DUAL STAGE HYBRID INFLATOR AND METHOD OF TRIGGERING THE SAME

• US 20160167617A1
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mosa Industrial Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mosa Industrial Corporation
• Inventors: WANG, Teh-Hsin, TSAI, Long-Ming, LIN, Chia-Jung, WANG, Han-Le, LIN, Yun-Hsien
• Granted Patent: US 9,669,795 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01211 Expansion of air bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26029 Ignitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/26076 characterised by casing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2633 with a plurality of inflation levels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2642 comprising a plurality of combustion chambers or sub-chambers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/263 using a variable source, e.g. plural stage or controlled output hybrid inflators B60R21/272
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/264 using instantaneous generation of gas, e.g. pyrotechnic B60R21/268 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/272 with means for increasing the pressure of the gas just before or during liberation, e.g. hybrid inflators
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/276 with means to vent the inflation fluid source, e.g. in case of overpressure B60R21/30 takes precedence; venting means on inflatable member walls B60R21/239

Abstract

A dual-stage hybrid inflator and triggering a method thereof are provided. The dual-stage hybrid inflator includes a main casing, a central pipe, and a disc set, a first propellant chamber assembly, a second propellant chamber assembly, a pressurized gas, a first igniter assembly, a second igniter assembly and an exhaust hood. The main casing includes a bottom housing and an upper housing. The central pipe is fixed with the bottom housing and passed through the upper housing. A convective hole is disposed on the central pipe. The disc set, which is used to prevent the gas escaping from the main casing, is disposed on the top of the central pipe. The doublet propellant chamber, which is filled with different dosage of propellant, is initiated by the igniters disposed thereon in order to generate various degrees of gas depended on various degrees of collision.

Claims

1. A dual-stage hybrid inflator, comprising:

a main casing comprising a bottom housing and an upper housing, the upper housing fixed at a top of the bottom housing relatively and the upper housing together with the bottom housing to form a complete sealed casing, a bottom wall of the bottom housing disposed with a first ignition hole and a second ignition hole, and a top wall of the upper housing disposed with a through hole;

a central pipe being a hollow pipe, a bottom of the central pipe fixed onto the bottom housing relatively, a top of the central pipe penetrating the through hole relatively to fix with the upper housing, and a pipe wall of the central pipe having a plurality of convective holes;

a disc set disposed at the top of the central pipe relatively to prevent gas escaping from the main casing, and separated from the top of the central pipe when an inner side of the disc set is pushed with a certain degree of force;

a first propellant chamber assembly comprising a cushion ring and a first cup cover, wherein the cushion ring is disposed at an internal circular wall of the bottom housing relatively;

a center of the first cup cover is disposed with a sheath opening sheathed on the central pipe relatively, the first cup cover is disposed at a top of the cushion ring so as to form a first propellant chamber with the bottom housing, and the first propellant chamber is disposed with a propellant having a first dosage;

a second propellant chamber assembly disposed at the bottom housing and comprising a cup body of a second propellant chamber and a second cup cover, wherein the cup body of the second propellant chamber has a through hole fixed with the second ignition hole relatively, the cup body of the second propellant chamber is filled with a propellant having a second dosage, and the second cup cover has a shape relative to a shape of the cup body of the second propellant chamber and covers the cup body of the second propellant chamber;

a first igniter assembly penetrating through the first ignition hole to be disposed in the first propellant chamber, for producing a first ignition airflow after receiving a first ignition signal, so as to trigger the propellant having the first dosage to burn;

a second igniter penetrating through the second ignition hole and the through hole to be disposed in the cup body of the second propellant chamber, for producing a second ignition airflow after receiving a second ignition signal, so as to trigger the propellant having the second dosage to burn; and

an exhaust hood sheathed and fixed on the main casing relatively, and a deposition space formed between the exhaust hood and the main casing for accommodating a solid residue produced after burning, and the exhaust hood having a plurality of exhaust holes for exhausting gas.

2. The dual-stage hybrid inflator of claim 1, wherein the disc set comprises a sealing cover and a sealing sheet, and the sealing cover has a port and is fixed at the top of the central pipe, and the sealing sheet is relatively fixed onto the port to prevent the gas escaping from the main casing, and the sealing sheet is opened when the inner side thereof is pushed with a certain degree of force.

3. The dual-stage hybrid inflator of claim 1, wherein the first igniter assembly further comprises a first indicator being a hollow casing, a first guiding aperture is provided to penetrate through a wall surface at one side of the first indicator, the first indicator is sheathed and fixed onto the first igniter assembly, and a direction of the first ignition airflow is guided by the first guiding aperture.

4. The dual-stage hybrid inflator of claim 1, wherein the second igniter assembly comprises a second indicator being a hollow casing, a second guiding aperture is provided to penetrate a wall surface at one side of the second indicator, the second indicator is sheathed and fixed onto the second igniter assembly, and a direction of the second ignition airflow is guided by the second guiding aperture.

5. The dual-stage hybrid inflator of claim 1, further comprising a vent pipe, wherein the vent pipe is sheathed and fixed at an external side of the central pipe relatively and a plurality of throttle bores are provided to penetrate through the vent pipe, the plurality of throttle bores are not aligned with the plurality of convective holes.

6. The dual-stage hybrid inflator of claim 1, wherein a bottom of the first propellant chamber and/or a bottom of the cup body of the second propellant chamber further comprises a buffer pad preventing the propellant from being broken by vibration, and the buffer pad comprises a ceramic fiber pad, a crotch pad or a thermal rubber pad.

7. A method of triggering a dual-stage hybrid inflator, applicable to an automobile equipped having an airbag with the dual-stage hybrid inflator, the automobile comprising a sensor, a configuration unit and a processing unit, and the method comprising:

using the sensor to detect a driving condition of the automobile and summarizing the driving condition as driving information;

using the configuration unit to configure a first signal threshold value and a second signal threshold value; and

using the processing unit to receive the driving information and to analyze and determine the driving information so as to produce a first ignition signal or a second ignition signal relatively;

wherein when the driving information exceeds the first signal threshold value, the processing unit transmits the first ignition signal to trigger a propellant having a first dosage filled in the dual-stage hybrid inflator to burn so as to complete a first inflation mode of the airbag;

wherein when the driving information exceeds the second signal threshold value, the processing unit transmits the first ignition signal and the second ignition signal simultaneously to trigger the propellant having the first dosage and a propellant having a second dosage filled in the dual-stage hybrid inflator to burn so as to complete a second inflation mode of the airbag.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises a weight sensor, a speed sensor, an acceleration sensor or a combination thereof, and the driving information comprises a passenger position, speed information, collision information or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

filling the propellant having the first dosage in a first propellant chamber of the dual-stage hybrid inflator.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

filling the propellant having the second dosage in a cup body of a second propellant chamber of the dual-stage hybrid inflator.