Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-07
2004-09-21
Ilan, Ruth (Department: 3616)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S737000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06793244
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an inflating-type safety system for motor vehicles, and more particularly to a multistage-inflating hybrid inflator capable of inflating an air bag rapidly and reducing noxious gas contained in combustion gas, and an air bag system using the same inflator.
The present invention also relates to a retainer for a gas generator, a gas generator using the same retainer, a hybrid inflator using the same gas generator, and an air bag system using the same hybrid inflator.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a multistage-inflating hybrid inflator having ignition means in which a single initiator collar and two initiators are formed as a single member, and to an air bag system using the same hybrid inflator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the development of an inflator for an inflating-type safety system for motor vehicles, a hybrid inflator using both a pressurized gas and a solid gas generating agent is attracting attention. A main design requirement for a hybrid inflator is that the inflator inflates an air bag by 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 (for example, as referred in JP-A 8-282427). Since such a hybrid inflator is designed to be installed in a motor vehicle, the weight and dimensions of the inflator, which have influence upon the weight of the motor vehicle, constitute an important design requirement therefore. Furthermore, designing an inflator capable of being manufactured easily, not having a possibility of gas leakage, and capable of reducing a noxious gas contained in a combustion gas to a low level is demanded.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,353 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,124 disclose inflators provided with two gas generating chambers. In both of these inflators, the pressures in the two gas generating chambers are at normal levels prior to actuation of the inflators, and oxygen gas is not contained in the inflators. Therefore, before putting these inflators into practical use, they have to be improved with respect to many points, i.e., a stable combustion of a gas has to be secured and the safety of a combustion gas have to be attained.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,988 discloses a hybrid inflator including two gas generating chambers, one of the gas generating chambers being disposed outside of an inflator housing, and pressure in the one gas generating chambers is kept at a normal level.
As a hybrid inflator, there is a single type inflator having one gas generating chamber and a dual type inflator having two gas generating chambers. The single type inflator uses a retainer for adjusting an amount of gas generating agents, and the dual type inflator uses a retainer for adjusting the dosage and for separating the two gas generating chambers from each other.
As described above, the retainer is required to have the dosage-adjusting function and the separating function of the two gas generating chambers. Especially in the case of the dual type hybrid inflator, the separating function of the two gas generating chambers is essential. In other words, when a first gas generating agent in a first gas generating chamber burns, it is important to completely eliminate a possibility such that high temperature combustion gas flows into a second gas generating chamber to burn a second gas generating agent in order to normally activate the hybrid inflator. Further, in addition to this function, it is important that the mounting operation of the retainer is simple in the industrial aspect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a multistage-inflating hybrid inflator capable of inflating an air bag rapidly, and reducing noxious gas contained in combustion gas without a weight increase of the inflator; and an air bag system using the hybrid inflator.
As described above, another object of the present invention is to provide a retainer for a gas generator in which, when it is used as a retainer for a gas generator of a hybrid inflator for example, the retainer has functions to adjust an amount of the gas generating agents and to separate the gas generating chambers, and the operation of mounting the retainer to the gas generator is facilitated.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a gas generator using the retainer, a hybrid inflator using the gas generator, and an air bag system using the hybrid inflator.
Further another object of the present invention is to provide a multistage-inflating hybrid inflator comprising ignition means in which a single initiator collar and two initiators are fixed to be a single member, and an air bag system using the hybrid inflator.
The present invention provides a multistage-inflating hybrid inflator for a safety system of vehicles provided with an air bag, which comprises an inflator housing, a gas generator installed in the inflator housing, and an ignition means chamber joined to the gas generator, wherein the interior of the inflator housing is filled with a pressurized medium containing an inert gas, the gas generator having first and second gas generating chambers including their respective gas generating means.
Further, the present invention provides a multistage-inflating hybrid inflator for a safety system of vehicle provided with an air bag, which comprises an inflator housing, a gas generator installed in the inflator housing, and an ignition means chamber connected to the gas generator, the interior of the inflator housing being filled with a pressurized medium containing an inert gas, the gas generator having a first gas generating chamber and a second gas generating chamber storing a gas generating means, respectively, the hybrid inflator further comprising a principal closing means to close, before actuation, a flow of the pressurized medium outward to discharging port, and rupturing means for rupturing the principal closing means upon actuation, and the rupturing means actuating with increase of the internal pressure of the housing or by electric means.
In the multistage-inflating hybrid inflator of the present invention, an arrangement of the first gas generating chamber and the second gas generating chamber can appropriately be set. For example, the gas generating chambers may be arranged in series and adjacently to each other in the longitudinal direction of the inflator housing, the gas generating chambers may be arranged in series, facing each other, in the longitudinal direction of the housing, or the gas generating chambers may be aligned in parallel to each other in the lateral direction of the housing and are adjacent to or separate from each other. Among the above arrangements, the one in which the gas generating chambers are arranged in series and adjacently to each other in the longitudinal direction of the inflator housing is preferable.
In the multistage-inflating hybrid inflator of the present invention, the principal closing means for blocking a flow of the pressurized medium is provided in a gas flowpath, leading to the discharging port, of the pressurized medium of the hybrid inflator at a desired position so that the pressurized medium charged in the inflator housing may not leak before actuation. Upon actuation, the rupturing means for rupturing the principal closing means to obtain the gas flowpath is required. The rupturing means is not especially limited to a certain structure as long as the flowpath can be ensured. In the present invention, the rupturing means actuates with increase of the internal pressure of the housing or by electric means.
The rupturing means actuating with increase of the internal pressure of the inflator housing ruptures the principal closing means only by increase of the internal pressure caused by high temperature gas generated upon combustion of the gas generating means in the gas generating chamber. As the rupturing means actuated by electric means, for example, means such that the principal closing means is ruptured
Katsuda Nobuyuki
Nakashima Yoshihiro
Yamazaki Masayuki
Daicel Chemical Industries Ltd.
Ilan Ruth
LandOfFree
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