Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-13
2004-10-05
Carone, Michael J. (Department: 3644)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S741000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06799776
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inflating-type safety system for a motor vehicle, more specifically to a hybrid inflator capable of inflating an air bag rapidly and reliably regardless of an environmental temperature in a practical use and to an air bag apparatus using the hybrid inflator.
2. Description of Related Art
With the development of an inflator for an inflating-type safety system of motor vehicles, a hybrid inflator using both a pressurized gas and a solid gas generating agent has been attracting attention. A main design requirement for a hybrid inflator is that the inflator inflates an air bag to a predetermined amount in a predetermined time so that the air bag is effectively activated. Various proposals concerning a structure to meet the requirement have heretofore been made, where the art disclosed in JP-A No. 10-100851 and the like have been known as prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a hybrid inflator capable of inflating an air bag rapidly and reliably and has a high safety, and to provide an air bag apparatus using such a hybrid inflator.
The present invention provides, as one means for solving the above problem, a hybrid inflator for an inflating-type safety system of a vehicle provided with an air bag, which comprises an inflator housing filled with a pressurized medium, a gas generator stored in the inflator housing and provided with at least one gas generating chamber containing gas generating means, and ignition means jointed to the gas generator, wherein a flow-passage, through which the pressurized medium flows at the time of activation of the hybrid inflator, is closed on the midway by a main rupturable plate, and a plurality of nozzles for controlling the amount of outflow of the pressurized medium and combustion gas are provided at the passage, through which the pressurized medium flows.
Incidentally, in the present invention, the passage, through which the pressurized medium flows at the time of activation of the hybrid inflator, can be set properly or modified according to the structure of the hybrid inflator.
The present invention is structured such that a change in an internal pressure inside the hybrid inflator is controlled by controlling the amount of outflow of the pressurized medium and the combustion gas according to function of a plurality of the nozzles provided at the passage through which the pressurized medium flows, and in case that the present invention is applied to an air bag system, the air bag can be inflated rapidly and reliably without influence of an environmental temperature in practical use.
Furthermore, the hybrid inflator of the present invention can be structured such that a plurality of the nozzles for controlling the amount of outflow of the pressurized medium and the combustion gas are provided at a flow-passage of the pressurized medium upstream of the main rupturable plate.
Thus, in a case that a plurality of the nozzles are provided at the flow-passage upstream of the main rupturable plate, for example, a hybrid inflator with the following respective structures may be provided.
One structure can be that a portion upstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage for the pressurized medium is formed of a cylindrical member, one end side of the cylindrical member faces the main rupturable plate while the other end side thereof is closed, and a plurality of the nozzles comprising through-holes are provided in a side wall of the cylindrical member.
Other structure can be that a portion upstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage for the pressurized medium is formed of a cylindrical member, one end side of the cylindrical member faces the main rupturable plate, and the other side thereof is provided with a plurality of the nozzles comprising through-holes. In this case, no nozzle is provided in a side wall of the cylindrical member.
Still other structure can be that a portion upstream of the main rupturable plate of the pressurized medium is formed of a cylindrical member, one end side of the cylindrical member faces the main rupturable plate, and the other end side and a side wall are provided with a plurality of the nozzles comprising through-holes.
Also, the hybrid inflator of the present invention can be structured such that a plurality of the nozzles for controlling the amount of outflow of the pressurized medium and the combustion gas are provided downstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage for the pressurized medium.
Thus, in a case that a plurality of the nozzles is provided in the flow-passage downstream of the main rupturable plate, such a structure can be employed that a portion downstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage is formed of a cylindrical member, one end side of the cylindrical member faces the main rupturable plate and the other end side and/or the side wall are provided with a plurality of the nozzles comprising through-holes. For example, a plurality of discharging ports for the pressurized medium and the combustion gas from the hybrid inflator, which is positioned downstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage can be constituted as nozzles.
In the hybrid inflator of the present invention, nozzles may be provided upstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage or downstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage or at both the portions, but it is preferable that the nozzle is provided at the portion upstream of the main rupturable plate of the flow-passage.
In the present invention, respective opening areas of a plurality of the nozzles may be made equal to one another, or they may be made different from one another. The opening area of the nozzle is set such that the amount of outflow of the pressurized medium and the combustion gas can be controlled to a desired degree according to the performance and application required for the hybrid inflator. Since the opening area of the nozzle corresponds to a nozzle diameter, when it is expressed by the nozzle diameter, the nozzle diameter may preferably be 1 to 8 mm, more preferably 1 to 6 mm.
Also, the total opening area of a plurality of the nozzles may preferably be 40 to 120 mm
2
, more preferably 60 to 90 mm
2
, and the number of nozzles should be determined in relation to the total opening are of the nozzles, and it may be preferably 2 to 8, more preferably 4 to 6.
Thus, by adjusting the opening areas of a plurality of the nozzles or the total area thereof, control on the amount of outflow of the pressurized medium and the combustion gas and control on the change in the internal pressure of the hybrid inflator can be performed more easily.
In the present invention, such a structure can be employed that a plurality of the nozzles are closed by shielding means, and a closed state by this shielding means is selected according to the position where a plurality of the nozzles are provided. When a plurality of the nozzles are provided in the flow-passage upstream of the main rupturable plate, such a structure can be employed that part of a plurality of the nozzles are closed by the shielding means (that is, a state such that shielded nozzles and opened nozzles exist). When a plurality of the nozzles are provided in the flow-passage downstream of the main rupturable plate, such a structure can be employed that part or all of a plurality of the nozzles are closed by the shielding means.
This shielding means is ruptured according to increase in internal pressure of the hybrid inflator at the activation thereof. When all of a plurality of the nozzles are closed by the shielding means, it is preferable that pressures required to rupture the respective shielding means are different. For example, in a case that there are six nozzles, breaking pressures of the respective shielding means can be made different one by one or by grouping two or three. The pressure by which the shielding means is broken can be adjusted by changing the diameter of the nozzle, the strength (t
Carone Michael J.
Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd.
Smith Kimberly S.
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