Impact member with multiple concentric gas cushions inflated in sequence

• US 5,181,697 A
• Filed: 04/08/1991
• Issued: 01/26/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Diehl GmbH & Co. KG
• Original Assignee: Diehl GmbH & Co. KG
• Inventors: Rumer, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberleitner, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BALLATO, JOSIE
• Application Number:
  US07/681,952
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 267/64.27, 267/64.28, 267/35, 267/116, 267/117, 267/120, 267/122, 267/139, 267/142, 5/455, 5/453, 248/548, 248/550, 248/573, 248/576, 280/729, 293/133, 293/110, 293/107, 293/120, 293/2, 188/371, 188/376
• US Class Current: 267/116
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/205 inflatable in the direction of an obstacle upon impending impact, e.g. using air bags
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23332 using independent bags, one within the other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2646 the reacting substances being supported by the inflatable member walls, or by a flexible support within it
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 5/282 Structure thereof
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/049 multi-chamber units F16F9/0472, F16F9/05 take precedence

Abstract

An impact or recoil member possessing a plurality of gas cushions which are arranged within each other, and which are activatable in sequence in response to a triggering sensor. A comparatively hard assumption of a load by the outer gas cushion is permitted up to a pressure rise beyond its bursting limit; with at least one inner gas cushion which is designed for the assumption of the residual energy of the mass which is to be caught under a hard or stiff spring characteristic. The individual gas cushions are activated staggered in time from the outside towards the inside over a period of time from a triggering apparatus which is centrally provided for all gas cushions either in or behind the mounting support for the inflation of the still folded-in cushion casings in a specified time sequence, whereby the actuation of the triggering apparatus is implemented through the triggering or tripping sensor which is correlated with the loading scenario.

Claims

1. Impact member comprising at least two gas cushions which are arranged with in each other so as to constitute an outer cushion and at least one inner cushion;

a triggering sensor for sequentially inflating said gas cushions, said at least two gas cushions jointly including a single time-delay triggering device which is connected to an output of said triggering sensor;

a single mounting support on which said gas cushion are concentrically arranged in a flat folder arrangement within each other, said outer gas cushion being activated for inflation thereof prior to the inflation of said at least one inner gas cushion which is arranged therein.

2. Impact member as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said gas cushions includes an electrically activatable gas-generating device in the configuration of a reaction gas-delivering substance within a casing of each of said gas cushions, said substance being applied as a coating on an internal surface of said casing.

3. Impact member as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least the outer gas cushion is designed to burst responsive to the reaching of a specified pressure within said outer cushion which exceeds the rupture strength thereof.

4. Impact member as claimed in claim 1, wherein an innermost gas cushion of said at least two cushions is designed such that a gas filling contained therein is slowly discharged responsive to an external loading without bursting said innermost gas cushion.