INITIATOR ASSEMBLY

• US 20040226472A1
• Filed: 11/21/2002
• Published: 11/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited
• Inventors: Oda, Shingo
• Granted Patent: US 6,820,556 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 102/205
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26029 Ignitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2644 using only solid reacting substances, e.g. pellets, powder
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 3/195 Manufacture

Abstract

The present invention provides an initiator assembly in which a metallic collar and an electric type initiator are combined securely to block a moisture penetration into the inside of the gas generator, thereby obtaining operation reliability of the gas generator.

An initiator assembly in which an electric type initiator and a metallic collar surrounding at least part of the electric type initiator are integrated with a resin, wherein at least either of an annular protrusion and a cylindrical protrusion provided in the direction to surround the electric type initiator is formed on the metallic collar, and the protrusion is covered with the resin.

Claims

1. An initiator assembly, comprising:

an electric type initiator;

a metallic collar surrounding at least part of the electric type initiator, said metallic collar including

a cylindrical protrusion extending towards said electric type initiator in an axial direction of the metallic collar and a concavo-convex portion formed on an inner surface of the cylindrical protrusion; and

a resin injected between said electric type initiator and said metallic collar such that said metallic collar is integrally molded with the resin and the resin makes contact with the concavo-convex portion.

2. An initiator assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical protrusion surrounds at least a portion of a periphery of the electric type initiator.

3. An initiator assembly according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

an annular protrusion extending inwardly from an inner surface of the metallic collar and having an inner hole in which an electroconductive pin of the electric type initiator passes through.

4. An initiator assembly according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the resin holds the cylindrical protrusion in a radial direction of the cylindrical protrusion.

7. An initiator assembly according to claim 3, wherein the inner hole has a shape other than a regular circle.

8. An initiator assembly according to claim 3, wherein the inner hole has a diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the electric type initiator.

9. A gas generator, comprising:

a housing forming an outer shell;

an initiator assembly according to claim 1 or 2 arranged inside the housing; and

a gas generating agent adapted to be ignited and burnt by actuation of the initiator assembly.

11. An initiator assembly according to claim 1, wherein said resin has a molding-shrinkage rate of less than 1%.

12. An initiator assembly according to claim 11, wherein said resin has a molding-shrinkage rate of between 0.1 and 0.8%.

13. An initiator assembly according to claim 1, wherein said resin contains at least one of one of glass fiber, glass filler, and mineral.

14. An initiator assembly according to claim 1, wherein said resin has a tensile strength of 70 to 250 MPa.

15. An initiator assembly according to claim 14, wherein said resin has a tensile strength of 100 to 250 MPa.

16. An initiator assembly according to claim 1, wherein said resin has a dielectric breakdown voltage of greater than 10 MV/m.

5. (cancelled)

6. (cancelled)

10. A metallic collar for an initiator assembly, the initiator assembly having an electric type initiator and a resin injected between the metallic collar and the electric type initiator, the metallic collar comprising:

a cylindrical protrusion extending towards the electric type initiator in an axial direction of the metallic collar such that the cylindrical protrusion surrounds at least a part of the electric type initiator; and

a concavo-convex portion formed on an inner surface of the annular protrusion.