Morton International, Inc.

Thiokol Corporation

Morton Thiokol Inc.

Tg North America Corporation

Gary V Adams

George F Kirchoff

Bradley W Smith

Davin G Saderholm

Fred E Schneiter

Roy T Minert

David P Dahle

Paul E Strahl

Wilbur J Ahlf

Donald R Lauritzen

Peter L Vigeant

Bradley D Harris

Merle K Ricks

Donald J Cunningham

Kirk H Rasmussen

John E Allard

James R Thurston

Scott R Anderson

Bliss W Law

Rholand E Lange

Joseph J Mannino

The rim and spoke armatures of an automotive steering wheel are molded into a plastic body which presents to the driver an unbroken front surface. The plastic body of the steering wheel includes a cavity in its back surface which is closed by a hub plate attached to the steering column. The cavity and the hub plate serve as an airbag module and house the inflator and the folded airbag therein. The front surface of the steering wheel body may be scored, preferably on its hidden side, to form tear lines to release the expanding airbag.

Integral steering wheel and airbag module

A vehicle occupant air bag module safety apparatus includes an inflatable air bag cushion, an inflator for inflating the air bag cushion, and a module housing or mounting plate for supporting the air bag cushion and the inflator on a steering wheel. For securing the air bag cushion to the inflator and the module housing or mounting plate an annular portion of the air bag cushion adjacent the gas inlet opening thereof is clamped between a curved annular portion of the module housing or mounting plate adjacent an opening therein and the adjacent lower side of the inflator flange and the inflator lower wall portion including a merging annular region of the inflator lower wall portion and the inflator flange lower side.

Air bag cushion retention method

A clamping device for clamping an automotive air bag to an automotive air bag inflator. The clamping device includes an annular retainer ring and module housing. Axial descending members, in the form of tabs, pins, or circular posts are attached to the bottom of the annular retainer and pass through holes in the air bag and module housing. The axial descending members provide additional places wherein the shear stress of the air bag fabric can resist the forces applied to the air bag during deployment. Undersized fastener openings in the module housing in conjunction with annular retainer tabs bent to grasp the module housing clamp the air bag during assembly of the air bag module without installation, thus securing the inflator.

Air bag cushion rivetless retainer ring, axial pin method

The invention facilitates fixedly attaching to vehicle steering wheels different or variously styled driver restraint modules, while incorporating common major module components. For example, three (3) different modules use the same major module components (reaction plate, inflator, and folded air bag) but utilize different brackets for steering wheel mounting and adaptation to the styling locations of selected ones of the variously styled driver module assemblies for horn blowing, speed control, etc. This makes it possbile to use more common production tooling, i.e., for cover attachment, bag folding, etc., thus enabling manufacturing cost reduction.

Driver-side module attach bracket

An air bag module using a tubular inflator uses a different housing, retaining ring, cushion and inflator bracket than are currently used, with the appearance and function of the module not being changed but only the internal components. The inflator is placed in a slotted section of the module housing with the diffuser thereof protruding from the center through a hole in a raised portion of the module housing slotted section, which hole is sized closely to the size of the diffuser. The diffuser extends directly into the module at a 90.degree. angle to the plane surface of the housing. The retaining ring has raised portions in the center thereof to match the raised portion of the module housing, has holes in the raised portions, and has tabs which extend through holes in the cushion and the module housing. The module housing has tabs on the raised portion thereof which extend through holes in the cushion and retaining ring. The cushion uses a rectangular mounting so that the cushion can match the radius of the module housing in the raised portion which goes over the tubular inflator. The retaining bracket extends around the back side of the inflator to hold it in place and includes cover retaining brackets incorporated therein. Studs which hold the module together extend from the retaining ring through holes in the cushion, module housing, and retaining bracket.

Air bag module with a center mounted tubular inflator

An improved automotive air bag assembly includes a sheet metal housing having a cover formed of a homogeneous plastic. The cover is formed with locking arms for engaging the rim of the housing. Two of the locking arms are clamped onto the rim by a clamping member and two orthogonal locking arms are not so clamped. The cover defines tear lines whose thickness varies to control the sequence and direction of tear whereby doors are created whose hinges form in thickened regions of the cover material.

Cover for air bag installation

The cover for an inflatable occupant restraint system for a motor vehicle contains a slot in the upper wall thereof into which a thin or membrane type switch assembly is inserted. The slot in the cover is positioned between a soft outer cover material (such as urethane, vinyl or polyester) and a solid reinforcement material (such as molded thermoplastic material). The solid reinforcement material provides for the slot into which to insert the switch and also for positioning and support of the switch, and in addition, for another slot through which electrical leads to the switch are inserted. The solid reinforcement material also provides for cover strength, as well as the cover rigidity that is required to provide a reaction surface for switch actuation.

Driver cover integral horn switch with solid reinforcement structure

An inflator for a protective air bag is arranged for initiation by an ignition squib assembly that is adapted to be incorporated in the inflator housing structure after assembly thereof with the inflator pyrotechnics contained therein. The ignition squib assembly includes a sleeve having a circular crimp on a first end region thereof with a collar on the sleeve in tight embracing relation with that region. Igniting materials including an electrical squib and ferrite beads are potted in the sleeve. The sleeve and attached collar are pressed in a hole in the wall of the housing structure defining the inflator ignition chamber with a second end region of the sleeve extending into the ignition chamber and an inner end of the collar abutting an O-ring in the hole to provide a seal. A lip on the hole is rolled over the collar to prevent the ignition squib assembly from being pulled out of the hole.

Initiator and method for the incorporation thereof in an inflator

An assembly for coupling an ignitive reaction to the inflator of a steering wheel mounted air bag safety system utilizes a through bulkhead initiator of the inflator through a slip joint or ring on the steering shaft which holds stationary a pyrotechnic transfer/booster from a collision responsive sensor and allows the inflator to turn with the steering wheel.

Inflator and remote sensor with through bulkhead initiator

The pyrotechnics in an air cushion inflator are caused to function by the auto ignition device when the device is subjected to a high temperature environment, such as a bonfire, at a temperature of 350.degree. F. (177.degree. C.) in place of in the 650.degree. F. (343.degree. C.) range which would occur if there were no auto ignition device. This enables the use of aluminum for the inflator housing, thereby to minimize weight, the aluminum having sufficient high temperature properties to contain the internal auto ignition pressures at 350.degree. F. (177.degree. C.) but not at 650.degree. F. (343.degree. C.).

Auto ignition device

A gas generator or inflator particularly for the inflation of inflatable protective bags that are used in vehicle safety systems includes first and second aluminum structural components. The first component, a diffuser shell having outlet ports, includes integrally formed concentric cylinders which define chambers containing ignition materials, a solid gas generant composition and filters and provide ports for the passage of generated gases from chamber to chamber and then through the outlet ports. The second component, a base shell, has an attachment flange, includes an initiator, and is provided with three concentric surfaces that mate with the ends of the concentric cylinders of the first component. The three concentric cylinders of the first component are simultaneously joined with the concentric mating surfaces of the second component by a single inertia welding operation.

Light weight welded aluminum inflator

A reduced weight housing construction for a gas generator or inflator comprises stamped aluminum diffuser and base primary pressure components and a hollow steel center-tie member that is provided at the center of the housing with the inflator initiator assembly mounted therein and which with one electron beam weld provides both a structural tie for the inflator and initiator retention.

Aluminum inflator with steel center-tie

An inflator or gas generator is provided for inflating a protective cushion associated with a safety harness used in a vehicle including an aircraft. The generator is of a structure which provides a maximum quantity of inflating gases for a minimum size, weight, shape and general compactness of the generating unit.

Inflator for a protective inflatable cushion system

A safety cushion apparatus having a very short reaction time is attachable to automotive vehicle belt-type restraints for softening the shock of sudden constraint against the user's body and to maintain the belt restraints with an appropriate degree of tautness. The apparatus includes an inflatable cushion that is longitudinally folded to a compact, strap-like configuration conforming to the shape of the belt restraint, a flat, slim inflator being enclosed within and surrounded by the folded cushion. The folded cushion is releasably enclosed within an outer cover to which it is attached, the outer cover being attached to the underside of the belt restraint and fastened over the folded cushion by a long zipper. Velcro hook and hoop fastening material is utilized for attaching the cover to the belt restraint and the zipper. The inflator is actuatable by a crash impact sensor mounted on the vehicle and is operable to generate an innocuous gas for inflating the cushion, the cover being automatically opened upon such inflation of the cushion.

Safety cushion attachable to belt-type restraints

A solid fuel gas generator generates extremely clean odorless nitrogen gas by a combustion process that involves the burning in an annular combustion chamber having gas discharge orifices of a gas generant composition having combustion product residues including alkali metal oxides and hydroxides and which may also include iron particulates, and features the provision between the composition and the gas discharge orifices of an annular primary cooling and filtering pack in the combustion chamber for maximum retention therein of such combustion product residues, the cooling and filtering pack including a fine mesh screen surrounding the gas generant composition and one or more layers of fiberglass woven fabric around the screen, the fabric being selected for its characteristic property at the combustion chamber temperature of reacting with the caustic soda in the combustion products to form innocuous sodium silicate and of becoming tacky to enhance particle entrapment, and further features in surrounding relation to the combustion chamber an annular secondary cooling and filtering pack including an aluminum silicate blanket that reacts with caustic soda residue to form innocuous sodium silicate.

Growing community of inventors

Brigham City, UT, United States of America

Gary V Adams