Igniter

US6166452A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• Breed Automotive Technology, Inc. · US
• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• John Adams · Lakeland, US
• Kevin Hovet · Maple Plain, US
• Werner Kaiser · Ruppach-Goldhausen, DE
• Horst Belau · Bad Abbach, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 20, 1999
• Grant date: Dec 26, 2000
• Expiry date: Jan 20, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L2224/48227
• WIPO field: Other special machines
• WIPO sector: Mechanical engineering

Abstract

An igniter for igniting a reactive material has a conductor for conducting power and communication signals to and from the igniter. A controller is located within the igniter. The controller is preferably an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The controller has communication means for communicating with a master controller located remote from the igniter. The controller also has diagnostic means for comparing established parameters for components of the igniter to predetermined limits and sending fault warning messages and integrity status messages to the master control unit. The controller also further has means for receiving a unique igniter activation command from the master control unit and sending an activation signal to an igniter activation means that couples the energy stored in an energy storage capacitor to a heating member that ignites a reactive material.