Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1992-12-14
1994-11-08
Johnson, Brian L.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
222 5, 137 682, B60R 2126
Patent
active
053620992
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for the sudden release of a gas from a container adapted to store it for a long period of time under a high pressure for the inflation of a gas bag in a vehicle occupant restraining system, comprising an obstructing member manufactured of tempered glass, which is arranged upstream from the at least one outlet opening of the container and in cooperation with a seal shuts off such outlet opening, and furthermore a vehicle-sensitive actuating device, by which the structure of the obstructing member can be damaged to such an extent that the member spontaneously shatters into fine particles.
A device of this type is disclosed in the German patent publication 2,052,621 A. In the case of this device the obstructing member is cylindrical in design and is mounted in a stepped hole in an obstructing plug, which is screwed into a screw threaded opening in a container. This obstructing member has its end surface, which is turned towards the inside of the container, bearing against sealing film, which furthermore shuts off an annular space formed inside the obstructing member and which accommodates an electrically fired pyrotechnic charge. On firing such pyrotechnic charge the closing member shatters into fine particles and the outlet channel coaxially formed in the obstructing plug is freed. For a reliable shattering of the obstructing member a pyrotechnic charge with a considerable size is necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a device for the sudden release of a gas from a container in which it is arranged to be stored for a long period of time and which also comprises an obstructing member of tempered glass on the inside of one or more outlet openings of the container and which is distinguished by the fact that the shattering of the obstructing member only needs a small quantity of energy.
In accordance with the invention the obstructing member is provided with an extension projecting, preferably in a perpendicular direction, from its surface and which is subject to the action of an actuating element of the actuating device, by which it is able to be suddenly fractured. The invention is based on the notion that for the spontaneous shattering of the obstructing member, if it consists of pre-stressed i.e. tempered glass, a shear force may be introduced into the solid part of the obstructing member by way of the extension which acts as a lever at whose free end a small force is sufficient in order to produce a high shear load on the base of the extension. Owing to the sudden fracture of the extension under the load there is admittedly only a local damage to the surface of the obstructing member, but it has been seen that this damage is just as effective as regards the spontaneous shattering of the obstructing member as the prior art pyrotechnic charge of a considerable size. The force necessary for fracturing the extension may readily be produced by a mass sensitive to the vehicle which can be arranged directly adjacent to the obstructing member with the result that there is a compact subassembly, which comprises the vehicle-sensitive actuating sensor.
In order for the quantity of gas necessary for the inflation of a gas bag to be accommodated in a compact container, it is necessary for it to be stored under an extremely high pressure of some hundred atmospheres. Therefore there are exacting requirements as regards long term resistance to high pressures. Since the gas pressure in the interior of the gas container is dependent, in accordance with well known physical laws, on the gas temperature, it is necessary for the designer to take the temperature range significant for normal use of the vehicle into account as regards the size of the container. However it is hardly possible to design the container for extremely high temperatures, as for instance in the case of a fire in the vehicle. In order to prevent an explosion of the container when it is overheated, there is the further possible feature of the invention that the outlet openi
REFERENCES:
patent: 3567245 (1971-03-01), Ekstrom
patent: 3596799 (1971-08-01), Fairchild et al.
patent: 3613944 (1971-10-01), Zeigler et al.
patent: 3670925 (1972-06-01), Moyant
patent: 3727575 (1973-04-01), Prachar
patent: 3749282 (1973-07-01), Day et al.
patent: 3780752 (1973-12-01), Noddin et al.
patent: 3915235 (1975-10-01), Hamilton et al.
International Search Report PCT/EP 92/00849.
Dickson Paul
Johnson Brian L.
TRW (Repa) GmbH
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