US1355550A - Automobile-horn - Google Patents

Description

M. F. FITZGERALD. AUTOMOBILE HORN.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I6. I920.

1,355,550. Patented Oct 12, 1920.

- yg m 32M, I mh UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

vMLA'UIRICE F. FITZGERALD, OF WINSTED. CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE FITZ- GERALD MFG. CO., OF TCRRINGTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATTON OF CON- NECTICUT.

AUTOMOBILE-(HORN.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented O t. 12; 1920 Application filed July 16, 1920. Serial No. 396,711. I 1

2"0 all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, MAURICE F.w Frrz- GERALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Winsted, in the county of Litchfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Horns, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to automobile horns, and more particularly to means for'preventing the objectionable rattling of these horns when the automobile is in motion.

In the common. types of the present day automobile horn, the vibrations of the sound diaphragm are generally obtained by utilizing the inertia of a rotatable wheel which contacts against the diaphragm. These wheels are actuated by means of a hand reciprocated rack and pinion mechanism,

through the intermediary of a pawl and ratchet connection which positively drives.

the wheel forward, and at'the same time, permitting it to freely over-run. In order to secure advantage of the inertia of the wheel, it must be freely mounted on its supporting spindle, and as a result of this free mounting, there is nothing to prevent the wheel from producing the rattling so objectionable to this type of device and to this end, the present invention is directed to provide means for preventing this inertia wheel from rattling during the period when the horn is not being sounded.

A' further object of this invention-is to provide means automatically controlled by the wheel rotating means for holding the inertia wheel from rattling when it is idle.

Still another object of; this invention is to construct a horn of the above character in which the means for rotating the inertia wheel also acts to hold the same against rattling movement when normally idle, together with automatic means for bringing the wheel holding means into action at the proper time.

These and other objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

Referring more particularly to the accom panying drawings Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section of the device;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1 showing the anti-rattling mecha msin, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. looking in the direction of the arrow. V

In general, the invention comprises a diaphragmvibratablez by means of the usual notched inertia wheel :driven from a rotatahis shaft, which shaft in turn is provided with a pinion driven by a hand'operated rack. The inertiawheel is loosely mounted on the shaft and is rotatedtherefrom by means of the usual pawl and ratchet connection so that the wheel can run ahead of the rotating shaft. Means is provided for holding the inertia wheel rigidly from rattling during the inoperative period of the shaft operating means, and one manner of accomplishing this result is secured by splining the ratchet sleeve on the rotatable shaft whereby it may move laterally into and out ofcontact with the inertia wheel, and there is also provided automatic means for so 'moving this ratchet sleeve at the proper time. This function is preferably secured by screwthreading that end of the rotatable shaft adjacent the surrounding ratchet sleeve and mounting a nut'onsaid threaded portion, and providing means for holding said nut from rotation so that when the shaft is rotated, the nut'will automatically travel away from theratchet sleeve, thereby freeing the wheel and permitting it to be shown clearly in Fig. 2, this inertia wheel is mounted loosely on the shaft 4, freely rotating in bearings 5 and 6 located at .dia metrically opposite points in the horn casing. In the present construction, to one end of the shaft 4 is fixed a surrounding sleeve '7 provided on its circumference with teeth 8 to form a pinion, which teeth .8 mesh with suitably connected to the shaftl and to the 'surro mding casing for returning the plunger 104w normaloutward position after it v the teeth 9 of a rack 10 reciprocable in a sleeve 11 arranged transversely to the shaft i and fixed suitably in the walls of the horn casing. This sleeve 11 is suitably cut-away as at 12 to permit the teeth 8 and 9 of the rack and pinion to suitably mesh. In addition, there is provided the usual spring 13 has been inwardly reciprocated by pressure on thehandle 1%. In order to drive the inertia wheel from the rotatable shaft 1, there 1 is providedia ratchet sleeve 15 surroundin said shaftt and this sleeve 15 is provide with the usual-ratchetteeth 16 engaging the usual springpressed 'pawls 17, so that when the shaft rotates the ratchet sleeve, it will impel theiinertia wheel, whichbecause of the pawl and ratchet construction, can run ahead of the shaft to produce the maximum vibrations. V v.

' In consequenceof the foregoing construc tion, this inertia wheel 3 is necessarily loosely mounted on the rotating shaft 4, and due to this mounting, produces a distinct rattling noise due. to inherent lateral play- One form of device for overcoming this objectionable rattling, and for holding the in wheel '3.

ertia wheel positively from movement during the nonirotating period of the drivingshafts, is: provided by suitably splining the ratchet sleeve 15- on the shaft 4, as by means of the a slot 18in thesleeve l5 and the pin 19 pass-.

ing. transversely through the shaft 4:. By means of this construction, the ratchet sleeve1 5 can be moved axially of the shaft l-into and outof clamping contact with the f Additional meansflis provided for auto matically producing this axial movement of the-sleeve 15, and the preferred'form comprises a nut '20 surrounding thatend of the shaft 4 adjacentthe ratchetsleeve l5 and having threaded engagement with suitable screw threadsQl formedgthereon. A yoke 22 shownoclearlyin Fig. 1 is secured by 'means of the nut 23vto thehorn casing and this yoke'is providedfiwith spaced arms'24 embracing the nut '20 to hold the same from rotation. As'aresult of the above construetion,"when the plunger lO'is reciprocated downwardly, it .rotatesthe pinion 8, sleeve 7 and shaft 4 fixed thereto, which inturn,

by means'of 'the splined connections 18 and free movement of the inertia wheel 3. l/Vhen the plunger 10 has'resumed its normalidle position, shown in full lines in Fig. 2,the shaft 4 will be reversely rotated and the nut 20 will consequently travel in- It is obvious that. a dev ce of the above character 1s not only automatic 1n its operation, so that the clamping of the inertia wheel from objectionable movement is accomplished, during the non-operating period of the horn, but it is also apparent thatthereare very few alterationsnecessary to provide the present type of horn into an anti-rattlingdevice.

Another advantage of the present construction resides in the fact that the ratchet sleeve which constitutes the means for driving the inertia Wheel isalso part of the means for. holding the inertia wheel against rattling movement; 7 V

'It is obvious'that minor changes in the details of construction and the arran ement of the parts may be made, without eparting fromthe spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having; thus described the invention, what Ixclaimas new. and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is-" v g r 71.. A device of thecharacter described comprising a diaphragm, a rotary actuator therefor, means to rotate said actuator, means to prevent said actuator from rattling, said means coming into operation whensaid actuator operating means is norn-iallyidle. y I V 2. A device of the character described comprising a, diaphragm, a rotatable shaft. means. to drive the same, an inertia wheel looselysmounted on said shaft, means to drive said wheel from said shaft, and means to hold'said wheel from rattling during the idle;period of said shaft driving means and to release: saidwheel for freeoperationldun ing-aportion of, the working period of said shaft driving means.

x3. A=device of the character described comprising a diaphragm, a'rotatable shaft, means to rotate said shaft, an inertia wheel mounted onsaid shaft, means to drive said wheel from said shaft, said means being con structed and arranged to automatically hold said'wheel from rattling during the idle pe riod of said shaft driving means. v

4. A device of the character described comprising a diaphragm, a rotatableshaft,

means to rotate the same, an inertia wheel loose on said shaft but.- driven therefrom, and means automatically controlledby the shaft actuating means, and movable into contact with said wheeltoiprevent the same from rattling v 5. A device of the character described comprising a diaphragm, a rotatable shaft, means to rotate the same, an inertia wheel loosely mounted on said shaft, means to drive said wheel from said shaft, and means for automatically moving said wheel driving means into and out of clamping contact With'said wheel during the idle and actuating periods respectively of said shaft actuating means.

6. A device of the character described comprising a diaphragm, a rotatable shaft provided with a threaded portion, means to rotate said shaft, an inertia wheel adapted to vibrate said diaphragm, a ratchet sleeve splined on said shaft and movable axially of said shaft into and out of contact with said inertia wheel, pawls connected to said Wheel and cooperating with said ratchet sleeve to drive said inertia wheel from said shaft, a nut engaging the threads of said shaft, and means for holding said nut from rotation.

7. A device of the character described comprising a diaphragm, a rotary actuator therefor, means to rotate said'actuator, and means actuated by the operation of the device to prevent said actuator from rattling.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

MAURICE F. FITZGERALD.

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