Lightweight reaction can for passenger inflators

• US 4,941,678 A
• Filed: 06/29/1989
• Issued: 07/17/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Morton Thiokol, Inc.
• Inventors: Ward, Michael J., Anderson, Scott R., Lauritzen, Donald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mitchell, David M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tyson, Karin
• Application Number:
  US07/373,318
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 280/743, 280/728, 280/730, 280/732, 280/734, 280/735, 280/736, 280/737, 220/89 A, 220/4 R, 220/375
• US Class Current: 280/732
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

A lightweight can assembly for housing and protecting the gas generator and inflatable bag of a passenger side restraint system includes a tether in the bag flush with the mouth of the can and at its center which retains the spreading forces at the mouth of the can upon bag deployment. This allows for a lighter section at the mouth of the can and eliminates the need for flanges along the sides of the can, which flanges would undesirably increase the envelope.

Claims

1. A lightweight reaction can for vehicle passenger inflators comprising,

a trough-shaped body part having opposite ends, opposite side walls, and a bottom wall with an inflatable bag ring retaining notch on the inner side of each side wall, said body part further having inflatable bag cover retaining grooves on the outer side of each side wall, and a plurality of end plate attachment grooves on each opposite end,

first and second end plates attached to a respectively associated opposite end of said body part by means positioned in cooperative relation with the respective end plate attachment grooves,

each of said first and second end plates acting to retain the shape of said body part and having a shoulder facing inwardly of said body part and positioned to be in substantial alignment with the inflatable bag retaining notches on the inside walls thereof, each of said first and second end plates further having a reaction can attachment flange and a gas generator flange seat positioned to receive and to support an associated one of the ends of an elongated inflator gas generator positioned therein, and

a cover for the reaction can to protect an inflator inflatable bag positioned therein, said cover being retained on said reaction can by said inflatable bag cover retaining grooves on the outer side of each side wall of said body part.

2. A lightweight reaction can as defined by claim 1 wherein said cover includes depending portions that snap into said inflatable bag cover retaining grooves on the outer side of each side wall of said body part, said cover having a separate hinge adjacent each side wall of said body part and a break seam intermediate said hinges,

whereby, upon initiation of the inflator gas generator and deployment of the inflator inflatable bag, said cover is operative to separate at said break seam with the result that each of the separated cover portions swing open on the hinge associated therewith.

3. A lightweight reaction can as defined by claim 1 further including,

an inflatable bag ring,

a tether strap having opposed ends and being of such length and strength as to be operative to absorb loads tending to spread the side walls of said body part upon inflation of an inflator inflatable bag positioned in the reaction can,

a band attached to said inflatable bag ring by a continuous loop formed therein, and

means attaching the opposed ends of said tether strap to opposed inner portions of said band.

4. A lightweight reaction can as defined by claim 3 wherein said band is made of inflatable bag throat material and the opposed ends of said tether strap are attached thereto by sewing.

5. A lightweight reaction can as defined by claim 4 wherein the fabrication of said body part is of continuous aluminum extrusion.

6. A lightweight reaction can as defined by claim 5 wherein said end plates are an extruded shape reducing the amount of machining.

7. A lightweight reaction can as defined by claim 1 further including an ignition port in at least one of said first and second end plates, said ignition port being positioned in concentric relation with the associated gas generator flange seat of said one end plate.

8. A lightweight reaction can for vehicle passenger inflators comprising,

a trough-shaped body part having opposite ends, opposite side walls, and a bottom wall with an inflatable bag ring retaining notch on the inner side of each side wall, said body part further having inflatable bag cover retaining grooves on the outer side of each side wall, and a plurality of end plate attachment grooves on each opposite end, the fabrication of said body part being of continuous aluminum extrusion,

first and second end plates attached to a respectively associated opposite end of said body part by screw means positioned in cooperative relation with the respective end plate attachment grooves,

each of said end plates having an extruded shape reducing the amount of machining and acting to retain the shape of said body part, each of said end plates further having a shoulder facing inwardly of said body part and positioned to be in substantial alignment with the inflatable bag retaining notches on the inside walls thereof, each of said end plates further having a reaction can attachment flange and a gas generator flange seat positioned to receive and to support an associated one of the ends of an elongated inflator gas generator positioned therein, with at least one of said end plates having an ignition port positioned therein in concentric relation with the associated gas generator flange seat of said one end plate,

an inflatable bag ring,

a tether strap having opposed ends and being of such length and strength as to be operative to absorb loads tending to spread the side walls of said body part upon inflation of an inflatable bag positioned in the reaction can,

a band attached to said inflatable bag ring by a continuous loop formed therein, said band being made of inflatable bag throat material,

means attaching by sewing the opposed ends of said tether strap to opposed inner portions of said band, and

a cover for the reaction can to protect an inflator inflatable bag positioned therein, said cover being retained on said reaction can by said inflatable bag cover retaining grooves on the outer side of each side wall of said body part, said cover including depending portions that snap into said inflatable bag cover retaining grooves on the outer side of each side wall of said body part, said cover having a separate hinge adjacent each side wall of said body part and a break seam intermediate said hinges,

whereby, upon initiation of the inflator gas generator and deployment of the inflator inflatable bag, said cover is operative to separate at said break seam with the result that each of the separated cover portions swing open on the hinge associated therewith.