US 11,309,880 B2 · High-performance current-limited pyrotechnic initiator drive circuits

Abstract

Embodiments described herein provides a low-complexity solution and current protection for a current driver that provide current pulses to pyrotechnic initiators. The current drivers include current limiters that prevent high current transients during a current pulse. Further, a duration of the current pulse is controlled based on a thermal limit of the current driver to prevent thermal damage to the current driver. One embodiment comprises an apparatus that includes a control circuit and a current driver. The current driver is electrically couplable to a pyrotechnic initiator. The current driver includes a power switch circuit electrically coupled to a supply rail that supplies a current to a high side of the pyrotechnic initiator in response to receiving a drive signal from the control circuit.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a control circuit;
and
a current driver electrically couplable to a pyrotechnic initiator, the current driver comprising:
a power switch circuit electrically coupled to a supply rail that is configured to supply a current to a high side of the pyrotechnic initiator in response to receiving a drive signal from the control circuit, and to vary the current based on the drive signal;
and
a current sense circuit configured to monitor the current to the pyrotechnic initiator, and to modify the drive signal applied to the power switch circuit to limit the current to a threshold current,
wherein the control circuit is configured, in response to receiving a command to apply the current to the pyrotechnic initiator, to generate the drive signal, to determine whether a pre-determined time limit has expired for supplying the current, the pre-determined time limit based on a thermal limit of the power switch circuit, and to terminate the drive signal in response to the pre-determined time limit expiring.

4 more elements

A pyrotechnic firing device, comprising:

a current driver electrically couplable to a pyrotechnic initiator, the current driver configured to provide a current-limited current to fire the pyrotechnic initiator in response to receiving a drive signal, and to terminate the current-limited current to the pyrotechnic initiator in response to not receiving the drive signal;
and
a control circuit configured, in response to receiving a firing command to fire the pyrotechnic initiator, to provide the drive signal to the current driver, to determine whether a pre-determined time limit has expired for supplying the current-limited current, the pre-determined time limit based on a thermal limit of the current driver, and to terminate the drive signal in response to the pre-determined time limit expiring.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

High-performance current-limited pyrotechnic initiator drive circuits

Life of this patent

High-performance current-limited pyrotechnic initiator drive circuits

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20