Gas generator

• US 5,189,255 A
• Filed: 08/31/1990
• Issued: 02/23/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited
• Inventors: Hirata, Norimasa, Iwasaki, Hiroshi, Iwai, Yasunori, Gotoh, Yuzo, Shinto, Hiroaki, Tokuda, Masakazu, Fukabori, Mitsuhiko, Hiramatsu, Satoru, Nishiuchi, Ryuji
• Primary Examiner(s): BROWN, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US07/576,593
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 102/530, 102/531, 280/736, 280/740, 280/741, 280/742
• US Class Current: 102/531
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2644 using only solid reacting substances, e.g. pellets, powder
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/33 Arrangements for non-electric triggering of inflation electrical circuits for triggering safety arrangements B60R21/01

Abstract

In a mechanical ignition type gas generator including a housing which consists of an upper outer shell container (diffuser) and a lower outer shell container (closure) fitted to each other in such a manner as to define an annular space for storing therein a gas generating agent, a priming charge, a cooling material and a filter, and in which said closure has a cylindrical space capable of fitting to, and storing, a cylindrical mechanical igniter on its lower surface and a plurality of caps ignited by an ignition pin of said igniter are disposed on the top wall of said space, a hole for communicating a priming charge room with the front surface of said caps is disposed inside said closure of said housing besides a cap hole for communicating the back surface of said caps with said priming charge room so as to prevent delayed ignition of said caps.

Claims

1. A mechanical ignition gas generator including a housing which consists of an upper outer shell container (diffuser) and a lower outer shell container (closure) fitted to each other in such a manner as to define an annular space for storing therein a gas generating agent, a priming charge room having a priming charge therein, a cooling material and a filter, and in which said closure has a cylindrical space capable of fitting to, and storing, a cylindrical mechanical igniter on its lower surface and a plurality of caps ignited by an ignition pin of said igniter are disposed on the top wall of said space, in which generator a hole for communication said priming charge room with the front surface of said caps is disposed inside said closure of said housing besides a cap hole for communicating the back surface of said caps with said priming charge room so as to prevent delayed ignition of said caps.

2. The generator as claimed in claim 1, in which an annular gas cooling material disposed in a cooling material room disposed outwardly in a radial direction of a gas generating agent room has a shape such that its inner lower part is notched in the section in the radial direction.

3. The generator as claimed in claim 1, in which said gas generating agent is stored in a container having a shape fitting to said annular space, the cover of said container is fixed and sealed by caulking the inner and outer cylindrical walls of a container main body, and an annular flexible member is disposed between said cover of said gas generating agent container and the opposed surface of said diffuser in order to prevent oscillation of said container.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the diffuser has an upper surface which includes a center opening and the closure has a center cylindrical portion having a top surface, the center cylindrical portion fitting within the center opening, the center cylindrical portion having a female screw formed on the top surface thereof which accepts a male screw of reinforcing screw for reinforcing the diffuser and the closure.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the reinforcing screw has a lower sheet-like portion which is brought into pressure contact with the upper surface of the diffuser for reinforcing the diffuser and the closure.

6. The generator as claimed in claim 1, in which there is an annular pressure partition (combustion ring) for dividing a gas generating agent room, a cooling material room and a filter room, a belt-like gas generating agent container reception portion extending inwardly in a radial direction is disposed on said pressure partition, and a large number of notches in a circumferential direction are formed throughout the entire periphery of said reception portion.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 further including an enhancer container within the priming charge room for receiving the priming charge.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the priming charge is sealed within the enhancer container by an enhancer cover and the energy of one of the plurality of caps breaks through the enhancer cover to ignite the priming charge.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 further including a gas generating agent contained in a gas generating agent container (canister), the container disposed in a gas generating agent room, and a pressure partition (combustion ring) for controlling the flowing direction of the combustion gas of the gas generating agent.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the canister is received by a round belt-like projection disposed on the circumference of the inner lower part of the combustion ring, the projection including a plurality of notches formed on the periphery thereof for compressing a cooling material (coolant-in) disposed therebelow, forming an oscillation-proofing structure.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further including a notched projection disposed outward of the combustion ring for compressing a second cooling material (coolant-out) for oscillation-proofing the second cooling material and for preventing the second cooling material from being forced upward at the time of combustion.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the gas generating agent container is made of aluminum.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the notches each have two orthogonal sides.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the notches are acute notches having acute angles.