Distributed charge inflator system

• US 6,062,143 A
• Filed: 09/08/1998
• Issued: 05/16/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zodiac Automotive US, Inc. (Safran SA)
• Original Assignee: Simula Inc (BAE Systems Plc)
• Inventors: Apen, Paul G., Coltman, Joseph W., Yaniv, Gershon, Grace, Gregory B., Richards, Marvin K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): FELTON, AILEEN BAKER
• Application Number:
  US09/149,630
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 149/22, 149/36, 280/737, 280/736, 280/729, 280/728.2, 280/728.1, 280/742, 280/740, 280/741, 441/40, 244/98, 244/31, 102/530, 102/531
• US Class Current: 102/530
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/18 the inflatable member formed as a belt or harness or combined with a belt or harness arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/23138 specially adapted for side protection B60R21/23184, B60R21/232 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/232 Curtain-type airbags deploying mainly in a vertical direction from their top edge
• 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: C06B 45/00 Compositions or products which are defined by structure or arrangement of component of product explosive charges of particular form or shape F42B1/00, F42B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 45/02 comprising particles of diverse size or shape
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 45/12 having contiguous layers or zones
• CPC Class Codes: C06D 5/06 by reaction of two or more solids

Abstract

An inflatable system which uses a fast-burning propellant material distributed within the inflatable component of the system to generate the gas inflating the system. The invention preferably includes a distributed fast-burning igniter material, which may be enhanced with additional gas-generating materials to increase the quantities of gas generated, an optional layer, coating, or sheath of supplemental gas-generating material, an environmentally-sealed sheath to protect the enclosed materials from contamination and to improve the burn rates and efficiencies of the propellant and ignition materials, and an electronic squib used to actuate the igniter material upon a signal from the electronic sensor.

Claims

1. An inflatable system comprising:

(a) an inflatable component;

(b) a charge distributed within the inflatable component for generating inflating gas;

(c) a sheath enclosing the charge within the inflatable component;

(d) an initiator, in contact with the charge, for igniting the charge; and

(e) an activator electrically connected to the initiator for initiating deployment of the inflatable component,

wherein the initiator ignites in response to a signal from the activator, igniting the charge and generating inflating gas which inflates the inflatable component.

2. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the charge contains additional gas generating materials which increase the quantities of gas generated.

3. The inflatable system of claim 1, further comprising a layer of supplemental gas-generating material on the surface of the charge.

4. The inflatable system of claim 3, wherein the layer of supplemental gas-generating material comprises volatile chemicals.

5. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the sheath also comprises gas-generating materials.

6. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the charge has a linear configuration.

7. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the charge has a tubular configuration.

8. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the charge has a flat configuration.

9. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the charge comprises hydroborate fuels and nitrate oxidizers.

10. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the charge comprises secondary explosives.

11. The inflatable system of claim 1, wherein the charge is distributed as a coating on at least one interior surface of the inflatable component.

12. An inflatable system comprising:

(a) an inflatable component;

(b) a charge distributed within the inflatable component;

(c) an initiator in electrical contact with an activator, said initiator being positioned such that upon ignition of the initiator in response to a signal received from the activator, the initiator initiates ignition of the distributed charge, generating inflating gas and thus inflating the inflatable component.

13. The inflatable system of claim 12, wherein the distributed charge is a mixture of at least two materials.

14. The inflatable system of claim 13, wherein one of the materials is selected from the group consisting of the ammonium, guadinium and triaminoguadinium salts of decahydrodecaboric acid.

15. The inflatable system of claim 13, wherein one of the materials is potassium nitrate.

16. The inflatable system of claim 12, wherein the distributed charge comprises two or more materials selected from the group consisting of alkali metal azides, organic azides with polymer binders, and oxidizers.

17. The inflatable system of claim 12, wherein the distributed charge is coated on at least one internal surface of the inflatable component.

18. The inflatable system of claim 12, wherein the inflatable component is an air bag comprising a first plurality of sections, and wherein the distributed charge is distributed such that there is a section charge in each of a second plurality of sections, wherein the second plurality is equal to or less than the first plurality.

19. The inflatable system of claim 18, wherein the initiator is connected to each section charge by a section charge strip.

20. The inflatable system of claim 19, wherein the section charge strips have different burn rates, such that the section charges are ignited sequentially.

21. The inflatable system of claim 12, wherein the initiator comprises an electronic squib.

40. The inflatable system of claim 12, wherein the charge distributed within the inflatable component is enclosed within a sheath.

41. The inflatable system of claim 40, wherein the charge has one of a tubular, linear and flat configuration.

42. The inflatable system of claim 40, wherein the charge comprises secondary explosives.

43. The inflatable system of claim 40, wherein the charge comprises hydroborate fuels and nitrate oxidizers.

44. The inflatable system of claim 12, wherein the charge comprises hydroborate fuels and nitrate oxidizers.

22. An inflatable system comprising:

(a) an inflatable component;

(b) a charge distributed within the inflatable component for generating inflating gas;

(c) a layer of additional gas-generating material disposed around the inflatable component;

(d) a sheath enclosing the layer of additional gas-generating material and the charge within the inflatable component;

(e) an initiator, in contact with the charge, for igniting the charge; and

(f) an initiating device electrically connected to the initiator for initiating deployment of the inflatable component,

wherein the initiator ignites in response to a signal from the initiating device, igniting the charge and generating inflating gas which inflates the inflatable component.

23. The inflatable system of claim 22, wherein the distributed charge is a monolithic block of pyrotechnic materials.

24. The inflatable system of claim 23, wherein the distributed charge comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of the ammonium, guadinium and triaminoguadinium salts of decahydrodecaboric acid.

25. The inflatable system of claim 24, wherein the charge further comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of sodium azide, potassium nitrate and magnesium.

26. The inflatable system of claim 22, wherein the charge comprises a polymer binder.

27. The inflatable system of claim 26, wherein the polymer binder is selected from the group consisting of flouroelastometers, crosslinked polybutadiene rubber, crosslinked polyacrylic rubber, crosslinked polyurethane elastometers and polyvinyl alcohol/acetate.

28. The inflatable system of claim 22, wherein the charge comprises an energetic gas-generating polymer.

29. The inflatable system of claim 28, wherein the energetic gas-generating polymer is selected from the group consisting of glycidyl nitrate polymers, glycidyl azide polymer, polytetrazoles, polytriazoles, nitrocellulose, dinitropolystyrene, nitrated polybutadienes, and nitrated polyethers.

30. The inflatable system of claim 22, wherein the charge comprises an energetic propellant.

31. The inflatable system of claim 30, wherein the energetic propellant is selected from the group consisting of butanetriol trinitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate, cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine, metriol trinitrate, trinitrotoluene, nitroglycerine.

32. The inflatable system of claim 30, wherein the energetic propellant is selected from the group consisting of hexanitrostilbene and dipicramid.

33. The inflatable system of claim 30, wherein the energetic propellant is a mixture of a metal and an inorganic oxidizer.

45. The inflatable system of claim 22, wherein the charge comprises hydroborate fuels and nitrate oxidizers.

34. An inflatable system comprising:

(a) an inflatable component comprising a first plurality of sections;

(b) a charge distributed as laminated section charges within a second plurality of sections of the inflatable component, for generating inflating gas to inflate the inflatable component, wherein the second plurality is equal to or less than the first plurality;

(c) at least one initiator, in contact with the section charges, for igniting the section charges, wherein each section charge is in contact with at least one of the at least one initiators; and

(d) an activator electrically connected to each of the at least one initiators for initiating deployment of the inflatable component,

wherein each of the at least one initiators ignites in response to at least one signal from the activator, igniting the charge and generating inflating gas which inflates the inflatable component.

35. The inflatable system of claim 34, comprising one initiator in contact with each of the section charges, wherein the contact from the initiator to the section charges comprises charge strips.

36. The inflatable system of claim 35, wherein the charge strips are designed to initiate ignition of the section charges sequentially.

37. The inflatable system of claim 34, wherein the at least one initiator is a plurality of initiators, and each section charge is in contact with an initiator assigned to that section charge.

38. The inflatable system of claim 37, wherein each initiator is ignited independently of the other initiators.

39. The inflatable system of claim 37, wherein the initiators are ignited according to a desired sequence for the deployment of the sections of the inflatable component.

46. The inflatable system of claim 34, wherein the charge comprises hydroborate fuels and nitrate oxidizers.

47. The inflatable system of claim 34, wherein the laminated section charges are enclosed in a sheath.

48. The inflatable system of claim 47, wherein the charge comprises hydroborate fuels and nitrate oxidizers.