U.S. patent application number 12/411762 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-05 for detonator cartridge and methods of use.
Invention is credited to James D. Lucas, Christopher A. McKellips, Christopher J. Nance.
Application Number | 20120000387 12/411762 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45398715 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120000387 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nance; Christopher J. ; et
al. |
January 5, 2012 |
DETONATOR CARTRIDGE AND METHODS OF USE
Abstract
An energetic material initiation device having a receiver
assembly and an initiator assembly that includes an electronic
initiator and a pellet assembly with an energetic material. The
receiver assembly is configured to be coupled to a firing circuit.
When the firing circuit is to be armed, the initiator assembly can
be pressed into a socket in the receiver assembly to electrically
couple the receiver assembly and the initiator assembly. A method
for mounting an energetic material initiation device to a firing
circuit is also provided.
Inventors: |
Nance; Christopher J.;
(Middletown, CA) ; McKellips; Christopher A.;
(Albertville, MN) ; Lucas; James D.; (Chanhassen,
MN) |
Family ID: |
45398715 |
Appl. No.: |
12/411762 |
Filed: |
March 26, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61040235 |
Mar 28, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
102/202.9 ;
29/834 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42B 3/103 20130101;
H05K 2201/0979 20130101; F42B 3/195 20130101; F42C 19/0815
20130101; F42B 3/18 20130101; H05K 2201/09781 20130101; H05K
2201/10325 20130101; Y10T 29/49133 20150115; Y02P 70/50 20151101;
H05K 1/181 20130101; Y02P 70/611 20151101 |
Class at
Publication: |
102/202.9 ;
29/834 |
International
Class: |
F42B 3/103 20060101
F42B003/103; H05K 3/34 20060101 H05K003/34 |
Claims
1. A method for mounting an energetic material initiation device to
a firing circuit, the firing circuit including a circuit board, the
method comprising: providing a receiver assembly with a receiver,
and a plurality of receiver terminals, the receiver including a
base and an upstanding wall member, the base and the upstanding
wall member cooperating to form a socket, the upstanding wall
member defining a first insertion guide and a first locking member,
the receiver terminals extending through at least one of the base
and the upstanding wall member; providing an initiator assembly
with an initiator housing, an electronic initiator, a pellet
assembly and a plurality of initiator terminals, the initiator
housing defining a recess into which the pellet assembly is
received, the initiator housing including a second insertion guide
and a second locking member, the electronic initiator being at
least partially encapsulated into the initiator housing, the
initiator terminals being electrically coupled to the electronic
initiator and extending through the initiator housing, the pellet
assembly including an energetic material; electrically coupling the
receiver terminals to corresponding arming terminals on the circuit
board when the pellet assembly is not disposed in the socket;
aligning the initiator assembly to the socket such that the first
and second insertion guides are engaged to one another; and
electrically coupling the electronic initiator to the arming
terminals solely by pushing the initiator assembly into the socket
such that the first and second locking members are lockingly
engaged to one another and the initiator terminals are electrically
engaged to the receiver terminals.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiator assembly is
precisely aligned to the receiver assembly in a radial direction
when the initiator assembly is pushed into the socket.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the first and second
insertion guides includes a groove having sidewalls, at least a
portion of the sidewalls tapering inwardly toward one another.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the other one of the first and
second insertion guides includes a rib with lateral sides, and
wherein at least a portion of the lateral sides are inwardly
tapered to match the inwardly tapered portion of the sidewalls of
the groove.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver further comprises a
locating element and prior to electrically coupling the receiver
terminals to the corresponding arming terminals the method
comprises engaging the locating element to a mating locating
element on the circuit board to precisely locate the receiver
assembly on the circuit board.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein one of the locating element and
the mating element includes a stem and the other one of the
locating element and the mating element includes an aperture into
which the stem is received.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein electrically coupling the
receiver terminals to the corresponding arming terminals comprises
soldering an end of the receiver terminals that is located outside
the socket to the corresponding arming terminals.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiator assembly further
comprises a cover member that is directly coupled to the initiator
housing.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the cover member is crimped to a
flange that extends about the initiator housing.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiver terminals bias the
initiator assembly in a direction outwardly from the receiver
housing.
11. An energetic material initiation device comprising: a receiver
assembly with a receiver and a plurality of receiver terminals, the
receiver including a base and an upstanding wall member, the base
and the upstanding wall member cooperating to form a socket, the
upstanding wall member defining a first insertion guide and a first
locking member, the receiver terminals extending through at least
one of the base and the upstanding wall member; and an initiator
assembly received in the socket, the initiator assembly including
an initiator housing, an electronic initiator, a pellet assembly
and a plurality of initiator terminals, the initiator housing
defining a recess into which the pellet assembly is received, the
initiator housing including a second insertion guide and a second
locking member, the electronic initiator being at least partially
encapsulated into the initiator housing, the initiator terminals
being electrically coupled to the electronic initiator and
extending through the initiator housing, the pellet assembly
including an energetic material; wherein the first and second
insertion guides are engaged to one another to align the initiator
assembly to the socket; wherein the first and second locking
members engage one another to inhibit the initiator assembly from
being withdrawn from the socket; and wherein the receiver terminals
resiliently engage the initiator terminals to electrically couple
the electronic initiator and the receiver terminals.
12. The energetic material initiation device of claim 11, wherein
one of the first and second locking members includes an outer
longitudinal wall and a first abutting wall, the outer longitudinal
wall extending in a direction that is parallel to a central axis of
the socket and tapering inwardly toward the central axis, the
abutting wall extending in a direction that is generally
perpendicular to the central axis of the socket, and wherein the
other one of the first and second locking members includes a second
abutting wall that abuts the first abutting wall when the first and
second locking members are engaged to one another.
13. The energetic material initiation device of claim 11, wherein
the first and second insertion guides precisely align the initiator
assembly to the receiver assembly when the initiator assembly is
pushed into the socket.
14. The energetic material initiation device of claim 13, wherein
one of the first and second insertion guides includes a groove
having sidewalls, at least a portion of the sidewalls tapering
inwardly toward one another.
15. The energetic material initiation device of claim 14, wherein
the other one of the first and second insertion guides includes a
rib with lateral sides, and wherein at least a portion of the
lateral sides are inwardly tapered to match the inwardly tapered
portion of the sidewalls of the groove.
16. The energetic material initiation device of claim 11, wherein
the receiver further comprises a locating element that is adapted
to cooperate with a mating locating element on a circuit board
associated with a firing circuit to radially locate the receiver
assembly relative to the circuit board.
17. The energetic material initiation device of claim 16, wherein
the locating element is a stem that extends from the base of the
receiver.
18. The energetic material initiation device of claim 11, wherein
the initiator assembly further comprises a cover member that is
directly coupled to the initiator housing.
19. The energetic material initiation device of claim 18, wherein
the cover member is crimped to a flange that extends about the
initiator housing.
20. A method for mounting an energetic material initiation device
to a firing circuit, the firing circuit including a circuit board,
the method comprising: providing a receiver assembly with a
receiver, and a plurality of receiver terminals, the receiver
including a base and an upstanding wall member, the base and the
upstanding wall member cooperating to form a socket, the upstanding
wall member defining a first insertion guide and a first locking
member, the receiver terminals extending through at least one of
the base and the upstanding wall member; engaging a locating
element on the receiver to a mating locating element on the circuit
board to precisely locate the receiver assembly on the circuit
board, the locating element including a stem that is coupled to the
base of the receiver and the mating locating element comprising an
aperture that is formed in the circuit board; providing an
initiator assembly with an initiator housing, an electronic
initiator, a pellet assembly, a cover and a plurality of initiator
terminals, the initiator housing defining a recess into which the
pellet assembly is received, the initiator housing including a
second insertion guide and a second locking member, the electronic
initiator being at least partially encapsulated into the initiator
housing, the cover being crimped to a flange that extends about the
initiator housing to thereby directly couple the cover and the
initiator housing, the initiator terminals being electrically
coupled to the electronic initiator and extending through the
initiator housing, the pellet assembly including an energetic
material; soldering an end of the receiver terminals that is
located outside the socket to the corresponding arming terminals to
electrically couple the receiver terminals to corresponding arming
terminals on the circuit board when the pellet assembly is not
disposed in the socket; aligning the initiator assembly to the
socket such that the first and second insertion guides are engaged
to one another; and electrically coupling the electronic initiator
to the arming terminals solely by pushing the initiator assembly
into the socket such that the first and second locking members are
lockingly engaged to one another and the initiator terminals are
electrically engaged to the receiver terminals; wherein one of the
first and second insertion guides includes a groove having
sidewalls, at least a portion of the sidewalls tapering inwardly
toward one another, wherein the other one of the first and second
insertion guides includes a rib with lateral sides, and wherein at
least a portion of the lateral sides are inwardly tapered to match
the inwardly tapered portion of the sidewalls of the groove and
wherein the initiator assembly is precisely aligned to the receiver
assembly in a radial direction when the initiator assembly is
pushed into the socket; and wherein the receiver terminals bias the
initiator assembly in a direction outwardly from the receiver
housing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 61/040,235 filed Mar. 28, 2008 and entitled
"Detonator Cartridge", the disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference as if set forth herein in its
entirety.
INTRODUCTION
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to an energetic
material initiation device and, more particularly, to a modular
energetic material initiation device having an initiator assembly
that can be moved into a receiver that is electrically coupled to a
firing circuit to mechanically and electrically couple the
initiator assembly to the firing circuit.
[0003] The invention of various energetic materials, such as
secondary explosives, and improved electronic initiators, such as
exploding foil initiators, has greatly improved the reliability and
safety of devices that employ an energetic material initiation
device. Such energetic material initiation devices typically employ
a firing circuit for generating or transmitting an electrical input
to an electronic initiator to initiate a detonation event in a
charge of a secondary explosive. For purposes of this discussion
and the appended claims, the firing circuit is considered to be
armed when an electronic initiator and a charge of an energetic
material are coupled to the firing circuit. Despite these advance,
additional safety measures and precautions are typically employed
once a firing circuit has been armed.
[0004] Conventional energetic material initiation devices typically
employ a common housing for holding both the electronic initiator
and the energetic material. As the terminals of the electronic
initiator are typically soldered to the firing circuit, the firing
circuit usually had to be armed at a relatively early stage in the
assembly of the device that employed the energetic material
initiation device.
[0005] We have noted, however, that it would be desirable to arm a
firing circuit as one of the last steps in the fabrication of a
device that employs an energetic material initiation device.
SUMMARY
[0006] In one form the present teachings provide a method for
mounting an energetic material initiation device to a firing
circuit with a circuit board. The method includes: providing a
receiver assembly with a receiver, and a plurality of receiver
terminals, the receiver including a base and an upstanding wall
member, the base and the upstanding wall member cooperating to form
a socket, the upstanding wall member defining a first insertion
guide and a first locking member, the receiver terminals extending
through at least one of the base and the upstanding wall member;
providing an initiator assembly with an initiator housing, an
electronic initiator, a pellet assembly and a plurality of
initiator terminals, the initiator housing defining a recess into
which the pellet assembly is received, the initiator housing
including a second insertion guide and a second locking member, the
electronic initiator being at least partially encapsulated into the
initiator housing, the initiator terminals being electrically
coupled to the electronic initiator and extending through the
initiator housing, the pellet assembly including an energetic
material; electrically coupling the receiver terminals to
corresponding arming terminals on the circuit board when the pellet
assembly is not disposed in the socket; aligning the initiator
assembly to the socket such that the first and second insertion
guides are engaged to one another; and electrically coupling the
electronic initiator to the arming terminals solely by pushing the
initiator assembly into the socket such that the first and second
locking members are lockingly engaged to one another and the
initiator terminals are electrically engaged to the receiver
terminals.
[0007] In another form, the present teachings provide an energetic
material initiation device that includes a receiver assembly and an
initiator assembly. The receiver assembly includes a receiver and a
plurality of receiver terminals. The receiver includes a base and
an upstanding wall member that cooperate to form a socket. The
upstanding wall member defines a first insertion guide and a first
locking member. The receiver terminals extend through at least one
of the base and the upstanding wall member. The initiator assembly
is received in the socket and includes an initiator housing, an
electronic initiator, a pellet assembly and a plurality of
initiator terminals. The initiator housing defines a recess into
which the pellet assembly is received. The initiator housing
includes a second insertion guide and a second locking member. The
electronic initiator is at least partially encapsulated into the
initiator housing. The initiator terminals are electrically coupled
to the electronic initiator and extend through the initiator
housing. The pellet assembly includes an energetic material. The
first and second insertion guides are engaged to one another to
align the initiator assembly to the socket. The first and second
locking members engage one another to inhibit the initiator
assembly from being withdrawn from the socket. The receiver
terminals resiliently engage the initiator terminals to
electrically couple the electronic initiator and the receiver
terminals.
[0008] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the
description provided herein. It should be understood that the
description and specific examples are intended for purposes of
illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the
present disclosure, its application and/or uses in any way.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes
only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present
disclosure in any way. Similar or identical elements are given
consistent identifying numerals throughout the various figures.
[0010] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an energetic
material initiation device constructed in accordance with the
teachings of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the energetic
material initiation device of FIG. 1 illustrating the receiver
assembly in more detail;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the receiver assembly;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a section view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG.
3;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a section view taken along the line 5-5 of FIG.
3;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the receiver assembly;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a section view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG.
6;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a section view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG.
6;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a section view taken along the line 9-9 of FIG.
6;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of the energetic
material initiation device of FIG. 1 illustrating the initiator
assembly in more detail;
[0020] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the initiator assembly;
[0021] FIG. 12 is a sectional view of the initiator assembly;
[0022] FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the
initiator assembly illustrating the electronic initiator, the
barrel, the initiator terminals and the pellet in more detail;
[0023] FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the energetic material
initiation device of FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 15 is a section view taken along the line 15-15 of FIG.
14;
[0025] FIG. 16 is a section view taken along the line 16-16 of FIG.
14;
[0026] FIG. 17 is a section view taken along the line 17-17 of FIG.
14;
[0027] FIG. 18 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 17;
[0028] FIG. 19 is a section view taken along the line 19-19 of FIG.
14;
[0029] FIG. 20 is a section view taken along the line 20-20 of FIG.
14;
[0030] FIG. 21 is an enlarged portion of FIG. 20;
[0031] FIG. 22 is an exploded perspective view of the receiver
assembly and a firing circuit;
[0032] FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the energetic material
initiation device of FIG. 1 as coupled to a firing circuit; and
[0033] FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a plurality of different
initiator assemblies as exploded from an assembly that comprises
the receiver assembly and a firing circuit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS
[0034] With reference to FIG. 1 of the drawings, an energetic
material initiation device is generally indicated by reference
numeral 10. The energetic material initiation device 10 can include
a receiver assembly 12 and an initiator assembly 14.
[0035] With reference to FIGS. 2 through 6, the receiver assembly
12 can include a housing or receiver 20, a plurality of receiver
terminals 22 and a plurality of anchoring terminals 24. The
receiver 20 can be formed of a suitable material, such as liquid
crystal polymer (LCP) plastic and can include a base 30 and an
upstanding wall member 32 that can cooperate to form a socket 34. A
first locating element 36 can be coupled to the base 30 on a side
opposite the socket 34. The first locating element 36 can include a
plurality of male locating members, such as a stem that can have a
cylindrical body 38 and a spherical end 40. Alternatively, the
first locating element 36 could comprise one or more apertures that
could be formed into the base 30 on a side opposite the socket 34.
The socket 34 can be shaped in any desired manner but in the
particular example provided is generally cylindrical. The
upstanding wall member 32 can define a first insertion guide 42 and
a first locking member 44.
[0036] With reference to FIGS. 3, 7 and 9, the first insertion
guide 42 can include one or more grooves 50 that can extend
generally parallel to a central axis 52 of the socket 34. In the
example provided, the first insertion guide 42 includes a pair of
grooves 50 that are disposed 180 degrees apart from one another
such that each of the grooves 50 is disposed between one of the
receiver terminals 22 and one of the anchoring terminals 24. Each
groove 50 can include a pair of opposite sidewalls 54. At least a
portion 56 of one of the sidewalls 54 can taper inwardly toward one
the other one of the sidewalls 54 as the sidewalls 54 approach the
base 30 of the receiver 20. In the example provided, both of the
sidewalls 54 of each groove 50 include a portion 56 that tapers
inwardly toward the other one of the sidewalls 54 as the sidewalls
54 approach the base 30 of the receiver 20.
[0037] With reference to FIGS. 3, 5, 7 and 8, the first locking
member 44 can include one or more abutting walls 60 that can extend
about a portion of the perimeter of the socket 34. In the
particular example provided, a pair of abutting walls 60 is
employed and each of the abutting walls 60 is formed by a cavity 62
that extends through the base 30 and the upstanding wall member 32
of the receiver 20. The abutting walls 60 can be disposed generally
perpendicular to the central axis 52 of the socket 34.
[0038] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 through 6, the receiver
terminals 22 can be formed of a suitable material, such as
beryllium copper plated with nickel and gold, and can extend
through the receiver 20 (i.e., through the base 30 and/or the
upstanding wall member 32). Each of the receiver terminals 22 can
include a first end 70, a second, opposite end 72 and an
intermediate portion 74 between the first and second ends 70 and
72. The first end 70 can be disposed outside the receiver 20 and
can be configured to be electrically coupled to a corresponding
arming terminal 504 (FIG. 22) of a firing circuit 500 (FIG. 22). In
the example provided, the first end 70 includes a pair of
spaced-apart members 76 that provide both a redundant electrical
path between the arming terminal 504 (FIG. 22) and the intermediate
portion 74 of the receiver terminal 22 as well as a relatively
large surface area that can aid in securely mounting the receiver
assembly 12 to the firing circuit 500 (FIG. 22). The second end 72
can be disposed inside the socket 34 and can include a pair of
spaced-apart members 78 that can have a generally convex upper
contact surface 80. The intermediate portion 74 can be encapsulated
into the material that forms the receiver 20 and can resiliently
bias the second end 72 in a direction outwardly away from the base
30.
[0039] The anchoring terminals 24 can be formed of the same
material as the receiver terminals 22, or could be formed from a
different material. The anchoring terminals 24 include an outer end
84 that can extend outwardly from the receiver 20 and an inward end
86 that can be molded into the material that forms the receiver 20.
In the particular example provided, the anchoring terminals 24 are
formed in a flattened "Z" shape and include an anchoring aperture
88 in their inward ends 86. The inward ends 86 can be molded into
the base 30 of the receiver 20 (i.e., the inward ends 86 can be
encapsulated into the material that forms the base 30 of the
receiver 20) such that the material that forms the receiver 20 is
disposed through the anchoring apertures 88. The outer ends 84 of
the anchoring terminals 24 can be coupled to the firing circuit 500
(FIG. 22) to further secure the receiver assembly 12 to the firing
circuit 500 (FIG. 22). Suitable means for coupling the anchoring
terminals 24 to the firing circuit 500 can include soldering,
brazing, welding, mechanical fastening (e.g., threaded fasteners,
clamps) and adhesives.
[0040] Those of skill in the art will appreciate from this
disclosure that the receiver 20 can be injection molded onto the
receiver terminals 22 and the anchoring terminals 24 so that the
receiver terminals 22 and the anchoring terminals 24 are partially
encapsulated in the receiver 20. The particular configuration of
the receiver 20 illustrated can be formed with an injection mold
having first and second mold tools that do not employ movable
tooling elements within the first and second mold tools. In this
regard, the first mold tool (not shown) can be equipped with a
first set of posts (not shown), which can be employed to form the
cavities 62 and the abutting walls 60 of the first locking member
44, and a second set of posts (not shown), which can be employed to
support the portion of the receiver terminals 22 that is disposed
within the socket 34, while the second mold tool (not shown) can be
equipped with a third set of posts (not shown), which can be
employed to form the grooves 50 of the first insertion guide 42. It
will be appreciated that the second set of posts will define a pair
of apertures 90 that extend through the base 30.
[0041] With reference to FIGS. 10 through 12, the initiator
assembly 14 can include an initiator housing 100, an electronic
initiator 102, a pellet assembly 104, a cover member 106 and a
plurality of initiator terminals 108.
[0042] The initiator housing 100 can be unitarily formed from a
suitable material, such as polycarbonate, and can include an
initiator base 110 and an initiator sidewall 112 that can cooperate
to define a recess 114 into which the pellet assembly 104 can be
received. The initiator sidewall 112 can define a flange 116 that
can extend about a perimeter of the initiator housing 100 on a side
opposite the initiator base 110. A tooling aperture 118 can be
formed in the initiator base 110 on a side opposite the recess 114
as a result of the use of a backstop or positioning guide for
positioning the electronic initiator 102 in the mold (not shown)
that is employed to form the initiator housing 100 and partially
(or fully) encapsulate the electronic initiator 102. The initiator
sidewall 112 can also define a second insertion guide 120 and a
second locking member 122. The second insertion guide 120 can
include one or more longitudinally extending ribs 130 that can have
lateral sides 132 that are configured to engage the sidewalls 54
(FIG. 9) of the grooves 50 (FIG. 9). Each of the lateral sides 132
of the ribs 130 can be inwardly tapered to match the inwardly
tapered portion 56 (FIG. 9) of the sidewalls 54 (FIG. 9) of the
grooves 50 (FIG. 9). The second locking member 122 can include one
or more projections 136 that are configured to engage the first
locking member 44 (FIG. 7). Each of the projections 136 can include
an outer longitudinally extending wall 138 and an abutting wall
140. The outer longitudinally extending wall 138 can extend in a
direction that is generally parallel to a central axis 144 of the
initiator assembly 14 and can taper inwardly with decreasing
distance from the initiator base 110. The abutting wall 140 can
intersect the outer longitudinally extending wall 138 and can
extend in a direction that is generally perpendicular to the
central axis 144 of the initiator assembly 14.
[0043] The pellet assembly 104 can include a pellet 170 that can be
formed of a suitable energetic material, such as a fine particle
size secondary explosive. Examples of suitable energetic materials
include RSI-007, which may be obtained from Reynolds Systems, Inc.
of Middletown, Calif., HNS-IV (hexanitrostilbene), PETN
(pentaerithrytol tetranitrate) and NONA (nonanitroterphenyl).
Optionally, the pellet assembly 104 can include multiple pellets
and/or various structural and/or reactable elements. A pellet
assembly having multiple pellets and a structural sleeve is
described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/829,970
entitled "Plastic Encapsulated Energetic Material Initiation
Device", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by
reference as if fully set forth in detail herein, while a pellet
assembly having two pellets, a structural sleeve and a reactable
member is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,122, the disclosure of
which is hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in detail
herein.
[0044] The cover member 106 can be abutted against the initiator
housing 100 and crimped to the flange 116 or otherwise sealingly
engaged to the initiator housing 100 to retain and protect the
pellet assembly 104.
[0045] With reference to FIG. 13, the electronic initiator 102 can
be any appropriate type of initiator, such as an exploding bridge
wire initiator, a squib, a semi-conductor bridge device, or a thin
film bridge initiator. In the particular example provided, the
electronic initiator 102 is an exploding foil initiator and can
include a substrate 200, a bridge 202 and a flyer 204. The
substrate 200 can be formed of a ceramic material and can serve as
a structural base upon which the bridge 202 and the flyer 204 can
be disposed. The bridge 202 can be disposed between the substrate
200 and the flyer 204 and can include with first and second
contacts 206 and 208, respectively. A material that is employed to
form the flyer 204 can be disposed in a layer 210 over a portion of
the bridge 202 and the substrate 200. The exploding foil initiator
can include a barrel 218 that can be mounted to the remainder of
the exploding foil initiator. As those of skill in the art will
appreciate, the barrel 218 can be formed by a discrete layer of
material that can be coupled or bonded to a layer of material that
is employed to form the flyer 204. The barrel includes a hole 220
through which the flyer 204 is propelled upon activation of the
exploding foil initiator. In the example provided, however, the
barrel 218 is integrally formed with the initiator base 110 when
the electronic initiator 102 is molded into the initiator housing
100. During operation of the electronic initiator 102, electric
current is passed through the bridge 202 to cause the conductive
material that forms the bridge 202 to vaporize. Vaporization of the
bridge creates sufficient pressure to cause the flyer 204 to be
sheared from the material layer 210 and to propel the flyer 204
through the hole 220 of the barrel 218 so that it can impact the
pellet assembly 104. The shock wave created by the impact of the
flyer 204 against the pellet assembly 104 can generate a detonation
event in the pellet 170.
[0046] With reference to FIGS. 10 through 13, the initiator
terminals 108 can be formed of a suitable material, such as a
nickel-cobalt ferrous alloy (e.g., KOVAR.RTM.) that can be plated
with nickel and gold. A first end 180 of the initiator terminals
108 can be electrically coupled (e.g., soldered) to the terminals
of the electronic initiator 102 (e.g., to the first and second
contacts 206 and 208), while a second end 182 of the initiator
terminals 108 can extend through the initiator housing 100. In the
particular example provided, the initiator terminals 108 are molded
into the initiator housing 100 and include a plurality of anchoring
apertures 184 through which the material that forms the initiator
housing 100 can flow to thereby further lock the initiator
terminals 108 within the initiator housing 100. The second end 182
of the initiator terminals 108 can be bent to wrap around a side of
the initiator housing 100 opposite the initiator sidewall 112 after
the formation of the initiator housing 100 and simultaneous partial
encapsulation of the initiator terminals 108.
[0047] With reference to FIGS. 14 through 23, the mounting of the
energetic material initiation device 10 to a firing circuit 500
will be described. The firing circuit 500 can include a circuit
board 502 with a plurality of arming terminals 504 that can be
selectively coupled to a source of electric power (not specifically
shown). The receiver assembly 12 can be positioned relative to the
circuit board 502 such that the first locating element 36 is
aligned to and engages a second locating element 510 on the circuit
board 502. In the example provided, the second locating element 510
includes a plurality of holes 512 that are formed in the circuit
board 502; the holes 512 are sized to receive the cylindrical
bodies 38 to thereby precisely locate the receiver assembly 12
relative to the circuit board 502. The receiver terminals 22 can be
electrically coupled (e.g., soldered) to the arming terminals 504
while the socket 34 is empty. The anchoring terminals 24 can also
be coupled to the circuit board 502 in a desired manner, such as
through an adhesive or by soldering the anchoring terminals 24 to
unused contacts 516 on the circuit board 502. The assembly process
may halt at this point and the assembly that comprises the firing
circuit 500 and the receiver 20 may be stored for future use or
incorporated into another device as desired.
[0048] When arming of the firing circuit 500 is desired, the
initiator assembly 14 can be aligned to the socket 34 such that the
first and second insertion guides 42 and 120 are engaged to one
another (i.e., in the example provided, the ribs 130 can be aligned
between the sidewalls 54 of the grooves 50) and the initiator
assembly 14 can be pushed into the socket 34. The mating
configuration of the groove 50 and the ribs 130 can precisely guide
the initiator assembly 14 in a radial direction as the initiator
assembly 14 moves toward the base 30 of the receiver 20. The outer
longitudinally extending walls 138 of the projections 136 can
engage against the interior surface 300 of the upstanding wall
member 32 of the receiver 20 and can urge the upstanding wall
member 32 to deflect outwardly to permit the abutting wall 140 to
pass beyond the abutting walls 60 and align within the cavities 62.
At this point the projections 136 cease to urge the upstanding wall
member 32 in an outward direction and the upstanding wall member 32
can spring inwardly such that the abutting walls 60 of the first
locking member 44 are disposed in-line with the abutting walls 140
of the second locking member 122. The second ends 72 of the
receiver terminals 22 can contact the second ends 182 of the
initiator terminals 108 and moreover, the receiver terminals 22 can
bias the initiator assembly 34 in a direction outwardly from the
socket 34. The abutting walls 60 of the first locking member 44 and
the abutting walls 140 of the second locking member 122 can contact
one another to limit outward movement of the initiator assembly 14
relative to the receiver assembly 12. From the foregoing, it will
be appreciated that the electronic initiator 102 can be
electrically coupled to the receiver terminals 22 (and the arming
terminals 504) solely by pushing the initiator assembly 14 into the
socket 34 such that the first and second locking members 44 and 122
lockingly engage one another.
[0049] While the first and second locking members 44 and 122 have
been illustrated and described as being permanently engaged to one
another, it will be appreciated that the first and second locking
members 44 and 122 could be configured to be releasably engaged to
one another so that the initiator assembly 14 can be removed from
the receiver assembly 12 if desired. For example, the first and
second locking members 44 and 122 could be configured to disengage
one another in response to application of a pull-out force of a
predetermined magnitude to the initiator assembly 14 or through a
combination of twisting and pulling. Moreover, while the first and
second locking members 44 and 122 have been illustrated and
described as locking solely in response to axial movement of the
initiator assembly 14 into the socket 34 of the receiver assembly
12, it will be appreciated that the first and second locking
members 44 and 122 could additionally or alternatively employ other
types of relative movement between the initiator assembly 14 and
the receiver assembly 12 and/or between components of the first and
second locking members 44 and 122 to lockingly engage the initiator
assembly 14 and the receiver assembly 12 to one another. For
example, the first and second locking members 44 and 122 could
comprise mating male and female threads or a helical track that is
engaged by a follower. Moreover, rotational movement of the
initiator assembly 14 relative to the receiver assembly 12 by a
predetermined amount may be employed to verify that the initiator
assembly 14 has been fully seated into the receiver assembly 12. It
will also be appreciated from this disclosure that one or both of
the first and second locking members 44 and 122 could comprise two
or more discrete elements. For example, the first locking member 44
could include a hole (not shown) formed transversely through the
receiver 20 and a pin (not shown), while the second locking member
122 could include a hole (not shown) in the initiator housing 100
that is aligned to the hole in the receiver 20; the pin can be
received through the hole in the receiver 20 and the hole in the
initiator housing 100 to thereby lock the receiver 20 and the
initiator housing 100 to one another.
[0050] With reference to FIG. 24, it will be appreciated that
quantities of an assembly comprising the firing circuit 500 and the
receiver assembly 12 can be pre-assembled (only one such assembly
is shown) and that quantities of various types of initiator
assemblies 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d can be pre-assembled. In the
example provided, each of the initiator assemblies 14a, 14b, 14c
and 14d is configured differently. For example, one or more of the
initiator assemblies 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d can employ a different
electronic initiator and/or can be configured to provide a
different output. Where different electronic initiators are
employed, it will be appreciated from this disclosure that the
electronic initiators may be of different types, such as exploding
foil initiator and exploding bridge wire initiators, or could be
the same type of initiator, such as an exploding foil initiator,
but configured to be triggered in a different manner (e.g., with a
different voltage or switch configuration). Where different outputs
are employed, it will be appreciated from this disclosure that the
difference in output could be one of magnitude only, but also could
be different in terms of the speed of the reaction that generates
the output (e.g., one type of output could be the products of a
detonation event, while another type of output could be the
products of a combustion event). Accordingly, one may arm a given
one of the assemblies (i.e., an assembly comprising the firing
circuit 500 and the receiver assembly 12) by first selecting one of
the several initiator assemblies 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d and
inserting the selected one of the initiator assemblies 14a, 14b,
14c and 14d into the socket 34 of the receiver assembly 12 of the
given one of the assemblies.
[0051] It will be appreciated that the above description is merely
exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present
disclosure, its application or uses. While specific examples have
been described in the specification and illustrated in the
drawings, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the
art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope
of the present disclosure as defined in the claims. Furthermore,
the mixing and matching of features, elements and/or functions
between various examples is expressly contemplated herein so that
one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this
disclosure that features, elements and/or functions of one example
may be incorporated into another example as appropriate, unless
described otherwise, above. Moreover, many modifications may be
made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings
of the present disclosure without departing from the essential
scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present
disclosure not be limited to the particular examples illustrated by
the drawings and described in the specification as the best mode
presently contemplated for carrying out the teachings of the
present disclosure, but that the scope of the present disclosure
will include any embodiments falling within the foregoing
description and the appended claims.
* * * * *