Crash restraint inflator for steering wheel assembly

• US 3,880,447 A
• Filed: 05/16/1973
• Issued: 04/29/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas W. Smelser, William F. Thorn
• Original Assignee: Thomas W. Smelser, William F. Thorn
• Inventors: Thorn, William F., Smelser, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schonberg, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Silverstrim, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/360,682
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 280/15AB 102/39 23/281
• US Class Current: 280/740
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2644 using only solid reacting substances, e.g. pellets, powder

Abstract

A crash restraint inflating system to inflate a protective cushion for the occupant in a crash situation. There is an inflating device comprising an inner cylindrical container with a gas producing composition therein, which discharges its combustion products into an outer cylindrical container circumjacent the inner container and having a porous gas conditioning composition therein to remove undesired components from the combustion products from the gas producing composition. The device is particularly well adapted for mounting at the center of an automotive steering assembly for driver protection. In such an installation the inflating device is positioned so that its lengthwise axis is parallel and adjacent to the plane defined by the steering wheel. In one steering wheel embodiment, the outer container has gas discharge openings spaced around substantially its entire lateral circumference (i.e. cylindrical lateral surface). An inflating gas redirecting plate, shaped as half a cylindrical container is positioned around the forwardly facing portion of the inflating device to redirect forwardly discharged inflating gas in a rearward direction into an inflatable bag to deploy the bag in its inflated protective position between the automobile steering assembly and the driver of the automobile. In a second embodiment, there are discharge openings only on the rearward half of the cylindrical lateral surface of the outer container. Adjacent to the inner surface of the forward half of the outer container is a plenum which provides a passageway for the gaseous discharge from the gas conditioning composition to pass from the forward portion of the outer container to the discharge openings in the rearward portion of the outer container.

Claims

1. In combination with an automobile steering assembly wherein there is a steering wheel and a central support structure, a crash restraint apparatus adapted to protect a driver of the automobile from impact with said steering assembly or other automobile structure, said apparatus comprising:

a. a collapsed inflatable mounted generally adjacent said central structure and disposed so that upon being inflated the inflatable is positioned between said driver and said steering assembly, b. an inflating device to provide inflating gas for said inflatable to deploy said inflatable to a protective position, said inflating device having a longitudinal axis and comprising;

1. an elongate outer housing having a generally cylindrical lateral circumferential surface generally surrounding said longitudinal axis, 2. said device having in said housing an inner gas generating zone having a gas producing composition located generally along said longitudinAl axis, 3. said device having in said housing a gas conditioning zone having a gas filtering composition positioned radially outwardly of, and substantially surrounding, said gas generating zone to receive a combustion product from said gas producing composition and remove at least one undesired component from said combustion product to provide inflating gas for said inflatable, 4. said housing having a plurality of outlet openings located about a substantial portion of said lateral circumferential surface whereby inflating gas passes from said housing through said outlet openings in a diverging pattern, c. said inflating device being located generally within and proximate said steering wheel, and positioned with its longitudinal axis having a substantial vector component generally parallel to a plane defined by said steering wheel.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein there is a gas redirecting means generally enclosing a forward portion of said housing and arranged to direct gas emitted from said device in a forward direction rearwardly into said inflatable.

3. said device having in said housing a gas conditioning zone having a gas filtering composition positioned radially outwardly of, and substantially surrounding, said gas generating zone to receive a combustion product from said gas producing composition and remove at least one undesired component from said combustion product to provide inflating gas for said inflatable,

4. said housing having a plurality of outlet openings located about a substantial portion of said lateral circumferential surface whereby inflating gas passes from said housing through said outlet openings in a diverging pattern, c. said inflating device being located generally within and proximate said steering wheel, and positioned with its longitudinal axis having a substantial vector component generally parallel to a plane defined by said steering wheel.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein said plenum defining means comprises at least one screen member positioned between at least a portion of said housing and said gas filtering material.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein there is an inner containing means containing said gas producing composition and having outlet means by which combustion products from said gas producing composition pass into said gas conditioning zone.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said discharge openings are positioned mostly in a rearward portion of said housing, and a substantial part of a forward portion of said outer housing is substantially imperforate, said inflating device further comprising means defining a plenum between said gas conditioning zone and a forward portion of said housing, whereby gas emitted from said gas conditioning material flows at least partially into said plenum and rearwardly to pass out said outlet openings.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein said plenum defining means comprises at least one screen member positioned between said housing and said gas filtering material in at least the forward portion of said housing.

9. In a crash restraint apparatus having an inflatable to protect a driver of an automobile, an inflating device for said inflatable comprising:

a. an outer elongate housing having a longitudinal axis and a lateral generally cylindrical circumferential surface generally surrounding said longitudinal axis, b. said device having in said housing an inner gas generating zone having a gas producing composition located generally along said longitudinal axis, c. said device having in said housing a gas conditioning zone having a gas filtering composition positioned radially outwardly of, and substantially surrounding, said gas generating zone to receive a combustion product from said gas producing composition and remove at least one undesired component from said combustion product to provide inflating gas for said inflatable, d. said housing having a plurality of outlet openings located about a substantial portion of said lateral circumferential surface whereby inflating gas passes from said housing through said outlet openings in a diverging pattern, e. means defining a plenum between said gas conditioning zone and said housing, whereby gas emitted from said gas filterIng material flows at least partially in said plenum to travel through said plenum and out said outlet openings.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said plenum comprises at least one screen member separating said gas conditioning composition from said housing.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said housing has a substantially imperforate portion, said plenum being located at said imperforate portion and communicating with at least some of said openings whereby gas flowing into said plenum from said gas conditioning zone flows through said plenum to said openings without a relatively large pressure drop.