Description:FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improved horn assembly for vehicles and more particularly relates to a horn assembly that provides a consistent sound quality even after adjusting or tightening the mounting bracket.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, horns are sound-making devices that are mounted on vehicles such as automobiles and two wheeled vehicles. Horns work on the principle of electromagnetic force generated by coil winding over the bobbin. A typical horn has a center core (metal part) fitted inside the bobbin hole by riveting and plunger is riveted with tone disc. The plunger and center core have an air gap. When the electromagnetic force gets generated, the center core attracts plunger and it creates the vibration in a diaphragm and tone disc. This vibrations creates the sound frequency. The flexing and de-flexing of the diaphragm in vehicle horns happens faster than the eye can detect. However, the resulting vibrations produce noise/sound we can hear.
In practice, when the horn is installed on the vehicles, a mounting bracket is to be mounted on the vehicle which needs tightening of the nut on the bracket. In a case where a strong tightening or re-tightening is performed in an attempt to fix the horn on the vehicle, there is a problem that a desired pitch of the horn sound is not obtained because the air gap has been erroneously adjusted. There is a need of an improved horn assembly that does not lead to change in the sound/pitch of the horn when the horn is mounted on the vehicle.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved horn assembly for vehicles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved horn assembly for vehicles that provides a consistent sound/pitch quality.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved horn assembly for vehicles that does not lead to any sound change or variation even after adjusting/tightening of the mounting bracket for fixing the horn on the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Before the present invention is described, it is to be understood that present invention is not limited to particular methodologies and materials described, as these may vary as per the person skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention describes an improved horn assembly with consistent sound quality consisting of a housing assembly , top assembly and mounting assembly. The housing assembly comprises of the center core, lower finger, upper finger, a bobbin where copper wire is wound, a capacitor, vehicle harness connecting terminals, adjustment screw for current and screw cap. The top assembly comprises of plunger, big gasket, diaphragm, small gasket, locking ring, paper washer, washer, tone disk and tone disk washer. The mounting assembly comprises of mounting brackets and M6 nut for tightening the mounting bracket.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the center core is gripped in between bobbin/ insulator step and housing by riveting process and the center core has one side gripping at its bottom part and a top collar at its top end so as to enable firm gripping of the center core to the housing assembly and bobbin.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the space between the center core and the plunger is known as the air gap and the air gap is responsible for the sound quality of the horn such that when the M6 nut on the mounting bracket is tightened or loosened on the thread of the center core, the center core does not shift from its position and there is no change in the air gap thus providing consistent sound quality.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A complete understanding of the present invention may be made by reference to the following detailed description which is to be taken in conjugation with the accompanying drawing. The accompanying drawing, which is incorporated into and constitutes a part of the specification, illustrates one or more embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description, it serves to explain the principles and implementations of the invention.
FIG.1 is the perspective view of the entire horn assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG.2 is the perspective view of the housing of the horn assembly with the center core in an exploded view according to the embodiment of the invention;
FIG.3 is the perspective view of the housing of the horn assembly with fitted center core according to the embodiment of the invention;
FIG.4 is the bottom view of the housing of the horn assembly showing the riveting of the center core according to the embodiment of the invention;
FIG.5 is the bottom view of the housing of the horn assembly with center core riveted and mounting bracket assembled according to the embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is the perspective view of the center core of the horn assembly according to the embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is the cross sectional view of the horn assembly without the mounting bracket according to the embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 8 is an exploded view of the horn assembly without the mounting bracket according to the embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Before the present invention is described, it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular methodologies described, as these may vary as per the person skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the invention to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS:

Sr. No. Description of the part
100 Horn assembly
102 Housing assembly
104 Center core
106 Riveted center core
108 Lower finger
110 Upper finger
112 Bobbin
114 Capacitor
116 Adjustment screw for current
118 Screw cap
120 Mounting bracket
122 M6 nut for tightening the mounting bracket
124 Vehicle mounting hole
126 Vehicle guide hole
128 Vehicle harness connecting terminals
130 Top collar of the center core
132 Middle shank of the center core
134 Shank of the center core for riveting
136 Bracket tightening thread of the center core
138 Plunger
140 Big gasket
141 SK washer
142 Diaphragm
144 Small gasket
146 Locking ring
148 Paper washer
150 Washer
152 Tone disk
154 Tone disk washer
156 Air gap between the center core and plunger

The present invention describes an improved horn assembly for vehicles which provides a consistent sound quality even after tightening/retightening of the mounting bracket on the vehicle to fix the horn. There is no change in the sound/pitch quality of the horn of the vehicle after making any adjustments to the mounting bracket. The mounting bracket is to tightened or loosened many times to fix the bracket correctly with the vehicle. During this tightening/loosening or re-tightening, it is observed that the sound quality of the horn gets affected. In order to solve this problem, the improved horn assembly of the present invention is described.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an improved horn assembly is described. According to FIG. 1 of the present invention, the entire assembly of the horn is illustrated. The mounting bracket (120) is attached to the horn assembly (100) through the M6 nut for tightening the mounting bracket (122). The mounting bracket (120) has a vehicle mounting hole (124) and vehicle guide hole (126) to attach the horn assembly (100) to the vehicle. The mounting bracket (120) acts as means of connection between the horn assembly (100) and the vehicle. Further, vehicle harness connecting terminals (128) can also be seen on the horn assembly to connect to the electrical terminals of the vehicle.
According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 describes the housing assembly of the horn along with an exploded view of the center core. The lower part of the horn is the housing assembly (102). The housing assembly (102) covers and houses all the internal components of the horn which work to produce the sound. The housing assembly comprises of the center core (104), lower finger (108), upper finger (110), a bobbin (112) where copper wire is wound, and a capacitor (114). The housing assembly (102), center core (104) and upper finger (110) are made of ferrous material, the lower finger (108) is made of spring steel/stainless steel and the bobbin (112) is made of nylon. The center core is shown in an exploded view to illustrate the position on the bobbin (112) where it is fixed.
According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 3 illustrated the fixed center core in the housing assembly of the horn. Conventionally, the center core is flexible placed in the bobbin and can be moved in the vertical plane. However, in the present invention, the center core (104) is gripped in between bobbin/ insulator step (112) and housing (102) by riveting process. The center core (104) already has one side gripping at its bottom part. However, in the present invention, an additional top collar (130) is provided on the center core (104) during manufacturing, at its top end so as to enable firm gripping of the center core (104) to the housing assembly (102) and bobbin (112).
According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 4 illustrates the bottom view of the housing assembly (102) of the horn. In this view, the riveted center core (106) is clearly illustrated. The riveted center core (106) helps to firmly grip the center core (104) to the housing assembly (102) to avoid any movement of the center core (104). Further, the adjustment screw for current (116) and screw cap (118) are also present on the bottom side of the housing assembly (102). The vehicle harness connecting terminals (128) are also present on the bottom side of the housing assembly (102).
According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 5 illustrates the bottom view of the housing assembly (102). This view illustrates the housing assembly (102) with the center core (104) riveted and the mounting bracket (120) assembled. The mounting bracket is assembled on the housing assembly (102) by fixing the M6 nut for tightening the mounting bracket (122) on the threads of the center core (104) and fixing the mounting bracket (120) on the housing assembly (102). The mounting bracket (102) further comprises of vehicle mounting hole (124) and vehicle guide hole (126) to provide for mounting on the vehicle chassis.
According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 6 illustrates the parts of the center core (104). The center core (104) comprises of a top collar (130), middle shank (132) and shank (134) for riveting. The center core (104) also comprises of the bracket tightening thread (136) where the M6 nut for tightening the mounting bracket (122) is fixed and tightened.
According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 7 illustrates the cross-sectional view of the horn assembly (100) without the mounting bracket (120). In the cross -sectional view of the horn assembly, the lower part of the horn assembly is the housing assembly (102). The other components of the horn assembly (100) include the center core (104), plunger (138) and adjustment screw for current (116). The upper part of the horn assembly (100) also known as the top assembly consists of different components. The space between the center core (104) and the plunger (138) is known as the air gap (156). The plunger face to the center core face distance is the air gap (156). The air gap (156) is responsible for the sound quality of the horn. Any change in the air gap (156) leads to change in the sound quality of the horn. The center core (104) is riveted in the housing assembly (102) and therefore when the M6 nut (122) on the mounting bracket (120) is tightened or loosened on the thread (136) of the center core (104), the center core (104) does not shift from its position and there is no change in the air gap (156). Because the air gap (156) does not change, there is no change in the sound quality of the horn. Because of the riveted center core (104.106), the tightening/loosening of the M6 nut (122) on the thread (136) of the center core (104) does not lead to any effect on the sound quality of the horn.
According to the embodiment of the invention, FIG. 8 illustrates the different parts of the horn assembly (100). Along with the housing assembly (102), the horn assembly (100) comprises of the center core (104), bobbin (112), plunger (138), big gasket (140), SK washer (141), diaphragm (142), small gasket (144), locking ring (146), paper washer (148), washer (150), tone disk (152) and tone disk washer (154). The housing assembly (102) is assembled in the beginning by inserting center core (104) in bobbin (112) and housing is inserted to centre core (104) thread. After that the centre core (104) is riveted on both the sides. After the center core riveting, other parts like capacitor (114), terminals (128), current adjustment screw (116) , lower finger (108) and upper finger (110) are assembled and the finger assembly is then riveted. The next step is assembly of the remaining components of the horn to form the top assembly. In the plunger (138) neck, the washer (150), diaphragm (142), paper washer (148), tone disk (152), and tone disc washer (154), are inserted in sequence and the top assembly is then riveted. After this the air gap (156) setting is done between the plunger and the center core (104). On the housing assembly, the flange is assembled in sequence of gasket big (140), top assembly, gasket small (144), locking ring (146) and sealing the locking ring (146). In the horn assembly, in the center core thread, 2 mounting brackets (120) and washer are assembled and M6 nut for tightening (122). After all the components are assembled, the horn assembly is tested for air gap (156) and setting and sound quality. The entire assembly of the horn thus helps to produce the sound.
According to the embodiment of the invention, the riveting of the center core (104) to the housing (102) and bobbin in between, leads to tight griping of the center core (104) and therefore prevents shifting of the center core when the mounting bracket (120) is adjusted by tightening or loosening of the nut (122). Because of the center core (104) riveting, the air gap (156) space does not deviate or change and hence, any degree of adjustment to the mounting bracket does not lead to change in the air gap (156) and hence there is no change in the sound quality of the horn assembly (100).
The improved horn assembly (100) with riveted center core was tested and the results obtained are as below:

BEFORE (conventional ) AFTER (present invention)
S.No. Previous Air Gap after setting Opening the mounting bracket and re- tightening Previous Air Gap after setting Opening the bracket and re- tightening
1. 0.45 0.53 0.46 0.45
2. 0.46 0.50 0.46 0.46
3. 0.44 0.25 0.45 0.45
4 0.45 0.45 0.45 0.45
5 0.46 0.37 0.47 0.46
6 0.47 0.60 0.45 0.45
7 0.45 0.45 0.46 0.46
8 0.46 0.45 0.45 0.45
9 0.44 0.48 0.45 0.45
10 0.44 0.50 0.45 0.45
Air gap Difference -0.2~0.15 0.0~0.01

The specification of the horn assembly requires the air gap to be between 0.38 to 0.48 mm. The control specification should be within +/- 0.05 to get the uniform sound quality performance. In the trials conducted with the conventional horn assembly (without riveted center core), after the mounting bracket was loosened (opened) and re-tightened, the air gap changed and the difference obtained was between -0.2 to 0.15. This difference is more than the acceptable difference of 0.05 and therefore, this leads to change in sound quality of the horn. However, when the trials were conducted with the horn assembly described in the present invention with riveted center core, there was no change in the air gap (0.0 to 0.01) and therefore, there was no change in sound quality of the horn even after opening (loosening) and re-tightening of the mounting bracket on the horn assembly.
, Claims:We claim,
1. An improved horn assembly with consistent sound quality consisting of a housing assembly (102) , top assembly and mounting assembly characterised in that
the housing assembly comprises of the center core (104), lower finger (108), upper finger (110), a bobbin (112) where copper wire is wound, a capacitor (114), vehicle harness connecting terminals (128), adjustment screw for current (116) and screw cap (118) and
the top assembly comprises of plunger (138), big gasket (140), SK washer (141), diaphragm (142), small gasket (144), locking ring (146), paper washer (148), washer (150), tone disk (152) and tone disk washer (154); and
the mounting assembly comprises of mounting brackets (120)and M6 nut for tightening the mounting bracket (122)
the center core (104) is gripped in between bobbin/ insulator step (112) and housing (102) by riveting process and the center core (104) has one side gripping at its bottom part and a top collar (130) at its top end so as to enable firm gripping of the center core (104) to the housing assembly (102) and bobbin (112), and
the space between the center core (104) and the plunger (138) is known as the air gap (156) and the air gap (156) is responsible for the sound quality of the horn such that when the M6 nut (122) on the mounting bracket (120) is tightened or loosened on the thread (136) of the center core (104), the center core (104) does not shift from its position and there is no change in the air gap (156) thus providing consistent sound quality.

2. The horn assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing assembly (102), center core (104) and upper finger (110) are made of ferrous material, the lower finger (108) is made of spring steel/stainless steel and the bobbin (112) is made of nylon.

3. The horn assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mounting bracket (120) has a vehicle mounting hole (124) and vehicle guide hole (126) to attach the horn assembly (100) to the vehicle and the mounting bracket (120) acts as means of connection between the horn assembly (100) and the vehicle.

4. The horn assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the center core (104) comprises of a top collar (130), middle shank (132) and shank (134) for riveting and a bracket tightening thread (136) where the M6 nut for tightening the mounting bracket (122) is fixed and tightened.

5. The horn assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein for the assembly process, first the center core (104) is inserted in bobbin (112) and housing is inserted to centre core (104) thread, then the centre core (104) is riveted on both the sides and after the center core riveting, other parts like capacitor (114), terminals (128), current adjustment screw (116) , lower finger (108) and upper finger (110) are assembled and the finger assembly is then riveted.

6. The horn assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the finger assembly is riveted, in the plunger (138) neck, the washer (150), diaphragm (142), paper washer (148), tone disk (152), and tone disc washer (154), are inserted in sequence and the top assembly is then riveted.

7. The horn assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein after the top assembly is riveted, the air gap (156) setting is done between the plunger and the center core (104) and on the housing assembly, the flange is assembled in sequence of gasket big (140), top assembly, gasket small (144), locking ring (146) and sealing the locking ring (146) and in the horn assembly, in the center core thread, 2 mounting brackets (120) and washer are assembled and M6 nut for tightening (122) and after all the components are assembled, the horn assembly is tested for air gap (156) and setting and sound quality.