US 11,308,930 B2Granted

Electronic horn

AssigneeImasen Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

InventorsKatsunori Uchimura, Koichi Toyama, Junjiro Yoshimura, Toshihiko Kawamura, Yoshio Miyata

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Abstract

An electronic horn for use, e.g., in a vehicle, includes a piezoelectric element (52) that excites a plate-shaped oscillator (51). A resonator (7) is provided with an opening (71) and covers forward of the oscillator such that a resonance space (S) is defined between the resonator and the oscillator. An inner cylinder (62) and an outer conical housing (63) are provided concentrically around the resonator. A circular cover (8) covers the inner cylinder (62) and the outer conical housing (63) from the front, such that a buffer chamber (BR), at least one first sound amplifying chamber (MH1), and a second sound amplifying chamber (MH2) are defined around an entire circumference of the opening of the resonator.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An electronic horn comprising:

a plate-shaped oscillator;
a piezoelectric element configured to excite the oscillator;
a resonator having an opening, the resonator at least partially covering one side of the oscillator and a resonance space being defined between a first side of the resonator and the oscillator;
a buffer chamber that communicates with the resonance space via the opening;
at least one first sound amplifying chamber configured to guide a warning sound, which is output through the buffer chamber, the at least one first sound amplifying chamber having a first portion that extends away from the buffer chamber in a first direction and a second portion that inversely curves in a second direction opposite of the first direction and radially outwardly relative to the first portion while gradually increasing in diameter;
a second sound amplifying chamber configured to further reflect and guide the warning sound, which has been guided by the first sound amplifying chamber, in the first direction;
an inner cylinder disposed radially outward of the resonator;
an outer conical housing disposed radially outward of the resonator;
and
a circular cover covering the inner cylinder and at least partially covering the outer conical housing in the first direction;
wherein the buffer chamber, the at least one first sound amplifying chamber, and the second sound amplifying chamber are defined by the cover and the cylindrical walls of the inner cylinder and the outer conical housing such that the at least one first sound amplifying chamber and the second sound amplifying chamber extend around an entire circumference of the opening of the resonator.

8 more elements

An electronic horn comprising:

a plate-shaped oscillator;
a piezoelectric element configured to excite the oscillator;
an intermediate element defining at least (i) a resonator having an opening and (ii) an inner cylinder surrounding the opening and projecting in a first direction, the resonator at least partially covering one side of the oscillator, a resonance space being defined between a first side of the resonator and the oscillator, and a buffer chamber being defined by a second side of the resonator and the inner cylinder;
at least one first sound amplifying chamber in fluid communication with the buffer chamber and being configured to amplify and guide a warning sound generated by the oscillator, the at least one first sound amplifying chamber having a first portion extending in the first direction and a second portion in fluid communication with the first portion that causes the warning sound to move in a second direction, the second portion being disposed at least partially radially outward of the first portion;
a second sound amplifying chamber disposed at least partially radially outward of the at least one first sound amplifying chamber and being configured further amplify and guide the warning sound from the at least one first sound amplifying chamber, the second sound amplifying chamber having a first portion that receives the warning sound moving in the second direction and a second portion in fluid communication with the first portion that causes the warning sound to move in the first direction, the second portion being disposed at least partially radially outward of the first portion;
and
a circular cover covering the inner cylinder and at least partially covering an outer conical housing in the first direction, the second portion of the second sound amplifying chamber being defined, in part, by the conical outer housing disposed radially outward of the inner cylinder;
wherein the buffer chamber, the at least first sound amplifying chamber, and the second sound amplifying chamber are defined by the cover and the walls of the inner cylinder and the outer conical housing such that the at least one first sound amplifying chamber and the second sound amplifying chamber extend around an entire circumference of the opening of the resonator.

5 more elements

An electronic horn comprising:

a plate-shaped oscillator;
a piezoelectric element configured to excite the oscillator;
an intermediate element defining at least (i) a resonator having an opening and (ii) an inner cylinder surrounding the opening and projecting in a first direction, the resonator at least partially covering one side of the oscillator, a resonance space being defined between a first side of the resonator and the oscillator, and a buffer chamber being defined by a second side of the resonator and the inner cylinder;
at least one first sound amplifying chamber in fluid communication with the buffer chamber and being configured to amplify and guide a warning sound generated by the oscillator, the at least one first sound amplifying chamber having a first portion extending in the first direction and a second portion in fluid communication with the first portion that causes the warning sound to move in a second direction, the second portion being disposed at least partially radially outward of the first portion;
and
a second sound amplifying chamber disposed at least partially radially outward of the at least one first sound amplifying chamber and being configured further amplify and guide the warning sound from the at least one first sound amplifying chamber, the second sound amplifying chamber having a first portion that receives the warning sound moving in the second direction and a second portion in fluid communication with the first portion that causes the warning sound to move in the first direction, the second portion being disposed at least partially radially outward of the first portion;
wherein the at least one first sound amplifying chamber comprises three first sound amplifying chambers in series that inversely curve in the first and second directions before reaching the second sound amplifying chamber.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/761,999Filed 9 Nov 2017
Published: US 2020/0320970 A18 Oct 2020
Granted: 19 Apr 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G10K 9/122
Electrically operated: using piezoelectric driving means
H04R 1/2857
Using an acoustic labyrinth or a transmission line: for loudspeaker transducers
H04R 1/345
By using a single transducer with sound reflecting, diffracting, directing or guiding means: for loudspeakers
H04R 17/10
Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers: resonant transducers, i.e. adapted to produce maximum output at a predetermined frequency

Family

US 2020/0320970 A1Pre-grant publication · published 8 Oct 2020
US 11,308,930 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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