PRESSURIZED GAS DRIVEN SOUND EMITTER

Abstract: A sound emitter driven by pressurized gas and having a resonator horn (15). According to the invention, the resonator horn is connected to one outlet branch (12) of a fluidistor (10) while the other outlet branch (13) is connected to a tuned member (16) having the same acoustic input impedance as the resonator horn. By the fluidistor being brought to oscillate, the emission of the pressurized gas from the resonator horn is controlled while generating sound oscillations substantially at a predetermined frequency.

Description: PRESSURIZED GAS DRIVEN SOUND EMITTER The invention relates to a sound emftter driven by pressurized gas and having a resonator horn and means for controlling the emission of pressurized gas through the resonator horn while providing sound oscil lations substantially at a predetermined fre¬ quency. The most common sound emitter of this type for use as an alarm siren, a signal apparatus at sea and in the industry, e.g. for fluid zing slow-moving material and for sonic cleaning of furnaces and the like, is the well-known sound emitter of the diaphragm valve type wherein a diaphragm in co-operation with a seat controls the emission of the pressurized gas through the resonator horn. Though this type of sound emitter is of a reliable and wel l developed construc¬ tion, there is no getting away from the fact that the diaphragm as a movable element is a relatively dam- ageable element and is the component most exposed to wear and break downs in this type of sound emitter. • The object of the invention is to provide a sound emitter of the type referred to above which is com¬ pletely in lack of a diaphragm or other movable com- poπent for controlling the emission of the pressurized gas through the resonator horn, and for this object such a sound emitter has obtained the characteristics according to claim 1. This sound emitter can be made of a small number of elements (three or four pieces) and as a consequence thereof will be cheap in manufacture and requires low maintenance and limited storage of spare parts, oecause the fluidistor has no moving elements and is practically impossible to wear out. In orαer to illustrate i r. e invention a number of exemplifying embodiments thereof will be described in more detail below, reference being made t- the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of the simplest embodi ent of the sound emitter according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of the sound emitter according to the inven¬ tion controlled by means of a separate control fl ui di s tor, FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic l fngi tudi nal sectional view of the sound emitter according to the inven¬ tion provided with a self-oscilla ing power f1 ui di s tor, FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a modified embodiment of the sound emitter n FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a further modified embodiment of the sound emitter in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a still further modified embodiment of the sound emitter in FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a further development of the sound emitter in FIG. β, FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of the sound emitter in FIG. 3 provided with two resonator horns, and FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of the sound emitter in FIG. 8 with a phase shift between the two resonator horns. The sound emitter in FIG. 1 comprises a power fluidistor 10 having a straight inlet passage 11 to be connected to a pressure gas source, including not only O PI a source of pressurized gas but also a source of pressurized gas mixture (such as air) or steam. The fluidistor has two outlet branches 12 aπd-13 forming a certain angle with each other and separated by a sharp edge 14 in the conventional manner. A resonator horn 15 communicating with the surrounding air is connected to one of said outlet branches while the other outlet branch is connected to a tubular member 16 communicating with the surrounding air and forming a tuned restriction such that said member has sub¬ stantially the same acoustic input impedance as the resonator horn. The power fluidistor operates accord¬ ing to the wall effect (Coanda effect) and when pressurized gas is supplied to the inlet passage 11 there is form.ed at the transition from the inlet passage to the two outlet branches 12 and 13 at the sharp edge 14 between said branches a vortex providing a sub- atmospheric pressure. The fluidistor in itself is bistable but due to the connection of the resonator horn 15 the air will be directed al ternati ngly to one and the other of the two outlet branches at a frequency determined by the volume of the passage (the resonator horn) connected to the outlet branch 12, and thus the fluidistor in this case operates as a self-oscillating fluidistor controlled by the- coustic impedance of the resonator horn 15, the oscillations generated being amplified in the horn. Instead of allowing the resonator horn to control the oscillation proper of the power fluidistor 10 the fluidistor may be arranged for positive control by means of a separate se f-oscillating control transistor of a conventional type. This is shown in FIG. 2 wherein the fluidistor 10 is provided with two control nozzles 17 and 18 connected to the outlet branches of the control fluidistor. For optimum output power from the sound £' emitter the resonator horn in this case should have a resonance frequency which substant lly equals the frequency at which the power fluidistor 10 oscillates under the control of the self-oscillating control fluidistor 19. One and the same control fluidistor can be provided to control several sound emitters. FIG. 3 also discloses a sel -oscillating power fluidistor but in this case the fluidistor is self- -oscillating by a control passage or "control resona- . tor" 20 being provided between the two control nozzles 17 and 18. The volume of the control passage in co- -operation with the res ' onator horn 15 determines the oscillation frequency of the fluidistor. Another manner in which the power fluidistor 10 can be made self-osc llating is disclosed in FIG. 4 wherein the two control nozzles 17 and 18 are connected by passages or conduits 21 and 22 to the outlet branch 13 and the outlet branch 12, respect vely. By ejector acti-on in the outlet branches there is produced a press- ure change in the control nozzles, by which the air flow through the fluidistor is switched and the fluidistor accordingly will be self-osc ll ting at a frequency determined by the dimensioning of the passages or con¬ duits 21 and 22. FIG. 5 discloses a further manner for controlling the. power fluidistor 10. In this case one control nozzle 17 is replaced by a cavity 23 and control air is supplied to said cavity through the other control nozzle 18. At a proper rel ationship between the pressure of the control air and the volume of the cavity 23 the fluidistor will start self-oscill ting. The embodiment according to FIG. δ is a further modification of the means for controlling the fluidistor. In this case the member 15 is connected to the neck of the horn 15 and thus opens into the horn to communicate with the surrounding atmosphere through the horn. It i s . constructed with such a length that there is obtained a phase shift between the air flow through the horn and the air flow through the member 16 in order to double the pressure in the resonator horn. In the embodiment according to FIG. 7 the member 16 is also connected to the neck of the resonator horn 15 opposite to an outlet 24 from the neck of the resonator horn in order to provide thereby a pressure decrease in the resonator horn by ejector action, a self-oscillation of the fluidistor 10 also being obtai ned thereby . In the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 5 the member 16 can be replaced by a further resonator horn 15' as is shown in FIG. 8. In this case the resonator horns are identical . The drawback of the arrangement of two horns in this way is that the sound wave from one horn will be in opposition to the phase of the sound wave from the other horn. By extending one of the horns in order to provide a phase shift of 180° as shown in FIG. 9 wherein the horn 15' is provided with an extension 25 for this purpose, the sound waves may be brought into phase with each other. In the diagrammatic figures, the power fluidistor has been shown to be of th-e flat type but it can advan¬ tageously be constructed also as a cylindric fluidistor and generally be of the several embodiments existing in the general fluidistor technique because the fluidistor as such forms no part of the invention.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Sound emitter driven by pressurized gas and having a resonator horn (15) and means (10) for controlling the emission of pressur ze . gas through the resonator horn while providing sound oscillations substantially at a predetermined frequency, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the resonator horn (15) is connected to one outlet (12) of a fluidistor (10) forming the control means, the other outlet (13) of the fluidistor communicating with the surrounding air through a tuned member (16; 15') having an acoustic input impedance the magnitude of which substant ally equals the acoustic input impedance of the resonator horn . 2. Sound emitter according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fluidistor (10) has control nozzles (17, 18) connected to a self- -oscillating control fluidistor (19) (FIG. 2). 3. Sound emitter according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fluidistor (10) comprises a self-oscillating power fluidistor (FIG. 3). 4. Sound emitter according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the frequency of the self-oscil ation of the fluidistor (10) is determined by the resonator horn (15) (FIG. 1). 5. Sound emitter according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fluidistor (10) has control nozzles (17, 13) which are cross-connected to the resonator horn (15) and the tuned member, respecti vely (FIG. 4) . 6. Sound emitter according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the fluidistor (10) has a control nozzle (13) only and that a cavity (23) is provided at the side of the inlet passage (11) of the fluidistor, which is opposed to the control nozzle V- ϊ.H Λ (FIG. 5 ) . 7. Sound emitter according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the tuned member (16) is connected to the neck of the resonator horn (15) at the outlet end thereof (FIG. 6). 8. Sound emitter according to claim 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that opposite to the outlet end of the tuned member (16), connected to the neck of the resonator horn (15), a side outlet (24) is connected to the neck (FIG. 7). 9. Sound emitter according to any of claims 1 to 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the tuned member connected to said other outlet (13) comprises a second resonator horn (15') (FIG. 8). 10. Sound emitter according to claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that one of the two resonator horns (15, 15') is arranged" for 180° relative phase shift of the sound waves from the resonator horns (FIG. 9).

Inventors: JOENSSON TOMMY, WERTHAJM MAREK
Applicants: JOENSSON TOMMY, KOCKUMATION AB, WERTHAJM MAREK
Application year: 1981
Main classification: B06B1
IPC codes: B06B1, G10K5, G10K7, G10K9