WO2003057347A1

WO2003057347A1 - One-piece multi-flow filtration and cooling laminate

Info

Publication number: WO2003057347A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/003308
Authority: WO
Inventors: David W. Lindsey; C. Wallace Armstrong
Original assignee: Autoliv Asp, Inc.
Priority date: 2001-02-01
Filing date: 2001-02-01
Publication date: 2003-07-17
Also published as: AU2001233220A1

Abstract

A one piece multi-flow filtration and cooling laminate adapted for rolling into a filter and heat dissipating device for use with vehicle airbag safety systems. This invention provides an improved and simplified filter device that uses a single piece of material to create a rolled laminate having multiple flow variation sections alternating along the length of the material. Once rolled, this material is formed into layers of material with gas permeable gaps therebetween. Therefore, this material is resistant to nesting into a block or obstruction to the gas flow. This roll of material has openings or holes of various sizes, thereby providing an effective filter to remove unwanted particles from the gas flow, while providing a means of dissipating heat in the gas.

Description

ONE-PIECE MULTI-FLOW FILTRATION AND COOLING LAMINATE

Background of the Invention

Field of the Invention. This invention relates to laminate materials as used for filtration and cooling. More particularly, this invention relates to configurations of laminate materials which provide filtration and heat transfer which make use of intermittently spaced laminate materials having multiple expansion patterns . Description of Related Art. A variety of materials have been used and are proposed for use for heat dissipation and filtering. Typically, such prior materials require special stacking and handling of the materials in order to provide appropriate layers and correct positioning of the materials for adequate cooling and filtering. Also, in airbag use, many prior materials "nest" into an obstruction, thereby blocking the flow of gas . Generally, prior cooling and filtering systems for pyrotechnic inflators of airbag systems use a laminate having three or four materials, formed into a tortuous path that high speed flowing gasses must travel in order to be cooled and to remove undesirable particles. Prior laminates have typically been composed of wire screen materials, expanded metals, and ceramic filter media. These laminates are generally used in alternating layers. For general background material, the reader is directed to the ^' following United States Patent Nos . : 4,995,151, 5,551,724, 5,829,785, and 5,845,934, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for the material disclosed therein.

Summary of the Invention It is desirable to provide a filtration, heat- dissipating laminate that is adapted specifically to provide filtration of solid particles as well as heat transfer gases generated by vehicle air bag deployment. Moreover, it is desirable to provide a filtration, heat- dissipating laminate that is configured to provide gas diffusion with little restriction.

Therefore, it is the general object of this invention to provide a material and device for filtration and heat dissipation in vehicle air bag systems that filters solid particles in the released air bag inflation gas .

It is a further object of this invention to provide a material and device for filtration and heat dissipation in vehicle air bag systems that provides cooling of air bag inflation gasses.

It is another object of this invention to provide a material and device for filtration and heat dissipation in vehicle air bag systems that can be composed of a continuous section of expanded metal material. Another object of this invention is to provide a material and device for filtration and heat dissipation in vehicle air bag systems that makes use of multiple expansion patterns intermittently spaced in the material. A further object of this invention is to provide a material and device for filtration and heat dissipation in vehicle air bag systems that makes use of a roll of laminate material having alternating patterns to provide gas diffusion with minimal gas restriction. A still further object of this invention is to provide a material and device for filtration and heat dissipation in vehicle air bag systems that is adapted to work with many standard air bag inflators .

These and other objects, advantages, and other novel features of this invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned with the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of this invention may be realized and attained by the means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Still other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and drawings, wherein there is shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention. This preferred embodiment is presented simply by way of illustration of one of the modes best suited to carry out this invention. As it will be realized, this invention is capable of other different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various aspects without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions should be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive . To achieve the foregoing and other objectives, and in accordance with the purposes of the present invention, this material and device is provided with alternating mesh patterns on a single piece of laminate material, which is subsequently rolled into a cylindrical shape. Brief Description of the Drawings

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification, illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Some, although not all, alternative embodiments are described in the following description. In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the preferred material of this invention as a single flat piece.

Figure 2 is a view of the preferred material of this invention rolled into the cylindrical filter device of this invention. Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings .

Detailed Description of the Invention Figure 1 shows the preferred material used in this invention in a pre-rolled flat configuration. In this embodiment of the invention 100, a single continuous piece of laminate material is composed of alternating flow variation patterns, shown as pattern A lOla-c and pattern B 102a-c. Each pattern 101, 102 provides for different gas flow characteristics in the roll embodiment of the invention as well as ensuring an imperfect fit between layers in the roll embodiment. In alternative embodiments of this invention, additional patterns can be added to provide additional gas flow variations. Also shown in this figure are a coordinate system 103 defining a first X axis 104 and a second Y axis 105. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the material 100, is thirty-six inches long, in the X axis 104 and three inches wide in the Y axis 105. The first four inches, along the X axis 104 are pattern A 101, a large open pattern, which is followed by pattern B 102, having a smaller hole size with the holes somewhat skewed. These two patterns are alternated with approximately .5 inches 106 added to each pattern portion to account for subsequent wrapping of the material. Although, these are the preferred sizes of the material and the section for one specific inflator type, alternative sizes can be substituted without departing from the concept of this invention. Figure 2 shows the preferred roll 200 of material of this invention, showing the preferred two material sections 101, 102 of this invention. Multiple layers 201 are provided by rolling the material 100 of figure 1. Gaps 202 between the layers 201 are provided to permit gas flow. When inserted in the gas flow path of an air bag inflator, the gas passes through the gaps in the roll 200, while particles are collected in the roll 200 and heat is dissipated.

The described preferred and alternative embodiments of this invention are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not as restrictive. Although the embodiment shown, has preferred dimensions and alternative patterns, the invention is not limited thereto. The scope of this invention is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather that by the foregoing description. All changes, which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims, are to be embraced as being within their scope.

Claims

ClaimsWe claim:

1. A filtration and cooling laminate, comprising: a continuous piece of material, having a plurality of expansion patterns, wherein said patterns provide gas diffusion.

2. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 1, wherein said material is composed of expanded metal.

3. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns further provide filtration of particles in a gas flow.

4. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns are alternated one to the next.

5. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns, further comprises a first pattern with relatively large holes.

6. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 5, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns, further comprises a second pattern with holes somewhat smaller than said first pattern.

7. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 1, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns, further comprises a plurality of different meshes .

8. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 1, wherein said continuous piece of material has a first axis and a second. axis .

9. A filtration and cooling laminate, as recited in claim 8, wherein said first axis of said material is substantially greater than the second axis of said material .

10. A filtration and cooling roll, comprising: a roll of layers of one or more pieces of material, having a plurality of expansion patters, wherein said patterns provide gas diffusion when gas flows through said roll.

11. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, wherein said material is composed of expanded metal.

12. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns further provide filtration of particles within said gas flow.

13. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns are alternated one to the next .

14. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns, further comprises a first pattern with distinct holes and material deformatio .

15. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 14, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns, further comprises a second pattern with distinct holes having a different size than said holes of said first pattern.

16. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 14, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns, further comprises a second- pattern with distinct holes having a different shape that said holes of said first pattern.

17. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, wherein said plurality of expansion patterns, further comprises a plurality of different meshes.

18. A filtration A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, wherein said material is a single continuous piece of material.

19. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, wherein said roll is adapted to fit within an air bag inflator .

20. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, further comprising gas permeable gaps between said layers .

21. A filtration and cooling roll, as recited in claim 10, further comprising alternating patterns with an overlap region between each to facilitate the rolling of said material into said roll.