Multiple stage inflator

0001The present invention relates to an inflator capable of providing various levels of inflation gas.

0002An airbag filled with inflation gas provides a cushion between a vehicle occupant and the instrument panel or steering wheel. The likelihood of injury is minimized by the airbag absorbing some or all of the kinetic energy associated with the vehicle occupant during a crash. An inflator provides the inflation gas utilized to inflate an airbag.

0003Dual stage inflator have been developed to reduce the injury to small adults or children by reducing the aggressiveness of airbag deployment. These inflators provide varying output levels of inflation gas in accordance with the size and position of the vehicle occupant. Dual stage inflators taught in <patcit id="pcit0001" dnum="US6189922B1"><text>US 6 189 922 B1</text></patcit> and <patcit id="pcit0002" dnum="US6168200B1"><text>US 6 168 200 B1</text></patcit> have first and second gas generants. Another variation of the dual stage inflator has two separate burst disks which is taught in <patcit id="pcit0003" dnum="US5022674A"><text>US 5 022 674</text></patcit>, <patcit id="pcit0004" dnum="US5351988A"><text>US 5 351 988</text></patcit>, and <patcit id="pcit0005" dnum="US5016914A"><text>US 5 016 914</text></patcit>.

0004<patcit id="pcit0006" dnum="US6168200B"><text>US 6 168 200</text></patcit> describes a dual inflator as defined in preamble portion of claim 1. Said dual inflator comprises a diffuser mounted immediately upstream of the outlet apertures of the inflator and a burst disk mounted immediately upstream of diffuser. The burst disk is adapted to fail only under the application of a predetermined pressure, thereby allowing pressurized gas to flow from chamber of inflator through outlet apertures into an air bag.

0005<patcit id="pcit0007" dnum="US6206414B"><text>US 6 206 414</text></patcit> teaches the use of a first burst disk designed to rupture at a different pressure than a second burst disk. Specifically, the first burst disk is designed to rupture at a lower pressure differential than the second burst disk. Because both the first burst disk and the second burst disk are exposed to ambient pressure on one side, from the diffuser chamber, the two burst disks rupture at different pressures of inflation fluid in the gas storage chamber.

0006There is provided in accordance with the present invention a dual stage inflator comprising a diffuser subassembly, a gas generator subassembly, and a pressure vessel. The diffuser subassembly has a burst disk and an opening device and upon actuation of the opening device, the opening device produces an output energy, which ruptures the burst disk and allows stored gas to escape the dual stage inflator through a flow control discharge opening in the burst disk.

0007The dual stage inflator has various output levels associated therewith. For instance, the dual stage inflator can release only the stored gas. The inflator has the option for staged deployment whereby the stored gas is released and after a finite amount of time, the gas generant is ignited. Also, the inflator has the means for full output whereby the burst disk is ruptured at the same time the gas generator subassembly is fired. Another deployment scenario is the firing of the gas generator subassembly only. <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none" compact="compact"><li><figref idref="f0001">FIG. 1</figref> is a cross sectional view of a dual stage inflator not according to the present invention.</li><li><figref idref="f0002">FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D</figref> show various burst disk configurations.</li><li><figref idref="f0003">FIG. 3</figref> is a perspective view of the gas generator subassembly.</li><li><figref idref="f0004">FIG. 4</figref> is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment for a dual stage inflator.</li><li><figref idref="f0005">FIG. 5</figref> is a view of a first end of the dual stage inflator shown in <figref idref="f0004">FIG. 4</figref>.</li><li><figref idref="f0006">FIG. 6</figref> is a cross sectional view of a multiple stage inflator in the present invention.</li></ul>

0008A dual stage inflator provides various output levels of inflation gas for inflating an airbag. The dual stage inflator 10 comprises an outer housing 11, a first end 20, and a second end 21, all collectively forming a pressure vessel 12 that is filled with stored gas 13. The dual stage inflator 10 has a generally cylindrical shape and may comprise stainless steel, low carbon steel, or any other suitable material, which has sufficient strength and extremely low gas permeability.

0009Preferably the stored gas 13 is inert, is not highly temperature sensitive, and has a high inflation rate. The stored gas 13 comprises one or more gases, including but is not limited to argon, carbon dioxide, oxygen, helium, and nitrogen.

0010The pressure vessel 12 is filled with stored gas 13 through a gas fill port 14, which can be located on either end of the dual stage inflator 10. The gas fill port 14 is sealed by a plug 15 made from low carbon steel. Preferably the plug 15 is secured to the gas fill port 14 by a resistance weld, but other types of welding could be utilized.

0011In <figref idref="f0001">FIG. 1</figref>, the dual stage inflator 10 has a first end 20 having a diffuser subassembly 22 and a second end 21 having a gas generator assembly 23. The diffuser subassembly 22 comprises a burst disk 24, a diffuser 26, and an opening device 25. Actuation of the opening device 25 results in the rupturing of the burst disk 24 resulting in the stored gas 13 exiting the dual stage inflator 10 through the diffuser subassembly 22.

0012The burst disk 24 is attached to the legs of the diffuser 26 and seals the diffuser 26 so that stored gas 13 can not exit the dual stage inflator 10. The burst disk 24 is shown in <figref idref="f0002">FIG. 2A</figref> and comprises stainless steel, inconel material, monel material, or any other suitable material that allows the burst disk 24 to open reliably at - 40 °C. The hardness of the burst disk 24 should be between "half hard" and "full hard" to minimize burst disk 24 thickness. Hardness is the degree to which a metal will resist cutting, abrasion, penetration, bending and stretching. The indicated hardness of metals will differ somewhat with the specific apparatus and technique of measuring. The outer portion of the burst disk 24 is attached to the diffuser 26 by a laser weld 60 but could be attached by other welding techniques. The inner portion of the burst disk 24 is not attached to any portion of the diffuser 26 and bulges upon filling of the pressure vessel 12. The burst disk 24 adopts a dome shape due to the force of the stored gas 13 being applied to the burst disk 24. Alternatively, the burst disk 24 can be bulged in the direction of the opening device 25 by a hydro-forming process after the burst disk 24 is attached to the diffuser 26. Upon actuation of the igniter 30, the burst disk 24 ruptures resulting in a discharge opening 28, which allows the stored gas 13 to flow into the diffuser 26 and out of the dual stage inflator 10. The burst disk 24 can have one or more secondary discharge openings 61 to control the internal pressure of the pressure vessel 12. <figref idref="f0002">FIGS. 2B -2D</figref> illustrate various burst disk configurations having one discharge opening 28 and at least one secondary discharge opening 61. The actuation of the igniter 30 ruptures the burst disk 24 so there is one discharge opening 28. If the gas generant subassembly 23, described in detail below, is actuated at the same time or before the diffuser subassembly 22 is fired, than the internal pressure of the pressure vessel 12 will increase and rupture the burst disk in such a way that one or more secondary discharge openings 61 are created.

0013The opening device 25 is attached to a diffuser, which is connected to the outer housing 11. The opening device 25 is positioned within 8.0 mm from the center of the burst disk 24. The diffuser 26 comprises stainless steel, low carbon steel, or any other suitable material having sufficient structural strength and extremely low gas permeability. The diffuser 26 is connected to the cylindrical vessel by a circumferential weld, preferably a friction weld, but other suitable welding techniques may be employed. The diffuser 26 has a plurality of outlet ports 29 along the circumference of the diffuser 26 for directing gas flow out of the dual stage inflator 10 in a radial direction whereby the diffuser subassembly 22 is thrust neutral during release of the inflation gas. Upon rupture of the burst disk 24, the stored gas 13 travels through the diffuser 26 and ultimately travels through the outlet ports 29. The stored gas 13 may propel fragments from the ruptured burst disk 24 and these fragments are caught by a screen 27. The discharge opening 28 and the secondary discharge openings 61 of the burst disk 24 control the flow rate of the stored gas; thus, the inflator 10 is "choked" at the discharge opening 28 and not at the outlet ports 29.

0014The opening device 25 comprises an electrically actuated igniter, an end cap 33, and optionally an igniter nozzle 31. The opening device 25 is positioned so that the longitudinal axis of the opening device 25 is essentially parallel with a longitudinal axis A of the dual stage inflator 10. The igniter 30 communicates with a controller (not shown) via two or more electrodes, which in turn communicates with a sensor (not shown). The igniter 30 is an electrical device that actuates the inflator when a suitable electric current is passed through an ignition resistor embedded in one or more layers of pyrotechnic compositions. The igniter may be of the standard direct fire design, receiving the firing current directly from the controller, or the igniter 30 may be of an advanced design which communicates with the controller by digital signals and which contains on board the igniter an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), firing capacitor, and related components. The pyrotechnic compositions in the igniter generate an output energy that will reliably rupture the burst disk 24. A suitable pyrotechnic composition or ignition material for the present invention is zirconium potassium perchlorate or ZPP, however, other ignition materials could be used.

0015An end cap 33 is a metal member that houses the igniter 30. The end cap 33 may also be made from a plastic material made from an injection molding process. In <figref idref="f0001">FIG. 1</figref> the end cap 33 has threads for attachment to an airbag module (not shown).

0016The opening device 25 may also comprise an igniter nozzle 31 for directing output energy from the ignition of the ignition material towards the burst disk 24. The nozzle is tapered inward in the direction of the burst disk 24. Without the igniter nozzle 31, the igniter 30 would still rupture the burst disk 24 but will need to be loaded with extra ignition material to provide consistent opening at -40 °C. It is also possible to utilize an igniter 30 with reinforced walls, which would eliminate the need for a nozzle 31. These reinforcement walls would act in a similar fashion to the nozzle 31 by focusing the output energy in the direction of the burst disk 24.

0017In <figref idref="f0001">FIG. 1</figref> the gas generator subassembly 23 is situated on a second end 21 of the inflator as the diffuser subassembly 22. The gas generator subassembly 23 has an igniter 40 for receiving an electrical signal from a controller (not shown) via two or more electrodes 41 which in turn communicate with a sensor means (not shown). The igniter 30 is an electrical device that initiates the deployment of the inflator when a suitable electric current is passed through a resistor embedded in one or more layers of pyrotechnic compositions. The igniter may be of the standard direct fire design, receiving the firing current directly from the controller, or the igniter 30 may be of an advanced design which communicates with the controller by digital signals and which contains on board the igniter an ASIC, firing capacitor, and related components.

0018The pyrotechnic compositions in the igniter 40 break through the gas tight sealing disk 46 and ignite the enhancer 47. A suitable pyrotechnic composition or ignition material is zirconium potassium perchlorate. Other ignition materials can be utilized in the present invention. The igniter 40 is encased in an igniter housing 42, which is attached to the outer housing 11.

0019The enhancer 47 may be any of a number of known compositions that are readily ignited by the igniter 40 and burn at a high rate and temperature. Examples of enhancers include boron potassium nitrate and non-azide formulations containing a metal. The gases and hot burning particles from the ignited enhancer 47 exit through the pellet retainer 43 and ignite the gas generant 48. The gas generator subassembly 23 has a cushion 44 located on the end furthest away from the enhancer 47. The cushion 44 is a resilient member that is utilized to bias the gas generant 48 against the pellet retainer 43 to ensure the gas generant 48 pellets occupy a predetermined volume without being able to rattle. The pellet retainer 43 is a porous wall that divides the enhancer 47 from the gas generant 48. Hot gases from the ignition of the enhancer 47 can flow through the pellet retainer 43 but neither the enhancer material nor the gas generant pellets can pass through the pellet retainer.

0020Gas generant 48 compositions useful in the dual stage inflator 10 include fuels such as aminotetrazoles, tetrazoles, bitetrazoles, triazoles, the metal salts thereof, nitroguanidines, guanidine nitrate, amino guanidine nitrate, and mixtures thereof; in combination with an oxidizer such as the alkali and alkaline earth metal nitrates, chlorates, perchlorates, ammonium nitrate, and mixtures thereof. The gas generant 48 can be formed into various shapes using various techniques known to those skilled in the art.

0021The gas generant subassembly housing 49 retains the gas generant 48 and comprises stainless steel, low carbon steel, or other another suitable material. The gas generant subassembly housing 49 has a plurality of apertures 45 which can be seen in <figref idref="f0003">FIG. 3</figref>. The plurality of apertures 45 are situated along the length of the gas generant subassembly housing 49, and an important facet about the size and number of apertures 45 is that the gas generator subassembly 23 remains thrust neutral during the burning of the gas generant 48. The apertures 45 directly expose the gas generant 48 in the gas generator subassembly 23 to the conditions present in the pressure vessel 12. The location of the apertures 45 allows the hot gases to be discharged on the walls of the outer housing 11 thus cooling and retaining solid particulates preventing a portion of the particulates from entering the diffuser subassembly 22. When the pressure vessel 12 is filled with stored gas 13, some of the stored gas 13 is able to flow into the gas generator subassembly 23 equalizing the pressure in the pressure vessel 12 with the gas generant subassembly 23. A sealing disk 46 prevents the stored gas 13 from escaping from the dual stage inflator 10 through the gas generator subassembly 23. The sealing disk 46 is attached by laser welding to the igniter housing 42, but could be attached by other welding techniques.

0022The dual stage inflator 10 in <figref idref="f0004">FIG. 4</figref> has a different configuration whereby the diffuser subassembly 22 and the gas generator subassembly 23 are disposed on a first end 55 of the dual stage inflator 10. For this embodiment the diffuser subassembly 22 and the gas generator subassembly 23 contain the same components as described above. The fill port 14 can be situated on the first end 55 or the second end 56 of the dual stage inflator 10.

0023<figref idref="f0005">FIG. 5</figref> is an end view of the embodiment in <figref idref="f0004">FIG. 4</figref> showing the igniters 30, 40 of the dual stage inflator 10.

0024The dual stage inflator 10 according to the present invention offers great flexibility in the output levels of inflation gas. The airbag (not shown) is mounted in an airbag module with an inflator so that the airbag can receive inflation gas from the inflator. The dual stage inflator 10 is activated by a crash sensor (not shown) and a controller (not shown). The preferred crash sensors are of the type that can discern between different levels of deceleration to determine the severity of the crash. The vehicle can also be equipped with other type of sensors sensing the size and position of the vehicle occupant(s). The crash sensors communicate with the controller, which processes the data signals form the sensors to determine the severity of the crash and the size and position of the vehicle occupant. At the onset of a crash, the controller communicates with the igniter 40 of the gas generator subassembly 23 and with the igniter 30 of the diffuser subassembly 22.

0025There are four deployment scenarios anticipated by the dual stage hybrid inflator. The first deployment scenario, a primary only output, involves the release of the stored gas 13 by the rupturing of the burst disk 24. Only the stored gas 13 is used in this scenario and may be useful for low speed crashes involving vehicle occupants that are children. The gas generator subassembly 23 would be actuated in a timely fashion but after the crash to eliminate the pyrotechnic material from the dual stage inflator 10. The firing of the gas generator subassembly 23 is for safety purposes to prevent inadvertent ignition and injury to vehicle occupants.

0026The second deployment scenario, a staged output, involves the actuation of the gas generator subassembly 23 after a short delay after the rupturing of the burst disk 24. The delay can be set up to be between 15-30 milliseconds but it is appreciated that shorter or longer delays could be employed. The staged output is used for positioning the vehicle occupant, primarily a child or small adult, for a crash. The ignition of the gas generant 48 would produce heat resulting in the stored gas 13 escaping the vessel quicker and would produce gas which would be added to the stored gas 13 to increase the moles of gas produced by the dual stage inflator 10.

0027A third deployment scenario, or full output, is contemplated by the present invention wherein both stages of the dual stage inflator 10 are initiated at the same time. This provides a large volume of gas from the inflator at a high rate and may be used for high speed crashes or larger adult vehicle occupants.

0028A fourth deployment scenario is the actuation of the gas generant subassembly 23 only. During this secondary deployment scenario, the gas generant 48 is ignited which produces hot gas, and this hot gas mixes with the stored gas 13 in the pressure vessel 12. The pressure of the stored gas climbs quickly and applies enough pressure of the burst disk 24 to rupture it. This fourth deployment scenario arrives at P_max the quickest.

0029<figref idref="f0006">FIG. 6</figref> shows a multiple stage inflator 70 capable of providing greater flexibility in terms of gas output characteristic / gas output profile than the dual stage inflator 10. The output characteristic of an inflator concerns inflation rate and maximum pressure in a closed environment. The multiple stage inflator has a diffuser subassembly 22, a first gas generator subassembly 65, and a second gas generator subassembly 66. The multiple stage inflator 70 has many similarities with the dual stage inflator 10. The diffuser subassembly 22 for the dual stage inflator and the multiple stage inflator has the same physical components and is assembled in the same manner. The dual stage inflator has one gas generator subassembly, whereas the multiple stage inflator has a first gas generator subassembly 65 and a second gas generator subassembly 66. The first gas generator subassembly 65 and the second gas generator subassembly 66 have the same physical components as the gas generator subassembly 23 in the dual stage inflator. The first gas generator subassembly 65 and the second gas generator subassembly 66 differ by the size of the physical components and the quantity of the igniter pyrotechnic composition, enhancer 47, and gas generant 48.

0030The first gas generator subassembly 65 and the second gas generator subassembly 66 are attached to the second end 21 of the multiple stage inflator 10. The diffuser assembly 22 is attached to the first end 20 of the multiple stage inflator. In <figref idref="f0006">FIG. 6</figref>, the fill port 14 is situated in the center of the second end 21 of the multiple stage inflator 70, but other locations are within the scope of the present invention. In <figref idref="f0006">FIG. 6</figref> the first gas generator subassembly housing 67 is smaller than the second gas generator subassembly housing 68, and hence the quantity of gas generant 48 in the first gas generator subassembly 65 is smaller than the second gas generator subassembly 66. Even though the first gas generator subassembly 65 is shown in <figref idref="f0006">FIG. 6</figref> as smaller than the second gas generator subassembly 66, both the first gas generator subassembly 65 and the second gas generator subassembly 66 may have equivalent dimensions.

0031The first gas generator subassembly 65 and the second gas generator subassembly 66 have the same physical components. The gas generator subassemblies 65,66 operate by actuating the igniter 40, which in turn ignites the enhancer 47, which in turn ignites the gas generant 48. The gaseous combustion products exit the gas generator subassemblies and travel into the pressure vessel 12. The first gas generator subassembly 65 has a plurality of first apertures 71 arranged around the circumference thereof and the second gas generator subassembly 66 has a plurality of second apertures 72 arranged around the circumference thereof. The apertures 71, 72 are unblocked allowing stored gas 13 to be present in the gas generators subassemblies 65,66. To prevent ignition of gas generant in the first gas generator assembly 65 from the second gas generator subassembly 66, and vice versa, the first apertures 71 do not face the second gas generator subassembly 66 and the second apertures 72 do not face the first gas generator subassembly 65. As used herein, the first apertures 71 face the second gas generator subassembly 66 if the inflation gas from the first gas generator subassembly 65 exit the first gas generator subassembly and travel in a straight line and contact the second gas generator subassembly 66. The second apertures 72 face the first gas generator subassembly 65 if the inflation gas from the second gas generator subassembly 66 exit the second gas generator subassembly and travel in a straight line and contact the first gas generator subassembly 65. The apertures may be present at the closed end of the gas generant subassembly housing so the inflation gas exits the gas generant subassembly housing in an axial direction as opposed to a radial direction.

0032The contemplated deployment scenarios for the dual stage inflator were discussed above. Since the multiple stage inflator has an additional gas generator assembly than the dual stage inflator, there are additional possible deployment scenarios.

0033In a first deployment scenario, the first gas generator subassembly 65 is initiated whereby the increased pressure in the pressure vessel ruptures the burst disk 24. After a predetermined period of time, the second gas generator subassembly 66 is initiated to safely dispose of the gas generant 48 in the second gas generator subassembly.

0034In a second deployment scenario, the second gas generator subassembly 66 is initiated whereby the increased pressure in the pressure vessel ruptures the burst disk 24. After a predetermined period of time, the first gas generator subassembly 65 is initiated to safely dispose of the gas generant in the first gas generator subassembly 65.

0035In a third deployment scenario, the first gas generator subassembly 65, the second gas generator subassembly 66, and the diffuser subassembly 22 are all actuated at the same time. In this scenario, inflation gas is released at the quickest rate.

0036In a fourth deployment scenario, the diffuser subasembly 22, the first gas generator subassembly 65, and the second gas generator subassembly 66 are all actuated at different times whereby the diffuser assembly is actuated first.

0037In a fifth deployment scenario, the diffuser assembly 22 is actuated and after a delay, both the first gas generator subassembly 65 and the second gas generator subassembly 66 are actuated.

0038Since the multiple stage inflator has an additional gas generator subassembly than the dual stage inflator, there are a greater number of possible deployment scenarios. The multiple stage inflator offers a greater array of output characteristics to provide the output characteristic that affords the best protection to a vehicle occupant. Also contemplated in the present invention is the ability of the multiple stage inflator to change its output characteristic in real time.