Title: THE LONG SOUNDER OF CAR AIR HOM

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an air horn installed at a truck or a

freight car, and in particular to an air horn for a vehicle in which a structure and

installation are easy by improving the structure of a prolonged sound unit which

is installed at an air horn and stores air, so that the stored air is slowly

discharged for thereby outputting a prolonged sound (steam whistle, trumpet

sound, etc.)

Background Art

Generally, all kinds of vehicles are provided with an air horn so as to

warn a certain emergency situation to pedestrian or other vehicle based on

sound waves. Here, the horn is classified into an air horn and an electronic horn.

The air horn has been installed at a truck or a bus which has an air compressor,

and the electronic horn has been installed at the other vehicles.

Figure 1 is a view of a cross sectional construction of a prolonged

sound unit for a conventional air horn.

A conventional air horn 1 is fixed at a ceiling, roof, and engine room of a

vehicle (truck, freight car, bus, etc.) using a bracket B for thereby outputting a

big sound or a trumpet sound. The air horn 1 is provided with an air suction port

3 for a connection with a compression air supply nozzle 2, an electronic valve 4

for connecting or disconnecting a flow path communicating with the air suction

port 3, a prolonged sound unit 5 which stores compression air through the flow

path connected or disconnected by a switch of the electronic valve 4, and a

trumpet shaped horn pipe 7 which vibrates a vibration plate 6 using the air

discharged from the prolonged sound unit 5 for thereby outputting prolonged

sounds.

With the above construction, when the switch (not shown) is pressed so

as to enable the air horn 1 , high pressure air generated by the compressor (not

shown) is sprayed toward the vibration plate 6 through the nozzle 2, the air

suction port 3, the inner flow path of the electronic valve 4 and the prolonged

sound unit 5 for thereby spraying prolonged sound to the horn pipe 7, so that a

certain emergency situation is informed to pedestrian or vehicle.

As shown in Figure 1 , a Y-shaped fitting 10 connected by the nozzle 11

is installed at the same body at the flow path of the compressed air which is

inputted from the electronic valve 4 to the vibration plate 6 through the

prolonged sound unit 5. Part of the compressed air is inputted into the vibration

plate 6 through the flow path 10c, and part of the compressed air is stored in the

prolonged sound unit 5 through the nozzle 12 installed at the flow path 10b and

is slowly outputted. At this time, the body of the prolonged sound unit 5 is

threaded at the nipples 15 and 16. Here, the nipple 5 is connected with the flow

path communicating with the vibration plate 6, and the nipple 16 is connected

with the inner flow path of the electronic valve 4.

However, the conventional prolonged sound unit 5 is formed in a

structure in which the compressed air is divided in parallel through the

electronic valve 4, the prolonged sound unit 4 and the vibration plate 6. In

addition, since the fitting 10 is connected based on the nozzle 1 , the installation

is complicated, and the compressed air cannot be well stored in the prolonged

sound unit 5.

In the prolonged sound unit 5, the compressed air supplied to the

prolonged sound unit 5 through the electronic valve 4 is divided into two parts

by the flow paths 10b and 10c of the fitting 10, so that part of the compressed

air is flown to the vibration plate 6, and part of the same is stored in the

prolonged sound unit 5. Therefore, the flow paths are different, so that the

compressed air cannot be well stored in the prolonged sound unit 5. Namely,

the compressed air is fast discharged to the vibration plate 6, so that it is

impossible to produce prolonged sound. Therefore, the vehicle driver is needed

to repeatedly push the switch of the air horn 1 for thereby causing many

inconveniences.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the

problems encountered in the conventional art.

It is another object of the present invention to provided an air horn for a

vehicle in which in which a structure and installation are easy by improving the

structure of a prolonged sound unit which is installed at an air horn and stores

air, so that the stored air is slowly discharged for thereby outputting a prolonged

sound (steam whistle, trumpet sound, etc.)

To achieve the above objects, in a prolonged sound unit for an air horn

in which part of a high pressure compressed air A generated by an air

compressor is stored in a body through an electronic valve and is discharged to

a vibration plate, there is provided a prolonged sound unit for a vehicle air horn

which includes a nipple which is disposed between the vibration plate and the

body and is connected with a flow path of the electronic valve and is provided

with flow paths of the compressed air A; and a ball flange which is engaged at

the nipple with the ball flange being received in the interior of the body, and

includes a discharge hole formed at an upper side together with the inlet hole

into which a compressed air A is inputted.

The ball flange includes a ball which is sealingly received in an inlet

hole of the front side, and a spring which is elastically supported so as to enable

the forward and backward movements of the ball.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure 1 is a view illustrating a cross section construction of a prolonged

sound unit for a conventional vehicle air horn;

Figure 2 is a view illustrating a cross section construction of a major

element of a prolonged sound unit according to the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a view illustrating a use state of a prolonged sound unit

according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described

with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 2 is a view illustrating a cross section construction of a major

element of a prolonged sound unit according to the present invention. As shown

therein, in the present invention, part of the high pressure compressed air A

generated by the air compressor is stored in the body 20 through the electronic

valve 4 and is discharged to the vibration plate 6. The prolonged sound unit 50

according to the present invention includes a nipple 30 and a ball flange 40. As

compared to the conventional art, the installation and structure are easy. The

stored air is slowly discharged, so that prolonged sound increases (steam

whistle, trumpet sound).

The nipple 30 according to the present invention is disposed between

the vibration plate 6 and the body 20. There are provided the flow paths 30a

and 30b of the compressed air, with the nipple 30 being connected with the flow

path 4a of the electronic valve 4. Here, the body 20 stores the compressed air A

same as the conventional art and is sealed as the nipple 30 is installed. As

shown in Figure 2, the nipple 30 is threaded at the flow path communicating

with the vibration plate 6 at its one side and is threaded with the body 20 at its

other side. The nipple 30 is provided with the electronic valve 4 at its upper end

and communicates with the flow path 4a. The flow path is divided into two parts.

In the interior of the flow path, there are provided the flow path 30a connected

with the vibration plate 6 and the flow path 30b connected with the body 20.

As shown in Figure 2, the compressed air is divided by the flow path 4a

of the electronic valve 4. Part of the compressed air A is inputted into the flow

path of the vibration plate 6 through the flow path 30a of the nipple 30 and is

spread toward the vibration plate 6, so that prolonged sound is spread toward

the horn pipe 7, and part of the compressed air A is stored in the body 20

through the flow path 30b of the nipple 30.

The ball flange 40 according to the present invention is engaged at the

nipple 30 as it is received in the interior of the body 20. A discharge hole 40b is

provided at the upper end of the same together with the inlet hole 40a into

which the compressed air is inputted. Here, the ball flange 40 stores part of the

compressed air, inputted through the flow path 30b of the nipple 30, into the

body 20. As shown in Figure 2, there are provided the inlet hole 40a into which

the compressed air is inputted, and the discharge hole 40b for discharging the

compressed air. The ball flange 40 is detachably threaded at the nipple 30b and

passes through the inlet hole 40a of the front side and communicates with the

flow path 30b of the nipple 30.

Here, the ball flange 40 includes a ball 41 which is closely received in

the inlet hole 40a of the front side, and a spring 42 which elastically supports for

the forward and backward movements of the ball 41. The ball flange 40 moves

the ball 41 backwards from the inlet hole 40a when the high pressure

compressed air A is inputted into the inlet hole 40a of the ball flange 40 through

the flow path 30b of the nipple 30, so that the compressed air is stored in the

body 20. The stored compressed air A is inputted into the flow path of the

vibration plate through the flow paths 30b and 30a of the nipple 30 through the

discharge hole 40b and is sprayed toward the vibration plate 6, and the

prolonged sound is spread into the horn pipe 7 for thereby generating prolonged

sound like steam whistle, trumpet sound, etc.

Figure 3 is a view illustrating a use state of a prolonged sound unit

according to the present invention. Here, reference numeral, 3a represents a

state that the compressed air A is inputted into the body 20, and 3b represents a

state that the compressed air A is discharged from the body 20.

As shown in Figure 3, the compressed air A is inputted in the direction

indicated by the arrow. When a switch (not shown) is pressed so as to operate

the air horn 1 , the high pressure compressed air A generated by the air

compressor (not shown) is inputted into the prolonged sound unit 50 through

the nozzle 2, the air suction port 3, and the electronic valve 4. The compressed

air A is inputted into the nipple 30 through the internal flow path 4a of the

electronic valve 4.

The compressed air A inputted into the interior of the nipple 30 is

uniformly divided into both sides at the nipple 30. The compressed air A inputted

from the internal flow path 4a of the electronic valve 4 is divided into the flow

paths 30a and 30b of the nipple 30. Part of the compressed air A is inputted into

the flow path of the vibration plate 6 through the flow path 30a of the nipple 30

and is spread to the vibration plate 6, and the prolonged sound is spread to the

horn pipe 7.

Part of the compressed air A is stored into the body 20 through the flow

path 30b of the nipple 30 and the ball flange 40. At this time, almost

compressed air inputted through the ball flange 40 is inputted into the inlet hole

40a of the ball flange 40 through the flow path 30b of the nipple 30, so that the

ball 41 moves backwards through the inlet hole 40a, whereby the compressed

air is stored in the body 20. In addition, only a small bit of the compressed air A

is supplied to the discharge hole 40b, so that the compressed air A is effectively

stored in the body 20.

As shown in Figure 3B, the compressed air A stored in the body 20 is

sealed as the ball 41 moves forwards in the inlet hole 40a of the front side by

the spring 42, so that the compressed air A is not discharged through the inlet

hole 40a. Therefore, as shown in Figure 3B, the compressed air A stored in the

body 20 is slowly discharged through the discharge hole 40b of the ball flange

40 and is continuously supplied to the flow path of the vibration plate 6 through

the flow paths 30a and 30b of the nipple 30, so that the prolonged sound is

spread to the horn pipe 7 for thereby producing long prolonged sounds,

whereby it is possible to inform the vehicle or pedestrian of access or

emergency situation.

In the prolonged sound unit 50 according to the present invention, the

compressed air A inputted by the electronic valve is divided into both sides

through the nipple 30, and part of the compressed air is directly inputted into the

vibration plate 6, and at the same time part of the compressed air is inputted

into the inlet hole 40a based on the operation of the ball flange 40 and is stored

in the body 20, so that the stored compressed air is slowly discharged through

the discharge hole 40b of the ball flange 40 for thereby generating long

prolonged sounds like steam whistle or trumpet sound. In the prolonged sound

unit 50 according to the present invention, only the ball flange 40 is installed at

the nipple 30, so that a simple structure can be obtained, and the installation is

easy.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, an air horn for a vehicle is provided, in which a

structure. and installation are easy by improving the structure of a prolonged

sound unit which is installed at an air horn and stores air, so that the stored air

is slowly discharged for thereby outputting a prolonged sound (steam whistle,

trumpet sound, etc.), whereby it is possible to fast cope with safety accidents.

As the present invention may be embodied in several forms without

departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, it should also be

understood that the above-described examples are not limited by any of the

details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather

should be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as defined in the

appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within

the meets and bounds of the claims, or equivalences of such meets and bounds

are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.