CRASH RESTRAINT ASPIRATING INFLATION SYSTEM WITH CANTED NOZZLES

• US 3,801,127 A
• Filed: 06/14/1971
• Issued: 04/02/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lincoln B. Katter, Lyle D. Galbraith
• Original Assignee: Lincoln B. Katter, Lyle D. Galbraith
• Inventors: Katter, Lincoln B., Galbraith, Lyle D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Betts, Kenneth H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mitchell, David M.
• Application Number:
  US05/152,894
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB 239/550,556,557,560 244/31 60/27S 417/198,180,191,179
• US Class Current: 280/738
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/30 with means to draw ambient air into the flow line and mix such air with the inflation fluid

Abstract

A crash restraint device for an automobile comprising a box-like frame having a substantially closed sidewall and front and rear openings, an inflatable bag mounted at the rear opening; a plurality of high velocity aspirating jet units placed within said frame upstream of the bag. There is a single manifold tube extending across the box-like frame and three sets of individual jet units disposed in a diverging downstream pattern so as to provide a plurality of diverging downstream aspirating jet streams.

Claims

1. In combination with a vehicle having an interior within which is an occupant carrying location, structure spaced from said location, and a crash restraint apparatus for protecting an occupant in said location from impact with said structure, said apparatus comprising:

a. a structure defining an aspirating passageway having an upstream inlet opening to admit an inflow of aspirating air and a downstream outlet opening, b. a collapsed inflatable mounted proximate said outlet opening and arranged to be inflated by gas flowing from said outlet opening to a position between said passenger location and said structure, c. a plurality of aspirating jet units, each having a discharge axis and disposed in said passageway to emit a plurality of aspirating jet streams in a downstream direction, and d. means to provide a short sustained velocity of gas from said jet units through said outlet, the improvement comprising a generally transverse manifold tube, a first set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes directed generally parallel to said downstream direction, a second set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes canted moderately to one side from said downstream direction, and a third set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes canted moderately to a generally opposite side from said downstream direction, whereby said aspirating jet streams diverge to provide a relatively wide aspirating pattern in the passageway.

2. The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein individual jet units from the three sets are spaced intermittently with respect to one another along said manifold tube, so that adjacent units have their discharge axes disposed divergently with respect to one another.

3. The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein the discharge axes of said first, second and third sets of jet units are canted with respect to one another at angles between 10* to 30*.

4. The improvement as recited in claim 3, wherein the discharge axes of said first, second and third sets are canted with respect to one another at angles of about 15*.

5. The improvement as recited in claim 1, wherein there is a central manifold tube in said passageway and the discharge axes of said three sets of jet units are so disposed so as to provide an aspirating jet stream pattern across substantially all of said passageway.

6. In combination with an inflating apparatus adapted to inflate an inflatable such as a crash restraint inflatable, said apparatus comprising:

a. a structure defining an aspirating passageway having an upstream inlet opening to admit an inflow of aspirating air and a downstream outlet opening, b. a collapsed inflatable mounted proximate said outlet opening and arranged to be inflated by gas flowing from said outlet opening, c. a plurality of aspirating jet units each having a discharge axis and disposed in said passageway to emit a plurality of aspirating jet streams in a downstream direction, and d. means to provide a short sustained velocity of gas from said jet units through said outlet, the improvement comprising a generally transverse manifold tube, a first set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes directed generally parallel to said downstream direction, a second set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes canted moderately to one side from said downstream direction, and a third set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes canted moderately to a generally opposite side from said downstream direction, whereby said aspirating jet streams diverge to provide a relatively wide aspirating pattern in the passageway.

7. The improvement as recited in claim 6, wherein individual jet units from the three sets are spaced intermittently with respect to one another along said manifold tube, so that adjacent units have their discharge axes disposed divergently with respect to one another.

8. The improvement as recited in claim 6, wherein the discharge axes of said first, second and third sets of jet units are canted with respect to one another at angles between 10* to 30*.

9. The improvement as recited in claim 8, wherein the discharge axes of said first, second and third sets are canted with respect to one another at angles of about 15*.

10. The improvement as recited in claim 6, wherein there is a central manifold tube in said passageway and the discharge axes of said three sets of jet units are so disposed so as to provide an aspirating jet stream pattern across substantially all of said passageway.

11. In an apparatus for inflating a crash restraint inflatable, which apparatus comprises a structure defining an aspirating passageway having an upstream inlet opening to admit an inflow of aspirating air and a downstream outlet opening adapted to direct inflating gas into an inflatable, and a plurality of aspirating jet units disposed in said passageway to emit a plurality of aspirating jet streams in a downstream direction, the improvement comprising a generally transverse manifold tube, and a plurality of sets of jet units mounted to said manifold tube, each of said jet units having a discharge axis with at least two sets of jet unitS having their discharge axes canted moderately outwardly with respect to said downstream direction, whereby said aspirating jet streams diverge to provide a relatively wide aspirating pattern in said passageway.

12. The improvement as recited in claim 11, wherein there is a first set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes directed generally parallel to said downstream direction, a second set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes canted moderately to one side from said downstream direction, and a third set of jet units mounted to the manifold tube with their discharge axes canted moderately to a generally opposite side from said downstream direction.

13. The improvement as recited in claim 12, wherein individual jet units from the three sets are spaced intermittently with respect to one another along said manifold tube, so that adjacent jet units have their discharge axes disposed divergently with respect to one another.

14. The improvement as recited in claim 12, wherein said first, second and third sets of jet units are arranged with their discharge axes canted with respect to one another at angles between 10* to 30*.

15. The improvement as recited in claim 14, wherein said first, second and third sets are arranged with their discharge axes canted with respect to one another at angles of about 15*.

16. The improvement as recited in claim 12, wherein there is a central manifold tube in said passageway and the discharge axes of said three sets of jet units are so disposed so as to provide an aspirating jet stream pattern across substantially all of said passageway.