Gas generator

• US 7,125,041 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2004
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited
• Original Assignee: Daicel Chemical Industries Limited
• Inventors: Yamada, Ryohei, Kato, Kazuhiro, Harada, Hiroshi, Oda, Shingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): To, Toan C.
• Application Number:
  US10/754,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20040245753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,016 Days
• Field of Search: 280/736, 280/741, 102/530, 102/531, 102/202.1, 102/202.7
• US Class Current: 280/736
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2644 using only solid reacting substances, e.g. pellets, powder
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/4628 characterised by fluid actuators, e.g. pyrotechnic gas generators actuating a cable B60R22/4619
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 3/04 for producing gas under pressure generators of inflation fluid especially adapted for vehicle air bags B60R21/26

Abstract

An igniter includes: an igniter assembly including an igniter main body having an ignition portion adapted to be ignited by an ignition electric current; an igniter collar which accommodates the igniter main body; a cup body having an opening portion, the igniter assembly and the cup body being connected to each other, such that at least the ignition portion of the igniter main body is surrounded by the cup body; and a tubular crimp case that connects and fastens at least a part of an exterior surface of the igniter collar and at least a part of an exterior surface of the cup body from an outside.

Claims

1. A gas generator, comprising:

an igniter assembly including an igniter main body having an ignition portion adapted to be ignited by an ignition electric current;

an igniter collar which accommodates the igniter main body;

a cup body having an opening portion, the igniter assembly and the cup body being connected to each other, such that at least the ignition portion of the igniter main body is surrounded by the cup body;

a gas generating agent accommodated inside the cup body, and

a tubular crimp case having an upper end and a lower end, the tubular crimp case connecting and fastening the cup body to the igniter collar by bending the upper end of the tubular crimp case towards the igniter collar, such that a first bent portion formed at the upper end of the tubular crimp case presses a part of the cup body against a part of an exterior surface of the igniter collar.

2. The gas generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first bent portion is formed by bending the upper end of the tubular crimp case inwardly towards the igniter collar.

3. The gas generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cup body has a flange portion formed outwardly at the opening portion, and the cup body and the igniter collar are connected and fastened by pressing a part of the flange portion of the cup body against a part of the exterior surface of the igniter collar by the first bent portion.

4. The gas generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tubular crimp case has a second bent portion formed at the lower end of the tubular crimp case, and the igniter collar and the tubular crimp case are connected and fastened by pressing a part of an exterior surface portion of the igniter collar against a part of an interior surface of the second bent portion.

5. The gas generator as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a resin for integrating the igniter main body and the igniter collar.

6. The gas generator as claimed in claim 5, wherein, the igniter collar is provided with means for preventing rotation of the resin against the igniter collar.

7. The gas generator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cup body has a fragile portion in at least one of a closed end surface and a circumferential wall surface.

8. A gas generator for an air bag comprising:

a housing provided with a gas discharging port;

the gas generator as claimed in claim 1 provided inside the housing as ignition means;

at least one of a combustion chamber and a pressurized medium chamber provided inside the housing, the combustion chamber accommodating a gas generating agent ignited and burnt by the ignition means to generate a combustion gas for inflating an air bag, and the pressurized medium chamber accommodating a pressurized medium for inflating the air bag.

9. A method of manufacturing a gas generator, comprising:

placing an igniter collar, generally cylindrical in shape, into a tubular crimp case;

installing an igniter main body to the igniter collar to form an igniter assembly;

placing a cup body having a flange portion formed outwardly at an opening portion over the igniter main body;

crimping an upper end of the tubular crimp case inwardly and pressing the flange portion of the cup body against the igniter collar; and

crimping a lower end of the tubular crimp case inwardly and pressing the lower end against the igniter collar.

10. The method of manufacturing a gas generator as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

placing the igniter collar into the tubular crimp case after bending the lower end inwardly.

11. The method of manufacturing a gas generator as claimed in claim 9 or 10, further comprising:

integrating the igniter collar and the igniter main body by resin after the installing step.

12. A method of manufacturing a gas generator, comprising:

placing an igniter collar, generally cylindrical in shape, into a tubular crimp case having a bent portion formed inwardly at a lower end of the tubular crimp case from an upper end of the tubular crimp case;

installing an igniter main body to the igniter collar to form an igniter assembly;

placing a cup body having a flange portion formed outwardly at an opening portion over the ignition main body;

crimping the upper end of the tubular crimp case inwardly and pressing the flange portion of the cup body against the igniter collar; and

pressing the igniter collar against the bent portion of the tubular crimp case by pressing the flange portion against the igniter collar.

13. The method of manufacturing a gas generator as claimed in claim 12, further comprising:

integrating the igniter collar and the igniter main body by resin after the installing step.

14. The method of manufacturing a gas generator as claimed in claim 9 or 12, further comprising:

placing a gas generating agent in the cup body prior to the cup body placing step.

15. The method of manufacturing a gas generator as claimed in claim 9 or 12, further comprising:

turning the igniter collar upside down prior to the cup body placing step, such that the cup body placing step is executed while the opening portion of the cup body faces upward.

16. The method of manufacturing a gas generator as claimed in claim 9 or 12, wherein the cup body placing step includes the step of placing the flange on an upper flat circumferential edge of the igniter collar.