Breed Automotive Technology, Inc.

Key Safety Systems, Inc.

J B Canterberry

John Herman Adams

Robert K Walsh

Samuel Steven Schlueter

Edward Otis Hosey

Keith Lam

James W Griggs, Iii

Clinton Boyd

Scott D Gagnon

Donald Bowers

Mark A Schmidt

Robert Mark Spangler

Dennis A Trevillyan

Cezary Grzelczyk

Daniel Steven Solomon

Kalpesh J Patel

Lennox Lange

The inflator has a first combustion chamber and a second combustion chamber. Gas generant contained in the first combustion chamber is independently ignited from gas generant contained in the second combustion chamber. A divider plate extends across the entire inflator dividing the inflator into a first combustion chamber and a second combustion chamber. The divider plate has a generally flat shape associated therewith. A first igniter of the inflator ignites the gas generant in the first combustion chamber, and the inflation gas from the burning of this gas generant passes through only a first filter and then exits the inflator via first exit ports. A second igniter of the inflator ignites the gas generant in the second combustion chamber. The burning of gas generant in the second combustion chamber produces inflation gas which travels through only the second filter and then through second exit ports. The first igniter and the second igniter are disposed on the same end of the inflator.

Dual stage pyrotechnic inflator

A pyrotechnic side impact inflator is provided for inflating a side airbag in an automobile. The inflator has a few number of physical components and has a tubular shape. The inflator has an igniter that directly ignites the main gas generant in the inflator. The burning of the gas generant produces combustion products or inflation gas that is utilized to inflate a folded airbag. The inflation gas travels in a tortuous path in the inflator, which reduces the kinetic energy associated with the gas molecules thereby cooling the inflation gas.

Pyrotechnic side impact inflator

An inflator for inflating an airbag has a housing with a first housing portion defining a first chamber and a second housing portion defining a second chamber. A gas generant disposed in the first and second chambers. A barrier separates the first and second chambers. Each of the chambers has an ignition enhancer tube disposed therein with a portion of an ignition unit being located therein. Each of the ignition enhancer tubes has at least one outlet defined therein. Each ignition enhancer tube holding an ignition enhancer such that when the associated ignition unit ignites the ignition enhancer combusts and exits through said outlet and then reacts with the gas generant in the associated chamber.

Dual stage inflator

A non azide gas generant composition of nitroguanidine and an oxidizer such as phase stabilized ammonium nitrate is provided. A gas generant having nitroguanidine and phase stabilized ammonium nitrate has many desirable characteristics such as little production of ash and the production of essentially toxic free exhaust gas. When nitroguanidine is compressed into a pellet it has needle shaped crystals that bend or distort. When the gas generant pellets are subjected to thermal cycling some nitroguanidine crystals will return to their native conformation resulting in pellet growth. To eliminate this pellet growth, nitroguanidine is passed through a vibrating ball mill. The media in the vibrating ball mill pulverizes the nitroguanidine into an amorphous crumb.

Method of stabilizing the density of gas generant pellets containing nitroguanidine

An inflator has a tubular member with a sealing element hermetically sealing the open end of the tubular member. The tubular member and the sealing element form a pressure vessel for storing inert gas. The inflator has a support member for supporting the sealing element. The support member prevents the forces associated with the inert gas from driving the sealing element apart from the tubular member. During a crash situation, the support member is displaced, which allows the inert gas to burst the sealing element. Consequently, the inert gas has an unobstructed path to flow out of the inflator.

Inflator having a support member capable of sliding to open the pressure vessel

The autoignition compositions of the present invention ignites in the temperature range of 120&deg; C. to 160&deg; C. The autoignition compositions are thermally stable at 107&deg; C. for 400 hours and are thermally stable during thermal cycling. The preferred composition for the autoignition composition comprises equal weight percentages of the following chemicals: nitroguanidine, Sb S , and AgNO . An ignition temperature adjuster selected from the group consisting of teflon powder, graphite powder, ammonium perchlorate, MoS , and FeS can be added to the preferred autoignition composition.

Low temperature autoignition material

When a vehicle is involved in a fire, the airbag inflator is subjected to extreme temperatures, which may lead to the housing of the inflator rupturing. The use of autoignition material will minimize the risk of the housing rupturing during a fire by causing the combustion of the gas generant to occur at a desired safe temperature. According to the present invention, the autoignition material contains nitrocellulose material and an inert plasticizer. The plasticizer creates an autoignition material that is thermally stable and that does not need to undergo preassembly or packaging before being placed in a gas inflator.

Autoignition for gas generators

A frequency addressable ignitor control device utilizes electronic bandpass filters tuned to a unique center frequency and bandwidth for each ignitor. Energy generated by the system's controller comprises one or more narrow pulses whose center frequency corresponds to one or more bandpass filter/ignitor assemblies and sufficient energy for activation. A plurality of bandpass filter/ignitor assemblies are connected in parallel in the system. The controller generates electrical pulses of different frequencies transferred to the plurality of bandpass filter/ignitor assemblies via a two wire ignitor bus. Bandpass filter/ignitor assemblies whose filter allows sufficient energy to pass to an ignitor bridge element initiates the ignitor's explosive charge. The controller generates energy to the ignitor with appropriate sequence of frequencies and delays resulting in the desired detonation of appropriate individual bandpass filter/ignitor assemblies in the desired sequential order each with the desired delays.

Frequency addressable ignitor control device

A gas generator according has a polymeric closure and an igniter subassembly comprising an igniter and a polymeric gas generator body. The gas generator body and the polymeric closure define a hermetically sealed combustion chamber for receiving a gas generant. The igniter receives an electrical current and ignites the gas generant. The generated gas can be used in vehicle occupant safety devices including seat belt pretensioners, airbags, compressed gas vessel openers, and other devices requiring a rapid pulse of high-pressure gas.

Gas generator

A non azide gas generant composition of nitroguanidine and phase stabilized ammonium nitrate is provided. This gas generant composition has many desirable characteristics such as little production of ash and the production of essentially toxic free exhaust gas. When nitroguanidine is compressed into a pellet it has needle shaped crystals that bend or distort. When the gas generant pellets are subjected to thermal cycling some nitroguanidine crystals will return to their native conformation resulting in pellet growth. To eliminate this pellet growth, nitroguanidine is passed through a VBM mill. The media in the VBM mill pulverizes the nitroguanidine into an amorphous crumb.

An ignition enhancer and gas heater composition for vehicle occupant restraint systems (commonly known as &ldquo;airbags&rdquo;) contains a non-azide fuel, an oxidizer and a metal. The ignition enhancer composition provides reliable and consistent ignition of a main propellant composition to produce a sufficient amount of gas to inflate an attached airbag within ten to eighty milliseconds or successfully heat the stored gas in a hybrid system. In a preferred embodiment, the enhancer composition contains 5-aminotetrazole, strontium nitrate, boron nitride, mica or clay and aluminum.

Inflator

Ignition enhancer composition for an airbag inflator

This invention relates to a multi-stage gas bag inflator, operable initially, when activated, to cause the gas bag to deploy slowly and then, after a delay, to deploy rapidly, includes a housing having at least first and second chambers of preferably different size, separated by a bulkhead. One chamber is preferably smaller since it can be used to produce a smaller amount of gas to cause the initial slow deployment of the gas bag. A gas generant charge is ignited in the first chamber, and after some delay, a gas generant charge in the second chamber is ignited. The multi-stage inflator according to this invention can be used to provide the varying inflation rates needed to adjust the inflation of air bags to accommodate the severity of the collision and the position of the occupants. The inventive inflator is small in size and economical to produce.

Variable output inflator

Gas generating compositions are formed from a fuel, one or more oxidizers and mica. The gas generant composition of this invention yields solid combustion products and inflating gases having a reduced content of undesirable gases such as NO.sub.x and CO.

Growing community of inventors

Apollo Beach, FL, United States of America

J B Canterberry