Electrically operated pulse initiators and ignition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10107601-B2
Application number	US-201514875741-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 6, 2015
Priority date	Oct 6, 2015
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

A gas generation system for generating gases, such as for use as or as part of a rocket motor in propelling a projectile, includes two or more propellant charges and electrically operated propellant initiators operatively coupled to respective of the propellant charges, to initiate combustion in the propellant charges, wherein the propellant charges are operatively isolated from one another such that the propellant charges can be individually initiated and are not ignited due to gases generated from other of the propellant charges being combusted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gas generation system, comprising:
two or more propellant charges; and
an electrically operated propellant initiator operatively coupled to a first propellant charge of the two or more propellant charges, to initiate combustion in the first propellant charge,
wherein the electrically operated propellant initiator has a pair of electrodes and a respective electrically operated propellant that is disposed between the respective pair of electrodes, and
wherein the first propellant charge is operatively isolated from a second propellant charge of the two or more propellant charges via the electrically operated propellant initiator such that the first propellant charge can be individually initiated from the second propellant charge.

2. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically operated propellant initiator has electrically operated propellant that is configured to transition from an unignited state to an ignited state when electrical input is applied across the electrically operated propellant initiator and is configured to maintain the unignited state when the electrical input is not applied.

3. A gas generation system according to claim 2 , wherein the electrically operated propellant of the electrically operated propellant initiator is configured to transition from the ignited state to the unignited state when exposed to pressure greater than 200 psi and the electrical input is not applied.

4. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically operated propellant initiator is positioned contiguous with an external surface of the first propellant charge to initiate combustion of the first propellant charge.

5. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrodes of at the electrically operated propellant initiator are mesh electrodes.

6. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the electrically operated propellant of at least one of the electrically operated propellant initiators is not disposed between the respective pair of electrodes such that all of the electrically operated propellant does not ignite when an electrical input is applied across the respective pair of electrodes.

7. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , further including one or more power sources and a pair of leads extending from the one or more power sources to each of the electrically operated propellant initiators.

8. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically operated propellant initiator includes
the electrically operated propellant having a pair of opposing sides,
wherein each electrode of the pair of electrodes extends along one side of the pair of opposing sides such that the respective electrically operated propellant is disposed between the pair of electrodes, and wherein one electrode of the pair of electrodes is disposed between the electrically operated propellant and the first propellant charge.

9. A gas generation system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the two or more propellant charges include a third propellant charge and a fourth propellant charge that each include a respective electrically operated propellant initiator operatively coupled thereto to initiate combustion in the respective of the third propellant charge and the fourth propellant charge, and
wherein each of the third propellant charge and the fourth propellant charge is operatively isolated from at least one of the other of the third propellant charge and the fourth propellant charge, the first propellant charge, the second propellant charge, or another of the two or more propellant charges via the respective electrically operated propellant initiator operatively coupled thereto such that each of the third propellant charge and the fourth propellant charge can be individually initiated from the at least one of the other of the third propellant charge and the fourth propellant charge, the first propellant charge, the second propellant charge, or another of the two or more propellant charges.

10. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , wherein one electrode of the pair of electrodes provides a greater current density than the other electrode of the pair of electrodes.

11. A gas generation system according to claim 1 , wherein the mass of electrically-operated propellant is less than half of the mass of the first propellant charge.

12. A projectile including a gas generation system according to claim 1 , the gas generation system for driving movement of the projectile.

13. A method of propelling a projectile including the gas generation system of claim 1 , the method including the steps of:
providing a first propulsion pulse by igniting the second propellant charge;
maintaining operative isolation of the first propellant charge from the second propellant charge during the combustion of the second propellant charge via the electrically operated propellant initiator; and
providing a second propulsion pulse by applying an electrical input across the electrically operated propellant initiator to initiate combustion of the first propellant charge.

14. The method of claim 13 , further including the step of extinguishing the electrically operated propellant initiator via stopping the application of electrical current across the electrically operated propellant initiator.

15. A gas generation system, comprising:
two or more propellant charges; and
an electrically operated propellant initiator operatively coupled to a first propellant charge of the two or more propellant charges, to initiate combustion in the first propellant charge,
wherein the first propellant charge and a second propellant charge of the two or more propellant charges are operatively isolated from one another via the electrically operated propellant initiator such that the first propellant charges and the second propellant charge can be individually initiated, and wherein the first propellant charges and the second propellant charge are configured to be non-initiable in response to an electrical charge, and
wherein the electrically operated propellant initiator has a pair of electrodes and a respective electrically operated propellant that is disposed between the respective pair of electrodes.

16. A gas generation system according to claim 15 , wherein the electrically operated propellant is configured to transition from an unignited state to an ignited state when electrical input is applied across the electrically operated propellant initiator and is configured to maintain the unignited state when the electrical input is not applied.

17. A gas generation system according to claim 15 , wherein the electrically operated propellant is configured to transition from the ignited state to the unignited state when exposed to pressure greater than 200 psi and the electrical input is not applied.

18. A gas generation system according to claim 15 , wherein the electrodes of the electrically operated propellant initiator are mesh electrodes.

19. A projectile including a gas generation system according to claim 15 , the gas generation system for driving movement of the projectile.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Villarreal James Kendall
• Langhenry Mark T
• Summers Matt H
• Macinnis Daniel V

Classifications

• F02K9/95

  characterised by starting or ignition means or arrangements (safety devices F02K9/38) · CPC title

• F02K9/28 Primary

  having two or more propellant charges with the propulsion gases exhausting through a common nozzle · CPC title

• F42B3/04 Primary

  for producing gas under pressure {(generators of inflation fluid especially adapted for vehicle air bags B60R21/26)} · CPC title