Morton International, Inc.

Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Other

Christopher Hock

Michael Perry Jordan

Linda M Rink

Michael W Barnes

Alan J Ward

Robert D Taylor

Gregory J Lang

Quin Soderquist

Kurt E Kottke

Paul T Philpot

Matthew A Cox

Bradley W Smith

Bradley D Harris

Brian H Fulmer

Mark Sherman Hatfield

Patrick G Jarboe

Todd S Parker

Brent R Marchant

Guy R Letendre

Steven R Fredin

Virginia E Chandler

Thomas M Deppert

Brian T Snyder

Gerold W Pratt

Wesley L Hatt

Martha Vazquez

Kristy Woodward Swanson

Airbag covers with stress relief features are disclosed. An airbag cover includes a cover face that opens during deployment and one or more sidewalls extending from the cover face to engage a housing of an airbag assembly. One or more tear seams formed in the airbag cover are rupturable upon expansion of the airbag to form the cover face as a hinged door that opens. Excess force can cause a tear seam to propagate through a stop, creating a risk that a portion of the airbag cover will separate from itself or the housing. Stress relief features are disposed in a sidewall to dissipate excess deployment energy and limit undesired breakage of the airbag cover or continued tearing of the tear seam beyond a tear seam stop. The stress relief features disclosed include tear seams and slits oriented transverse to front cover tear seams.

Airbag cover with stress relief features

Tether attachment arrangements for a vehicle airbag cushion and methods for attaching tethers to inflatable cushions are provided. One inflatable cushion assembly includes an inflatable cushion having an interior and a tether disposed within the interior of the inflatable cushion. The tether has at least one portion attached to the interior of the inflatable cushion. The inflatable cushion assembly also includes a circuitous stitching at the portion attaching the tether to the interior of the inflatable cushion.

Tether attachment arrangement for a vehicle airbag cushion and method of attaching

An air bag device that includes an air bag cushion, a diffuser canister, and a gas generation inflator. The diffuser canister is attached to the air bag cushion and has walls configured to define an interior space therein. The walls of the diffuser canister have an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a wall thickness t. At least one of the walls has an aperture formed therethrough in communication with the interior of the air bag cushion. The gas generation inflator is configured to rapidly create a gas that exits the diffuser canister through the aperture so as to fill the air bag cushion. The aperture is defined by an edge extending between the interior and said exterior surfaces of the wall that is configured to diffuse the gas exiting the diffuser canister through the aperture. The edge of the aperture is configured such that the cross-sectional area of the aperture that is proximate to the exterior surface of the wall is larger than the cross-sectional area of the aperture proximate to the interior surface of wall. The edge includes an angled portion configured such that opposing sides of the aperture have an angle &agr; therebetween in the range of about 20 degrees to about 145 degrees. The aperture has a diameter d proximate to the interior surface of the wall and is configured so that the diameter d and wall thickness t have a ratio d to tin the range of about 0.5 to about 4. An alternate embodiment of the air bag device comprises an aperture defined by an edge that is configured so that the cross-section of aperture is non-smooth and causes turbulence in the gas stream.

Air bag inflation exit gas dispersion features

An improved ignition system for vehicle airbags is described. This invention includes a novel means for venting igniter material gases in such a manner as to more evenly distribute the flow in a more disperse manner, thereby permitting the gas generant to burn more uniformly throughout the generant bed. This invention by venting igniter gases more efficiently produces improved airbag ballistics, namely lowered average airbag deployment delay and increased consistency of operation.

Method of improving ballistics by ignition system porting in an airbag inflator

An air bag device that includes an air bag cushion, a diffuser canister, and a gas generation inflator. The diffuser canister is attached to the air bag cushion and has walls configured to define an interior space therein. The walls of the diffuser canister have an interior surface, an exterior surface, and a wall thickness t. At least one of the walls has an aperture formed therethrough in communication with the interior of the air bag cushion. The gas generation inflator is configured to rapidly create a gas that exists the diffuser canister through the aperture so as to fill the air bag cushion. The aperture is defined by an edge extending between the interior and said exterior surfaces of the wall that is configured to diffuse the gas exiting the diffuser canister through the aperture. The edge of the aperture is configured such that the cross-sectional area of the aperture that is proximate to the exterior surface of the wall is larger than the cross-sectional area of the aperture proximate to the interior surface of wall. The edge includes an angled portion configured such that opposing sides of the aperture have an angle &agr; therebetween in the range of about 20 degrees to about 145 degrees. The aperture has a diameter d,proximate to the interior surface of the wall and is configured so that the diameter d,and wall thickness t have a ratio d,to t in the range of about 0.5 to about 4.

Air bag inflator exit gas dispersion features

An inflatable restraint inflator, system and method of operation which involve a plural stage inflator having a dual output squib to selectively ignite at least one of a discrete quantity of a first and second gas generant.

Plural stage inflator

An igniter composition for a gas generant and related methods of gas generation are provided in which, in addition to a boron fuel component and an oxidizer component, the igniter composition additionally includes a gas-producing fuel component.

Gas forming igniter composition for a gas generant

A two-walled, dual chamber, inflator for inflation of an automotive airbag in the event of a collision is provided. The inflator includes a simplified housing with two internal chambers, including a central chamber and a coaxial outer chamber. The central chamber houses both the solid fuel gas generant bodies and a electrical igniter having a reliable single-stage ignition train in direct contact with the generant bed. The single-stage igniter includes a resistance wire submersed in the generant bed along a convoluted path. Multiple points of direct contact are established between the igniter wire and gas generant over a substantial portion of the generant bed, which leads to more uniform and efficient ignition of the gas generant. To get sufficient surface area for the generant to contact the igniter wire, the gas generant bodies are formed in relatively small sizes of about 0.05 inch or less, which, in turn, limits the selection of gas generant materials to those having low burn rates of about 0.625 inch/second or less to be effective. The outer chamber contains a filter for cooling the generated gas and collecting entrained particulate residues prior to venting into the airbag cushion. A one-walled, single chamber, airbag inflator is also provided. The onewalled inflator includes a further simplified housing with only one internal chamber formed inside the outermost wall and no internal side walls dividing the interior into multiple chambers. All components are housed within the single chamber, including the single-stage direct electrical igniter, the small sized gas generant bodies, and the filter which is optional.

Airbag inflator with direct electrical ignition for small sized gas

A gas generating inflator assembly for a vehicle safety restraint system including an inflator housing having two walls, an inner wall and an outer wall. The inner and outer walls form a combustion chamber therebetween. A filter pack is disposed within the combustion chamber along an inner diameter of the outer wall. Gas generant is also disposed within the combustion chamber. An internal structure is disposed within the combustion chamber for diffusing the ignitor blast and retaining slag produced by the ignited gas generant. The internal structure is spaced from the filter pack and the inner wall such that a portion of the gas generant is located between the internal structure and the inner wall and another portion of the gas generant is located between the internal structure and the filtration pack. The internal structure can be a ring of solid material, an expanded metal material or screen, a star-shaped configuration having a plurality of portions contacting an inner diameter of the filter pack, or a solid metal structure which may include an internal porous structure screen of wire mesh or expanded metal attached thereto.

Internal structure for a two-walled inflator

An improved inflator wherein a flowing combustible fluid is combusted in a combustion zone defined by diverging walls is disclosed. The improved inflator provides enhanced consistency of operation thereby permitting the use of lighter components while avoiding deployments which produce excessive 'bag slap'.

Ignition orifice in fluid fueled inflator

Components of a vehicle airbag gas generator, or inflator, are coated with reactivity resistant materials to protect them from deterioration caused by contact with the high temperature, reactive gases generated by recently developed non-azide high reactive temperature gas generating materials. Suitable coatings include those produced from ceramics and reactivity resistant metals. These coatings also provide long term protection of the components from deterioration caused by the environment/atmosphere within the inflator.

Airbag inflator with components protected from high-temperature,

An improved method for fabricating a filter for use in automotive air bag inflators which comprises forming a hollow cylindrical inner core or combustion screen of filter material and outer filter layers wound outward from the surface of the core so as to be maintained in cylindrical relation thereabout. This invention is specifically directed to an improved filter which does not include a perforated support tube and relies on only the interior combustion screen for support in the final wrapping of the remaining filter structure.

Method for constructing an inflator filter made of wrapped mesh

A gas generant charge comprises a heterogeneous mixture of between about 80 and about 95 wt % of a first gas generant composition 1) and between about 5 and about 20 wt % of a second gas generant composition 2), based on the total weight of 1) plus 2). The first gas generant composition 1) comprises between about 20 and about 40 wt % fuel A) and between about 20 and about 60 wt % oxidizer B). Between about 50 and about 85 wt % of the fuel A) is a triazole or tetrazole compound A.sup.1), and between about 15 and about 50 wt % of the fuel is, a water-soluble fuel A.sup.2). At least about 20 wt % of the oxidizer B), up to 100%, a transition metal oxide B.sup.1); balance of the oxidizer is selected from the group B.sup.2) consisting of alkali and/or alkaline earth metal nitrates, chlorates or perchlorates. The second gas generant composition 2) comprises between about 30 and about 65 wt % of a fuel C) which is an organic compound containing only the elements carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, the oxygen content being between about 35 and about 65 wt % of the organic compound, and an between about 35 and about 70 wt % of an oxidizer D) which is selected from the group consisting of alkali metal chlorates, alkali metal perchlorates, and mixtures thereof. The mixed generant charge produces less undesirable gases than the first gas generant composition alone and less particulate matter than the second gas generant composition alone.

Heterogeneous gas generant charges

Inflator filter made of wrapped mesh

Gas generant compositions utilize cupric nitrate complexes of nitrogen-containing compounds as fuels in conjunction with an oxidizer.

Growing community of inventors

Uintah, UT, United States of America

Christopher Hock