Inflator assembly
First Claim
1. An apparatus for inflating a vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
- container means for storing gas under pressure;
a body of ignitable material within said container means;
igniter means for igniting said body of ignitable material; and
actuator means for releasing the stored gas from said container means and for actuating said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material, said actuator means including,an actuator member movable along a path to establish a flow of stored gas from said container means and to actuate said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material, andmeans for moving said actuator member along said path.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An inflator assembly inflates a vehicle occupant restraint. The inflator assembly includes a container which stores gas under pressure. A body of an ignitable pyrotechnic material is disposed within the container. An igniter assembly is actuatable in response to being struck to ignite the body of pyrotechnic material. An actuator assembly is provided to release the stored gas from the container and to actuate the igniter assembly. The actuator assembly includes a pyrotechnic which moves an actuator member to rupture a portion of the container and to strike the igniter assembly. Upon actuation of the igniter assembly, the pyrotechnic material is ignited and begins to burn. During initial burning of the pyrotechnic material, an orifice plate restricts a flow of combustion products to promote burning of the pyrotechic material. During continued burning of the pyrotechnic material, the flow of combustion products enlarges the size of the orifice in the orifice plate to reduce the restriction to the flow of combustion products. The combustion products heat the gas in the container to increase the fluid pressure in the container.
100 Citations
38 Claims
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1. An apparatus for inflating a vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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container means for storing gas under pressure; a body of ignitable material within said container means; igniter means for igniting said body of ignitable material; and actuator means for releasing the stored gas from said container means and for actuating said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material, said actuator means including, an actuator member movable along a path to establish a flow of stored gas from said container means and to actuate said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material, and means for moving said actuator member along said path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for inflating a vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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container means for storing gas under pressure; means for heating the stored gas, said means for heating the stored gas including a body of ignitable material which burns to produce heat; igniter means actuatable in response to being struck to ignite said body of ignitable material; actuator means for actuating said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material, said actuator means including, an actuator member which is movable to strike said igniter means and thereby actuate said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material and means for moving said actuator member. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus for inflating a vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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container means for storing gas under pressure; a body of ignitable material connected with said container means; igniter means actuatable in response to being struck to ignite said body of ignitable material; and actuator means for releasing the stored gas from said container means and for actuating said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material, said actuator means including an actuator member, and pyrotechnic means for moving said actuator member to rupture a portion of said container means and to strike said igniter means. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An apparatus for inflating a vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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container means for storing gas under pressure; a body of ignitable material within said container means; housing means at least partially disposed within said container means for enclosing said body of ignitable material, said housing means including an end portion having surface means for defining a first orifice having a first area; igniter means for igniting said body of ignitable material to initiate burning of said body of ignitable material; and an orifice plate disposed in said housing means between said body of ignitable material and said end portion of said housing means, said orifice plate having surface means for defining a second orifice with a second area which is smaller than the first area to restrict a flow of combustion products from said housing means upon initiation of burning of said body of ignitable material, said first and second orifices conducting a flow of combustion products from said housing means during burning of said body of ignitable material, said orifice plate being deformable by the flow of combustion products to increase the size of said second orifice from the second area to an area which is at least approximately as great as the first area to reduce the extent to which said orifice plate restricts the flow of combustion products from said housing means. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. An apparatus for inflating a vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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container means having a chamber for storing gas under pressure; a body of ignitable material associated with said container means and which, when ignited, heats said stored gas; igniter means for igniting said body of ignitable material; an assembly connected with said container, said assembly including an igniter holder for supporting said igniter means, a manifold member having passage means for directing stored gas from said chamber, and a burst disk closing said passage means; and means for rupturing said burst disk to enable gas to flow through said passage means and for actuating said igniter means to ignite said body of ignitable material. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33)
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34. An apparatus for inflating a vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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container means for storing gas under pressure, said container means including a side wall and having a first opening at a first end portion of said side wall; housing means for holding a body of ignitable material within said container means; and a first friction weld interconnecting said housing means and the first end portion of said side wall of said container means. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification