Gas generator for a vehicle occupant safety system, airbag module and vehicle occupant safety system comprising a gas generator of this type, and production method

• US 10,179,561 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TRW Airbag Systems GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Airbag Systems GmbH (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Jung, Christian, Hoffmann, Achim, Gabler, Michael, Tischer, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Verley, Nicole T
• Application Number:
  US15/328,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20170210332A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2279/10 for air bags, e.g. inflators therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2403 characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/10 Formation of a green body
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/30 Vehicles, e.g. ships or aircraft, or body parts thereof vanes or blades B29L2031/08, air bags B29L2022/027
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 15/02 Manually-operable devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26011 using a filter through which the inflation gas passes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26029 Ignitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26076 characterised by casing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26082 Material
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2644 using only solid reacting substances, e.g. pellets, powder
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 3/04 for producing gas under pressure generators of inflation fluid especially adapted for vehicle air bags B60R21/26
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas generator (10) for a vehicle occupant safety system comprising an outer casing (20) and a filter structure (30) for purifying and/or cooling gas released inside the outer casing (20), wherein the filter structure (30) is integrated in the outer casing (20). The invention further relates to an airbag module and a vehicle occupant safety system comprising said gas generator as well as to a manufacturing method.

Claims

1. A gas generator (10) for a vehicle occupant safety system comprising an outer casing (20) and a filter structure (30) for purifying and/or cooling a gas released inside the outer casing (20), wherein the filter structure (30) is formed integrally with the outer casing (20), wherein the filter structure (30) includes mazelike or meandering channels (21) extending through the outer casing (20).

2. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the outer casing (20) and/or an ignition unit (40) and/or the filter structure (30) of the gas generator (10) is manufactured by a 3-D printing method.

3. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the outer casing (20) has a cylindrical and/or polygonal circumferential wall (22) in which the filter structure (30) is formed.

4. The gas generator (10) according to claim 3, wherein the circumferential wall (22) includes oppositely arranged plate elements (23) having a planar outer surface (25) and a ribbed inner surface (31), wherein the ribbed inner surfaces (31) are facing each other.

5. The gas generator (10) according to claim 4, wherein the circumferential wall (22) has land elements (24) with two-sided rib structure (32) which are arranged between the ribbed inner surfaces (31) of the plate elements (32).

6. The gas generator (10) according to claim 5, wherein the land elements (24) are arranged offset in the circumferential direction relative to the plate elements (23) and extend through gas outlet openings (26) of the circumferential wall (22).

7. The gas generator (10) according to claim 5, wherein, the rib structure (32) of the land elements (24) engages rack-like in the ribbed inner surfaces (31) of the plate elements (23) such that released gas may flow around individual ribs (33) of the land elements (24) and of the plate elements (23).

8. The gas generator (10) according to claim 3, wherein the outer casing (20) includes plural ring segments (27) which are coaxially superimposed to form the circumferential wall (22).

9. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the outer casing (20) has gas outlet openings (26) which are closed by a tamping (28), and wherein the tamping (28) is formed integrally with the outer casing (20).

10. The gas generator (10) according to claim 9, wherein the tamping (28) is formed by an area of reduced wall thickness of the circumferential wall (22).

11. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein a retaining flange (29) is formed integrally with the outer casing (20) and is manufactured integrally with the outer casing (20) by a 3-D printing method.

12. An airbag module, comprising the gas generator (10) according to claim 1.

13. A vehicle occupant safety system comprising the gas generator (10) according to claim 1 and/or an airbag module comprising the gas generator (10) according to claim 1.

14. A method of manufacturing the gas generator (10) according to claim 1 and/or an airbag module comprising the gas generator (10) according to claim 1, comprising utilizing a 3-D printing method to compose the outer casing (20) and/or an ignition unit (40) of the gas generator (10) in layers.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the 3-D printing method is a 3-D screen printing method.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the 3-D screen printing method comprises:

providing a screen print mask (52);

applying a printable suspension of a material powder to the screen print mask (52), wherein the suspension is applied especially under pressure; and

heating the printable suspension for melting the material powder.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the screen print mask (52) is produced automatically based on a computer model.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein at least two material powders different from each other are applied to the screen print mask (52) such that two components of the gas generator (10) including materials different from each other are manufactured in a joint process step.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the different material powders are a metal powder for manufacturing electrically conductive components, and a quartz sand powder or plastic powder for manufacturing an insulation member (41).

20. The gas generator (10) according to claim 2, wherein the 3-D printing method is a 3-D screen printing method.

21. A gas generator (10) for a vehicle occupant safety system comprising an outer casing (20) and a filter structure (30) for purifying and/or cooling a gas released inside the outer casing (20), wherein the filter structure (30) is integrated in the outer casing (20) and includes mazelike or meandering channels (21) that extend through the outer casing (20).