Device for creating gas inflating an airbag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550472-B2
Application number	US-201313967698-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2013
Priority date	Aug 16, 2012
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A personal protection arrangement in a vehicle includes a gas generator for fluid communication with a reservoir and a control unit. The control unit is arranged to activate the gas generator upon fulfillment of at least one predetermined criterion such that gas is released by the gas generator into the reservoir and the pressure in the reservoir is increased. The gas generator comprises at least one electrochemical cell which is arranged to generate gas when the electrical status of the electrochemical cell is changed from a first state to a second state by a state-changing action.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A personal protection arrangement in a vehicle, the personal protection arrangement comprising:
a gas generator for fluid communication with a reservoir of the personal protection arrangement; and
a control unit arranged to activate the gas generator upon fulfillment of at least one predetermined criterion selected from a crash or impending crash such that a gas is released by the gas generator into the reservoir and the pressure in the reservoir is increased;
wherein the gas generator includes at least one electrochemical cell, the at least one electrochemical cell arranged to generate the gas when an electrical status of the at least one electrochemical cell is changed from a charged state in which energy for generation of the gas is stored in an electrochemically active material of the at least one electrochemical cell to a discharged state in which the energy for generation of gas is dissipated to generate the gas through chemical reactions which decompose the electrochemically active material by a state-changing action, the at least one electrochemical cell having a lesser electrical charge in the discharged state than in the charged state.

2. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the gas generator is arranged to be deactivated electronically by a controlled discharge.

3. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising an airbag unit and wherein the reservoir is constituted by at least one airbag.

4. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , further comprising a pressure chamber and a piston.

5. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 4 , wherein the personal protection arrangement is one of a seat belt pre-tension device and a vehicle hood lifter.

6. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein each electrochemical cell includes a compound with ionic transport properties that generate a heat gas and the gas when submitted to the state-changing action.

7. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrochemical cell includes a plurality of electrochemical cells either arranged in a form selected from a group consisting of a sheet and a rolled sheet.

8. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is connected to receive input from a collision detector, where the collision detector comprises one of an in-crash sensor and a pre-crash sensor.

9. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the state-changing action is an exposure to an elevated temperature.

10. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein each electrochemical cell includes a positive active ingredient, a negative active ingredient and a separator filled with electrolyte.

11. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrochemical cell includes a plurality of electrochemically active sheets.

12. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the gas generator is armed by charging the at least one electrochemical cell with a pair of electrical connections.

13. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrochemical cell stores energy for generation of gas in an electrochemically active material.

14. The personal protection arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the personal protection device includes an inflatable airbag and the at least one electrochemical cell is integrated into the inflatable airbag.

15. A personal protection arrangement in a vehicle comprising:
an airbag for protecting a passenger of the vehicle; and
a device in communication with the airbag for creating gas to inflate the airbag, the device including at least one electrochemical cell for providing inflation gas for the airbag, the at least one electrochemical cell arranged to generate gas when the electrical status of the at least one electrochemical cell is changed from a first state to a second state by a state-changing action;
wherein the first state is a charged state and the second state is a discharged state, and wherein the state-changing action is constituted by a discharge of the at least one electrochemical cell to produce the inflation gas such that the at least electrochemical cell has a lesser electrical charge in the discharged state as compared to the charged state.

16. The personal protection device of claim 15 , further comprising a control unit for activating the at least one electrochemical cell to generate gas and inflate the airbag.

17. The personal protection device of claim 15 , wherein the at least one electrochemical cell is changed from the first state to the second state in response to a sensed vehicle condition selected from a group consisting of a pre-crash event and an in-crash event, and
wherein the sensed vehicle condition triggers the gas generator to inflate the reservoir with the gas generated by activation of the at least one electrochemical cell.

18. The personal protection device of claim 15 , wherein the at least one electrochemical cell is integrated into the inflatable airbag.

Assignees

• Johanson Mats
• Sturk David
• Autoliv Dev

Inventors

• Johanson Mats
• Sturk David

Classifications

• B60R21/38

  using means for lifting bonnets · CPC title

• B60R22/1954

  characterised by fluid actuators, e.g. pyrotechnic gas generators (actuating a cable B60R22/1952) · CPC title

• B60R21/264 Primary

  using instantaneous generation of gas, e.g. pyrotechnic (B60R21/268 takes precedence) · CPC title