Adjustable sound distribution system and a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10197022-B2
Application number	US-201615378201-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2016
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle and an adjustable sound distribution system that includes an engine operable to produce a pulsation and a sound assembly coupled to the engine. The sound assembly is disposed upstream from the engine. The sound assembly is configured to generate sound from the pulsation. The sound assembly includes a housing defining a cavity configured to resonate the sound that exits the sound assembly. The sound assembly also includes a first member movable to change a frequency of the sound that exits the sound assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable sound distribution system comprising:
an engine operable to produce a pulsation; and
a sound assembly coupled to the engine and disposed upstream from the engine, and wherein the sound assembly is configured to generate sound from the pulsation; the sound assembly comprising:
a housing defining a cavity configured to resonate the sound that exits the sound assembly;
a first member movable to change a frequency of the sound that exits the sound assembly;
wherein the first member is at least partially disposed in the cavity which creates an open space inside the housing, and wherein the first member is movable relative to the housing to change a size of the open space inside the cavity which changes the frequency of the sound that exits the cavity; and
wherein the sound assembly includes a diaphragm attached to the first member and contained inside the cavity, and wherein movement of the first member changes a position of the diaphragm inside the cavity which changes the size of the open space inside the cavity.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sound assembly includes a first tube coupled to the engine and configured to guide the pulsation from the engine into the sound assembly and a second tube configured to guide the sound away from the sound assembly, with the first member movable relative to at least one of the first and second tubes.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the diaphragm is disposed inside the cavity that blocks a gaseous fluid disposed in the first tube from entering the second tube, and wherein the pulsation interacts with the diaphragm such that the diaphragm generates the sound that exits the cavity through the second tube.

4. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein the sound assembly includes an actuator coupled to the first member to selectively move the first member to one of a plurality of positions to select the desired frequency of the sound that exits the sound assembly through the cavity.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein actuation of the actuator causes linear movement of the first member.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first member is further defined as a plunger, with the diaphragm attached to the plunger.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the first member includes a first end and a second end spaced from each other, with the diaphragm attached to the first end, and wherein the first member defines a hole extending through the first end and the second end, with the diaphragm covering the hole at the first end to block a gaseous fluid from exiting the first member at the first end.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7 wherein the hole includes a first hole portion having a first diameter and a second hole portion having a second diameter, with the first diameter being greater than the second diameter.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sound assembly includes a second member coupled to the first member, and the second member is movable to selectively move the first member relative to the housing.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein the second member includes a gear engaging the first member.

11. The system as set forth in claim 10 wherein the first member includes a rack, and the rack includes a plurality of teeth in which the gear meshes with the teeth of the rack, and wherein rotation of the gear causes linear movement of the rack which moves the first member linearly relative to the housing.

12. An adjustable sound distribution system comprising:
an engine operable to produce a pulsation; and
a sound assembly coupled to the engine and disposed upstream from the engine, and wherein the sound assembly is configured to generate sound from the pulsation; the sound assembly comprising:
a housing defining a cavity configured to resonate the sound that exits the sound assembly;
a first member movable to change a frequency of the sound that exits the sound assembly;
a diaphragm;
wherein:
the first member includes a first end and a second end spaced from each other, with the diaphragm attached to the first end;
the housing includes a first end and a second end spaced from each other, with the cavity extending through the first end of the housing, and spaced from the second end of the housing;
the sound assembly includes a first tube attached to the second end of the first member and a second tube attached to the second end of the housing; and
the first tube is coupled to the engine and configured to guide the pulsation from the engine into the first member, and the second tube is configured to guide the sound from the cavity out of the sound assembly.

13. The system as set forth in claim 12 wherein the diaphragm is disposed is inside the cavity and blocks a gaseous fluid from entering the second tube, and wherein the pulsation from the engine interacts with the diaphragm such that the diaphragm generates the sound that exits the cavity through the second tube.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13 wherein:
the cavity includes a first cavity portion having a first diameter and a second cavity portion having a second diameter, with the first diameter being greater than the second diameter;
the housing defines an aperture extending through the second end of the housing and adjoins the cavity, with the aperture in direct fluid communication with the second tube; and
the diaphragm is disposed in the first cavity portion.

15. An adjustable sound distribution system comprising:
an engine operable to produce a pulsation; and
a sound assembly coupled to the engine and disposed upstream from the engine, and wherein the sound assembly is configured to generate sound from the pulsation; the sound assembly comprising:
a housing defining a cavity configured to resonate the sound that exits the sound assembly;
a first member movable to change a frequency of the sound that exits the sound assembly;
wherein:
the housing is defined as a plurality of housings each defining one cavity;
the sound assembly includes a plurality of diaphragms, with one of the diaphragms disposed in the cavity of the respective housings to set different frequencies of the sound that resonates in each cavity; and
the first member is movable to select the desired frequency of the sound that exits the cavity of the respective housings.

16. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the first member is defined as a plurality of first members, with the first members each defined as a valve movable between an open position which allows fluid communication to the respective housings and a closed position which prevents fluid communication to the respective housings, with at least one of the valves disposed in the open position to select the desired frequency of the sound that exits the cavity of the respective housings.

17. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the housings are grouped together and supported by a bracket.

18. The system as set forth in claim 15 further including a container that surrounds the plurality of housings.

19. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the first member is movable linearly.

20. The system as set forth in claim 15 wherein the first member is rotatable.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Tucker Eric R
• Person John P

Classifications

• G10K11/04

  Acoustic filters {; Acoustic resonators} · CPC title

• G10K11/22

  for conducting sound through hollow pipes, e.g. speaking tubes · CPC title

• F02M35/125 Primary

  by using active elements, e.g. speakers · CPC title

• G10K11/172 Primary

  using resonance effects · CPC title

• B60R16/0373

  Voice control (in general G10L) · CPC title