Inflator capable of modulation air bag inflation rate in a vehicle occupant restraint apparatus
First Claim
1. An occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, comprising:
- an airbag; and
an inflator including;
a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the airbag;
a reservoir containing a liquid propellant;
a port fluidically interconnecting the combustion chamber and the liquid propellant reservoir;
an inflation initiator operable, in response to an accident involving the vehicle, to pressurize the liquid propellant reservoir, such that the liquid propellant is injected through the port into the combustion chamber for ignition and generation of combustion gases to inflate the airbag;
a sensor for generating a signal indicative of an accident parameter; and
an inflation rate modulator controlling the inflation initiator and, thereafter, varying a combustion rate of the liquid propellant in the combustion chamber in accordance with the sensor signal, thereby regulating an inflation rate of the airbag.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In an occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, a smart airbag inflator is provided with a piston for regeneratively pumping liquid propellant from a reservoir into a combustion chamber for ignition and combustion to generate airbag inflation gases. To control the airbag inflation rate, the piston includes a piston head slidingly received in a damping chamber filled with a magneto-rheological fluid that is pumped through an orifice during the regenerative pumping stroke of the piston. An electromagnet is selectively energized to produce a varying magnetic field to adjust the viscosity of the magneto-rheological fluid flowing through the orifice and thus vary a damping force exerted on the piston stroke, thereby modulating the rate of liquid propellant combustion. Electromagnet current excitation is controlled in response to a particular accident scenario.
65 Citations
38 Claims
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1. An occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, comprising:
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an airbag; and an inflator including; a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the airbag; a reservoir containing a liquid propellant; a port fluidically interconnecting the combustion chamber and the liquid propellant reservoir; an inflation initiator operable, in response to an accident involving the vehicle, to pressurize the liquid propellant reservoir, such that the liquid propellant is injected through the port into the combustion chamber for ignition and generation of combustion gases to inflate the airbag; a sensor for generating a signal indicative of an accident parameter; and an inflation rate modulator controlling the inflation initiator and, thereafter, varying a combustion rate of the liquid propellant in the combustion chamber in accordance with the sensor signal, thereby regulating an inflation rate of the airbag. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. An airbag inflator comprising:
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a housing; a combustion chamber provided in the housing; a reservoir provided in the housing for containing a liquid propellant; a piston slidingly received in the housing and having a first piston head separating the combustion chamber from the liquid propellant reservoir; an injection port; a pyrotechnic initiator, detonated in response to a vehicle accident, to pressurize the combustion chamber and to ignite liquid propellant injected into the combustion chamber from the reservoir through the injection port during a regenerative pumping stroke of the piston, combustion of the injected liquid propellant producing airbag inflation gasses; and a controller varying a rate of the piston'"'"'s regenerative pumping stroke according to at least one accident parameter, thereby regulating a rate of airbag inflation during airbag deployment. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. An airbag inflator comprising:
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a housing; a combustion chamber provided in the housing; a reservoir provided in the housing for containing combustible fluid; a piston slidingly received in the housing and having a first piston head separating the combustion chamber from the combustible fluid reservoir; an injection port; a initiator, activated in response to a vehicle accident, to pressurize the combustion chamber and to ignite combustible fluid injected into the combustion chamber from the reservoir through the injection port during a regenerative pumping stroke of the piston, combustion of the injected combustible fluid producing airbag inflation gasses; and a controller including at least one sensor, the controller varying a rate of the piston'"'"'s regenerative pumping stroke according to at least one accident parameter, thereby regulating a rate of airbag inflation during airbag deployment. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification