Morton International, Inc.

Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Morton Thiokol Inc.

Other

Donald R Lauritzen

Larry D Rose

David J Green

Joseph L Ralston

Bradley D Harris

Darrin L Johnson

Bradley W Smith

Scott R Anderson

Robert D Taylor

Michael J Ravenberg

Terry R Davis

Scott C Mitson

Mark A Thompson

Donald James Paxton

Brent K Olson

Gary V Adams

J Kirk Storey

Donald J Cunningham

David W Lindsey

George F Kirchoff

Mark Rogers

Russell S Gans

John C Newkirk

Thomas M Kriska

S Mark Bunker

Roy T Minert

W Gary Wirt

Melinda M Newhouse

Jeffery L Scharret

Bryan P Crowell

Michael J Ward

Mark W Stull

Gregory R Goin

Larry K Hansen

Donald B Paxton

Mike J Ravenberg

An improvement in inflatable restraint air bag module assemblies with non-symmetric gas output inflators wherein a diffuser of specific design and in cooperation with the reaction canister results in reduced air bag deployment skewness.

Reduced airbag deployment skewness with non-symmetric gas output

An airbag module providing adaptive performance. The module includes a housing defining an interior. At least an inflator is received within the housing, and preferably the folded, uninflated cushion, also. Various arrangements are provided to selectively block, or create, a vent extending through the housing. This vent, when open, permits the inflation gas provided by the inflator to exit the housing without entering the cushion. The vent may be initially open, and blocked by a sliding cover block, may be initially closed and opened by movement of a slide plug, or may be initially closed and opened by deformation of a portion of the housing. The venting of the inflation gas will at least slow the rate of inflation of the cushion, and may reduce the final pressure within the cushion. As such, the housing will be vented for less severe collisions, and will not be vented for more severe collisions.

Airbag module with pressure relief adaptive performance

Featured for use as a part of an inflatable restraint system airbag module is an elongated cylindrical airbag inflator containing a load of a gas generant material. The inflator has a size (i.e., length) selected to correspond to the size of the load of the gas generant material stored within the inflator.

Airbag module with sized inflator

A regenerative monopropellant inflator having improved initiation of the regenerative cycle and improve operating efficiency. The inflator may direct the flow of the monopropellant into a localized volume to create a 'hot spot' to increase combustion. This serves to ensure that the regenerative cycle is initiated. Various arrangements are provided to increase the residence time of the combusting monopropellant within the inflator, to ensure complete combustion of the monopropellant, and thus increased efficiency. These arrangements include inducing a helical gas flow to increase the length of the path traveled by the gas. Various barriers may also be placed within the gas flow to force direction changes, which reduce the velocity of the gas.

Regenerative monopropellant airbag inflator

A regenerative monopropellant inflator providing adaptive performance. The inflator includes a housing defining an interior. A piston is received in the housing and divides the interior into a fuel supply chamber and a combustion chamber. The piston moves through the fuel supply chamber during the regenerative combustion cycle to produce an inflation gas from reaction of the fuel in the combustion chamber. The inflation gas exits the combustion chamber via exit ports. To provide adaptive performance a back pressure may be selectively applied to the piston against its travel. This slows the piston, and thus the gas production of the inflator. Alternatively, the total size of the exit ports could be selectively varied to thus vary the pressure within the combustion chamber, known as throttling. Increased pressure within the combustion chamber causes an increase in the rate of inflation gas production. By selectively varying either the piston back pressure or throttling prior to completion of the gas generation, the performance of the inflator may be adapted to the characteristics of a particular vehicle collision.

Adaptive regenerative inflator

Featured for use as a part of an inflator-containing inflatable restraint system is a reaction canister in which the reaction canister body includes a plurality of inflator output treatment fins extending towards, without contacting, the associated inflator. Also, provided are corresponding processes for treating the gas output of a vehicular safety restraint inflator. In practice, such treatment of a contacting stream typically involves one or more of: cooling, redirection of flow, and removal or filtering of particulate therefrom.

Reaction canister with inflator output treatment fins

A low pressure igniter system for a gas bag inflator using a head-end chamber or closure to house a pyrotechnic ignition compound that is ignited by an initiator (squib). The housing for the igniter includes a base having a skirt that extends from the periphery of the base with the base and the skirt being a single piece of material. When initiated the low pressure igniter has a large flame front producing hot gas and particles. The low pressure igniter provides a low cost alternative to current pyrotechnic igniters, and is further advantageous in that it makes practicable fabrication of inflator housings of sheet steel.

Igniter for gas bag inflator

A regenerative liquid propellant rocket motor including a body having an integrally formed central tube. A primary combustion chamber is disposed in the body. A secondary combustion chamber is formed by the central tube of the body. A reservoir of liquid propellant is disposed in the body. A regenerative piston is slidably disposed in the body for delivering the liquid propellant to the primary and secondary combustion chambers. The piston includes a plurality of injection ports for injecting the liquid propellant. An ignitor is disposed in the body for initiating combustion of the liquid propellant. A nozzle is formed at a free end of the central tube for producing thrust, wherein upon ignition of the ignitor combustion occurs in the primary combustion chamber driving the piston into the liquid propellant reservoir and the liquid propellant is injected into the primary combustion chamber to produce combustion products which are channeled into the secondary combustion chamber and expanded through the nozzle.

Regenerative piston liquid propellant rocket motor

A side impact airbag module assembly having a combination airbag inflator and module housing and an airbag cushion. The combination airbag inflator and module housing has an extruded unitary one-piece hollow elongated longitudinal body having an outer surface, an inner surface, a first open end, a second open end, and a plurality of gas exhaust ports extending from the inner surface to the outer surface. Two airbag receiving channels, each channel having a slot running along the channel, are respectively located on the outer surface of the longitudinal body, parallel with the body on opposite sides of the plurality of gas exhaust ports. A first endplug seals the first open end and a second endplug seals the second open end with the inner surface of the longitudinal body and the endplugs defining a gas generant chamber containing a gas generant. A first endplate is secured to the first open end of the longitudinal body and a second endplate is secured to the second open end, the endplates closing ends of the airbag receiving channels. Each endplate has a mounting bracket extending therefrom. The airbag cushion is folded and bundled in a tearable or breakable wrapper and has an open mouth partly formed by opposed mouth sides that are secured within the airbag receiving channels between the endplates. The endplates also retain opposed mouth ends of the airbag cushion.

Side-impact airbag module assembly incorporating combination airbag

Igniters for use in airbag inflators are disclosed. The igniters are fabricated of consumable materials which produce essentially no solid by-products. The igniters, or parts thereof, can be formed by molding or extrusion processes. The invention also provides a consumable auto-ignition cap as part of one of the embodiments of the igniter assembly.

Linear igniters for airbag inflators

An elongated gas generator, or inflator, includes a pyrogen igniter mounted at one end thereof. The pyrogen igniter encloses a unitary grain of ignition material having a centrally located cavity. An initiator, or squib, is located to ignite the unitary grain at the surface of its centrally located cavity. The combustion products given off by the igniter are directed through a port and into a clear ignition channel provided in the center of the pyrotechnic gas generant material which extends the length of the gas generator, thereby causing the gas generant material to produce sufficient gas to inflate an associated airbag. The unitary grain of ignition material used in the pyrogen igniter facilitates and simplifies the assembly and manufacture of the igniter structure.

Inflator for a vehicle airbag system and a pyrogen igniter used therein

An inflation system for automotive airbags which comprises a pyrogenic solid grain with igniter strips provided in grooves on its external surface. Upon ignition, the solid grain burns from its external surface inwardly while allowing the generated gas to pass freely from its external surface. Preferably both the pyrogenic solid grain and the igniter strips are extrusions, providing a simplified, less expensive manufacture.

Gas generation and ignition system for airbag inflation

A one piece reaction canister having a cover, a top panel and a bottom panel, a diffuser tube having a diffuser portion and a cap portion and formed in one piece with the top and bottom panels, end plates attached to the ends of the diffuser tube and the top and bottom panels, and a thrust neutral inflator supported by openings formed in the end plates, with the top and bottom panels extending in one piece to the cover from the diffuser and cap portions of the diffuser tube.

Continuous circumference diffuser reaction canister

The reaction canister of an airbag module assembly is extruded to include a semicircular floor, first and second sidewalls, and first and second end plates closing the ends of the canister, with the floor extending uniformly between the sidewalls, and a bottom edge of each sidewall defining a channel along its length. A cylindrical inflator chamber is suspended beneath the floor of the canister by opposed parallel wings which are integral with the inflator chamber and are insertable into and slide in the channels to a position wherein the walls of the channel are staked to the wings. A plenum chamber is formed between the curved wall of the inflator chamber and the floor of the reaction canister. The plenum chamber separates gas exit vent holes of the inflator chamber from gas inlet passages or vent holes in the canister floor. The plenum chamber is closed by the canister end plates which seal the plenum chamber by engaging the adjacent ends of the wings of the inflator chamber and the adjacent ends of the canister floor and of the channels. The module assembly requires only eight fasteners, that is, four on each end of the canister.

Advanced passenger inflator with slide in attachment to extruded module

Featured for use as a part of a reaction canister of an inflatable restraint system is a conventionally extruded one-piece canister structure body part having first and second opposite side walls and a bridging portion joining the first and second opposite side walls. In the body part, at least one of the bridging portion, first side wall and second side wall includes a tear seam adapted to tear under the influence of a build-up of pressure thereagainst to provide venting of such pressure. As a result of alleviating concerns such as of material fragmentation when exposed to extreme heat conditions, e.g., a fire, the invention allows the more widespread use of light weight, temperature sensitive materials in reaction canister constructions.

Growing community of inventors

Hyrum, UT, United States of America

Donald R Lauritzen