A Digital Valve for Safer Airbag Inflation
Customer Problem
Early solutions for deploying vehicle airbags used two-stage inflators. The lack of precision these inflators delivered meant that smaller passengers could be injured or even killed if the airbag inflated too quickly and with too much force. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began looking for ways to improve airbag safety and eliminate the risk of injury or death from airbag inflation.
The TLX Solution
TLX developed the Digital High-Speed Control Valve to provide variable flow control for the airbag inflator. Its ultrafast response time enabled it to adjust flow during an airbag inflation event and was intended to more safely regulate the speed and force of the airbag’s inflation. The valve also included a fail-safe feature that ensured the valve could safely regulate inflation pressure if control power to the valve was lost. This technology is readily adaptable to other applications.
Digital High-Speed Control Valve
- Supply voltage
- 8 to 16 Vdc
- Stroke
- Up to 0.762 mm (0.03 in.)
- Open flow area
- Up to 484 mm2 ( .75 in.2)
- Response time
- 1.5 to 3.0 ms
- Current
- 7.5 A
- Solenoid force generated
- Up to 450 N (101 lb)
Every TLX solution is custom engineered to meet the requirements of its application. Technical specifications shown on this website are intended to illustrate typical performance and design characteristics.
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