Gas generator for a safety system
First Claim
1. An inflator for a vehicle occupant restraint apparatus, said inflator comprising:
- a housing;
a combustion chamber containing ignitable propellant which produces gas upon ignition;
a liquid chamber containing liquid;
a mixing chamber for mixing said gas and said liquid;
a wall separating said mixing chamber and said combustion chamber;
said wall and said housing defining a gas directing channel for directing said gas, and said wall further including a liquid guide surface for guiding said liquid;
an intersection of said liquid guide surface and said gas directing channel defining a flow break-off edge;
said wall further including gas guiding ports for guiding said gas before said gas reaches said gas directing channel, said gas flowing through said gas guiding ports in a direction radially outwardly and subsequently in a direction generally axially to said break off edge, said liquid guide surface being curved and extending radially outward to said break-off edge, said liquid guide surface and said gas directing channel at said flow break-off edge being at an angle of between 60° and
120°
to each other;
said liquid being divided into fine droplets by said gas at said flow break-off edge.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a gas generator for a safety system, in particular for a vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising a combustion chamber which contains propellant, a liquid chamber which contains liquid, and a mixing chamber in which a gas developed on burning of the propellant and the liquid mix with each other. The gas generator further comprises a liquid guide surface onto which the liquid when released is applied substantially tangentially, and a gas directing channel and a surface delimiting the gas directing channel. A flow break-off edge is provided in the mixing chamber, which flow break-off edge is defined on one side by the liquid guide surface and on the other side by the surface delimiting the gas directing channel. The gas directing channel directs a stream of developed gas into the mixing chamber at an angle of between approximately 60° and 120° with respect to the liquid guide surface in a region of the flow break-off edge, so that the liquid loosing from the flow break-off edge is entrained by the gas stream.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An inflator for a vehicle occupant restraint apparatus, said inflator comprising:
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a housing;
a combustion chamber containing ignitable propellant which produces gas upon ignition;
a liquid chamber containing liquid;
a mixing chamber for mixing said gas and said liquid;
a wall separating said mixing chamber and said combustion chamber;
said wall and said housing defining a gas directing channel for directing said gas, and said wall further including a liquid guide surface for guiding said liquid;
an intersection of said liquid guide surface and said gas directing channel defining a flow break-off edge;
said wall further including gas guiding ports for guiding said gas before said gas reaches said gas directing channel, said gas flowing through said gas guiding ports in a direction radially outwardly and subsequently in a direction generally axially to said break off edge, said liquid guide surface being curved and extending radially outward to said break-off edge, said liquid guide surface and said gas directing channel at said flow break-off edge being at an angle of between 60° and
120°
to each other;
said liquid being divided into fine droplets by said gas at said flow break-off edge. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A gas generator for a vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising:
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a combustion chamber which contains propellant;
a liquid chamber which contains liquid;
a mixing chamber in which a gas developed on burning of said propellant and said liquid mix with each other, a liquid guide surface, said liquid, when released, being applied substantially tangentially to said liquid guide surface, and a gas directing channel and a surface delimiting said gas directing channel, a flow break-off edge being provided in said mixing chamber, which flow break-off edge is defined on one side by said liquid guide surface and on the other side by said surface delimiting said gas directing channel, said gas directing channel directing a stream of developed gas into said mixing chamber at an angle of between approximately 60° and
120°
with respect to said liquid guide surface in a region of said flow break-off edge, so that said liquid guided on said liquid guide surface and off of said break-off edge is entrained by said gas stream, anda working space is provided adjoining said liquid chamber and into which gas is introduced for expressing said liquid, a magnetic valve is provided which controls a quantity of said gas arriving into said working space.
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11. A gas generator for a vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising:
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a combustion chamber which contains propellant;
a liquid chamber which contains liquid;
a mixing chamber in which a gas developed on burning of said propellant and said liquid mix with each other, a liquid guide surface, said liquid, when released, being applied substantially tangentially to said liquid guide surface, and a gas directing channel and a surface delimiting said gas directing channel, a flow break-off edge being provided in said mixing chamber, which flow break-off edge is defined on one side by said liquid guide surface and on the other side by said surface delimiting said gas directing channel, said gas directing channel directing a stream of developed gas into said mixing chamber at an angle of between approximately 60° and
120°
with respect to said liquid guide surface in a region of said flow break-off edge, so that said liquid guided on said liquid guide surface and off of said break-off edge is entrained by said gas stream,a working space is provided adjoining said liquid chamber and into which gas is introduced for expressing said liquid, wherein a portion of said gas generated by combustion of said propellant is used for expressing said liquid from said liquid chamber, said gas generator being a tubular gas generator, and an axial pressure equalizing tube is provided which flowingly connects said combustion chamber and said working space with each other, said working space adjoining said liquid chamber. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An inflator for a vehicle occupant restraint apparatus, said inflator comprising:
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a housing;
a combustion chamber containing ignitable propellant which produces gas upon ignition;
a liquid chamber containing liquid;
a mixing chamber for mixing said gas and said liquid;
a wall separating said mixing chamber and said combustion chamber;
said wall and said housing defining a gas directing channel for directing said gas, and said wall further including a liquid guide surface for guiding said liquid;
an intersection of said liquid guide surface and said gas directing channel defining a flow break-off edge;
said liquid guide surface being curved and extending radially outward to said break-off edge, said liquid guide surface and said gas directing channel at said flow break-off edge being at an angle of between 60° and
120°
to each other;
said liquid being divided into fine droplets by said gas at said flow break-off edge, said liquid surface in said region of said flow break-off edge facing substantially in the same direction as said gas stream which is directed from said combustion chamber into said mixing chamber via said gas directing channel, said gas stream arriving in said mixing chamber via said gas directing channel substantially in axial direction and said liquid guide surface running in radial direction in said region of said flow break-off edge.
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Specification