Acoustic horn

Claim 2

A horn for providing an impedance transformation between an acoustic translating means and an acoustic transmission medium comprising: an elongated tube member having a throat end connectible to said acoustic translating means and a mouth end for transferring acoustic energy between said horn and said acoustic transmission medium, said tube member having a plurality of elongated ribs positioned longitudinally within the interior of said tube member, each rib extending from an interior surface of said tube member into the space enclosed thereby to reduce the cross-sectional area, thereof, adjacent ones of said ribs being spaced substantially an equal distance from each other within said tube member and defining therebetween longitudinally extending passages having substantially equal lengths between said throat and mouth end to provide maximum high frequency response and to minimize phase cancellations within the operating range of said horn.

Claim 3

A horn as recited in claim 1 further including a plug positioned along a central axis thereof, said plug being supported at the throat end by said ribs.

Claim 4

A horn as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of said ribs is tapered and positioned with the end of the rib having the larger cross-sectional area toward the throat end of said tube member.

Claim 5

A horn as recited in claim 1 wherein said ribs are integral to said tube member.

Claim 6

A horN type acoustic transducer including in combination; an acoustic transducer element, a frame member, a diaphragm attached to said frame member to define a compression chamber having an opening therein, said diaphgram forming a wall of said compression chamber, means coupling said transducer element and said diaphragm for transferring vibrational energy therebetween, and a horn having a mouth end and a throat end, said throat end communicating with the opening in said chamber, wherein said horn has spaced longitudinal ribs on the interior surface thereof for reducing the cross-sectional area of the throat, adjacent ones of said longitudinal ribs being spaced substantially an equal distance from each other and defining a plurality of similar longitudinally extending passages to effectively spread the area of said throat over the surface of said diaphragm to provide substantially equal path lengths for said passages between said diaphragm and said mouth whereby phase cancellations within the operating range of said horn are minimized.

Claim 7

A horN type acoustic transducer including in combination; an acoustic transducer element, a frame member, a diaphragm attached to said frame member to define a compression chamber having an opening therein, said diaphgram forming a wall of said compression chamber, means coupling said transducer element and said diaphragm for transferring vibrational energy therebetween, and a horn having a mouth end and a throat end, said throat end communicating with the opening in said chamber, wherein said horn has spaced longitudinal ribs on the interior surface thereof for reducing the cross-sectional area of the throat, adjacent ones of said longitudinal ribs being spaced substantially an equal distance from each other and defining a plurality of similar longitudinally extending passages to effectively spread the area of said throat over the surface of said diaphragm to provide substantially equal path lengths for said passages between said diaphragm and said mouth whereby phase cancellations within the operating range of said horn are minimized.

Claim 8

A transducer as recited in claim 5 further including a plug supported by said ribs, said plug and said ribs defining a plurality of passages therebetween, each of said passages having a cross-sectional area which increases smoothly toward the mouth of the horn along a longitudinal axis thereof.

Claim 9

A transducer as recited in claim 5 wherein each of said passages is substantially straight.

Claim 10

A transducer as recited in claim 6 wherein said acoustic transducer element is a piezoelectric transducer element.

Claim 11

A transducer as recited in claim 6 wherein said acoustic transducer element is a magnetic transducer element.

Claim 12

An acoustic transformation device including in combination; a frame member, a diaphragm connectible to an acoustic transducer element to be driven thereby attached to said frame member to define a chamber having an opening therein, said diaphragm forming a wall of said chamber, and a horn having a mouth end and a throat end, said throat end communicating with the opening in said chamber, wherein said horn has spaced longitudinal ribs on the interior surface thereof for reducing the cross-sectional area of the throat, adjacent ones of said longitudinal ribs being spaced substantially an equal distance from each other and defining a plurality of similar longitudinally extending passages to effectively spread the area of said throat over the surface of said diaphragm to provide substantially equal path lengths for said passages between said diaphragm and said mouth whereby phase cancellations within the operating range of said horn are minimized.

Claim 13

An acoustic transformation device including in combination; a frame member, a diaphragm connectible to an acoustic transducer element to be driven thereby attached to said frame member to define a chamber having an opening therein, said diaphragm forming a wall of said chamber, and a horn having a mouth end and a throat end, said throat end communicating with the opening in said chamber, wherein said horn has spaced longitudinal ribs on the interior surface thereof for reducing the cross-sectional area of the throat, adjacent ones of said longitudinal ribs being spaced substantially an equal distance from each other and defining a plurality of similar longitudinally extending passages to effectively spread the area of said throat over the surface of said diaphragm to provide substantially equal path lengths for said passages between said diaphragm and said mouth whereby phase cancellations within the operating range of said horn are minimized.

Claim 14

An acoustic transformation device as recited in claim 10 further including an elongated plug positioned longitudinally within said horn and supported at the throat end by said ribs, said plug co-operating with said ribs to define said passages.

Claim 15

An acoustic impedance transformation device as recited in claim 10 wherein each of said passages is substantially straight.

Claim 16

An acoustic impedance transformation device as recited in claim 12 wherein at least one of said ribs is tapered and positioned with the end of the rib having the larger cross-sectional area positioned toward the throat of said horn.

Claim 17

An acoustic impedance transformation device as recited in claim 12 wherein said ribs are integral to said horn.

Claim 18

An acoustic impedance transformation device as recited in claim 14 wherein said horn has a substantially circular cross-section and wherein said ribs extend radially into the horn from the interior surface thereof.

Claim 19

An acoustic impedance transformation device as recited in claim 15 wherein said diaphragm is circular and wherein the diameter of said throat is substantially similar to the diameter of said diaphragm.