PERSONNEL RESTRAINT SYSTEM FOR VEHICULAR OCCUPANTS

• US 3,690,695 A
• Filed: 08/14/1970
• Issued: 09/12/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 91105,, John Leslie Jones, 1070 Glen Oaks Blvd. Sr.
• Original Assignee: 91105,, John Leslie Jones, 1070 Glen Oaks Blvd. Sr.
• Inventors: John Leslie Jones, 1070 Glen Oaks Blvd. Sr., 91105,
• Primary Examiner(s): Kenneth H. Betts
• Application Number:
  US05/063,750
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 280/150AB 23/281 222/3,5 9/316 62/46-50 102/39
• US Class Current: 280/741
• 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: H01H 35/14 Switches operated by change of acceleration, e.g. by shock or vibration, inertia switch wherein the liquid constitutes a contact of the switch H01H29/002

Abstract

The personnel restraint system has an accordion pleated impact restraint bag, which is folded flat in a transverse U-bend and disposed in a case, which can be fixed under the vehicle instrument panel, adjacent to the front seat. In a quickly acting process an adjacently disposed tank of liquid carbon dioxide charge, is rapidly discharged through a ruptured tank sealing metal membrane on activating an impact sensor and firing a squib. Concurrently magnesium metal powder is blown into a metal combustion chamber duct and rapidly oxidized. The heat of combustion is utilized to vaporize the discharged liquid carbon dioxide to gas in the chamber duct. The heated carbon dioxide gas is ducted into the folded impact bag, rapidly expanding the bag into the vehicle compartment volume in front of the personnel seats. A second impact sensor can operate a second carbon dioxide tank which vents into the atmosphere adjacent to the gasoline tank, acting to flood the tank vicinity with carbon dioxide, to prevent or extinguish a gasoline fire.

Claims

2. In a process for rapidly operating a personnel restraint system suitable for protecting vehicular occupants, utilizing liquid carbon dioxide sealed in a tank by a thin metal diaphragm, said carbon dioxide vaporizing on puncturing said diaphragm and filling an impact restraint bag with carbon dioxide gas, the improved process comprising:

a. electrically igniting a squib, said squib evolving a required volume of high pressure gas at a flame temperature adapted to ignite a magnesium composition in air;

b. propelling a cutter knife to puncture said diaphragm, said knife propelled by said high pressure gas evolved by said squib;

c. concurrently with propelling said cutter knife, igniting and propelling said magnesium composition into a metal combustion duct, said magnesium composition rapidly combusting in and with the oxygen of the air resident in said duct and evolving heat; and

d. heating and rapidly vaporizing said released carbon dioxide to a gas, adaptively utilizing the evolving heat of combustion turbulently transferred from the products of combustion to flash all said carbon dioxide.

3. In a carbon dioxide inflating gas, automated personnel restraint system for personnel carrying vehicles, having a liquid carbon dioxide gas supply disposed in a tank sealed by a thin rupturable metal diaphragm, the improvement comprising:

a. an electrically ignitible firing squib, adapted on igniting to evolving a required volume of high pressure gas at a flame temperature adapted to igniting a magnesium composition, and to rapidly propelling a cutter knife and rupturing said diaphragm, said squib being electrically insulatively disposed in a squib enclosure in said tank neck adapted to withstand said gas pressure;

b. at least one case cooperatively radially integrally connected to said tank neck and opening into said squib enclosure on propelling said knife to a predetermined tank neck stop;

c. a predetermined weight of magnesium pyrotechnic composition cooperatively disposed in said at least one case, said composition secured in said case by a pair of very thin foil membranes, said predetermined weight of said composition evolving a predetermined heat of combustion with the oxygen of the air;

d. a metal tubular duct cooperatively adaptively securely containing said carbon dioxide tank in a fixed position at one end of said duct, the duct volume containing sufficient oxygen in the contained air to combust said magnesium composition, the weight of said metal duct providing adequately safe strength and heat transfer characteristics for the magnesium combustion reaction;

e. a cover means for a first end of said duct disposed adjacent said carbon dioxide tank;

f. insulated electrically conductive wire means connecting said electric squib to an impact sensor means disposed exteriorly to said duct; and

g. a tubular coupling means, conductively tightly connecting the gas exit of the second duct end to a flexible membrane gas inlet tube of an impact restraint bag.

4. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 3, the further improvement wherein at least one mixing orfice is coaxially disposed in said duct adjacent said metal cases containing magnesium composition, said at least one orfice having a coaxially disposed mixing aperture.

5. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 3, the further improvement wherein a metal heat exchanger is coaxially disposed in said duct adjacent said second duct end.

6. In a carbon dioxide inflating gas, automated personnel restraint system for personnel carrying vehicles, having a liquid carbon dioxide gas supply disposed in a tank sealed by a thin rupturable metal diaphragm, the improvement comprising:

a. a cutter knife coaxially slidably disposed in the tank neck exteriorly disposed to rupturing said metal diaphragm, said knife having cutting edges adjacently disposed to said diaphragm and a piston face oppositely disposed to said cutting edges, said knife having positioning shoulders thereon, adapted to stop said knife in a cooperatively predetermined position on a tank neck stop on propelling said knife;

b. an electrically ignitible firing squib, adapted on igniting to evolving a required volume of high pressure gas at a flame temperature adapted to igniting a magnesium composition, and to rapidly propelling said cutter knife and rupturing said diaphragm, said squib being electrically insulatively and loosely disposed in a squib enclosure in said tank neck adapted to withstand said gas pressure;

c. at least one case cooperatively radially integrally connected to said tank neck and opening into said squib enclosure on propelling said knife to said predetermined tank neck stops;

d. a predetermined weight of magnesium pyrotechnic composition cooperatively disposed in said at least one case, said composition secured in said case by a pair of very thin foil membranes, said predetermined weight of said composition evolving a predetermined heat of combustion with the oxygen of the air;

e. a metal tubular duct cooperatively adaptively securely containing said carbon dioxide tank in a fixed position at a first end of said duct, the duct volume containing sufficient oxygen in the contained air to combust said magnesium composition, the weight of said metal duct providing adequately safe strength and heat transfer characteristics for the magnesium combustion reaction;

f. a cover means for said first end of said duct disposed adjacent said carbon dioxide tank;

g. insulated electrically conductive wire means connecting said electric squib to an impact sensor means disposed exteriorly to said duct; and

h. a tubular coupling means, conductively tightly connecting the gas exit of the second duct end to a flexible membrane gas inlet tube of an impact restraint bag.

7. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 6, the further improvement wherein at least one mixing orfice is coaxially disposed in said duct adjacent said metal cases containing magnesium composition, said at least one orfice having a coaxially disposed mixing aperture.

8. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 6, the further improvement wherein a metal heat exchanger is coaxially disposed in said duct adjacent said second duct end.

9. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 6, the further improvement wherein a. a multiple accordion pleated folds, flexible membrane, non-combustible, impact restraint bag, having a bag height, width and length of suitable dimensions, is folded flat in the plane of said multiple folds;

and b. a flexible membrane, non-combustible, distending gas inlet tube is permanently cooperatively affixed to a bag face aperture, at a first inlet tube terminus, and is secured to aid tubular coupling means at a second inlet tube terminus.

10. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 6, the further improvement wherein, the muLtiple accordion pleated folded flat impact restraint bag has a transverse axial U-fold.

11. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 6, the further improvement wherein, a long, flat protective case encloses said impact restraint bag and said gas inlet tube, said case having a shallow top case cover and a shallow bottom case cover, said top and bottom case covers having confronting case front lips, and having an integral frangible plastic hinge cooperatively securing the confronting case rear lips together, said integral frangible plastic hinge closely securing said top and bottom case cover prior to the breaking of said frangible hinge on expansion of said gas inlet tube and said restraint bag.

12. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 11 the further improvement wherein a flexible hinge also cooperatively secures said confronting case rear lips together.

13. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 6, the further improvement wherein said tank neck adaptively points to said second duct terminus.

14. In a carbon dioxide inflating gas, automated personnel restraint system for personnel carrying vehicles, having a carbon dioxide liquid supply disposed in a sealed tank, the combination comprising:

a tubular duct;

a cover means sealing a first duct terminus, adjacent to a first duct end section;

a sealed tank containing liquid carbon dioxide, said tank secured in said first duct end section;

a tank venting means, providing rapid release of said liquid carbon dioxide from said tank on signal;

a combustible metal composition disposed adjacent said tank venting means, said composition providing heat energy on burning in the air resident in said duct;

an ignition means, on signal concurrently actuating said tank ventilation and metal combustion ignition;

whereby the heat of combustion of said metal composition provides the required energy for rapidly vaporizing said liquid carbon dioxide to gas, in said tubular duct.

15. In the automated personnel restraint system improvement of claim 14, the further improvement wherein the metal composition is a magnesium pyrotechnic composition.