JP7646315B2 - Alarm bell - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an alarm bell that sounds a gong when struck to sound an alarm.

The alarm bell comprises a gong that produces a bell sound when struck, a striking rod that strikes the gong, a motor that drives the striking rod, and a housing that houses the motor. In the event of an emergency such as a fire, the gong sounds and produces a bell sound, thereby sounding an alarm (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-235394 A

The main uses of this type of alarm bell are as local sounding devices in automatic fire alarm systems and emergency bells in emergency alarm systems (hereafter simply referred to as "emergency bells").

Standards are set for emergency bells based on the Fire Service Act. One of those standards is sound pressure (90 dB or more at a distance of 1 m from the center).

Emergency bells may be installed inside a housing such as a fire hydrant box or equipment storage box. In such cases, the above sound pressure standards must still be met, but being stored inside a housing can reduce the sound pressure, making it difficult to obtain the required sound pressure.

In view of the above, the objective of this invention is to obtain an alarm bell that can increase sound pressure.

This invention is an alarm bell in which a gong sounds when struck to sound an alarm, the alarm bell comprising a cylindrical hood which surrounds the gong , the hood having an opening at one end which surrounds the gong and opens forward on the surface of the gong, the hood having a tapered shape tapering towards the opening, and the opening having an opening width which is smaller than the diameter of the gong .

In this invention, the hood may have a height greater than the overall height of the gong. The hood may be made of a plurality of parts of the same shape divided in the circumferential direction, and the plurality of parts may be assembled in the circumferential direction. In the case where the alarm bell is installed in a housing, the hood may be fixed to the front plate of the housing together with the gong, with the end of the hood on the opening side contacting or adjacent to the front plate of the housing. The hood may be made of a plurality of parts of the same shape, and the plurality of parts may be assembled. In the case where the alarm bell is installed in a housing, the hood may further include a plate-shaped mounting part for mounting the gong to an object to be mounted, and the hood may be attached to the object together with the gong by the mounting part, in the case where the alarm bell is installed in a housing. In the case where the alarm bell is installed without being stored in the housing, the mounting part may have a separable part, and the separable part may be separated from the mounting part and used as a part for mounting the gong to the object to be mounted.

In this invention, the gong can be surrounded by a hood. The hood prevents the bell sound from diffusing around the gong, making the sound more directivity and increasing the sound pressure.

Therefore, this invention provides an alarm bell that can increase sound pressure.

Here, in the case of conventional alarm bells, when they are installed inside a housing, as mentioned above, being stored inside the housing reduces the sound pressure, making it difficult to obtain the required sound pressure. However, in this invention, even if the bell is stored inside the housing, the sound pressure can be increased by providing a hood, so the sound pressure does not decrease as it does in conventional alarm bells. In other words, this invention is particularly suitable for cases in which the alarm bell is installed inside a housing, and the provision of a hood offers great advantages.

1A and 1B are a front view and a perspective view, respectively, showing an example of an embodiment of the alarm bell of the present invention, the entire alarm bell with the hood attached to the mounting bracket surrounding the gong. FIG. 2A is a front view of the same gong, and FIG. 4A is a front view of the hood attached to the mounting bracket, and FIG. 4A and 4B are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of components constituting the hood of the above-mentioned embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of an equipment housing box in which the above-mentioned alarm bell is attached. This is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion (the portion on the alarm bell side) of the line AA in Figure 6. However, wall panel portions (back panel, etc.) other than the front panel of the equipment housing box are not shown. FIG. 13 is a front view of another example of a mounting bracket.

An example of an embodiment of the alarm bell of the present invention will be described below as an alarm bell 1 with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Note that the alarm bell 1 can be used, for example, as a district sounding device in an automatic fire alarm system or an emergency bell in a sounding device in an emergency alarm system.

[Basic configuration]
First, the alarm bell 1, as shown in Fig. 2, is equipped with a gong 2 that produces a bell sound when struck, and is used to sound an alarm when an emergency such as a fire occurs. A housing 4 is provided on the back side of the gong 2, which supports a striking rod 3 that strikes the gong 2 and contains a drive means (not shown) for driving the striking rod 3, and the housing 4 is provided with a hook portion 4a for hooking the gong 2 onto mounting brackets 6, 7 (examples of mounting parts) which will be described later.

[Food]
The alarm bell 1 is particularly suitable for use when it is housed and installed inside a housing such as a fire hydrant box or an equipment storage box (specific examples will be described later), and as shown in FIG. 1 , it is provided with a cylindrical hood 5 that surrounds the gong 2.

In the alarm bell 1, the gong 2 can be surrounded by a hood 5. The hood 5 prevents the bell sound emitted from the side of the gong 2 from diffusing around the gong 2, and instead directs the sound forward, making the sound more direct and increasing the sound pressure.

Furthermore, as will be explained later, even when the alarm bell 1 is housed in a housing, the sound pressure can be increased by the hood 5, so the sound pressure of the bell sound does not decrease as in conventional alarm bells. In other words, the alarm bell 1 is particularly suitable for installation inside a housing, and the inclusion of the hood 5 offers great advantages.

[Specific food examples]
Cylindrical portion and opening Specifically, hood 5 has a cylindrical portion 5a that is a portion that is cylindrical and surrounds gong 2, and one end 5c of cylindrical portion 5a has an opening 5b that opens toward the front of the surface of gong 2 while surrounding gong 2 (see Figures 1 and 3). As a result, the bell sound emitted from gong 2 is emitted toward the front of the surface of gong 2 along cylindrical portion 5a, strengthening the directionality and making it possible to increase the sound pressure.

Height of the hood It is also preferable that the hood 5 has a height that exceeds the overall height of the gong 2 when surrounding the gong 2 (see Figs. 1(b) and 7). In other words, by positioning the opening 5b of the cylindrical portion 5a at a height that exceeds the overall height of the gong 2, all of the bell sound emitted from the side of the gong 2 can be directed forward toward the front surface of the gong 2. This provides a better effect in increasing the sound pressure of the bell sound emitted from the gong 2. The height of the hood 5 may be the same as the overall height of the gong 2 or may be lower than that overall height. Furthermore, the height may vary circumferentially.

Furthermore, as will be explained later, when the alarm bell 1 is installed inside a housing, the end 5c on the front panel side of the hood 5, where the opening 5b from which the bell sound is emitted is provided, can be in contact with or close to the sound hole portion provided on the front panel of the housing. This allows the bell sound, with increased sound pressure emitted from the opening 5b of the hood 5, to be efficiently emitted from the sound hole portion to the outside of the housing.

Shape of the cylindrical part In the illustrated example, the cylindrical part 5a of the hood 5 has a square cylindrical shape (see Figs. 1 and 3). This cylindrical shape may have another polygonal cylindrical shape or may have a cylindrical shape. In the illustrated example, the cylindrical part has a tapered shape toward the opening 5b. This shape is more suitable for increasing the sound pressure of the bell sound. The shape toward the opening 5b may have a reverse tapered shape with a thicker tip, or may be a straight cylinder with no change in thickness. In any case, it is preferable that the size of the opening 5b is approximately the same as the size of the sound hole part of the front plate of the housing (in the example shown in Figs. 6 and 7 described later, the size of the opening 5b is slightly larger than the sound hole part 10b).

In the illustrated example, the hood 5 is formed by assembling two parts 5A, 5A' of the same shape, which are divided into two equal parts in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 4). Specifically, both parts 5A, 5A' have a recess 5e and a protrusion 5f, and a recess 5e' and a protrusion 5f', respectively, on both end surfaces in the circumferential direction as fitting portions between the two parts (these fitting portions also have the same shape (including position) between the two parts), and the recess 5e of one part 5A fits into the protrusion f' of the other part 5A', and the protrusion 5f of one part 5A fits into the recess 5e' of the other part 5A', thereby forming the hood 5 having a cylindrical shape when assembled together.

By making the hood 5 out of multiple parts of the same shape, such as the two parts 5A and 5A', when these multiple parts are molded from synthetic resin material, it is possible to use only one mold, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. Note that the number of parts of the same shape that make up the hood 5 may be more than two, but it is more advantageous to have two parts in terms of ease of assembly.

Mounting portion The hood 5 has mounting portions 5d, 5d' at the end opposite the opening 5b for mounting metal fittings 6 (an example of a mounting part) described below (see Figs. 3(b) and 7). In the illustrated example, the mounting portions 5d, 5d' are provided as recesses into which the plug-in portion of the mounting metal fittings 6 is inserted. The mounting portion 5d will be described further below together with the mounting metal fittings 6.

[Mounting bracket (example of mounting parts)]
The alarm bell 1 further comprises a mounting bracket 6 which is used to mount the gong 2 at a predetermined position within the housing when the alarm bell 1 is to be installed housed within the housing.

The mounting bracket 6 is made of a metal plate member, and in the illustrated example, has a bottom plate 6a that is attached to a predetermined position inside the housing by a fixing means (screws, etc.), and standing pieces 6b, 6b provided at both ends of the length of the bottom plate 6a, forming a U-shaped cross section (see FIG. 5). The mounting bracket 6 is attached to a predetermined position inside the housing with the standing pieces 6b, 6b positioned on the left and right. A receiving portion 6c for hanging the gong 2 is provided in the center of the bottom plate 6a, and the gong 2 can be hung and attached on the bottom plate 6a with the front side facing forward by inserting the hook portion 4a of the housing 4 on the back side into the receiving portion 6c from above.

The hood 5 is attached to the mounting bracket 6 in a state where it surrounds the gong 2. Specifically, the two parts 5A, 5A' of the hood 5 are assembled to each other from both sides in the width direction of the bottom plate portion 6a in a direction that sandwiches the gong 2 from above and below, and both ends in the width direction of the bottom plate portion 6a are inserted into the mounting parts 5d, 5d' provided on both parts, so that the cylindrical part 5a is attached to the mounting bracket 6 in a state where it surrounds the gong 2 on the bottom plate portion 6a (see Figure 7).

The left and right standing pieces 6b, 6b of the mounting bracket 6 are provided to be positioned on the outside of the hood 5 when the hood 5 is attached. The standing pieces 6b, 6b function as guards for the hood 5 located on the inside.

[Examples of storage inside the housing]
As described above, the alarm bell 1 can be installed by being stored inside a housing such as a fire hydrant box, an equipment housing box, etc. Figures 6 and 7 show, as an example, how the alarm bell 1 is stored when it is installed by being stored inside an equipment housing box.

The equipment storage box 10 is used for an automatic fire alarm system, and as shown in the figure, an alarm bell 1 is stored inside as a local sound device, and an indicator light and a transmitter (storage area not shown) are stored inside with parts of them (display section 10c, push button section 10d, etc.) exposed to the outside.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the alarm bell 1 is stored inside the equipment housing box 10 with the gong 2 and the hood 5 surrounding it attached to a frame member on the front panel 10a with screws through screw holes in the mounting bracket 6.

At this time, the hood 5 surrounds the gong 2, with the opening 5b opening toward the sound hole 10b located in front of the surface of the gong 2.

Therefore, even if the alarm bell 1 is stored inside the equipment housing box 10, the sound pressure can be increased by the hood 5, and the bell sound with increased sound pressure can be emitted to the outside of the equipment housing box 10 through the opening 5b and the sound hole 10b.

Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the end of the alarm bell 1 where the opening 5b of the hood 5 is provided is close to the part of the front panel 10a where the sound hole 10b is provided. This allows the bell sound, with its sound pressure amplified from the opening 5b of the hood 5, to be efficiently emitted from the sound hole 10b to the outside of the equipment housing box 10.

The end of the hood 5 where the opening 5b is provided may be in contact with the portion of the front panel 10a where the sound hole portion 10b is provided.

[Mounting fitting having a detachable part (another example of a mounting part)]
The alarm bell 1 may also be installed directly on the wall of a building without being housed inside a housing. In that case, it may be installed without attaching the hood 5. The mounting bracket 7 shown in Fig. 8 is an example of a mounting part that can be suitably used when the alarm bell 1 is installed without attaching the hood 5.

The mounting bracket 7, like the mounting bracket 6, is made of a metal plate member and has a bottom plate portion 7a that is attached to a predetermined position inside the housing by a fixing means, and standing pieces 7b, 7b provided at both ends of the length of the bottom plate portion 7a. A receiving portion 7c is provided in the center of the bottom plate portion 7a into which the hook portion 4a on the back side of the gong 2 is inserted.

The difference between the mounting bracket 7 and the mounting bracket 6 is that the bottom plate portion 7a is provided with a detachable portion 7d that can be easily separated by the user. The receiving portion 7c is provided on this detachable portion 7d.

If the mounting bracket 7 is used without separating the separable portion 7d, it is possible to attach the hood 5 and hang the gong 2, just like the mounting bracket 6 described above. If the separable portion 7d is separated, it is no longer possible to attach the hood 5, but if the separable portion 7d is used as a mounting part, it is possible to hang the gong 2.

In other words, when the alarm bell 1 is installed with the hood 5 attached, such as when the alarm bell 1 is stored inside the housing, the mounting bracket 7 can be used as it is as a mounting part for the object to be mounted, without separating the detachable part 7d, and when the alarm bell 1 is installed without the hood attached, such as when the alarm bell 1 is not stored inside the housing, the detachable part 7d can be separated and the separated part can be used as a mounting part for the object to be mounted.

The method of forming the detachable portion 7 can be by various metal processing techniques. In the illustrated example, the connecting portion 7e with the bottom plate portion 7a is cut while leaving a small portion of the connecting portion 7e, 7e, and is thinned so that the connecting portion 7e can be easily separated. The processing method is not limited to this as long as it can be easily separated.

[Example of configuration change]
In the alarm bell 1, for example, the configuration can be changed as follows.

The cylindrical portion 5a of the hood 5 may be made up of multiple parts of different shapes assembled together, instead of being made up of multiple parts of the same shape, or may be made up of a single part formed as a single unit.

The hood 5 may be attached to the housing 4 instead of to the mounting brackets 6 and 7.

The hood 5 and the mounting bracket 6 may be manufactured as a single unit instead of being separate components.

1: Alarm bell 2: Gong 3: Striking stick 4: Housing 4a: Hook portion 5: Hood 5A, 5A' 5a: Cylindrical portion 5b: Opening 5c: End portion 5d, 5d': Mounting portion 5e, 5e': Convex portion 5f, 5f': Convex portion 6: Mounting metal fitting 6a: Bottom plate portion 6b: Standing piece portion 6c: Receiving portion 7: Mounting metal fitting 7a: Bottom plate portion 7b: Standing piece portion 7c: Receiving portion 7d: Separable portion 7e: Connecting portion 10: Equipment housing box 10a: Front plate 10b: Sound hole portion 10c: Display portion 10d: Push button portion

Claims (4)

An alarm bell that sounds a gong when struck to sound an alarm,
a hood having a cylindrical shape surrounding the gong;
The hood has an opening at one end thereof that surrounds the gong and opens forward toward the surface of the gong, and has a tapered shape that tapers toward the opening.
An alarm bell, wherein the opening has an opening width smaller than a diameter of the gong. The alarm bell described in claim 1, characterized in that the hood is made up of multiple parts of the same shape divided in the circumferential direction, and the multiple parts are assembled in the circumferential direction. An alarm bell as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the alarm bell is installed housed within a housing, the hood is fixed to the front plate of the housing together with the gong, with the end of the hood on the opening side being in contact with or close to the front plate of the housing. a plate-shaped mounting part for mounting the gong to an object to be mounted;
When the alarm bell is to be installed in a housing, the hood is attached to an object together with the gong by the mounting part,
An alarm bell as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mounting part has a detachable part, and when the alarm bell is to be installed without being stored in a housing, the detachable part is separated from the mounting part and used as a part for attaching the gong to an object to be mounted.

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