GAS GENERATOR, AIRBAG MODULE, VEHICLE SAFETY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PURIFYING A PYROTECHNICALLY PRODUCED GAS

Abstract

The invention relates to a gas generator (10), particularly a pyrotechnical tube gas generator, with an axial longitudinal direction (L), comprising an ignition unit (20), a combustion chamber (30) axially mounted downstream from the ignition unit (20) and comprising a combustion chamber bottom (35) forming a combustion chamber outlet (36), and a filter chamber (70) that is axially mounted downstream of the combustion chamber (30). According to the invention, at least one guiding sleeve (50) and a front-side baffle plate (80) are formed in the filter chamber, a first end (51) of the guiding sleeve (50), on the side of the combustion chamber, being axially mounted downstream from the combustion chamber bottom (35), and a second end (53) of the guiding sleeve (50) being associated with the baffle plate (80), a first deflection section being formed on the baffle plate (80) and the guiding sleeve (50) which allows a gas flow to an outer side of the guiding sleeve (50) into an annular first discharge chamber (75).

Claims

1. A gas generator (10), with an axial longitudinal direction (L), comprising an ignition unit (20), a combustion chamber (30) mounted axially downstream of the ignition unit (20) and including a combustion chamber bottom (35) forming a combustion chamber outlet (36), and a filter chamber (70) that is mounted axially downstream of the combustion chamber (30), wherein at least one guiding sleeve (50) and a baffle plate (80) are configured in the filter chamber (70), a first end (51) of the guiding sleeve (50) on the side of the combustion chamber being mounted axially downstream of the combustion chamber bottom (35), and a second end (53) of the guiding sleeve (50) being associated with the baffle plate (80), wherein a first deflection section allowing gas flow to an outer side of the guiding sleeve (50) into an annular first discharge chamber (75) is configured at the baffle plate (80) and the guiding sleeve (50).

2. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the baffle plate (80) is a component which is separate from the guiding sleeve (50) and forms a portion of an outer casing (11) of the gas generator (10), wherein preferably in the baffle plate (80) a recess (83) is formed, wherein a filter (180) is positioned between the baffle plate (80) and the guiding sleeve (50), and/or starting from the combustion chamber bottom (35) at least the front half of the guiding sleeve (50) is free from radial openings.

3. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the combustion chamber outlet (36) is in the form of a central opening within the combustion chamber bottom (35) and/or is in the form of an array of plural oblong holes that are arranged to be distributed around the middle of the combustion chamber bottom (35).

4. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein a helical swirl vane (100) formed in the guiding sleeve (50) and extending from the area of the combustion chamber outlet (36) in the direction of the baffle plate (80).

5. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the baffle plate (80) is in the form of a cup-shaped or pot-shaped front element (82) and/or of a front-side end portion of the gas generator casing (11) and/or of a portion integrated in a second end (53) of the guiding sleeve (50).

6. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the first deflection section permits gas flow back into an inner area of the guiding sleeve (50).

7. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the guiding sleeve (50) in cross-section takes the shape of a star with points directed radially outwards or has a central portion (57) of substantially circular cross-section with bulges (58) enlarging the cross-section.

8. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the filter chamber (70) comprises a second sleeve (90) that is arranged substantially concentrically around the guiding sleeve (50), the second sleeve (90) including plural radial openings (93) and/or a combustion chamber-side end (91) of the second sleeve (90) being spaced apart from the combustion chamber bottom (35) and from the guiding sleeve (50), wherein the guiding sleeve (50) is formed integrally with or contacts the combustion chamber bottom (35) and/or the second sleeve (90) is formed integrally with or contacts the baffle plate (80).

9. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein at least one further deflection section is formed between the combustion chamber-side end (91) of the second sleeve (90) and the combustion chamber bottom (35) or as a radial opening (93) in the second sleeve (90) or as a radial opening (73) in a filter chamber outer casing (71).

10. The gas generator (10) according to claim 8, wherein a second annular discharge chamber (76) is formed between the second sleeve (90) and a filter chamber outer casing (71), wherein a/the radial opening (73) formed in the filter chamber outer casing (71) is arranged in the longitudinal direction (L) to be spaced apart from the combustion chamber-side end (91) of the second sleeve (90) and from each radial opening (93) possibly configured in the second sleeve (90).

11. A gas generator (10) with an axial longitudinal direction (L), comprising an ignition unit (20), a combustion chamber (30) mounted axially downstream of the ignition unit (20) and including a combustion chamber bottom (35) forming a combustion chamber outlet (36), and a filter chamber (70) mounted axially downstream of the combustion chamber (30), the combustion chamber outlet (36) being at least one opening in the combustion chamber bottom (35), wherein the filter chamber (70) a plate labyrinth filter system (150) including at least two plates (151, 152) positioned axially downstream of each other is formed, wherein the plates (151, 152) are aligned substantially perpendicularly to the axial longitudinal direction (L) of the gas generator (10) and preferably substantially in parallel to the combustion chamber bottom (35), and wherein each of the plates (151, 152) has at least one through-opening, the through openings of two neighboring plates (151, 152) being arranged to be offset against each other in the radial direction.

12. The gas generator (10) according to claim 11, wherein a plate (151) of the plate labyrinth filter system (150) arranged to be first in the axial longitudinal direction (L) is vane-shaped or has a substantially circular portion (160) with circular segment portions (165) projecting laterally therefrom.

13. The gas generator (10) according to claim 11, wherein between a first plate (151) of the plate labyrinth filter system (150) arranged to be first in the axial longitudinal direction (L) and an inner face (72) of a filter chamber outer casing (71), especially between vane-type portions or circular segment portions (165) of the first plate (151), plural flow passages (170) which are displaced radially outwardly in relation to the combustion chamber outlet (36) are formed.

14. The gas generator (10) according to claim 1, wherein the combustion chamber (30) a combustion chamber screen (60) is arranged which is mounted axially upstream of the filter chamber (70) relating to the longitudinal direction (L) of the gas generator, the combustion chamber screen (60) being formed preferably sleeve-like having radial openings (61).

15. An airbag module comprising a gas generator (10), an airbag inflatable by the gas generator (10) and a fastening unit for attaching the airbag module to a vehicle, wherein the gas generator (10) is configured according to claim 1.

16. A vehicle safety system comprising a gas generator (10), an airbag inflatable by the gas generator (10) as part of an airbag module, and an electronic control unit by means of which the gas generator (10) can be activated when a trigger situation is given, wherein the gas generator (10) is configured according to claim 1.

17. A method for purifying a pyrotechnically produced gas in a gas generator (10) according to claim 1, comprising the following steps of: introducing the gas into a filter chamber (70) along an inflow direction (S.sub.E) which is aligned especially in parallel to an axial longitudinal direction (L) of the gas generator (10), deflecting parts of the gas at a baffle plate (80) into a substantially opposite direction, re-deflecting parts of the gas into a substantially radial or tangential direction relating to the axial longitudinal direction (L) of the gas generator (10).

18. The method for purifying a pyrotechnically produced gas in a gas generator (10) according to claim 17, further comprising at least one of the following further steps of: pre-filtering the gas before introducing it into the filter chamber (70), especially by means of a combustion chamber screen (60), preferably such that the gas leaves the combustion chamber screen (60) in the inflow direction (S.sub.E), re-deflecting parts of the gas into and/or opposite to the inflow direction (S.sub.E), deflecting parts of the gas from the inflow direction (S.sub.E) and/or the opposite direction into a radially outwardly directed direction and discharging through openings (73) in a filter chamber outer casing (71), deflecting parts of the gas substantially in the peripheral direction of the gas generator (10) simultaneously with or between deflection of the gas into or from the inflow direction (S.sub.E) or the direction opposite thereto.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0077] Hereinafter, the invention will be illustrated in detail by way of example embodiments with reference to the attached schematic drawings, wherein:

[0078] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view across a gas generator according to the invention as set forth in a first example embodiment;

[0079] FIG. 2a shows a longitudinal sectional view across a gas generator according to the invention as set forth in a second embodiment;

[0080] FIG. 2b is an embodiment of a filter chamber according to the principle of the gas generator according to the invention as set forth in FIG. 2a with an additional filter;

[0081] FIGS. 3 and 4 show different embodiments regarding a filter chamber having merely one single guiding sleeve;

[0082] FIGS. 5a and 5b show a longitudinal section as well as a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a filter chamber;

[0083] FIG. 6 shows a view of a swirl vane;

[0084] FIGS. 7a and 7b show different sectional views of a gas generator having a plate labyrinth filter system; and

[0085] FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal sectional view across a subarea of a gas generator according to the invention as set forth in another embodiment.

[0086] In the following, like reference numerals will be used for like and equally acting components and elements.

DESCRIPTION

[0087] FIG. 1 illustrates a gas generator 10 in the form of an elongate tube gas generator. The outer casing 11 has a total length which is more than 4 times, especially more than 8 times, the outer diameter. Concretely speaking, the outer diameter of the outer casing (11) may be 20 mm and the total length of the outer casing (11) may be 80 mm to 160 mm. At the shown left end of the gas generator 10 an ignition unit 20 including an igniter 21 is formed. The ignition unit 20 may be a prefabricated self-contained unit. The gas generator 10 has a central longitudinal axis A and an axial longitudinal direction L parallel thereto. The axial longitudinal direction L is to be understood starting from the ignition unit toward the filter chamber and is marked by a respective arrow symbol, here in congruent position with the central longitudinal axis A.

[0088] Axially downstream of the ignition unit 20, the combustion chamber 30 is formed. In the combustion chamber 30 a pyrotechnical solid propellant bed 31 as well as ignition mixture 32 are provided. Both the solid propellant bed 31 and the ignition mixture 32 are shown merely schematically. The solid propellant bed 31 consists of a filling of individual propellant pellets, but it may as well be in the form of a monolithic molded body or in the form of lined-up disks or rings. The ignition mixture 32 equally consists of a filling of individual pyrotechnical molded bodies. The shown gaps between the individual propellant pellets or, resp., the pyrotechnical molded bodies are not that large in a realized gas generator 10.

[0089] The ignition mixture 32 is arranged in a first section 33 of the combustion chamber 30. The solid propellant bed 31, on the other hand, is located in a second section 34 of the combustion chamber 30. The first section 33 of the combustion chamber 30 reaches from the ignition unit 20 to a filler element 40. The second section 34 of the combustion chamber 30 is understood to be a successive section of the combustion chamber 30 formed between the filler element 40 and the combustion chamber bottom 35.

[0090] Between the ignition mixture 32 and the solid propellant bed 31 the filler element 40 is movably arranged. The filler element 40 is not connected to the inner face 15 of the outer casing 11. It is possible for the filler element 40 to be adjacent at least in portions to the inner face 15 of the outer casing 11. However, the filler element 40 is not fixed to the inner face 15 of the outer casing 11.

[0091] In FIG. 1, the gas generator 10 according to the invention is shown in an idle condition, i.e. a non-activated condition. The igniter 21 thus has not yet been ignited. The filler element 40 is arranged, in the idle condition of the gas generator 10, between the ignition mixture 32 and the solid propellant bed 31 so that the filler element 40 fixes the ignition mixture 32 and the solid propellant bed 31 in their positions. The filler element 40 compensates for fill tolerances during manufacture of the gas generator 10, especially in pyrotechnical filling.

[0092] The filler element 40 is formed to be resilient and has plural components. In the shown example, the filler element 40 comprises a spring 41. The spring 41 is a coil spring and has front-side terminal elements 42 and 43. The shown terminal elements 42 and 43 are disk-shaped and include openings so that, in the operating case of the gas generator 10, gas can flow through the filler element 40.

[0093] The combustion chamber outlet 36 of the combustion chamber 30 is formed by the combustion chamber bottom 35 and the opening formed therein. The opening is formed centrally and has a circular cross-section. Ahead of the combustion chamber bottom 35 or resting on the combustion chamber bottom 35, respectively, a combustion chamber screen 60 is configured. The combustion chamber screen 60 is in the form of a cone or a hollow frustum and has plural combustion chamber screen openings in the axial and radial directions through which gas may flow. Large particles of the solid propellant bed 31 are withheld due to the conical combustion chamber screen 60 and thus do not enter into the filter chamber 70 through the opening 36. Between the combustion chamber screen 60 and the combustion chamber bottom 35 a tamping 175 is fixed, preferably adhesively bonded, to the combustion chamber bottom 35. The tamping 175 thus closes the opening formed in the combustion chamber bottom 35 in the idle condition of the gas generator 10 and is in the form of a metal foil made from aluminum, steel or copper. After activating the gas generator 10, the tamping 175 is opened and, resp., destroyed due to the pressure formed in the combustion chamber 30 by burn-off of the solid propellant bed 31 and thus releases the opening in the combustion chamber bottom 35 for gas flow.

[0094] In the filter chamber 70, a guiding sleeve 50 as well as a baffle plate 80 are formed. The baffle plate 80 is a front-side baffle plate and, in the present example embodiment, closes the filter chamber 70. The baffle plate 80 at the same time also constitutes the front-side end portion of the generator casing 11. The combustion chamber-side end 51 of the guiding sleeve 50 rests directly on the combustion chamber bottom 35 in the shown example. For this purpose, the combustion chamber-side end 51 includes an annular fastening flange 52. Due to the guiding sleeve 50, the gas flowing into the filter chamber 70 is completely guided to the baffle plate 80. The baffle plate 80 forms a first deflection section causing a reversal of the flow direction of the gas substantially about 180 relative to the inflow direction S.sub.E of the gas. The guiding sleeve 50 has no radial openings so that no partial flows of the inflowing gas may escape from radial openings of the guiding sleeve 50.

[0095] The filter chamber 70 further comprises a second sleeve 90 having a combustion chamber-side end 91 and an end face 92. At the combustion chamber-side end 91 the second sleeve 90 rests on the fastening flange 52 of the guiding sleeve 50. At the front face 92 the second sleeve 90 is bent slightly outwardly and is connected to the baffle plate 80. The second sleeve 90 has plural sleeve openings 93. Said sleeve openings 93 form further deflection sections arranged downstream in the flow direction of the gas. The further deflection sections substantially cause further deflection of the gas about 90. The flow direction of the gas starting from the inflow direction S.sub.E is shown by bold arrows. For better illustration of the portions and elements of the sleeves 50 and 90, the gas flow is shown merely in the lower half of the filter chamber 70. In fact, the gas also flows into the upper half of the filter chamber 70 and outwardly from those filter chamber openings 73. For the sake of completeness, it is noted that a gas flow and thus the afore-described illustration of the gas flows (see illustration by arrows) will only have an effect, of course, when or after the gas generator has been activated.

[0096] The guiding sleeve 50 is arranged substantially concentrically in the second sleeve 90. Between the second sleeve 90 and the guiding sleeve 50, a first annular discharge chamber 75 is formed. Between the second sleeve 90 and the filter chamber outer casing 71 a second, equally substantially annular, discharge chamber 76 is formed.

[0097] In FIG. 1, the interior of the filter chamber 70 is formed substantially of the two sleeves 50 and 90 positioned inside each other, the guiding sleeve 50 being free from radial openings. The gas flow is thus completely accelerated after entering the filter chamber 70 so that the gas flow impinges on the baffle plate 80. Due to the differently formed discharge chambers 75 and 76, the gas is accelerated again between the guiding sleeve 50 and the second sleeve 90 as well as between the second sleeve 90 and the filter chamber outer casing 71 and is deflected several times about 90. Accordingly, solid particles or slag particles, resp., of the gas flow are separated in dead zones of the flow and at the walls of the sleeves 50 and 90 as well as at the inner face 72 of the filter chamber outer casing 71.

[0098] At the baffle plate 80, the gas flow is strongly decelerated such that the hot solids contained in the gas flow are thrown onto the baffle plate 80 and remain there as a material accumulation.

[0099] Through the filter chamber openings 73, the gas purified and, resp., filtered in this way arrives at the environment of the gas generator 10, i.e. especially in an airbag to be filled.

[0100] In other words, the idea of the invention is, inter alia, that the gas flow and, resp., gas flow lines in the filter chamber 70 have a crossing number of k>=3 with respect to the central longitudinal axis A of the gas generator 10. Here, in general the crossing number k of a curve (here the path of the gas flow) with respect to a straight line (here the central longitudinal axis A of the gas generator 10) represents the total number of the 90 intersections of the curve tangent(s) with the straight line.

[0101] In FIG. 2a, a gas generator 10 comparable to the gas generator 10 of FIG. 1 in terms of the basic structure is shown. Hereinafter, merely the differences regarding the filter chamber 70 are illustrated in detail.

[0102] In FIG. 2a, also a filter chamber 70 having two nested and substantially concentrically arranged sleeves 50 and 90 is shown. The design of the guiding sleeve 50 corresponds to the guiding sleeve 50 of FIG. 1. The second sleeve 90 rests on the guiding sleeve 50 at the combustion chamber-side end 91. The front face 92, on the other hand, has an annular portion 94. The annular portion 94 projects from the sleeve wall 95 at substantially 90. The annular portion 94 points toward the central longitudinal axis A of the gas generator 10.

[0103] In FIG. 2a, the baffle plate 80 is in the form of a bottom element 81 of a cup-shaped front element 82. The wall 84 of the front element 82 encompasses the front face 92, especially the annular portion 94, of the second sleeve 90 so that the cup-shaped front element 82 is sufficiently secured. In addition, the baffle plate 80 has a recess 83. Due to said recess 83, the process of material depositions (solid and, resp., slag particles) of the gas flow can be intensified. By reason of the annular portion 94, there is moreover formed an undercut 96 in which further solid particles or slag particles can be deposited.

[0104] In FIG. 2b, an embodiment of a filter chamber in accordance with the principle of the gas generator according to the invention as set forth in FIG. 2a is shown, with the essential difference that, according to the design of FIG. 2b, an additional filter 180 is present inside the filter chamber 70. The filter 180 is positioned between the baffle plate 80 and the guiding sleeve 50 so that it is arranged substantially orthogonally to the inflow direction S.sub.E of the gas which may flow through the opening 36 in the combustion chamber bottom 35 into the filter chamber 70. As illustrated in FIG. 2b by the arrow lines, the filter 180 thus is so-to-speak in the way of the flow direction and, resp., the main flow direction of the gas, after the gas flowing through the guiding sleeve 50 has reached the axial end of the guiding sleeve 50 facing the baffle plate 80. The gas flow of the gas is not deflected by the filter 180, however, but propagates through the filter with a substantially unchanged direction of flow until it impinges on the baffle plate 80 and is deflected there, as shown according to the principle in FIG. 2a.

[0105] Thus, also the design according to FIG. 2b equally operates according to the principle that the baffle plate 80 causes a reversal of the flow direction of the gas substantially about 180 relative to the inflow direction S.sub.E. After said deflection of the gas flow on the baffle plate 80, the gas flow can be guided, equally through the filter 180 again in the direction of the filter chamber outer casing 71 according to the principle as also shown in FIG. 2a.

[0106] Consequently, the filter 180 is no obstacle to the gas flow which would completely block or substantially deflect the latter, but merely causes for the gas a certain distance for flowing through the filter 180, wherein the gas can be subjected to additional cooling and/or particle filtering in this case. The filter 180 is made from metal and is a wire cloth or wire mesh and is preferably adapted, as shown in FIG. 2b, to the inner contour of the annular portion 94 of the second sleeve 90 and is inserted or pressed into the bottom area or into the area of the annular portion 94 of the second sleeve 90. For axially positioning the filter 180 in the direction of the combustion chamber bottom 35, the filter 180 rests against the opening of the guiding sleeve 50 facing the filter.

[0107] When expressed in a simplified manner, the design according to FIG. 2b substantially constitutes the same design according to FIG. 2a, but with the additional filter 180 by which a certain optimized residual filtering or residual cooling can be effectuated in addition to the filtering and, resp., cooling by the system comprising the guiding sleeve 50, the baffle plate 80 with the deflecting effect for the gas flow.

[0108] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of a filter chamber 70. There merely one single guiding sleeve 50 is provided. The guiding sleeve 50 again rests on the combustion chamber bottom 35 at the combustion chamber-side end 51. At the second end 53 of the guiding sleeve 50 an annular portion 54 is formed. In the shown cross-section, the guiding sleeve 50 is substantially tulip-shaped. Due to the annular portion 54, fastening, especially clamping, of the guiding sleeve 50 can be effectuated in the filter chamber 70 especially within the filter chamber outer casing 71.

[0109] The shown baffle plate 80 again effectuates a reversal of the flow direction of the gas substantially about 180 with respect to the inflow direction S.sub.E. In the shown example, the further deflection section is a guiding sleeve opening 55 formed in the guiding sleeve 50. The guiding sleeve opening 55 has a substantially rectangular cross-section. The guiding sleeve opening 55 is formed substantially in the last third of the guiding sleeve 50, i.e. in the third of the guiding sleeve 50 facing the baffle plate 80. Accordingly, despite the formation of the guiding sleeve opening 55, the majority of the gas flow arrives at the baffle plate 80 and is deflected there with respect to the flow direction.

[0110] A possible formation of partial gas flows that might flow off at the beginning of the guiding sleeve 50, viz. in the area of the combustion chamber-side end 51 thereof, is advantageously inhibited by the shown configuration of the guiding sleeve 50. Between the guiding sleeve 50 and the filter chamber outer casing 71, especially the inner face 72 of the filter chamber outer casing 71, the first discharge chamber 75 is formed. The gas flowing out of the guiding sleeve 50 thus flows at first in the direction of the combustion chamber 30 in order to subsequently reach the environment via the filter chamber openings 73.

[0111] In FIG. 4, too, a filter chamber 70 merely comprising one single sleeve, i.e. the guiding sleeve 50, is shown. Equally shown is an alternative embodiment of a combustion chamber bottom 35. The combustion chamber bottom 35 has a sleeve nozzle 37 pointing in the direction of the filter chamber 70. The combustion chamber-side end 51 of the guiding sleeve 50 again rests on the combustion chamber bottom 35. At the second end 53 of the guiding sleeve 50, again an annular portion 54 is formed, wherein the latter points in the direction of the central longitudinal axis A of the gas generator 10.

[0112] The baffle plate 80 again is in the form of a bottom element 81 of a cup-shaped front element 82. Between the annular portion 54 of the guiding sleeve 50 and the wall 84 of the front element 82, again an undercut 96 is formed in which particles of the gas flow can be deposited. After appropriately reversing the flow direction of the gas, starting from the baffle plate 80 the gas flows through the guiding sleeve openings 55 into the first discharge chamber 75. The discharge chamber 75 is formed between the inner face 72 of the filter chamber outer casing 71 and the guiding sleeve 50.

[0113] In the guiding sleeve 50, axially extending recesses 56 are formed. The axially extending recesses 56 extend in parallel to the central longitudinal axis A of the gas generator 10. Preferably, plural axial recesses 56 of this kind are formed. Said recesses 56 serve for detecting the position of the mounted guiding sleeve 50. Said recesses 56 are evident by viewing through the filter chamber openings 73, for example by an appropriate optical system when manufacturing the gas generator 10, which optical system helps determine the correct position of the guiding sleeve 50 by means of the orientation of the axial recesses 56. In this case, the filter chamber openings 73 are preferably in the form of oblong holes. Preferably, at least two oblong holes are formed to achieve shear neutrality of the gas generator 10.

[0114] In FIGS. 5a and 5b, the filter chamber 70 is configured in the form of a radial labyrinth. It is evident that again merely one single guiding sleeve 50 is formed. The cross-section of the guiding sleeve 50 is visible in FIG. 5b. Accordingly, the guiding sleeve 50 has a central portion 57 of circular cross-section which has a center M, with bulges 58 enlarging the cross-section being further evident. The bulges 58 have a substantially rectangular, especially a substantially square, cross-section. In each bulge wall 59 of each bulge 58 an oblong hole 65 is formed which is substantially in parallel to the central longitudinal axis A of the gas generator 10.

[0115] Between each of the bulges 58 a first discharge chamber 75 is formed. Thus, the discharge chamber 75 is subdivided into plural portions separated from each other by the bulges 58.

[0116] When the inflowing gas has been deflected at the baffle plate about 180, the gas arrives through the oblong holes 65 of the bulge walls 59 into each of the separated first discharge chambers 75 in which the gas may expand. Then the gas may flow out of the first discharge chamber 75 through the filter chamber openings 73 to the outside. In detail, the afore-mentioned path and, resp., the deflection of the gas or gas flow extends as follows. At first the gas flows in the inflow direction S.sub.E, viz. in the axial longitudinal direction L of the gas generator 10, into the filter chamber 70 to flow through the latter along its substantially total length up to the baffle plate 80. There, a reversal of direction of the gas flow takes place, against the inflow direction S.sub.E, the gas flow being initially guided inside the guiding sleeve 50 up to the oblong holes 65 through which the gas flow then can arrive at an outer side of the guiding sleeve 50, viz. into the first discharge chamber 75. In the latter portion of the gas flow through the oblong holes 65, the gas flow is guided or flows in portions in a tangentially directed way, which is indicated in FIG. 5b by respective arrow symbols illustrating said tangential gas flow T. Geometrically, said tangentially directed gas flow, relating to the cross-sectional plate of FIG. 5b, can be described as follows. Associating the center M of the central portion 57 with the middle of a bulge 58 in the radial direction by an imaginary line (shown by a broken line in FIG. 5b) and dropping a perpendicular from said imaginary line in the direction of the nearest oblong hole 65 or, resp., through said oblong hole 65, said perpendicular results in the tangential gas flow T and, resp., the direction thereof.

[0117] In other words, in the area of the tangential gas flow T, in addition to the previously described axial and radial gas deflecting distances, also a tangentially directed component will occur which in this area can also be understood to be a gas flow extending substantially in parallel to the periphery of the gas generator 10 and, resp., extending tangentially to the periphery of the filter chamber 71. Altogether, a three-dimensional deflection of the gas flow comprising axial, radial as well as tangential directional components can thus be obtained.

[0118] In FIG. 5b, moreover kidney-shaped anti-twist protection elements 66 are visible. They are configured between the bulges 58 and prevent the guiding sleeve 50 from twisting. The anti-twist protection elements 66 are formed on the baffle plate 80. In particular, the anti-twist protection elements 66 and the baffle plate 80 are designed in one piece.

[0119] FIG. 6 illustrates a partial area of a gas generator 10 again comprising a filter chamber 70 having two sleeves, i.e. the guiding sleeve 50 and the second sleeve 90. In addition, this embodiment has a helical swirl vane 100. The latter extends from the combustion chamber opening or combustion chamber outlet 36 and, resp., from the combustion chamber bottom 35 to the baffle plate 80. The gas flow here is guided over the surface 101 of the swirl vane 100. In other words, the gas flow moves helically in the direction of the baffle plate 80. In this way, particles of the gas flow can be better separated.

[0120] The swirl vane 100 acts quasi like a centrifugal separator. Simultaneously the gas is cooled. The velocity of the gas flow is not strongly decelerated here, however. Thus, the particles are separated both at the inner face of the guiding sleeve 50 and at the baffle plate 80. The further design of the filter chamber 70 substantially corresponds to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0121] The swirl vane 100 is intended to include a sufficiently large number of turns, with the number of the turns (number of turns w) preferably having a minimum value of 3.

[0122] In general, the number of turns w of a curve relative to a point z constitutes the number of the anti-clockwise revolutions about the point z when following the path of the curve. A clockwise revolution results in a negative number of turns, an anti-clockwise revolution results in a positive number of turns. In order to obtain favorable particle separation in a filter chamber 70, as depicted in FIG. 6, therefore the amount of the number of turns w should have at least the value 3.

[0123] The swirl vane 100 as described for FIG. 6 may be positioned inside the guiding sleeve 50 shown there even in the embodiments of the gas generator 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1 to 5 or 8, and may additionally bring its afore-described effect (centrifugal separator).

[0124] FIG. 7 represents another embodiment of a gas generator 10 according to the invention. The combustion chamber outlet 36 is in the form of a central opening of the combustion chamber bottom 35. In the filter chamber 70 a plate labyrinth filter system 150 is located. The latter comprises at least two plates positioned successively in the longitudinal axis, viz. a first plate 151 and a second plate 152. The plates 151 and 152 extend perpendicularly to the axial longitudinal direction L of the gas generator 10. Gas flowing into the filter chamber 70 at first impacts on the first plate 151.

[0125] FIG. 7b illustrates the shape of said first plate 151 in greater detail. Thus, the plate 151 has a circular portion 160 including circular segment portions 165 laterally projecting therefrom. Between the circular segment portions 165 flow passages 170 are formed. The number of the circular segment portions 165 corresponds to the number of flow passages 170 formed. The cross-section of the combustion chamber outlet 36 of the combustion chamber bottom 35 is smaller than the diameter of the circular portion 160. Thus, gas flowing into the filter chamber 70 first impacts on the circular portion 160 of the first plate 151 and then flows through the flow passages 170 in the direction of the second plate 152.

[0126] The second plate 152 is substantially ring-shaped. The inner diameter of said ring shape is smaller than the diameter of the circular portion 160, or in other words, the cross-section of the ring surface of the second plate 152 covers the surfaces of the flow passages 170 projected thereto in the axial direction so that the gas guided through the flow passages 170 is deflected by the annular portion of the second plate 152 in the direction of the central longitudinal axis A of the gas generator 10. Subsequently, the gas arrives in the chamber section 77 so that it can flow there through the filter chamber openings 73 to the outside.

[0127] FIG. 8 illustrates a portion of a gas generator 10 which is comparable as to its basic structure to the gas generator 10 of FIG. 2a. Hereinafter, merely the substantial differences regarding the filter chamber 70 will be described in detail.

[0128] In FIG. 8, too, a filter chamber 70 having two sleeves 50 and 90 positioned inside each other and arranged substantially concentrically is shown. However, in this case the guiding sleeve 50 is formed with the combustion chamber bottom 35 as a joint one-piece component. Equally, also the second sleeve 90 is formed with the baffle plate 80 as a joint one-piece component. In other words, here the combustion chamber bottom 35 which is substantially a disk having a central through-opening, viz. the combustion chamber outlet 36, merges integrally into the guiding sleeve 50 which can be understood to be a hollow-cylindrical axial extension of the combustion chamber outlet 36. The combustion chamber bottom 35 thus is so-to-speak melted with the guiding sleeve 50 and, in this way, a new one-piece component combustion chamber bottom 35 plus guiding sleeve 50 is formed. Here, too, the combustion chamber outlet 36 can be closed by a tamping 175 in the idle state of the gas generator 10.

[0129] Analogously to that, FIG. 8 also shows that equally the baffle plate 80 may merge integrally into the second sleeve 90, with a cup-shaped new one-piece component being formed which is to be understood as baffle plate 80 plus second sleeve 90. In this case, too, analogously to FIG. 2a, a recess 83 serving as slag trap for depositing particles from the gas flow upon activation of the gas generator 10 may be configured in the baffle plate 80.

[0130] The afore-described respective one-piece design of combustion chamber bottom 35 plus guiding sleeve 50 and baffle plate 80 plus second sleeve 90 help to save, as evident from FIG. 8, a total maximum of two single components, as compared to the design of FIG. 2a.

[0131] Of course, it is also imaginable that only one of said two described one-piece components of FIG. 8 is realized. In such case, only the combustion chamber bottom 35 plus guiding sleeve 50 or the baffle plate 80 plus second sleeve 90 is thus provided as a one-piece component, wherein the respective other components are configured as respective single components, analogously to FIG. 2a.

[0132] In FIG. 8, the path of the gas flow and the deflection thereof are inserted by way of example equally in the form of lines with arrows and basically correspond to the path of the gas flow as shown in FIG. 2a. However, the following noteworthy difference and, resp., a special feature is resulting here.

[0133] As is evident from FIG. 8, the combustion chamber-side end 91 of the second sleeve 90 does not contact the combustion chamber bottom 35 or the guiding sleeve 50 and, resp., does not abut on said components. It is rather evident that a clear distance of the combustion chamber-side end 91 of the second sleeve 90 is given in the axial direction from the combustion chamber bottom 35 and in the radial direction from the guiding sleeve 50. Thus, also in this case a gas flow around the combustion chamber-side end 91 of the second sleeve 90 is possible by the gas flow, when provided already in the first discharge chamber 75, against the inflow direction S.sub.E, being guided into a deflecting zone in the area of the combustion chamber-side end 91 of the second sleeve 90 and being deflected there substantially about 180 into the second discharge chamber.

[0134] Accordingly, in a constructional design as shown in FIG. 8, the illustrated sleeve opening 93 in the second sleeve 90 may be optional. In other words, the gas flow need not absolutely extend additionally through a sleeve opening 93, but may extend, in the case of absent sleeve openings, merely around the combustion chamber-side end 91 of the second sleeve 90, as afore-described.

[0135] Concerning FIGS. 3 to 8, it is further noted that there also a combustion chamber screen 60 in the form of a cone or a hollow frustum having plural combustion chamber screen holes in the axial and radial directions may be provided inside the combustion chamber 30, especially at a position as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, viz. in direct vicinity of the combustion chamber bottom 35.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0136] 10 gas generator
11 outer casing
15 inner face
20 ignition unit
21 igniter
30 combustion chamber
31 solid propellant bed
32 ignition mixture
33 first section of combustion chamber
34 second section of combustion chamber
35 combustion chamber bottom
36 combustion chamber outlet/opening
37 sleeve nozzle
40 filler element
41 spring
42, 43 front-side terminal element
50 guiding sleeve
51 combustion chamber-side end
52 fastening flange
53 second end
54 annular portion
55 guiding sleeve opening
56 axial recess
57 central portion
58 bulge
59 bulge wall
60 combustion chamber screen
61 combustion chamber screen holes
65 oblong hole
66 anti-twist protection element
70 filter chamber
71 filter chamber outer casing
72 inner face
73 filter chamber opening
75 first discharge chamber
76 second discharge chamber
77 chamber section
80 baffle plate
81 bottom element
82 cup-shaped front element
83 recess
84 wall
90 second sleeve
91 combustion chamber-side end
92 front face
93 sleeve opening
94 ring portion
95 sleeve wall
96 undercut
100 helical swirl vane
101 surface of swirl vane
150 plate labyrinth filter system
151 first plate
152 second plate
160 circular portion
165 circular segment portion
170 flow passage
175 tamping
180 filter
L axial longitudinal direction of gas generator
A central longitudinal axis of gas generator
M center
S.sub.E inflow direction
T tangential gas flow