GAS-PRODUCING DEVICE FOR AN INFLATABLE BODY-PROTECTING BAG ON A HIGH-SPEED VEHICLE

• US 3,724,870 A
• Filed: 02/16/1971
• Issued: 04/03/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Isoa Kurokawa, Nobuyuki Izawa, Shunji Orita
• Original Assignee: Isoa Kurokawa, Nobuyuki Izawa, Shunji Orita
• Inventors: Kurokawa, Isoa, Orita, Shunji, Izawa, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Silverstrim, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/115,332
• Time in Patent Office: 777 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB 102/40,39
• US Class Current: 280/741
• 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

Abstract

A gas-producing device is provided which includes a number of gas-producing tubes containing gas-producing composite material including an explosive and/or a combustible compound. The tubes, having different time durations of combustion are cooperable so as to inflate the body-protecting bag within at most 50 msec and to maintain it in its inflated state for a definite period of time, for example, 500 msec. The gas-producing device also includes improvements effective to stabilize the operation of the gas-producing tubes and the inflation of the body-protecting bag associated therewith.

Claims

2. A gas-producing device as claimed in claim 1, in which said gas producing compounds or delaying compounds are comprised of the same ingredients compounded in different ratios.

3. A gas-producing device claimed in claim 1, in which said gas producing compounds or delaying compounds are composed of different kinds of ingredients.

4. A gas-producing device as in claim 1 where a separate electric ignitor is provided for each of said members and an ignitor circuit connects to said electric ignitors in series.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, in which the material in at least one of said gas-producing members is fast combustible to inflate the body-protecting bag in a desired limited period of time and the material in the remaining gas-producing members is relatively slowly combustible to maintain the inflated state of said body-protecting bag for a predetermined period of time.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 in which at least the material in one of said gas-producing members is rapidly combustible to inflate the body-protecting bag in a desired limited period of time and the remaining gas-producing members are adapted to produce gases at controlled progressively later times than said fast combustible member material to maintain the body-protecting bag in its inflated state for a predetermined period of time.