Safety device with elastic membrane

• US 9,120,459 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Rick, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US13/656,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20130099469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 280/741, 280/740, 280/742, 280/743.1, 280/748, 280/751, 280/728.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23123 Heat protection panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2612 Gas guiding means, e.g. ducts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/235 characterised by their material
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/261 with means other than bag structure to diffuse or guide inflation fluid

Abstract

A safety device is provided, comprising an elastic membrane, which partially or completely delimits a hollow space, which is provided for the accident-initiated filling subject to elastic expansion of the membrane, and a gas generator with a filling fluid source communicating with the hollow space, wherein between the filling fluid source and a surface of the membrane facing the hollow space and/or in the membrane at least one heat protection means is arranged, which is provided for the protection of the membrane from a thermal impact through filling fluid of the filling fluid source.

Claims

1. A safety device for a motor vehicle, comprising:

an elastic membrane having a membrane melting point, which partially or completely delimits a hollow space, which is provided for an accident-initiated filling subject to elastically expand the membrane;

a gas generator with a filling fluid source communicating with the hollow space; and

a carrier that partially delimits the hollow space and defines an outflow opening that communicates the filling fluid from the gas generator to the hollow space,

wherein between the filling fluid source and a surface of the membrane facing the hollow space or in the membrane, at least one heat protection means is arranged, which is provided for protecting the membrane from a thermal impact by filling fluid of the filling fluid source, wherein the at least one heat protection means includes a first heat protection means and a second heat protection means, wherein the second heat protection means has a heat protection melting point greater than the membrane melting point and is arranged on a partial region of the surface of the membrane facing the hollow space, wherein the partial region is less than the entire surface of the membrane facing the hollow space, and wherein the first heat protection means is a dimensionally stable plate arranged over the outflow opening on the carrier and oriented to deflect the filling fluid onto the partial region of the surface of the membrane facing the hollow space.

2. The safety device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second heat protection means has at least one of another thermal conductivity and thermal capacity than the membrane.

3. The safety device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one of the first and second heat protection means is provided for cooling filling fluid before contact with the membrane.

4. The safety device according to claim 1, wherein the second heat protection means is provided as sacrifice material for melting by filling fluid.

5. The safety device according to claim 1, wherein the second heat protection means is a metal coating vapor-deposited under vacuum or is a glued-on metal.

6. The safety device according to claim 1, wherein the second heat protection means is designed flexible as a coating of the membrane or as a film.

7. The safety device according to claim 6, wherein the second heat protection means comprises at least one metal.

8. The safety device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic membrane is a single layer that comprises at least one elastomer.

9. A method for the accident-initiated filling of a hollow space of a safety device, comprising an elastic membrane having a membrane melting point, which partially or completely delimits a hollow space, which is provided for an accident-initiated filling subject to elastically expand the membrane, and a gas generator with a filling fluid source communicating with the hollow space, wherein between the filling fluid source and a surface of the membrane facing the hollow space or in the membrane, at least one heat protection means is arranged, which is provided for protecting the membrane from a thermal impact by filling fluid of the filling fluid source, the method comprising:

through its gas generator, reducing a thermal impact of the membrane through the filling fluid by means of at least one heat protection means by deflecting a filling fluid with a first of the at least one heat protection means towards a second of the at least one heat protection means, having a heat protection melting point greater than the membrane melting point, that is arranged on a partial region of the surface of the membrane facing the hollow space, wherein the partial region is less than the entire surface of the membrane facing the hollow space, after the filling fluid passes through an outflow opening of a carrier which partially delimits the hollow space.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising reducing a heat input of filling fluid in the membrane by at least one of the first and second heat protection means by at least 10 kJ.