Horn apparatus for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a horn device for a vehicle, wherein the pitch (p) of a horn spring (40), which is a conductive component, is set differently along the longitudinal direction to vary the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) according to the difference in whether the horn is operated and the operating force, and the horn sound volume output from the horn (50) can be adjusted using the varied electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40).

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle horn device, and more specifically, to a vehicle horn device in which the volume of the horn varies according to the force of pressing the driver's seat airbag. Background Technology

[0002] Vehicles are required to be equipped with a horn device used to notify pedestrians or other nearby vehicles of their presence.

[0003] Horn devices are generally pneumatic or electric, with electric ones being the most widely used.

[0004] A standard vehicle horn utilizes the horn contact structure included in the driver's airbag, and is designed so that the horn sounds when the contact is made.

[0005] In other words, the driver's airbag is equipped with an upper contact (+ contact) and a horn spring, and the conductive steering wheel is equipped with a lower contact (- contact) spaced apart from the upper contact. The conductive steering wheel is electrically connected to the vehicle's battery. When the driver presses the driver's airbag and the upper contact (+ contact) and lower contact (- contact) come into contact, the horn is activated by the controller. When the driver releases the pressed driver's airbag, the airbag moves upward due to the spring force of the horn spring, causing the upper contact (+ contact) and lower contact (- contact) to separate, thereby disabling the horn.

[0006] However, the aforementioned conventional horn device has a structure in which the horn volume is generated at the same level when the upper contact (+contact) and the lower contact (-contact) come into contact with each other, regardless of the force with which the driver presses the driver's airbag, and thus has the disadvantage that the driver cannot adjust the horn volume according to the situation.

[0007] In other words, it is desirable to generate a loud volume of the horn in emergency or critical situations so that pedestrians or vehicles in the vicinity can easily recognize it, and to generate a low volume of the horn in normal situations so as to prevent noise and maintain etiquette regarding the horn, but conventional horn devices did not allow the driver to adjust the volume of the sound generated from the horn.

[0008] The matters described above as background technology are intended only to enhance understanding of the background of the present invention and should not be construed as an acknowledgment that they constitute prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Prior art literature

[0009] Republic of Korea Published Patent Application No. 10-2019-0062755 The problem to be solved

[0010] The present invention is a vehicle horn device in which the volume of the horn is varied according to the force of pressing the driver's airbag by configuring a variable resistance system utilizing a horn spring, and the purpose is to help with safe driving by allowing the driver to adjust the volume of the horn according to the situation.

[0011] In addition, the embodiment according to the present invention has a configuration that does not use a horn contact structure (upper contact, lower contact), and thereby has another purpose of enabling a reduction in the number of parts, cost reduction, and weight reduction. means of solving the problem

[0012] The vehicle horn device of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned purpose comprises: a spring plate made of an electrically conductive material and coupled to the underside of a driver's airbag; a steering wheel that is a conductor and electrically connected to a vehicle battery; a horn spring with one end coupled to the spring plate and the other end installed spaced apart from the steering wheel; a horn that generates sound when the horn is operated; and a controller that controls the volume of the horn by measuring the electrical resistance value of the horn spring when the horn is operated.

[0013] The upper end of the horn spring always maintains a connected state with the spring plate, and the lower end of the horn spring maintains a separated state from the steering wheel when the horn is not operating, and comes into contact with the steering wheel and becomes energized only when the horn is operating.

[0014] The above horn spring is a coil spring characterized by being wound such that the pitch of the spring gradually increases from the top to the bottom.

[0015] When the horn is not operating, the upper part of the horn spring remains coupled with the spring plate and the lower part of the horn spring remains separated from the steering wheel, so that the electrical resistance value of the horn spring exceeds a reference value, and the controller controls the output of the horn to cut off when the electrical resistance value of the horn spring exceeds the reference value.

[0016] When the horn is operated, the upper part of the horn spring maintains a coupled state with the spring plate, and the lower part of the horn spring contacts the steering wheel so that the resistance value is varied to decrease, so that the electrical resistance value of the horn spring becomes below a reference value, and when the electrical resistance value of the horn spring is below the reference value, the controller controls the output of a horn sound from the horn.

[0017] The above horn spring is characterized by varying the electrical resistance value of the horn spring to decrease as the compression amount of the horn spring increases; and the controller controls the output of the horn sound to be amplified in inverse proportion to the electrical resistance value of the horn spring. Effects of the invention

[0018] The vehicle horn device according to the present invention is configured to vary the electrical resistance value of the horn spring according to the difference in whether the horn is operated and the operating force by setting the pitch of the electric horn spring differently along the longitudinal direction, and to adjust the volume of the horn sound output from the horn using the varied electrical resistance value of the horn spring. By doing so, the driver can adjust the volume of the horn sound output from the horn according to the situation, thereby providing an effect that further contributes to safe driving.

[0019] In addition, the embodiment according to the present invention is configured to operate a horn without using a conventional horn contact structure, thereby enabling the reduction of the number of parts, cost reduction, and weight reduction. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0020] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a vehicle horn device according to the present invention, a drawing of the horn when not in operation, FIG. 2 is a drawing of the horn in a weakly operated state. Figure 3 is a diagram of the horn in a strongly activated state. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0021] Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this specification or application are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining embodiments according to the present invention, and embodiments according to the present invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments described in this specification or application.

[0022] Since embodiments according to the present invention may be subject to various modifications and may take various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification or application. However, this is not intended to limit embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, and it should be understood that they include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0023] Terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but said components shall not be limited by said terms. For the sole purpose of distinguishing one component from another, for example, without departing from the scope of rights according to the concept of the present invention, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component.

[0024] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "exactly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted in the same way.

[0025] The terms used herein are merely for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “comprising” or “having” are intended to specify the existence of the described features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0026] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this specification.

[0027] A control unit (controller) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be implemented through a non-volatile memory (not shown) configured to store data relating to an algorithm configured to control the operation of various components of a vehicle or software instructions for executing said algorithm, and a processor (not shown) configured to perform the operation described below using the data stored in said memory. Here, the memory and the processor may be implemented as separate chips. Alternatively, the memory and the processor may be implemented as a single chip integrated with each other. The processor may take the form of one or more processors.

[0028] Hereinafter, a vehicle horn device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be examined with reference to the attached drawings.

[0029] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the vehicle horn device according to the present invention comprises: a spring plate (20) made of an electrically conductive material and coupled to the bottom surface of a driver's seat airbag (10); a steering wheel (30) which is a conductor and electrically connected to the battery of the vehicle; a horn spring (40) with one end coupled to the spring plate (30) and the other end installed spaced apart from the steering wheel (30); a horn (50) that generates sound when the horn is operated; and a controller (60) that controls the volume of the horn (50) by measuring the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) when the horn is operated.

[0030] According to the present invention, a conductive spring plate (20) made of steel material that conducts electricity well is fixedly coupled to the bottom surface of the driver's seat airbag (10).

[0031] A steering wheel (30) is located on the underside of the spring plate (20), which conducts electricity well throughout and is electrically connected to the vehicle's battery.

[0032] The steering wheel (30) is made entirely of a highly conductive material, so no separate wiring (wire) for power transmission is required.

[0033] The upper end of a horn spring (40), formed of a highly conductive material, is connected to the spring plate (20) so that it always remains connected, and the lower end of the horn spring (40) is installed spaced apart from the steering wheel (30).

[0034] The spring plate (20) and steering wheel (30), made of an electrically conductive material, become the negative (-) and positive (+), respectively.

[0035] The horn spring (40) according to the embodiment of the present invention is installed in such a structure that the upper end always maintains a connected state with the spring plate (20), and the lower end maintains a state separated from the steering wheel (30) when the horn is not operating, and comes into contact with the steering wheel (30) and becomes energized only when the horn is operating.

[0036] The horn spring (40) according to the embodiment of the present invention is a coil spring characterized by being wound such that the pitch of the spring gradually increases from the top to the bottom.

[0037] The horn (50) is a component that outputs a horn sound, and the operation and output volume of the horn (50) are controlled by a controller (60).

[0038] Depending on whether the horn is operated and the difference in the horn operating force, the pitch (p) between turns of the horn spring (40) and the number of overlaps of the horn spring (40) change, and as a result, the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) changes, and the controller (60) measures the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) and controls the output volume of the horn sound output from the horn (50).

[0039] That is, as shown in Fig. 1, when the horn is not operating, the upper part of the horn spring (40) remains connected to the spring plate (20), and the lower part of the horn spring (40) remains separated from the steering wheel (30).

[0040] At this time, the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) becomes greater than the reference value, and when the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) is greater than the reference value, the controller (60) controls the output of the horn (50) to be blocked, and as a result, the horn sound is not output from the horn (50).

[0041] Figure 1 shows the state before the horn is operated. In the state before the horn is operated, there is current flow through the horn spring (40), but the resistance value of the horn spring (40) is high.

[0042] The state before the horn operation is a state where the compression amount of the horn spring (40) is at its minimum, the pitch of the horn spring (40) is at its maximum, and the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) is at its highest.

[0043] For example, when the reference value of the electrical resistance of the horn spring (40) for outputting a horn sound from the horn (50) is 4 ohms, the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) in the pre-horn operation state becomes 5 ohms or more, and at this time, the controller (60) controls the output of the horn (50) to be blocked, so that no horn sound is output from the horn (50).

[0044] Figures 2 and 3 show the state when the horn is operated, Figure 2 shows the state when the horn is operated weakly, and Figure 3 shows the state when the horn is operated stronger than in Figure 2.

[0045] When the driver operates the horn, the upper part of the horn spring (40) remains connected to the spring plate (20) and the lower part of the horn spring (40) comes into contact with the steering wheel (30). At this time, as the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) is varied to decrease, the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) becomes below a reference value.

[0046] In this way, when the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) is below the reference value, the controller (60) controls the output of a horn sound from the horn (50).

[0047] Figure 2 shows the state where the horn is operated weakly. When the horn is operated, the horn spring (40) overlaps, and the resistance value of the horn spring (40) is varied to decrease.

[0048] When the horn is operated, the amount of compression of the horn spring (40) increases compared to the state before the horn is operated, and as the overlap of the horn spring (40) increases, the pitch of the horn spring (40) decreases, and the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) gradually decreases.

[0049] For example, when the horn is operated weakly, the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) is 4 ohms to 3 ohms, which is less than or equal to the reference value of 4 ohms, and as a result, a horn sound of a predetermined size is output from the horn (50) under the control of the controller (60).

[0050] Figure 3 shows a state where the horn is operated with a stronger force than in the state of Figure 2. When the horn is operated strongly, the overlap amount of the horn spring (40) increases, and the resistance value of the horn spring (40) is varied to decrease further.

[0051] As the horn operating force increases, the overlap amount of the horn spring (40) increases, so that the pitch (P) decreases to a minimum state, and the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40) varies to a minimum state, and the controller (60) controls the horn sound volume output from the horn (50) to increase in inverse proportion to the electrical resistance value of the horn spring (40).

[0052] As described above, the vehicle horn device according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the pitch (p) of the electric horn spring (40) is set differently along the longitudinal direction to vary the electric resistance value of the horn spring (40) according to the difference in whether the horn is operated and the operating force, and the horn sound volume output from the horn (50) is adjusted using the varied electric resistance value of the horn spring (40). This allows the driver to adjust the horn sound volume output from the horn (50) according to the situation, thereby providing an advantage that is more helpful for safe driving.

[0053] In addition, the embodiment according to the present invention is configured to operate the horn (50) without using a conventional horn contact structure, thereby having the advantage of reducing the number of parts, reducing costs, and reducing weight.

[0054] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in relation to specific embodiments, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the technical spirit of the invention as provided by the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0055] 10 - Driver's airbag 20 - Springplate 30 - Steering Wheel 40 - Horn Spring 50 - Horn 60 - Controller p - pitch of a horn spring

Claims

Claim 1 A vehicle horn device comprising: a spring plate made of an electrically conductive material and coupled to the underside of a driver's airbag; a steering wheel that is a conductor and electrically connected to the vehicle's battery; a horn spring with one end coupled to the spring plate and the other end installed spaced apart from the steering wheel; a horn that generates sound when the horn is operated; and a controller that controls the volume of the horn by measuring the electrical resistance value of the horn spring when the horn is operated; wherein the horn spring is a coil spring and is wound such that the pitch of the spring gradually increases from the top to the bottom. Claim 2 A vehicle horn device according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper end of the horn spring always maintains a coupled state with the spring plate, and the lower end of the horn spring maintains a state separated from the steering wheel when the horn is not operated, and comes into contact with the steering wheel and becomes energized only when the horn is operated. Claim 3 delete Claim 4 A vehicle horn device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the horn is not operated, the upper end of the horn spring maintains a coupled state with the spring plate and the lower end of the horn spring maintains a separated state from the steering wheel, so that the electrical resistance value of the horn spring exceeds a reference value, and when the electrical resistance value of the horn spring exceeds the reference value, the controller controls the output of the horn to be cut off. Claim 5 A vehicle horn device according to claim 1, characterized in that when the horn is operated, the upper end of the horn spring maintains a coupled state with the spring plate and the lower end of the horn spring contacts the steering wheel so that the resistance value is varied to decrease, so that the electrical resistance value of the horn spring becomes below a reference value, and when the electrical resistance value of the horn spring is below the reference value, the controller controls the output of a horn sound from the horn. Claim 6 A vehicle horn device according to claim 5, wherein the electrical resistance value of the horn spring is varied to decrease as the compression amount of the horn spring increases; and wherein the controller controls the output of the horn sound to be amplified in inverse proportion to the electrical resistance value of the horn spring.

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