Ammunition and explosives – Igniting devices and systems – Electrical primer or ignitor
Reexamination Certificate
2001-05-02
2003-11-04
Jordan, Charles T. (Department: 3644)
Ammunition and explosives
Igniting devices and systems
Electrical primer or ignitor
Reexamination Certificate
active
06640718
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to the field of electropyrotechnic initiators intended, in particular, to initiate devices for protecting the occupants of a motor vehicle, such as for example seat belt retractors or gas generators that have to inflate airbags. More specifically, the invention relates to an electropyrotechnic initiator, the resistive heating element of which consists of a thin-film bridge and which operates with very low energy.
Conventionally, electropyrotechnic initiators intended for motor-vehicle safety consist of an electrically insulating body extended by a fragmentable metal cap and penetrated by two electrodes. The electrodes are joined together via a suspended resistive heating filament surrounded by an explosive ignition composition made of a primary explosive or of an oxidation-reduction mixture as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,572,247. However, such initiators have the drawback of being sensitive to the vibrations of the motor vehicle at the soldered joints between the resistive filament and the electrodes. These soldered joints, when repeatedly stressed by the vibrations of the vehicle, may fracture and make the initiator inoperable, which means that this technology is presently being progressively phased out.
To remedy this drawback, a new type of initiator has therefore been developed in which the electrodes are connected to two separate conducting metal areas extended over the surface of the insulating body, which is inside the metal cap, and a resistive heating element is placed between these two areas.
In this new type, two large families may be distinguished depending on the thickness of the resistive heating element:
firstly, initiators whose conducting areas and resistive strip consist of printed circuits or of photoetched “thick film” foils, the thickness of which is greater than 2×10
−6
m and often between 2×10
−6
m and 7×10
−6
m, or alternatively between 2 and 7 micrometers. Such initiators are, for example, described in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,585. Such initiators exhibit good resistance to the vibrations of the motor vehicle but require, like filament initiators, relatively high energy to operate;
secondly, initiators whose resistive strip consists of a “thin film” coating whose thickness is less than or equal to 1×10
−6
, or alternatively 1 micrometer, and which is deposited by vacuum evaporation on its support. Such initiators are described, for example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,476 or the U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,315. These initiators exhibit good resistance to the vibrations of the motor vehicle and have, in addition, the advantage of having a no-fire current of at least 400 mA with an all-fire current close to 1200 mA, which is increasingly demanded by motor manufacturers and which is not offered by filament initiators or “thick film” initiators.
The reader is reminded in this regard that:
the “all fire” current corresponds to the limiting intensity of an electric current above which it is certain that all the igniters of a batch will operate;
the “no-fire” current corresponds to the limiting intensity of an electric current below which it is certain that no igniter of a batch will operate.
However, because of the fact that known thin films are generally deposited on thermally conducting supports, these initiators also have the drawback of requiring a relatively high operating energy.
Faced with the increasing number of safety devices inside motor vehicles, manufacturers increasingly desire to be able to have reliable initiators operating at very low energy.
It is an object of the present invention specifically to provide such an initiator.
The invention therefore relates to an electropyrotechnic initiator comprising:
i) a container having at least one weekend wall and being closed by a solid body of height h having a plane upper face placed inside the container and having, over its entire height h, an electrically insulating structure;
ii) two electrodes in the form of pins which pass completely through the said solid body, at least one of the two electrodes passing through the said insulating structure;
iii) an electrical circuit consisting of thin films deposited on a support which is electrically non-conducting and is attached to the said plane upper face, the said electrical circuit being connected to the said electrodes and comprising a thin-film resistive heating element, the said circuit being covered by a pyrotechnic ignition composition;
characterized in that:
iv) the said support has a thermal conductivity of less than 20 mW/cm.° C.;
v) the said resistive heating element has a thickness of less than 1×10
−6
m; and
vi) the said pyrotechnic ignition composition consists of a binder and of a primary explosive, the particle size of which is between 1×10
−6
m and 30×10
−6
m.
Thus, using as resistive element a thin-film deposited on a support which is both an electrical insulator and a very poor thermal conductor, and by imposing particular conditions on the particle size of the primary explosive present in the ignition composition, it is possible to form an electropyrotechnic initiator which operates reliably with a very low energy, of the order of a few hundred microjoules, and which, when the constituent elements are properly dimensioned, has all-fire and no-fire currents which are compatible with the new requirements of motor-vehicle manufacturers.
The said electrical circuit and the said support will advantageously consist of an SMD (Surface Mount Device) component mounted on the surface of the solid body.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an electrically non-conducting spacer having two opposed plane faces is adhesively bonded via one of its plane faces to the plane upper face of the said solid body and in the other plane face of the spacer has two separate conducting metal areas which are each in contact with one of the two electrodes and to which the SMD component is attracted by means of two electrically conducting brazes.
This embodiment allows particularly easy assembly of the initiator according to the invention, as will be explained in detail further on in the description.
Finally, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the said container and the said solid body are kept fastened together by an electrically non-conducting overmoulding, through which the two electrodes pass.
Advantageously, the support will be made of a material chosen from the group consisting of vitreous silica, mineral glasses containing silica, organic resins, and composite plastics containing at least one organic resin and mineral fibres. Preferably, the said support is made of a material chosen from the group consisting of mineral glasses containing silica.
Within the context of the present invention, the various primary explosives lending themselves to the abovementioned particle size condition can be used, but it will be preferred, for reasons of operating reliability, to use salts of dinitrobenzofuroxan and especially the rubidium salt of dinitrobenzofuroxan (RbDNBF) and the potassium salt of dinitrobenzofuroxan (KDNBF). The binder of the ignition composition will advantageously consist of a vinyl or acrylic resin. As regards the said flat resistive element, this will advantageously be made of tantalum nitride.
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patent: 2 781 8
Duguet Jean-Rene
Vedel Jean-Pierre
Jordan Charles T.
Livbag S.N.C. Centre de Recherches du Bouchet
Lofdahl Jordan M
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