Patent ID: 6225707
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: B60R,F42D

Abstract:
A method of operating a firing circuit configured to actuate a firing cap of a firing system, the firing circuit including a firing capacitor for storing energy necessary to fire the firing cap, and a switch connected between the firing capacitor and the firing cap, and wherein the firing cap has a given internal resistance and is fired with a current having a value at least as high as a predefined minimum current value and a duration of at least a given minimum time period, the method comprising the following steps:charging the firing capacitor to a charge voltage of 2.0 to 2.4 times a product of the internal resistance of the firing cap and the current supplied to the firing cap during a firing operation;limiting the current, during the firing operation, to a value corresponding to 1.0 to 1.2 times the minimum current value; andsetting a capacitance of the firing capacitor to a capacitance value corresponding to 1.0 to 1.2 times the given minimum time period divided by the internal resistance of the firing cap.