초록 ▼

In an occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, a smart airbag inflator is provided with a piston for regeneratively pumping liquid propellant from a reservoir into a combustion chamber for ignition and combustion to generate airbag inflation gases. To control the airbag inflation

In an occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, a smart airbag inflator is provided with a piston for regeneratively pumping liquid propellant from a reservoir into a combustion chamber for ignition and combustion to generate airbag inflation gases. To control the airbag inflation rate, the piston includes a piston head slidingly received in a damping chamber filled with a magneto-rheological fluid that is pumped through an orifice during the regenerative pumping stroke of the piston. An electromagnet is selectively energized to produce a varying magnetic field to adjust the viscosity of the magneto-rheological fluid flowing through the orifice and thus vary a damping force exerted on the piston stroke, thereby modulating the rate of liquid propellant combustion. Electromagnet current excitation is controlled in response to a particular accident scenario.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] An occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, comprising:an airbag; andan inflator including:a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the airbag;a reservoir containing a liquid propellant;a port fluidically interconnecting the combustion chamber and the liq

[ We claim:] [1.] An occupant restraint apparatus for installation in a vehicle, comprising:an airbag; andan inflator including:a combustion chamber in fluid communication with the airbag;a reservoir containing a liquid propellant;a port fluidically interconnecting the combustion chamber and the liquid propellant reservoir;an inflation initiator operable, in response to an accident involving the vehicle, to pressurize the liquid propellant reservoir, such that the liquid propellant is injected through the port into the combustion chamber for ignition and generation of combustion gases to inflate the airbag;a sensor for generating a signal indicative of an accident parameter; andan inflation rate modulator controlling the inflation initiator and, thereafter, varying a combustion rate of the liquid propellant in the combustion chamber in accordance with the sensor signal, thereby regulating an inflation rate of the airbag.