Gas generator for a vehicle occupant safety system, airbag module and vehicle occupant safety system comprising a gas generator of this type, and production method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10179561-B2
Application number	US-201515328539-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2015
Priority date	Jul 28, 2014
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas generator ( 10 ) for a vehicle occupant safety system comprising an outer casing ( 20 ) and a filter structure ( 30 ) for purifying and/or cooling gas released inside the outer casing ( 20 ), wherein the filter structure ( 30 ) is integrated in the outer casing ( 20 ). The invention further relates to an airbag module and a vehicle occupant safety system comprising said gas generator as well as to a manufacturing method.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gas generator ( 10 ) for a vehicle occupant safety system comprising an outer casing ( 20 ) and a filter structure ( 30 ) for purifying and/or cooling a gas released inside the outer casing ( 20 ), wherein the filter structure ( 30 ) is formed integrally with the outer casing ( 20 ), wherein the filter structure ( 30 ) includes mazelike or meandering channels ( 21 ) extending through the outer casing ( 20 ).

2. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the outer casing ( 20 ) and/or an ignition unit ( 40 ) and/or the filter structure ( 30 ) of the gas generator ( 10 ) is manufactured by a 3-D printing method.

3. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the outer casing ( 20 ) has a cylindrical and/or polygonal circumferential wall ( 22 ) in which the filter structure ( 30 ) is formed.

4. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the circumferential wall ( 22 ) includes oppositely arranged plate elements ( 23 ) having a planar outer surface ( 25 ) and a ribbed inner surface ( 31 ), wherein the ribbed inner surfaces ( 31 ) are facing each other.

5. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the circumferential wall ( 22 ) has land elements ( 24 ) with two-sided rib structure ( 32 ) which are arranged between the ribbed inner surfaces ( 31 ) of the plate elements ( 32 ).

6. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the land elements ( 24 ) are arranged offset in the circumferential direction relative to the plate elements ( 23 ) and extend through gas outlet openings ( 26 ) of the circumferential wall ( 22 ).

7. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 5 , wherein, the rib structure ( 32 ) of the land elements ( 24 ) engages rack-like in the ribbed inner surfaces ( 31 ) of the plate elements ( 23 ) such that released gas may flow around individual ribs ( 33 ) of the land elements ( 24 ) and of the plate elements ( 23 ).

8. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the outer casing ( 20 ) includes plural ring segments ( 27 ) which are coaxially superimposed to form the circumferential wall ( 22 ).

9. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the outer casing ( 20 ) has gas outlet openings ( 26 ) which are closed by a tamping ( 28 ), and wherein the tamping ( 28 ) is formed integrally with the outer casing ( 20 ).

10. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 9 , wherein the tamping ( 28 ) is formed by an area of reduced wall thickness of the circumferential wall ( 22 ).

11. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a retaining flange ( 29 ) is formed integrally with the outer casing ( 20 ) and is manufactured integrally with the outer casing ( 20 ) by a 3-D printing method.

12. An airbag module, comprising the gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 .

13. A vehicle occupant safety system comprising the gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 and/or an airbag module comprising the gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 .

14. A method of manufacturing the gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 and/or an airbag module comprising the gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , comprising utilizing a 3-D printing method to compose the outer casing ( 20 ) and/or an ignition unit ( 40 ) of the gas generator ( 10 ) in layers.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the 3-D printing method is a 3-D screen printing method.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein the 3-D screen printing method comprises:
providing a screen print mask ( 52 );
applying a printable suspension of a material powder to the screen print mask ( 52 ), wherein the suspension is applied especially under pressure; and
heating the printable suspension for melting the material powder.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the screen print mask ( 52 ) is produced automatically based on a computer model.

18. The method according to claim 14 , wherein at least two material powders different from each other are applied to the screen print mask ( 52 ) such that two components of the gas generator ( 10 ) including materials different from each other are manufactured in a joint process step.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the different material powders are a metal powder for manufacturing electrically conductive components, and a quartz sand powder or plastic powder for manufacturing an insulation member ( 41 ).

20. The gas generator ( 10 ) according to claim 2 , wherein the 3-D printing method is a 3-D screen printing method.

21. A gas generator ( 10 ) for a vehicle occupant safety system comprising an outer casing ( 20 ) and a filter structure ( 30 ) for purifying and/or cooling a gas released inside the outer casing ( 20 ), wherein the filter structure ( 30 ) is integrated in the outer casing ( 20 ) and includes mazelike or meandering channels ( 21 ) that extend through the outer casing ( 20 ).

Assignees

• Trw Airbag Sys Gmbh

Inventors

• Jung Christian
• Hoffmann Achim
• Gabler Michael
• Tischer Andreas

Classifications

• B29C64/386

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B60R2021/26029

  Ignitors · CPC title

• B60R21/2644 Primary

  using only solid reacting substances, e.g. pellets, powder · CPC title

• B60R2021/26011

  using a filter through which the inflation gas passes · CPC title

• F42B3/04

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