Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-30
2003-12-30
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S737000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06669232
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for inflating an airbag.
Discussion of the Prior Art
DE 197 38 741 teaches a device for inflating an airbag which provides side crash protection in a motor vehicle. To this effect an elongated inflation tube is arranged in the airbag. Inflation gas is directed into the inside of the airbag via the inflation tube.
It is known from the prior art, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,725, which is incorporated herein by reference, that a piston can be used to release gas from a storage vessel.
FIG. 1
shows a prior art inflator taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,725 that can be used for inflating an airbag with compressed gas from a vessel. A gas pressure container
100
includes an inflation head
104
that is contiguous to an outlet opening
103
. The outlet opening is closed by a sealing element
115
that can be metal foil. The sealing element
115
is attached to a supporting disc
118
that is located in the outlet opening
103
. The supporting disc
118
is in turn supported by a centrally arranged locking element
121
at an abutment
122
against the opening forces exerted upon said sealing element
115
by the gas pressure inside the container
100
. An opening device is fitted with a triggering mechanism
130
which, when actuated, displaces locking element
121
and the sealing element
115
, thereby opening the container outlet
103
and inflating an airbag. The locking element
121
can be moved out of the locking position by a laterally acting force that is produced by a piston
131
of the triggering mechanism
130
, to open the gas outlet opening
103
. It is suggested that to ensure that the pressure container will open and that an appropriate amount of gas will be released, a throttling member
149
be provided in the gas pressure container
100
in the direction of gas exhaust upstream from the outlet opening
103
, with a pressure chamber
146
between said throttling
149
and the outlet opening
103
in the bottleneck. In the known device, the load on the supporting disc
118
produced by the compressed gas is conveyed via the centrally located locking element
121
into the abutment
122
that is rigid with the vessel containing compressed gas. For this purpose, it is necessary that the device components have exact dimensions in order to avoid deviations from the force transmission in the longitudinal axis of the locking element.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is provided in accordance with the present invention a device for inflating an airbag comprising a gas container in which an inflation gas is held in readiness under high pressure, an inflation tube that extends into the airbag, a gas release nozzle that is connected a gas tight manner at its one end to the gas container and a gas tight manner at its other end to the inflation tube, a gas tight sealing device which during normal operation outwardly seals the compressed gas container and which is opened to allow gas to enter the inflation tube, and a throttle device which throttles the inflation gas flow into the inflation tube and which is located in the flow direction of the inflation gas behind the sealing device in the gas release nozzle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4289327 (1981-09-01), Okada
patent: 5062662 (1991-11-01), Cameron
patent: 5322326 (1994-06-01), Ohm
patent: 5642902 (1997-07-01), France
patent: 6217064 (2001-04-01), Schwuchow et al.
patent: 6247725 (2001-06-01), Moller
patent: 6485052 (2002-11-01), Specht
patent: 19738741 (1999-03-01), None
Breed Automotive Technology Inc.
Dickson Paul N.
Drayer Lonnie
Fleming Faye M.
Rieger Jarett
LandOfFree
Device for inflating an airbag does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Device for inflating an airbag, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Device for inflating an airbag will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3145028