed to the outer side surface of the diaphragm as one functional body therewith accommodated or disposed inside the open surface part of the said housing body, it is possible to make the total height of an electric automobile horn comparatively lower than that of the known types, thereby permitting it to be installed in a small and narrow space with the minimal fear of contact by cables or wires laid close thereto inside the automobile body.

With this arrangement, it is also possible to obtain the practical advantage of improving the preciseness and consistency in the operation of a horn and other related parts.

Claims

1. In an electric horn for automobiles comprising a housing means provided with an open end surface portion, an electromagnetic coil provided inside the housing means and carrying a fixed core at its center, and a diaphragm means carrying on its one side a movable core to provide an opening for vibration between it and the fixed core and on its other side a resonator means which co-operates with said movable core as one functional body, said electromagnetic coil and diaphragm means so disposed in said housing means that the contact points of said electromagnetic coil are engaged with or disengaged from each other by the vibrating or oscillating action of said diaphragm means, the structure of the housing means characterized by forming a steep bent portion along its inner periphery, which bent portion being so disposed as to engage the under-side of said open end surface together with said resonator means and having its peripheral edge part fixed to the peripheral edge of said open surface.

2. The electric horn for automobiles according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral edge of the steep bent portion of said diaphragm means is inserted and fixed in that position in the inwardly bent peripheral edge of said housing means and, at the same time, a suitable opening is provided between the outer periphery of said steep bent portion and the inner periphery of said housing means.