U.S. patent application number 14/029702 was filed with the patent office on 2014-01-23 for compact and low-volume mechanical igniter and ignition systems for thermal batteries and the like.
This patent application is currently assigned to Omnitek Partners LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Richard T. Murray, Jahangir S. Rastegar. Invention is credited to Richard T. Murray, Jahangir S. Rastegar.
Application Number | 20140023901 14/029702 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43094150 |
Filed Date | 2014-01-23 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140023901 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rastegar; Jahangir S. ; et
al. |
January 23, 2014 |
Compact and Low-Volume Mechanical Igniter and Ignition Systems for
Thermal Batteries and the Like
Abstract
A thermal battery including: a housing having a first
compartment and a second compartment; a thermal battery housed in
the first compartment; and an inertial igniter housed in the second
compartment; where the first and second compartments are separated
by a rigid member.
Inventors: |
Rastegar; Jahangir S.;
(Stony Brook, NY) ; Murray; Richard T.;
(Patchogue, NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Rastegar; Jahangir S.
Murray; Richard T. |
Stony Brook
Patchogue |
NY
NY |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Omnitek Partners LLC
Ronkonkoma
NY
|
Family ID: |
43094150 |
Appl. No.: |
14/029702 |
Filed: |
September 17, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
12835709 |
Jul 13, 2010 |
8550001 |
|
|
14029702 |
|
|
|
|
61239048 |
Sep 1, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
429/96 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F42C 11/008 20130101;
F42C 15/24 20130101; H01M 6/38 20130101; H01M 6/36 20130101; F42C
1/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
429/96 |
International
Class: |
H01M 6/38 20060101
H01M006/38 |
Claims
1. A thermal battery comprising: a housing having a first
compartment and a second compartment; a thermal battery housed in
the first compartment; and an inertial igniter housed in the second
compartment; wherein the first and second compartments are
separated by a rigid member.
2. The thermal battery of claim 1, wherein the second compartment
is oriented on top of the first compartment in the direction of an
acceleration.
3. The thermal battery of claim 1, wherein the first compartment is
oriented on top of the second compartment in the direction of an
acceleration.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a Divisional Application of U.S.
application Ser. No. 12/835,709 filed on Jul. 13, 2010, which
claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/239,048
filed on Sep. 1, 2009, the entire contents of each of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to mechanical
igniters, and more particularly to compact, low-volume, reliable
and easy to manufacture mechanical igniters and ignition systems
for thermal batteries and the like.
[0004] 2. Prior Art
[0005] Thermal batteries represent a class of reserve batteries
that operate at high temperature. Unlike liquid reserve batteries,
in thermal batteries the electrolyte is already in the cells and
therefore does not require a distribution mechanism such as
spinning. The electrolyte is dry, solid and non-conductive, thereby
leaving the battery in a non-operational and inert condition. These
batteries incorporate pyrotechnic heat sources to melt the
electrolyte just prior to use in order to make them electrically
conductive and thereby making the battery active. The most common
internal pyrotechnic is a blend of Fe and KClO.sub.4. Thermal
batteries utilize a molten salt to serve as the electrolyte upon
activation. The electrolytes are usually mixtures of alkali-halide
salts and are used with the Li(Si)/FeS.sub.2 or Li(Si)/CoS.sub.2
couples. Some batteries also employ anodes of Li(Al) in place of
the Li(Si) anodes. Insulation and internal heat sinks are used to
maintain the electrolyte in its molten and conductive condition
during the time of use. Reserve batteries are inactive and inert
when manufactured and become active and begin to produce power only
when they are activated.
[0006] Thermal batteries have long been used in munitions and other
similar applications to provide a relatively large amount of power
during a relatively short period of time, mainly during the
munitions flight. Thermal batteries have high power density and can
provide a large amount of power as long as the electrolyte of the
thermal battery stays liquid, thereby conductive. The process of
manufacturing thermal batteries is highly labor intensive and
requires relatively expensive facilities. Fabrication usually
involves costly batch processes, including pressing electrodes and
electrolytes into rigid wafers, and assembling batteries by hand.
The batteries are encased in a hermetically-sealed metal container
that is usually cylindrical in shape. Thermal batteries, however,
have the advantage of very long shelf life of up to 20 years that
is required for munitions applications.
[0007] Thermal batteries generally use some type of igniter to
provide a controlled pyrotechnic reaction to produce output gas,
flame or hot particles to ignite the heating elements of the
thermal battery. There are currently two distinct classes of
igniters that are available for use in thermal batteries. The first
class of igniter operates based on electrical energy. Such
electrical igniters, however, require electrical energy, thereby
requiring an onboard battery or other power sources with related
shelf life and/or complexity and volume requirements to operate and
initiate the thermal battery. The second class of igniters,
commonly called "inertial igniters", operates based on the firing
acceleration. The inertial igniters do not require onboard
batteries for their operation and are thereby often used in high-G
munitions applications such as in gun-fired munitions and
mortars.
[0008] In general, the inertial igniters, particularly those that
are designed to operate at relatively low impact levels, have to be
provided with the means for distinguishing events such as
accidental drops or explosions in their vicinity from the firing
acceleration levels above which they are designed to be activated.
This means that safety in terms of prevention of accidental
ignition is one of the main concerns in inertial igniters.
[0009] In recent years, new improved chemistries and manufacturing
processes have been developed that promise the development of lower
cost and higher performance thermal batteries that could be
produced in various shapes and sizes, including their small and
miniaturized versions. However, the existing inertial igniters are
relatively large and not suitable for small and low power thermal
batteries, particularly those that are being developed for use in
miniaturized fuzing, future smart munitions, and other similar
applications.
[0010] The need to differentiate accidental and initiation
accelerations by the resulting impulse level of the event
necessitates the employment of a safety system which is capable of
allowing initiation of the igniter only during high total impulse
levels. The safety mechanism can be thought of as a mechanical
delay mechanism, after which a separate initiation system is
actuated or released to provide ignition of the pyrotechnics. An
inertial igniter that combines such a safety system with an impact
based initiation system and its alternative embodiments are
described herein together with alternative methods of initiation
pyrotechnics.
[0011] Inertia-based igniters must therefore comprise two
components so that together they provide the aforementioned
mechanical safety (delay mechanism) and to provide the required
striking action to achieve ignition of the pyrotechnic elements.
The function of the safety system is to fix the striker in position
until a specified acceleration time profile actuates the safety
system and releases the striker, allowing it to accelerate toward
its target under the influence of the remaining portion of the
specified acceleration time profile. The ignition itself may take
place as a result of striker impact, or simply contact or
proximity. For example, the striker may be akin to a firing pin and
the target akin to a standard percussion cap primer. Alternately,
the striker-target pair may bring together one or more chemical
compounds whose combination with or without impact will set off a
reaction resulting in the desired ignition.
[0012] In addition to having a required acceleration time profile
which will actuate the device, requirements also commonly exist for
non-actuation and survivability. For example, the design
requirements for actuation for one application are summarized
as:
[0013] 1. The device must fire when given a [square] pulse
acceleration of 900 G.+-.150 G for 15 ms in the setback
direction.
[0014] 2. The device must not fire when given a [square] pulse
acceleration of 2000 G for 0.5 ms in any direction.
[0015] 3. The device must not actuate when given a 1/2-sine pulse
acceleration of 490 G (peak) with a maximum duration of 4 ms.
[0016] 4. The device must be able to survive an acceleration of
16,000 G, and preferably be able to survive an acceleration of
50,000 G.
[0017] A schematic of a cross-section of a conventional thermal
battery and inertial igniter assembly is shown in FIG. 1. In
thermal battery applications, the inertial igniter 10 (as assembled
in a housing) is generally positioned above the thermal battery
housing 11 as shown in FIG. 1. Upon ignition, the igniter initiates
the thermal battery pyrotechnics positioned inside the thermal
battery through a provided access 12. The total volume that the
thermal battery assembly 16 occupies within munitions is determined
by the diameter 17 of the thermal battery housing 11 (assuming it
is cylindrical) and the total height 15 of the thermal battery
assembly 16. The height 14 of the thermal battery for a given
battery diameter 17 is generally determined by the amount of energy
that it has to produce over the required period of time. For a
given thermal battery height 14, the height 13 of the inertial
igniter 10 would therefore determine the total height 15 of the
thermal battery assembly 16. To reduce the total volume that the
thermal battery assembly 16 occupies within a munitions housing, it
is therefore important to reduce the height of the inertial igniter
10. This is particularly important for small thermal batteries
since in such cases the inertial igniter height with currently
available inertial igniters can be almost the same order of
magnitude as the thermal battery height.
[0018] With currently available inertial igniters, a schematic of
which is shown in FIG. 2, the inertial igniter 20 may have to be
positioned within a housing 21 as shown in FIG. 3, particularly for
relatively small igniters. The housing 21 and the thermal battery
housing 11 may share a common cap 22, with the opening 25 to allow
the ignition fire to reach the pyrotechnic material 24 within the
thermal battery housing. As the inertial igniter is initiated, the
sparks can ignite intermediate materials 23, which can be in the
form of thin sheets to allow for easy ignition, which would in turn
ignite the pyrotechnic materials 24 within the thermal battery
through the access hole 25.
[0019] A schematic of a cross-section of a currently available
inertial igniter 20 is shown in FIG. 2 in which the acceleration is
in the upward direction (i.e., towards the top of the paper). The
igniter has side holes 26 to allow the ignition fire to reach the
intermediate materials 23 as shown in FIG. 3, which necessitate the
need for its packaging in a separate housing, such as in the
housing 21. The currently available inertial igniter 20 is
constructed with an igniter body 60. Attached to the base 61 of the
housing 60 is a cup 62, which contains one part of a two-part
pyrotechnic compound 63 (e.g., potassium chlorate). The housing 60
is provided with the side holes 26 to allow the ignition fire to
reach the intermediate materials 23 as shown in FIG. 3. A
cylindrical shaped part 64, which is free to translate along the
length of the housing 60, is positioned inside the housing 60 and
is biased to stay in the top portion of the housing as shown in
FIG. 2 by the compressively preloaded helical spring 65 (shown
schematically as a heavy line). A turned part 71 is firmly attached
to the lower portion of the cylindrical part 64. The tip 72 of the
turned part 71 is provided with cut rings 72a, over which is
covered with the second part of the two-part pyrotechnic compound
73 (e.g., red phosphorous).
[0020] A safety component 66, which is biased to stay in its upper
most position as shown in FIG. 2 by the safety spring 67 (shown
schematically as a heavy line), is positioned inside the cylinder
64, and is free to move up and down (axially) in the cylinder 64.
As can be observed in FIG. 2, the cylindrical part 64 is locked to
the housing 60 by setback locking balls 68. The setback locking
balls 68 lock the cylindrical part 64 to the housing 60 through
holes 69a provided on the cylindrical part 64 and the housing 60
and corresponding holes 69b on the housing 60. In the illustrated
configuration, the safety component 66 is pressing the locking
balls 68 against the cylindrical part 64 via the preloaded safety
spring 67, and the flat portion 70 of the safety component 66
prevents the locking balls 68 from moving away from their
aforementioned locking position. The flat portion 70 of the safety
component 66 allows a certain amount of downward movement of the
safety component 66 without releasing the locking balls 68 and
thereby allowing downward movement of the cylindrical part 64. For
relatively low axial acceleration levels or higher acceleration
levels that last a very short amount of time, corresponding to
accidental drops and other similar situations that cause safety
concerns, the safety component 66 travels up and down without
releasing the cylindrical part 64. However, once the firing
acceleration profiles are experienced, the safety component 66
travels downward enough to release balls 68 from the holes 69b and
thereby release the cylindrical part 64. Upon the release of the
safety component 66 and appropriate level of acceleration for the
cylindrical part 64 and all other components that ride with it to
overcome the resisting force of the spring 65 and attain enough
momentum, then it will cause impact between the two components 63
and 73 of the two-part pyrotechnic compound with enough strength to
cause ignition of the pyrotechnic compound.
[0021] The aforementioned currently available inertial igniters
have a number of shortcomings for use in thermal batteries,
specifically, they are not useful for relatively small thermal
batteries for munitions with the aim of occupying relatively small
volumes, i.e., to achieve relatively small height total igniter
compartment height 13, FIG. 1. Firstly, the currently available
inertial igniters, such as that shown in FIG. 2, are relatively
long thereby resulting in relatively long total igniter heights 13.
Secondly, since the currently available igniters are not sealed and
exhaust the ignition fire out from the sides, they have to be
packaged in a housing 21, usually with other ignition material 23,
thereby increasing the height 13 over the length of the igniter 20
(see FIG. 3). In addition, since the pyrotechnic materials of the
currently available igniters 20 are not sealed inside the igniter,
they are prone to damage by the elements and cannot usually be
stored for long periods of time before assembly into the thermal
batteries unless they are stored in a controlled environment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0022] A need therefore exists for novel miniature inertial
igniters for thermal batteries used in gun fired munitions,
particularly for small and low power thermal batteries that could
be used in fuzing and other similar applications, thereby
eliminating the need for external power sources. The innovative
inertial igniters can be scalable to thermal batteries of various
sizes, in particular to miniaturized igniters for small size
thermal batteries. Such inertial igniters must be safe and in
general and in particular they should not initiate if dropped,
e.g., from up to 7 feet onto a concrete floor for certain
applications; should withstand high firing accelerations, for
example up to 20-50,000 Gs; and should be able to be designed to
ignite at specified acceleration levels when subjected to such
accelerations for a specified amount of time to match the firing
acceleration experienced in a gun barrel as compared to high G
accelerations experienced during accidental falls which last over
very short periods of time, for example accelerations of the order
of 1000 Gs when applied for 5 msec as experienced in a gun as
compared to for example 2000 G acceleration levels experienced
during accidental fall over a concrete floor but which may last
only 0.5 msec. Reliability is also of much concern since the rounds
should have a shelf life of up to 20 years and could generally be
stored at temperatures of sometimes in the range of -65 to 165
degrees F. This requirement is usually satisfied best if the
igniter pyrotechnic is in a sealed compartment. The inertial
igniters must also consider the manufacturing costs and simplicity
in design to make them cost effective for munitions
applications.
[0023] To ensure safety and reliability, inertial igniters should
not initiate during acceleration events which may occur during
manufacture, assembly, handling, transport, accidental drops, etc.
Additionally, once under the influence of an acceleration profile
particular to the firing of ordinance from a gun, the device should
initiate with high reliability. In many applications, these two
requirements often compete with respect to acceleration magnitude,
but differ greatly in impulse. For example, an accidental drop may
well cause very high acceleration levels--even in some cases higher
than the firing of a shell from a gun. However, the duration of
this accidental acceleration will be short, thereby subjecting the
inertial igniter to significantly lower resulting impulse levels.
It is also conceivable that the igniter will experience incidental
low but long-duration accelerations, whether accidental or as part
of normal handling, which must be guarded against initiation.
Again, the impulse given to the miniature inertial igniter will
have a great disparity with that given by the initiation
acceleration profile because the magnitude of the incidental
long-duration acceleration will be quite low.
[0024] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inertial
igniters disclosed herein may provide one or more of the following
advantages over prior art inertial igniters:
[0025] provide inertial igniters that are significantly shorter and
smaller in volume than currently available inertial igniters for
thermal batteries or the like, particularly relatively small
thermal batteries to be used in munitions without occupying very
large volumes;
[0026] provide inertial igniters that can be mounted directly onto
the thermal batteries without a housing (such as housing 21 shown
in FIG. 3), thereby allowing even a smaller total height and volume
for the inertial igniter assembly;
[0027] provide inertial igniters that can directly initiate the
pyrotechnics materials inside the thermal battery without the need
for intermediate ignition material (such as the additional material
23 shown in FIG. 3) or a booster;
[0028] provide inertia igniters that could be constructed to guide
the pyrotechnic flame essentially downward (in the direction
opposite to the direction of the firing acceleration--usually for
mounting on the top of the thermal battery as shown in FIG. 3), or
essentially upward (in the direction opposite of the firing
acceleration--usually for mounting at the bottom of the thermal
battery), or essentially sidewise (lateral to the direction of the
firing);
[0029] provide inertial igniters that allow the use of standard
off-the-shelf percussion cap primers instead of specially designed
pyrotechnic components; and
[0030] provide inertial igniters that can be sealed to simplify
storage and increase their shelf life.
[0031] Accordingly, inertial igniters and ignition systems for use
with thermal batteries for producing power upon acceleration are
provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0032] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the
apparatus of the present invention will become better understood
with regard to the following description, appended claims, and
accompanying drawings where:
[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a
thermal battery and inertial igniter assembly.
[0034] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a
conventional inertial igniter assembly known in the art.
[0035] FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a
conventional inertial igniter assembly known in the art positioned
within a housing and having intermediate materials for
ignition.
[0036] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a first
embodiment of an inertial igniter in a locked position.
[0037] FIG. 5a illustrates a schematic of the isometric drawing of
a first embodiment of an inertial igniter together with the top cap
of a thermal battery to which it is attached.
[0038] FIG. 5b illustrates a second view of the isometric drawing
of the first embodiment of the inertial igniter of FIG. 5a showing
the openings that are provided to exit the ignition sparks and
flames into the thermal battery.
[0039] FIG. 5c illustrates a schematic of the isometric drawing of
a first embodiment of an inertial igniter of FIG. 5a without the
outer housing (side wall and top cap) of the inertial igniter.
[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates the inertial igniter of FIG. 4 upon a
non-firing accidental acceleration.
[0041] FIG. 7 illustrates the inertial igniter of FIG. 4 upon a
firing acceleration.
[0042] FIG. 8 illustrates the inertial igniter of FIG. 4 upon the
striker mass impacting base, causing the initiation of ignition of
the two-part pyrotechnic compound.
[0043] FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a
second embodiment of an inertial igniter in a locked position.
[0044] FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a
third embodiment of an inertial igniter in initiation position.
[0045] FIGS. 11a and 11b illustrate an isometric and a schematic of
a cross-section, respectively, of a fourth embodiment of an
inertial igniter in initiation position.
[0046] FIG. 12 illustrates a schematic of a cross-section of a
fifth embodiment of an inertial igniter in a locked position.
[0047] FIG. 13 illustrates an isometric cut away view of a sixth
embodiment of an inertial igniter.
[0048] FIG. 14 illustrates a full isometric view of the inertial
igniter of FIG. 13.
[0049] FIGS. 15a and 15b illustrate first and second variations of
thermal battery and inertial igniter assemblies.
[0050] FIG. 16 illustrates a first variation of the inertial
igniter of FIG. 13.
[0051] FIG. 17 illustrates a second variation of the inertial
igniter of FIG. 13.
[0052] FIG. 18 illustrates a third variation of the inertial
igniter of FIG. 13.
[0053] FIG. 19 illustrates a thermal battery/inertial igniter
assembly in which more than one inertial igniter is used.
[0054] FIG. 20a illustrates a top view and FIG. 20b illustrates an
isometric view of a bottom plate and posts for a gang of three
inertial igniters.
[0055] FIG. 21a illustrates a top view and FIG. 21b illustrates an
isometric view of a bottom plate and posts for a variation of the
gang of three inertial igniters of FIGS. 20a and 20b.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0056] A schematic of a cross-section of a first embodiment of an
inertia igniter is shown in FIG. 4, referred to generally with
reference numeral 30. The inertial igniter 30 is constructed with
igniter body 31, consisting of a base 32 and at least two posts 33,
and a housing wall 34. The base 32 and two posts 33, which may be
integral or may have been constructed as separate pieces and joined
together, for example by welding of press fitting or other methods
commonly used in the art. In the schematic of FIG. 4, the igniter
body 31 and the housing wall 34 are shown to be joined together at
the base 32; however, the two components may be integrated as one
piece and a separate top cap 35 may then be provided, which is then
joined to the top surface of the housing 34 following assembly of
the igniter (in the schematic of FIG. 4 the top cap 35 is shown as
an integral part of the housing 34). In addition, the base of the
housing 32 may be extended to form the cap 36 of the thermal
battery 37, the top portion of which is shown with dashed lines in
FIG. 4.
[0057] The inertial igniter 30 with the thermal battery top cap 36
is shown in the isometric drawings of FIGS. 5a and 5b. The inertial
igniter without its housing 34 and top cap 35 is shown in the
isometric drawing of FIG. 5c. The base of the housing 32 is also
provided with at least one opening 38 (with corresponding openings
in the thermal battery top cap 36) to allow the ignited sparks and
fire to exit the inertial igniter into the thermal battery 37 upon
initiation of the inertial igniter pyrotechnics 46 and 47, FIG. 4,
or percussion cap primer when used in place of the pyrotechnics 46
and 47 (not shown).
[0058] A striker mass 39 is shown in its locked position in FIGS. 4
and 5c. The striker mass 39 is provided with vertical recesses 40
that are used to engage the posts 33 and serve as guides to allow
the striker mass 39 to ride down along the length of the posts 33
without rotation with an essentially pure up and down translational
motion. In its illustrated position in FIGS. 4 and 5c, the striker
mass 39 is locked in its axial position to the posts 33 by at least
one setback locking ball 42. The setback locking ball 42 locks the
striker mass 39 to the posts 33 of the inertial igniter body 31
through the holes 41 provided in the posts 33 and a concave portion
such as a dimple (or groove) 43 on the striker mass 39 as shown in
FIG. 4. A setback spring 44 with essentially dead coil section 45,
which is preferably in compression, is also provided around but
close to the posts as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5c. In the configuration
shown in FIG. 4, the locking balls 42 are prevented from moving
away from their aforementioned locking position by the dead coil
section 45 of the setback spring 44. The dead coil section 45 can
ride up and down beyond the posts 33 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5c,
but is biased to stay in its upper most position as shown in the
schematic of FIG. 4 by the setback spring 44.
[0059] In this embodiment, a two-part pyrotechnics compound is
shown to be used, FIG. 4. One part of the two-part pyrotechnics
compound 47 (e.g., potassium chlorate) is provided on the interior
side of the base 32, preferably in a provided recess (not shown)
over the exit holes 38. The second part of the pyrotechnics
compound (e.g., red phosphorous) 46 is provided on the lower
surface of the striker mass surface 39 facing the first part of the
pyrotechnics compound 47 as shown in FIG. 4. The surfaces to which
the pyrotechnic parts 46 and 47 are attached are roughened and/or
provided with surface cuts, recesses, or the like as commonly used
in the art (not shown) to ensure secure attachment of the
pyrotechnics materials to the applied surfaces.
[0060] In general, various combinations of pyrotechnic materials
may be used for this purpose. One commonly used pyrotechnic
material consists of red phosphorous or nano-aluminum, indicated as
element 46 in FIG. 4, and is used with an appropriate binder (such
as vinyl alcohol acetate resin or nitrocellulose) to firmly adhere
to the bottom surface of the striker mass 39. The second component
can be potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, or potassium
perchlorate, indicated as element 47 in FIG. 4, and is used with a
binder (preferably but not limited to with such as vinyl alcohol
acetate resin or nitrocellulose) to firmly attach the compound to
the surface of the base 32 (preferably inside of a recess provided
in the base 32--not shown) as shown in FIG. 4.
[0061] The basic operation of the disclosed inertial igniter 30
will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4-8. Any non-trivial
acceleration in the axial direction 48 which can cause dead coil
section 45 to overcome the resisting force of the setback spring 44
will initiate and sustain some downward motion of only the dead
coil section 45. The force due to the acceleration on the striker
mass 39 is supported at the dimples 43 by the locking balls 42
which are constrained inside the holes 41 in the posts 33. If an
acceleration time in the axial direction 48 imparts a sufficient
impulse to the dead coil section 45 (i.e., if an acceleration time
profile is greater than a predetermined threshold), it will
translate down along the axis of the assembly until the setback
locking balls 42 are no longer constrained to engage the striker
mass 39 to the posts 33 of the housing 31. If the acceleration
event is not sufficient to provide this motion (i.e., the
acceleration time profile provides less impulse than the
predetermined threshold), the dead coil section 45 will return to
its start (top) position under the force of the setback spring 44.
The schematic of the inertial igniter 30 with the dead coil section
45 moved down certain distance dl as a result of an acceleration
event, which is not sufficient to unlock the striker mass 39 from
the posts 33 of the housing 31, is shown in FIG. 6.
[0062] Assuming that the acceleration time profile was at or above
the specified "all-fire" profile, the dead coil section 45 will
have translated down full-stroke d2, allowing the striker mass 39
to accelerate down towards the base 32. In such a situation, since
the locking balls 42 are no longer constrained by the dead coil
section 45, the downward force that the striker mass 39 has been
exerting on the locking balls 42 will force the locking balls 42 to
move outward in the radial direction. Once the locking balls 42 are
out of the way of the dimples 43, the downward motion of the
striker mass 39 is impeded only by the elastic force of the setback
spring 44, which is easily overcome by the impulse provided to the
striker mass 39. As a result, the striker mass 39 moves downward,
causing the parts 46 and 47 of the two-part pyrotechnic compound to
strike with the requisite energy to initiate ignition. The
configuration of the inertial igniter 30 when the balls 42 are free
to move outward in the radial direction, thereby releasing the
striker mass 39 is shown in the schematic of FIG. 7. The
configuration of the inertial igniter 30 when the part 46 of the
two-part pyrotechnic compound is striking the part 47 is shown in
the schematic of FIG. 8.
[0063] In another embodiment, the dead coil section 45 may be
constructed as a separate collar and positioned similarly over the
setback spring 44. The collar replacing the dead coil section 45
may also be attached to the top coil of the setback spring 44,
e.g., by welding, brazing, or adhesives such as epoxy, or the like.
The advantage of attaching the collar to the top of the setback
spring 44 is that it would help prevent it to get struck over the
posts 33 as it is being pushed down by the applied acceleration in
the direction of the arrow 48, FIGS. 6-8.
[0064] Alternatively, the dead coil section 45 and the setback
spring 44 may be integral, made out of, for example, a cylindrical
section with spiral or other type shaped cuts over its lower
section to provide the required axial flexibility to serve the
function of the setback spring 44. The upper portion of this
cylinder is preferably left intact to serve the function of the
dead coil section 45, FIGS. 6-8.
[0065] It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that by
varying the mass of the striker 39, the mass of the dead coil
section 45, the spring rate of the setback spring 44, the distance
that the dead coil section 45 has to travel downward to release the
locking balls 42 and thereby release the striker mass 39, and the
distance between the parts 46 and 47 of the two-part pyrotechnic
compound, the designer of the disclosed inertial igniter 30 can
match the fire and no-fire impulse level requirements for various
applications as well as the safety (delay or dwell action)
protection against accidental dropping of the inertial igniter
and/or the munitions or the like within which it is assembled.
[0066] Briefly, the safety system parameters, i.e., the mass of the
dead coil section 45, the spring rate of the setback spring 44 and
the dwell stroke (the distance that the dead coil section 44 has to
travel downward to release the locking balls 42 and thereby release
the striker mass 39) must be tuned to provide the required
actuation performance characteristics. Similarly, to provide the
requisite impact energy, the mass of the striker 39 and the
separation distance between the parts 46 and 47 of the two-part
pyrotechnic compound must work together to provide the specified
impact energy to initiate the pyrotechnic compound when subjected
to the remaining portion of the prescribed initiation acceleration
profile after the safety system has been actuated.
[0067] In addition, since the safety and striker systems each
require a certain actuation distance to achieve the necessary
performance, the most axially compact design is realized by nesting
the two systems in parallel as it is done in the embodiment of FIG.
4. It is this nesting of the two safety and striker systems that
allows the height of the disclosed inertial igniter to be
significantly shorter than the currently available inertial igniter
design (as shown in FIG. 2), in which the safety and striker
systems are configured in series. In fact, an initial prototype of
the disclosed inertial igniter 30 has been designed to the fire and
no-fire and safety specifications of the currently available
inertial igniter shown in FIG. 2 and has achieved height and volume
reductions of over 60 percent. It is noted that by optimizing the
parameters of the disclosed inertial igniter, both height and
volume can be further reduced.
[0068] In another embodiment, the two-part pyrotechnics 46 and 47,
FIG. 4, are replaced by a percussion cap primer 49 attached to the
base 32 of the inertial igniter 60 and a striker tip 50 as shown in
the schematic of a cross-section of FIG. 9. In this illustration,
all components are the same as those shown in FIG. 4 with the
exception of replacing the percussion cap primer 49 and the striker
tip 50 with striker assembly. The striker tip 50 is firmly attached
to the striker mass 39.
[0069] The striker mass 39 and striker tip 50 may be a monolithic
design with the striking tip 50 being a machined boss protruding
from the striker mass, or the striker tip 50 may be a separate
piece pressed or otherwise permanently fixed to the striker mass. A
two-piece design would be favorable to the need for a striker whose
density is different than steel, but whose tip would remain hard
and tough by attaching a steel ball, hemisphere, or other shape to
the striker mass. A monolithic design, however, would be generally
favorable to manufacturing because of the reduction of part
quantity and assembly operations.
[0070] An advantage of using the two component pyrotechnic
materials as shown in FIG. 4 is that these materials can be
selected such that ignition is provided at significantly lower
impact forces than are required for commonly used percussion cap
primers. As a result, the amount of distance that the striker mass
39 has to travel and its required mass is thereby reduced,
resulting in a smaller total height (shown as 15 in FIG. 1) of the
thermal battery assembly. This choice, however, has the
disadvantage of not using standard and off-the-shelf percussion cap
primers, thereby increasing the component and assembly cost of the
inertial igniter.
[0071] The disclosed inertial igniters are seen to discharge the
ignition fire and sparks directly into the thermal battery, FIGS.
4-9, to ignite the pyrotechnic materials 24 within the thermal
battery 11 (FIG. 3). As a result, the additional housing 21 and
ignition material 23 shown in FIG. 3 can be eliminated, greatly
simplifying the resulting thermal battery design and manufacture.
In addition, the total height 13 and volume of the inertial igniter
assembly 10 and the total height 15 of the complete thermal battery
assembly 16 are reduced, thereby reducing the total volume that has
to be allocated in munitions or the like to house the thermal
battery.
[0072] The disclosed inertial igniters are shown sealed within
their housing, thereby simplifying their storage and increase their
shelf life.
[0073] FIG. 10 shows the schematic of a cross-section of another
embodiment 80. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown
in FIGS. 4-8, with the difference that the striker mass 39 (FIGS.
4-8) is replaced with a striker mass 82, with at least one opening
passage 81 to guide the ignition flame up through the igniter 80 to
allow the pyrotechnic materials (or the like) of a thermal battery
(or the like) positioned above the igniter 80 (not shown) to be
initiated. In addition, the top cap 35 (FIG. 4-8) is preferably
eliminated or replaced by a cap 83 with appropriately positioned
openings to allow the flames to enter the thermal battery and
initiate its pyrotechnic materials. The openings 38 (FIG. 5b) are
obviously no longer necessary.
[0074] FIG. 11b shows the schematic of a cross-section of another
embodiment 90. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown
in FIGS. 4-8, with the difference that the openings 38 (FIG. 5b)
for the flame to exit the igniter 30 is replaced with side openings
91, FIG. 11a, to allow the flame to exit from the side of the
igniter to initiate the pyrotechnic materials (or the like) of a
thermal battery or the like (not shown) that is positioned around
the body of the igniter 90. Alternatively, the igniter housing 92
may be eliminated, thereby allowing the generated ignition flames
to directly flow to the sides of the igniter 90 and initiate the
pyrotechnic materials of the thermal battery or the like.
[0075] FIG. 12 shows the schematic of a cross-section of another
embodiment 100. This embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown
in FIGS. 4-8, with the difference that the dead coil section 45
(FIGS. 4-5) is replaced with a solid, preferably relatively very
rigid, cylindrical section 101. The advantage of using a rigid
cylindrical section 101 is that the balls 42 (FIGS. 4-5) would not
tend to cause the individual coils of the dead coil section 45 to
move away from their cylindrically positioned configuration,
thereby increasing the probability that the dead coil section could
get stuck by the friction forces due to the pressure exerted by the
balls 42 to the interior of the housing 34 (FIG. 4) or other
similar possible scenarios.
[0076] In certain applications, the required reliability levels for
initiation of inertial igniters are extremely high. In certain
cases, the igniters should be designed and manufactured to perform
their function with extremely high reliability of nearly 100
percent. Some cases may even require the use of multiple and
redundant inertial igniters to obtain nearly 100 percent
reliability.
[0077] The cost issue is also another important consideration since
in small thermal batteries that have to be initiated by inertial
igniters, the cost of inertial igniters may easily be a significant
portion of the total cost. However, to significantly reduce the
cost, inertial igniters have to be designed with fewer and easy to
manufacture parts and be easy to assemble. In addition, the
inertial igniters must use mass produced and commercially available
parts.
[0078] The embodiments of the inertial igniters disclosed below are
to provide the aforementioned advantages of the embodiments shown
in FIGS. 4-12 and in addition: (1) provide inertial igniters that
are significantly more reliable and easy to manufacture than
currently available inertial igniters for thermal batteries or the
like, particularly for relatively small thermal batteries that are
used in munitions; (2) provide highly reliable and at the same time
very small inertial igniters that do not occupy a significant
volumes of small thermal batteries; (3) provide inertial igniters
that are easy to manufacture and assemble into thermal batteries;
and (4) provide inertial igniters that are readily modified to
satisfy a wide range of no-fire and all-fire requirements without
requiring costly engineering development and manufacturing
equipment changes.
[0079] A need exists for novel miniature inertial igniters for
thermal batteries used in gun fired munitions, that are extremely
reliable, low cost (such as having fewer easy to manufacture parts
that are not required to be fabricated to very low tolerances),
easy to manufacture and assemble, and easy to assemble into a
thermal battery (such as simply "drop-in" component during thermal
battery assembly). Such inertial igniters can also be adaptable to
a wide range of all-fire and no-fire requirements without requiring
a significant amount of engineering development and testing. Such
inertial igniters can also be capable of allowing multiple inertial
igniters to be readily packed into thermal batteries as redundant
initiators to further increase initiation reliability when such
extremely high initiation reliability are warranted. Such inertial
igniters are particularly needed for small and low power thermal
batteries that could be used in fuzing and other similar
applications. Such inertial igniters must be safe and in general
and in particular they should not initiate if dropped, e.g., from
up to 5-7 feet onto a concrete floor for certain applications;
should withstand high firing accelerations and do not cause damage
to the thermal battery, for example up to 20-50,000 Gs or even
more; and should be able to be designed to ignite at specified
acceleration levels when subjected to such accelerations for a
specified amount of time to match the firing acceleration
experienced in a gun barrel as compared to high G accelerations
experienced during accidental falls which last for very short
periods of time, for example accelerations of the order of 1000 Gs
when applied for over 5 msec as experienced in a gun as compared
to, for example 2000 G acceleration levels experienced during
accidental fall over a concrete floor but which may last only 0.5
msec. Reliability is also of much concern since the rounds should
have a shelf life of up to 20 years and could generally be stored
at temperatures of sometimes in the range of -65 to 165 degrees F.
This requirement is usually satisfied best if the igniter
pyrotechnic is in a sealed compartment.
[0080] An isometric cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment of
an inertia igniter is shown in FIG. 13, referred to generally with
reference numeral 200. The full isometric view of the inertial
igniter 200 is shown in FIG. 14. The inertial igniter 200 is
constructed with igniter body 201, consisting of a base 202 and at
least three posts 203. The base 202 and the at least three posts
203, can be integrally formed as a single piece but may also be
constructed as separate pieces and joined together, for example by
welding or press fitting or other methods commonly used in the art.
The base 202 of the housing can also be provided with at least one
opening 204 (with a corresponding opening(s) in the thermal
battery--not shown) to allow ignited sparks and fire to exit the
inertial igniter and enter into the thermal battery positioned
under the inertial igniter 200 upon initiation of the inertial
igniter pyrotechnics 215, or percussion cap primer when used in
place of the pyrotechnics, similar to the primer 49 in the
embodiment 60 shown in FIG. 9. Although illustrated with the
opening 204 in the base, the opening (or openings) can
alternatively be formed in a side wall as is shown in FIG. 11a or
in the striker mass as is shown in FIG. 10.
[0081] The base 202 of the housing may be extended to form a cap
for the thermal battery, similar to the cap 36 of the thermal
battery 37 shown for the embodiment 30 in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0082] A striker mass 205 is shown in its locked position in FIG.
13. The striker mass 205 is provided with guides for the posts 203,
such as vertical surfaces 206 (which may be recessed as shown in
the embodiment 30 in FIGS. 4 and 5), that are used to engage the
corresponding (inner) surfaces of the posts 203 and serve as guides
to allow the striker mass 205 to ride down along the length of the
posts 203 without rotation with an essentially pure up and down
translational motion. However, the surfaces 206 minimize the
chances of the striker mass 205 jamming as compared to the recesses
40. Further, manufacturing precision is reduced (for both the posts
203 and the striker mass 205) when the surfaces 206 are used in
place of the recesses 40. Consequently, both the striker mass 205
and the inertial igniter structure (which includes the posts 203)
is easier to produce and less costly when the surfaces 206 are used
in place of the recesses 40.
[0083] In its illustrated position in FIGS. 13 and 14, the striker
mass 205 is locked in its axial position to the posts 203 by at
least one setback locking ball 207. The setback locking ball 207
locks the striker mass 205 to the posts 203 of the inertial igniter
body 201 through the holes 208 provided in the posts 203 and a
concave portion such as a dimple (or groove) 209 on the striker
mass 205 as shown in FIG. 13. A setback spring 210, which is
preferably in compression, is also provided around but close to the
posts 203 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. In the configuration shown
in FIG. 13, the locking balls 207 are prevented from moving away
from their aforementioned locking position by the collar 211. The
setback spring 210 can be a wave spring with rectangular
cross-section. The rectangular cross-section eliminates the need to
fix or otherwise retain the striker spring 210 to the collar 211,
which is an expensive process; the flat coil spring surfaces
minimizes the chances of coils slipping laterally (perpendicular to
the direction of acceleration 218), which can cause jamming and
prevent the release of the striker mass 205 (preventing the collar
to move down enough to release the locking balls). Furthermore,
wave springs generate friction between the waves at contact points
along the spring wire, thereby reducing the chances for the collar
211 to rapidly bounce back up and preventing the striker mass 205
from being released.
[0084] The collar 211 is preferably provided with partial guide 212
("pocket"), which are open on the top as indicated by the numeral
213. The guide 212 may be provided only at the location of the
locking balls 207 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, or may be provided
as an internal surface over the entire inner surface of the collar
211 (not shown). The advantage of providing local guides 212 is
that it results in a significantly larger surface contact between
the collar 211 and the outer surfaces of the posts 203, thereby
allowing for smoother movement of the collar 211 up and down along
the length of the posts 203. In addition, they prevent the collar
211 from rotating relative to the inertial igniter body 201 and
makes the collar stronger and more massive. The advantage of
providing a continuous inner recess guiding surface for the locking
balls 207 is that it would require fewer machining processes during
the collar manufacture. Although only one locking ball 207 is
illustrated in FIG. 13, more than one can be provided, such as a
locking ball 207 associated with each post 203. More than one
locking ball 207 can also be associated with each post 203.
[0085] The collar 211 rides up and down on the posts 203 as can be
seen in FIGS. 13 and 14, but is biased to stay in its upper most
position as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 by the setback spring 210. The
guides 212 are provided with bottom ends 214, so that when the
inertial igniter is assembled as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the
setback spring 210 which is biased (preloaded) to push the collar
211 upward away from the igniter base 201, would "lock" the collar
211 in its uppermost position against the locking balls 207. As a
result, the assembled inertial igniter 200 stays in its assembled
state and would not require a top can (similar to the top cap 35 in
the embodiment 30 of FIG. 4) to prevent the collar 211 from being
pushed up and allowing the locking balls 207 from moving out and
releasing the striker mass 205.
[0086] In the sixth embodiment, a one part pyrotechnics compound
215 (such as lead styphnate or other similar compound) can be used
as shown in FIG. 13. The surfaces to which the pyrotechnic compound
215 is attached can be roughened and/or provided with surface cuts,
recesses, projections, or the like and/or treated chemically as
commonly done in the art (not shown) to ensure secure attachment of
the pyrotechnics material to the applied surfaces. The use of one
part pyrotechnics compound makes the manufacturing and assembly
process much simpler and thereby leads to lower inertial igniter
cost. The striker mass can be provided with a relatively sharp tip
216 and the igniter base surface 202 is provided with a protruding
tip 217 which is covered with the pyrotechnics compound 215, such
that as the striker mass is released during an all-fire event and
is accelerated down (opposite to the arrow 218 illustrated in FIG.
13), impact occurs mostly between the surfaces of the tips 216 and
217, thereby pinching the pyrotechnics compound 215, thereby
providing the means to obtain a reliable initiation of the
pyrotechnics compound 215.
[0087] Alternatively, a two-part pyrotechnics compound as shown and
described for the embodiment 30 of FIG. 4 can be used. One part of
the two-part pyrotechnics compound 47 (FIG. 4), e.g., potassium
chlorate, can be provided on the interior side of the base 32, such
as in a provided recess (not shown) over the exit holes 38. The
second part of the pyrotechnics compound (e.g., red phosphorous) 46
can be provided on the lower surface of the striker mass surface 39
facing the first part of the pyrotechnics compound 47, as shown in
FIG. 4. In general, various combinations of pyrotechnic materials
can be used for this purpose. One commonly used pyrotechnic
material consists of red phosphorous or nano-aluminum, indicated as
element 46 in FIG. 4, and is used with an appropriate binder (such
as vinyl alcohol acetate resin or nitrocellulose) to firmly adhere
to the bottom surface of the striker mass 39. The second component
can be potassium chlorate, potassium nitrate, or potassium
perchlorate, indicated as element 47 in FIG. 4, and is used with a
binder (such as, but not limited to vinyl alcohol acetate resin or
nitrocellulose) to firmly attach the compound to the surface of the
base 32 (such as inside of a recess provided in the base 32--not
shown) as shown in FIG. 4.
[0088] Alternatively, instead of using the pyrotechnics compound
215, FIG. 13, a percussion cap primer or the like (similar to the
percussion cap primer 49 used in the embodiment 60 of FIG. 9) can
be used. A striker tip (similar to the striker tip 50 shown in FIG.
9 for the embodiment 60) can be provided at the tip 216 of the
striker mass 205 (not shown) to facilitate initiation upon
impact.
[0089] The basic operation of the embodiment 200 of the inertial
igniter of FIGS. 13 and 14 is similar to that of embodiment 30
(FIGS. 4-8) as previously described. Here again, any non-trivial
acceleration in the axial direction 218 which can cause the collar
211 to overcome the resisting force of the setback spring 210 will
initiate and sustain some downward motion of the collar 211. The
force due to the acceleration on the striker mass 205 is supported
at the dimples 209 by the locking balls 207 which are constrained
inside the holes 208 in the posts 203. If an acceleration time in
the axial direction 218 imparts a sufficient impulse to the collar
211 (i.e., if an acceleration time profile is greater than a
predetermined threshold), it will translate down along the axis of
the assembly until the setback locking balls 205 are no longer
constrained to engage the striker mass 205 to the posts 203. If the
acceleration event is not sufficient to provide this motion (i.e.,
the acceleration time profile provides less impulse than the
predetermined threshold), the collar 211 will return to its start
(top) position under the force of the setback spring 210.
[0090] Assuming that the acceleration time profile was at or above
the specified "all-fire" profile, the collar 211 will have
translated down past the locking balls 207, allowing the striker
mass 205 to accelerate down towards the base 202. In such a
situation, since the locking balls 207 are no longer constrained by
the collar 211, the downward force that the striker mass 205 has
been exerting on the locking balls 207 will force the locking balls
207 to move outward in the radial direction. Once the locking balls
207 are out of the way of the dimples 209, the downward motion of
the striker mass 205 is impeded only by the elastic force of the
setback spring 210, which is easily overcome by the impulse
provided to the striker mass 205. As a result, the striker mass 205
moves downward, causing the tip 216 of the striker mass 205 to
strike the pyrotechnic compound 215 on the surface of the
protrusion 217 with the requisite energy to initiate ignition
(similar to the configuration shown for the embodiment 30 in FIG.
8).
[0091] In the embodiment 200 of the inertial igniter shown in FIGS.
13 and 14, the setback spring 210 is illustrated as a helical wave
spring type fabricated with rectangular cross-sectional wires (such
as the ones manufactured by Smalley Steel Ring Company of Lake
Zurich, Ill.). This is in contrast with the helical springs with
circular wire cross-sections used in the embodiments of FIGS. 4-12.
The use of the aforementioned rectangular cross-section wave
springs or the like has the following significant advantages over
helical springs that are constructed with wires with circular
cross-sections. Firstly and most importantly, as the spring is
compressed and nears its "solid" length, the flat surfaces of the
rectangular cross-section wires come in contact and generate
minimal lateral forces that would otherwise tend to force one coil
to move laterally relative to the other coils as is usually the
case when the wires are circular in cross-section. Lateral movement
of the coils can, in general, interfere with the proper operation
of the inertial igniter since it could, for example jam a coil to
the outer housing of the inertial igniter (not shown in FIGS. 13
and 14), which is usually desired to house the igniter 200 or the
like with minimal clearance to minimize the total volume of the
inertial igniter. In addition, the laterally moving coils could
also jam against the posts 203 thereby further interfering with the
proper operation of the inertial igniter. The use of the present
wave springs with rectangular cross-section eliminates such lateral
movement and therefore significantly increases the reliability of
the inertial igniter and also significantly increases the
repeatability of the initiation for a specified all-fire condition.
The second advantage of the use of the aforementioned wave springs
with rectangular cross-section, particularly since the wires can
and are usually made thin in thickness and relatively wide, the
solid length of the resulting wave spring can be made to be
significantly less than an equivalent regular helical spring with
circular cross-section. As a result, the total height of the
resulting inertial igniter can be reduced. Thirdly, since the coil
waves are in contact with each other at certain points along their
lengths and as the spring is compressed, the length of each wave is
slightly increased, therefore during the spring compression the
friction forces at these contact points do a certain amount of work
and thereby absorb a certain amount of energy. The presence of such
friction forces ensures that the firing acceleration and very rapid
compression of the spring would to a lesser amount tend to "bounce"
the collar 211 back up and thereby increasing the possibility that
it would interfere with the exit of the locking balls from the
dimples 209 of the striker mass 205 and the release of the striker
mass 205. The above characteristic of the wave springs with
rectangular cross-section therefore also significantly enhances the
performance and reliability of the inertial igniter 200 while at
the same time allowing its height (and total volume) to be
reduced.
[0092] It is appreciated by those skilled in the art that by
varying the mass of the striker 205, the mass of the collar 211,
the spring rate of the setback spring 210, the distance that the
collar 211 has to travel downward to release the locking balls 207
and thereby release the striker mass 205, and the distance between
the tip 216 of the striker mass 205 and the pyrotechnic compound
215 (and the tip of the protrusion 217), the designer of the
disclosed inertial igniter 200 can match the all-fire and no-fire
impulse level requirements for various applications as well as the
safety (delay or dwell action) protection against accidental
dropping of the inertial igniter and/or the munitions or the like
within which it is assembled.
[0093] Briefly, the safety system parameters, i.e., the mass of the
collar 211, the spring rate of the setback spring 210 and the dwell
stroke (the distance that the collar 210 has to travel downward to
release the locking balls 207 and thereby release the striker mass
205) must be tuned to provide the required actuation performance
characteristics. Similarly, to provide the requisite impact energy,
the mass of the striker 205 and the aforementioned separation
distance between the tip 216 of the striker mass and the
pyrotechnic compound 215 (and the tip of the protrusion 217) must
work together to provide the specified impact energy to initiate
the pyrotechnic compound when subjected to the remaining portion of
the prescribed initiation acceleration profile after the safety
system has been actuated.
[0094] The striker mass 205 and striker tip 216 may be a monolithic
design with the striking tip 216 being formed, as shown in FIG. 13,
or as a boss protruding from the striker mass, or the striker tip
216 may be a separate piece, possibly fabricated from a material
that is significantly harder than the striker mass material, and
pressed or otherwise permanently fixed to the striker mass. A
two-piece design would be favorable to the need for a striker whose
density is different than steel, but whose tip would remain hard
and tough by attaching a steel ball, hemisphere, or other shape to
the striker mass. A monolithic design, however, would be generally
favorable to manufacturing because of the reduction of part
quantity and assembly operations.
[0095] The use of three or more posts 203 in the embodiment 200 of
FIGS. 13 and 14 has several significant advantages over the two
post designs of the embodiments of FIGS. 4-5. namely, unlike the
embodiment 30 of FIGS. 4 and 5 in which the striker mass 39 is
provided with vertical recesses 40 that are used to engage the
posts 33 and serve as guides to allow the striker mass 39 to ride
down along the length of the posts 33 without rotation, the use of
at least three posts 203 in the embodiment 200 of FIGS. 13 and 14
eliminates the need for the aforementioned vertical recesses in the
striker mass 205. As a result, the chances that the striker mass
203 gets jammed at the interface between the aforementioned
vertical recesses (40 in FIGS. 4 and 5) and the posts (33 in FIGS.
4 and 5) are almost entirely eliminated. As a result, the
reliability of the inertial igniter is significantly increased.
Furthermore, the design of the striker mass and the igniter posts
and their required manufacturing process are significantly
simplified and the required manufacturing precision is also
reduced. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the striker mass as
well as the igniter body is significantly reduced. Still further,
the contacting surfaces between the striker mass 205 and the posts
203 is increased, thereby allowing for a smoother up and down
movement of the striker mass 205 along the inner surfaces of the
posts 203.
[0096] In the embodiment 200 of FIGS. 13 and 14, following ignition
of the pyrotechnics compound 215, the generated flames and sparks
are designed to exit downward through the opening 204 to initiate
the thermal battery below. Alternatively, if the thermal battery is
positioned above the inertial igniter 200, the opening 204 can be
eliminated and the striker mass could be provided with at least one
opening similar to the passage 81 of the striker mass 82 of the
embodiment 80 of FIG. 10 to guide the ignition flame and sparks up
through the striker mass 205 to allow the pyrotechnic materials (or
the like) of a thermal battery (or the like) positioned above the
inertial igniter 200 (not shown) to be initiated.
[0097] Alternatively, in a manner similar to that shown in the
embodiment 90 of FIGS. 11a and 12b, side ports (openings 91) may be
provided to allow the flame to exit from the side of the igniter to
initiate the pyrotechnic materials (or the like) of a thermal
battery or the like that is positioned around the body of the
inertial igniter. Alternatively, the igniter housing 261 (FIG. 16)
may be eliminated, thereby allowing the generated ignition flames
to directly flow to the sides of the igniter 200 and initiate the
pyrotechnic materials of the thermal battery or the like.
[0098] In FIGS. 13 and 14, the inertial igniter embodiment 200 is
shown without any outside housing. In many applications, as shown
in the schematics of FIG. 15a (15b), the inertial igniter 240 (250)
is placed securely inside the thermal battery 241 (251), either on
the top (FIG. 15a) or bottom (FIG. 15b) of the thermal battery
housing 242 (252). This is particularly the case for relatively
small thermal batteries. In such thermal battery configurations,
since the inertial igniter 240 (250) is inside the hermetically
sealed thermal battery 241 (251), there is no need for a separate
housing to be provided for the inertial igniter itself. In this
assembly configuration, the thermal battery housing 242 (252) is
provided with a separate compartment 243 (253) for the inertial
igniter. The inertial igniter compartment 243 (253) is preferably
formed by a member 244 (254) which is fixed to the inner surface of
the thermal battery housing 242 (253), preferably by welding,
brazing or very strong adhesives or the like. The separating member
244 (254) is provided with an opening 245 (255) to allow the
generated flame and sparks following the initiation of the inertial
igniter 240 (250) to enter the thermal battery compartment 246
(256) to activate the thermal battery 241 (251). The separating
member 244 (254) and its attachment to the internal surface of the
thermal battery housing 242 (252) must be strong enough to
withstand the forces generated by the firing acceleration.
[0099] For larger thermal batteries, a separate compartment
(similar to the compartment 10 over or possibly under the thermal
battery hosing 11 as shown in FIG. 1 can be provided above, inside
or under the thermal battery housing for the inertial igniter. An
appropriate opening (similar to the opening 12 in FIG. 1) can also
be provided to allow the flame and sparks generated as a result of
inertial igniter initiation to enter the thermal battery
compartment (similar to the compartment 14 in FIG. 1) and activate
the thermal battery.
[0100] The inertial igniter 200, FIGS. 13 and 14 may also be
provided with a housing 260 as shown in FIG. 16. The housing 260 is
preferably one piece and fixed to the base 202 of the inertial
igniter structure 201, preferably by soldering, laser welding or
appropriate epoxy adhesive or any other of the commonly used
techniques to achieve a sealed compartment. The housing 260 may
also be crimped to the base 202 as shown in FIG. 16 for the
inertial igniter embodiment 30. The housing 260 may also be crimped
to the base 202 at its open end 261, in which case the base 202 is
preferably provided with an appropriate recess 262 to receive the
crimped portion 261 of the housing 260. The housing can be sealed
at or near the crimped region via one of the commonly used
techniques such as those described above.
[0101] In addition, as shown in FIG. 17, the base 202 of the
inertial igniter 200 may be extended to form the cap 263, which
could be used to form the top cap of the thermal battery as is
shown in FIG. 5c and identified with the numeral 36 for the
inertial igniter embodiment 30.
[0102] The inertial igniter embodiment 200 of FIGS. 13 and 14 as
provided with the aforementioned housing 260 and shown in FIG. 16
may also be hermetically sealed. To this end, and as shown in FIG.
18, the opening 204 can be covered, preferably with a thin membrane
264. The membrane 264 can be an integral part of the base 202 and
is scorched on its bottom surface (not seen in the view of FIG. 18)
to assist it to break open by the pressure generated by the
initiation of the pyrotechnics compound 215 (FIG. 13) upon
initiation of the inertial igniter to allow the generated flame and
sparks to enter the thermal battery through the resulting
opening.
[0103] In another embodiment, more than one inertial igniter,
preferably inertial igniters of the embodiment 200 type are used in
a thermal battery to significantly increase the overall reliability
of the thermal battery initiation under all-fire condition. As a
result, if for any reason one of the inertial igniters fails to
initiate or fails to initiate the thermal battery, then there would
be one or more (redundant) inertial igniters to significantly
reduce the chances that the thermal battery would fail to be
activated. The more than one inertial igniters (preferably of
embodiment 200 or any other of the aforementioned embodiments) may
in general be assembled in any appropriate configuration in the
thermal battery. For the case of small thermal batteries, however
and if the thermal battery size allows, the inertial igniters are
preferably ganged up together in one location, for example on the
top or bottom compartments shown in FIGS. 15a and 15b or in the
compartment 10 shown in FIG. 1, to minimize the total volume and
size occupied by the inertial igniters. For example, when three
inertial igniters of the embodiment 200 are to be assembled within
a thermal battery, for example of the type shown in FIG. 15a,
assuming that the amount of space available in the compartment 243
is appropriate, the three inertial igniters 200 may be ganged up
inside the compartment 243 as shown in the top view of FIG. 19 (the
top cap is removed to show the inertial igniters 200 inside the
compartment 243).
[0104] When more than one inertial igniter 200 (or of other
embodiment types) are ganged up in a compartment similar to that of
243 as shown in FIG. 19, the body 201 of two or more of the
inertial igniters 200 may be integral. For example, the bodies 201
of the three inertial igniters 200 shown in FIG. 19 may be integral
as shown in the top and isometric views of FIGS. 20a and 20b,
respectively, and identified with reference numeral 265.
[0105] In certain applications, it is desired that the inertial
igniters ganged up in a compartment such as 243 as shown in FIG. 19
be separated by a wall so that their operations and/or failure
(such as flying pieces following initiation or break up of one
igniter) would not interfere with the operation of the remaining
inertial igniters. In such cases, the inertial igniter bodies (such
as the bodies 201 of the inertial igniters 200, FIGS. 13 and 19)
and the separation walls 206 between at least two of the inertial
igniters may be integral as shown in the isometric and top views of
FIGS. 21a and 21b, respectively, and indicated by reference numeral
266. In the drawings of FIGS. 21a and 21b, all three inertial
igniters 200 are intended to be separated from each other by the
walls 267.
[0106] The present inertial igniters are designed such that when
ganged up as shown in FIG. 20a or FIG. 21a, their integral bodies
201 can be readily machined, for example from a solid rod, using
commonly used CNC machining centers or the like.
[0107] While there has been shown and described what is considered
to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will, of course,
be understood that various modifications and changes in form or
detail could readily be made without departing from the spirit of
the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not
limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be
constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the
scope of the appended claims.
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