DEVICE FOR THE INFLATION OF SAFETY CUSHIONS IN VEHICLES

• US 3,817,263 A
• Filed: 04/02/1973
• Issued: 06/18/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gunther Marondel, Heinz Gawlick, Hellmut Bendler
• Original Assignee: Gunther Marondel, Heinz Gawlick, Hellmut Bendler
• Inventors: Bendler, Hellmut, Gawlick, Heinz, Marondel, Gunther
• Primary Examiner(s): Knowles, Allen N.
• Application Number:
  US05/346,806
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 102/39,46 149/22 222/3,5 280/15AB 220/89A,47 137/68
• US Class Current: 137/68.13
• 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: C06D 5/06 by reaction of two or more solids
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 13/06 constructed to be ruptured by an explosion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1647 Explosive actuation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/1714 Direct pressure causes disc to burst

Abstract

Device for inflating safety cushions in a vehicle having an electrically ignitable cartridge provided with a pyrotechnical mixture free of brisant or high explosive within a cartridge casing of low strength material. The cartridge casing material is of a low strength so as to prevent the cartridge casing acting as a tamp for accommodating inadvertent detonation of the cartridge by itself. The cartridge is arranged within a pressure tank equipped with a liquid gas in communication with the interior of a safety cushion by means of an extension having at least one gas passage aperture, which extension is sealed with respect to the liquid gas by a bursting or rupturing diaphragm. The pressure tank includes a cartridge housing for removably accommodating the cartridge. The walls of the cartridge housing are of a high strength material and are so dimensioned with respect to the cartridge casing that the cartridge housing serves as a tamp for facilitating optimum detonation of the high explosive free pyrotechnical mixture.

Claims

1. An arrangement for inflating inflatable safety cushion means of the type used to cushion passengers and the like in vehicles, said arrangement comprising:

pressure tank means for accommodating a highly pressurized inflating medium, inflating medium aperture means opening into said safety cushion means, rupturable diaphragm means for sealing said aperture means from the inflating medium, ignitible cartridge means including a high-explosive-free pyrotechnical mixture surrounded by cartridge casing means, cartridge housing means extending into said pressure tank means for housing said cartridge means such that ignition of said pyrotechnical mixture with said cartridge means in said housing means effects an increase in the pressure of said inflating medium and consequent rupture of said diaphragm means such that said cushion means is inflated by said inflating medium passing from said pressure tank means through said aperture means into said cushion means, and igniting means for igniting said pyrotechnical mixture, wherein said cartridge casing means is constructed relatively weak as compared to said housing means such that said casing means provides insufficient tamping forces on said pyrotechnical mixture to accommodate detonation of said cartridge means outside of said housing means and such that said housing means provides sufficient tamping forces on said pyrotechnical mixture by way of said casing means to accommodate relatively optimum detonation of said cartridge means when said cartridge means is in said housing means.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said ignition means includes electrical means.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the inside dimensions of said housing means correspond closely to the outside dimensions of said casing means such that the walls of said housing means provide immediately adjacent backing and tamping support to the walls of said casing means.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said housing means closely surrounds said casing means over substantially the entire outer surface of said casing means.

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, wherein said housing means includes an opening adjacent one end thereof for accommodating electrical wires leading to said igniting means.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said aperture means are provided in extension means of said pressure tank means.

7. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said extension means is a cylindrical member closed at one end by a fixed wall and closed at the other end by said diaphragm means, said aperture means including a plurality of radially extending openings in the side walls of said cylindrical member adjacent said fixed wall.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein said pressure tank means is cylindrically shaped and has a longitudinal centerline coinciding with the longitudinal centerline of said extension means.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said housing means and said cartridge means are cylindrically shaped with respective longitudinal centerlines coinciding with said centerlines of said extension and said pressure tank means when said cartridge means is in said housing means.

10. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the housing means is made of steel.

11. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the housing means is provided, at least over a portion of its length, with predetermined rupturing points.

12. An arrangement according to claim 11, wherein the rupturing points are provided over the entire length of the housing means.

13. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the housing means is provided, at least over a portion of its length, with perforations.

14. An arrangement according to claim 13, wherein the perforations are provided over the entire length of the housing means.

15. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the side walls of said casing means are made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin.

16. An arrangement according to claim 15, wherein the thermoplastic synthetic resin is from the group consisting of polyethylene and polystyrene.

17. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the pyrotechnical mixture includes an oxygen carrier, a gas generator and a metallic powder.

18. An arrangement according to claim 17, wherein the oxygen carrier is barium nitrate, Ba (NO3)2, the gas generator is aminoguanidine azotetrazole, and the metallic powder is from the group consisting of zirconium, aluminum, magnesium or boron.

19. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein a readily destructible and/or combustiBle central hollow tube is located within the casing means, said pyrotechnical mixture being arranged around said central hollow tube.

20. An arrangement according to claim 19, wherein the central hollow tube is made of thin-walled cardboard.

21. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the igniting means includes a bridge primer and a booster charge in the cartridge means and electrical wires leading from said bridge primer.

22. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said pressure tank means includes a detachable lid means, and wherein said lid means is firmly attached to said housing means in the assembled condition so as to assist in providing said sufficient tamping forces on said pyrotechnical mixture.

23. An arrangement according to claim 22, wherein said lid means is connected to said pressure tank means by detachable connecting means extending through a clamping plate means interposed between said lid means and said pressure tank means, and wherein said clamping plate means clampingly forces said housing means against said lid means when said detachable connecting means are tightly secured.

24. An arrangement according to claim 23, wherein said detachable connecting means are screw means, wherein said clamping plate means is an annular plate which has a lip portion which clampingly engages over a corresponding collar portion at one end of said housing means, and wherein said lid means forms an end wall of said housing means in the assembled condition.

25. An arrangement according to claim 23, wherein said clamping plate means and detachable connecting means are so configured that loosening of said detachable connecting means from said pressure tank means simultaneously loosens said lid means from said housing means so as to reduce the effective tamping forces on a cartridge means inserted in said housing means.

26. An arrangement for inflating inflatable safety cushion means of the type used to cushion passengers and the like in vehicles, said arrangement comprising:

pressure tank means for accommodating a highly pressurized inflating medium, inflating medium aperture means opening into said safety cushion means, rupturable diaphragm means for sealing said aperture means from the inflating medium, ignitable cartridge means including a pyrotechnical mixture surrounded by cartridge casing means, cartridge housing means extending into said pressure tank means for housing said cartridge means such that ignition of said pyrotechnical mixture with said cartridge means in said housing means effects an increase in the pressure of said inflating medium and consequent rupture of said diaphragm means such that said cushion means is inflated by said inflating medium passing from said pressure tank means through said aperture means into said cushion means, and igniting means for igniting said pyrotechnical mixture, wherein said cartridge casing means is constructed relatively weak as compared to said housing means such that said casing means provides insufficient tamping forces on said pyrotechnical mixture to accommodate detonation of said cartridge means outside of said housing means and such that said housing means provides sufficient tamping forces on said pyrotechnical mixture by way of said casing means to acommodate relatively optimum detonation of said cartridge means when said cartridge means is in said housing means.

27. An arrangement according to claim 26, wherein the pyrotechnical mixture includes an oxygen carrier, a gas generator and a metallic powder.

28. An arrangement according to claim 27, wherein the oxygen carrier is barium nitrate, Ba (NO3)2, the gas generator is aminoguanidine azotetrazole, and the metallic powder is from the group consisting of zirconium, aluminum, magnesium or boron.

29. An arrangement according to claim 26, wherein the inside dimensions of said housing means correspond closely to the outside dimensions of said casing means such that the waLls of said housing means provide immediately adjacent backing and tamping support to the walls of said casing means.

30. An arrangement according to claim 29, wherein said housing means closely surrounds said casing means over substantially the entire outer surface of said casing means.

31. An arrangement according to claim 30, wherein said pressure tank means includes an opening for accommodating insertion and removal of said cartridge means and a detachable lid means covering said opening, and wherein said lid means is firmly attached to said housing means in the assembled condition so as to assist in providing said sufficient tamping forces on said pyrotechnical mixture.

32. An arrangement according to claim 31, wherein said lid means is connected to said pressure tank means by detachable connecting means extending through a clamping plate means interposed between said lid means and said pressure tank means, and wherein said clamping plate means clampingly forces said housing means against said lid means when said detachable connecting means are tightly secured.

33. An arrangement according to claim 32, wherein said detachable connecting means are screw means, wherein said clamping plate means is an annular plate which has a lip portion which clampingly engages over a corresponding collar portion at one end of said housing means, and wherein said lid means forms an end wall of said housing means in the assembled condition.

34. An arrangement according to claim 32, wherein said clamping plate means and detachable connecting means are so configured that loosening of said detachable connecting means from said pressure tank means simultaneously loosens said lid means from said housing means so as to reduce the effective tamping forces on a cartridge means inserted in said housing means.

35. An arrangement according to claim 26, wherein said pressure tank means includes an opening for accommodating insertion and removal of said cartridge means and a detachable lid means covering said opening, and wherein said lid means is firmly attached to said housing means in the assembled condition so as to assist in providing said sufficient tamping forces on said pyrotechnical mixture.