Inflator mounting system

• US 5,257,815 A
• Filed: 10/21/1991
• Issued: 11/02/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Incorporated (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Original Assignee: TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Incorporated (Zeppelin - Stiftung der Stadt Friedrichshafen)
• Inventors: Modlin, Ronald R., Puckett, James T., Stepnick, John E., Klena, Thomas J. II, Wallner, John P., Maurer, Steven W., Synor, Jeffrey C., Bachelder, Theodore J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tyson, Karin L.
• Application Number:
  US07/779,884
• Time in Patent Office: 743 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728, 280/732, 280/736, 280/740, 280/741, 280/742, 102/530, 102/531, 422/164, 422/165, 422/166, 222/3, 403/3, 403/4
• US Class Current: 280/728.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle air bag assembly includes an air bag container with a special orientation device for orienting and supporting an inflator in the container. The air bag container includes a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls. One of the pair of sidewalls has an opening which is dimensioned to receive an inflator. The orientation device comprises an orientation ring coupled to the one of the sidewalls and located at least partially within the opening in the one of the sidewalls. The inflator is loaded into the container through an opening in the orientation ring. The orientation ring has an internal configuration which (i) requires the inflator to be in an initial orientation as the inflator is loaded into the container, and (ii) engages a portion of the inflator to center and support the inflator in a predetermined final orientation when the inflator is coupled to the container.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in forming a vehicle air bag assembly, said apparatus comprising:

a housing having a wall structure forming an internal cavity for an inflator, said wall structure including a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls, one of said pair of sidewalls defining an opening having a configuration which enables an inflator to be inserted through said opening and the other of said pair of sidewalls forming part of a coupling structure for coupling one end of the inflator to said housing when the inflator is disposed within said housing cavity; and

an orientation device coupled to said one of said pair of sidewalls, said orientation device having a configuration which supports a predetermined portion of the inflator in said opening and maintains the inflator in a predetermined rotational orientation within said housing cavity;

wherein said orientation device includes an orientation ring surrounding a central axis, said orientation ring including a resiliently deflectable inflator coupling tab extending axially away from said ring, said inflator coupling tab engaging the one end of the inflator when the inflator is inserted into the housing to couple the inflator at least temporarily to the housing.

2. An air bag assembly comprising:

a reaction device having a housing at least partially enclosing an inflator and an air bag, said inflator at one end being coupled to one portion of said housing and at the other end being received within an opening formed in another portion of the housing; and

an orientation device coupled to said housing to support the other end of said inflator in the opening and maintain the inflator in a predetermined rotational orientation within said reaction device;

wherein said orientation device includes an orientation ring surrounding a central axis, said orientation ring including a resiliently deflectable inflator coupling tab extending axially away from said ring, said inflator coupling tab engaging one end of the inflator to couple the inflator at least temporarily to the housing.

3. Apparatus comprising an orientation device for use in supporting an air bag inflator in a housing, said orientation device comprising:

a frame designed to be interposed between the housing and the inflator, said frame having an outer portion designed to engage a portion of the housing and an inner portion designed to engage an inflator being inserted into the housing, said inner portion of said frame having a configuration which requires the inflator to be inserted into the housing in a predetermined rotational orientation and which supports a predetermined portion of the inflator in the housing when the inflator is in the predetermined rotational orientation in the housing;

wherein said frame includes an orientation ring surrounding a central axis, said orientation ring including a resiliently deflectable inflator coupling tab extending axially away from said ring, said inflator coupling tab engaging the one end of the inflator to couple the inflator at least temporarily to the housing.

4. An apparatus for use in forming a vehicle air bag assembly, said apparatus comprising:

a housing having a wall structure forming an internal cavity for an inflator, said wall structure including a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls, one of said pair of sidewalls defining an opening having a configuration which enables an inflator to be inserted through said opening and the other of said pair of sidewalls forming part of a coupling structure for coupling one end of the inflator to said housing when the inflator is disposed within said housing cavity; and

an orientation member coupled to said one of said pair of sidewalls, said orientation member being interposed between a predetermined portion of the inflator and the portion of the sidewall forming the opening and having a configuration to support the predetermined portion of the inflator in said opening and maintain the inflator in a predetermined orientation within said housing cavity;

wherein said orientation member has a configuration which engages a predetermined first portion of the inflator to rotationally orient the inflator within the reaction device and engages a predetermined second portion of the inflator to align said central axis of the inflator with said central axis of said orientation device when the one end of the inflator is coupled to said housing;

wherein said orientation member includes an orientation ring formed in one piece and surrounding said central axis, said orientation ring having an inner circumferential surface which defines an entrance opening and which includes a chord-shaped segment extending from one portion of said entrance opening to another portion of said entrance opening, said chord-shaped segment on said ring being adapted to engage a correspondingly-shaped surface formed on the other end of the inflator to require the inflater to be aligned in the predetermined orientation when the inflator is inserted into the housing, said orientation ring also having an inwardly-tapered shoulder extending toward said central axis, said shoulder having a configuration which engages the predetermined portion of the inflator and aligns a central axis of the inflator with said central axis of the orientation ring when the one end of the inflator is coupled to the housing.

5. An air bag assembly, comprising:

a reaction device having a housing at least partially enclosing an inflator and an air bag, said inflator at one end being coupled to one portion of said housing and at the other end being received within an opening formed in another portion of the housing; and

an orientation member coupled to said housing and interposed between said other end of the inflator and the portion of the housing forming the opening to support the other end of said inflator in the opening and maintain the inflator in a predetermined orientation within said reaction device;

wherein said orientation member has a configuration which engages a predetermined first portion of the inflator to rotationally orient the inflator within the reaction device and engages a predetermined second portion of the inflator to align a central axis of the inflator with a central axis of said orientation device when the one end of the inflator is coupled to said housing;

wherein said orientation member includes an orientation ring formed in one piece and surrounding a central axis, said orientation ring having an inner circumferential surface which defines an entrance opening and which includes a chord-shaped segment extending from one portion of said entrance opening to another portion of said entrance opening, said chord-shaped segment on said ring being adapted to engage a correspondingly-shaped surface formed on the other end of the inflator to require the inflator to be aligned in the predetermined orientation when the inflator is inserted into the housing, said orientation ring also having an inwardly-tapered shoulder extending toward said central axis, said shoulder having a configuration which engages the predetermined portion of the inflator and aligns said central axis of the inflator with said central axis of the orientation ring when the one end of the inflator is coupled to the housing.

6. An apparatus for use in forming a vehicle air bag assembly, said apparatus comprising:

a housing having a wall structure forming an internal cavity for an inflator, said wall structure including a pair of spaced-apart sidewalls, one of said pair of sidewalls defining an opening having a configuration which enables an inflator to be inserted through said opening and the other of said pair of sidewalls forming part of a coupling structure for coupling one end of the inflator to said housing when the inflator is disposed within said housing cavity; and

an orientation device coupled to said one of said pair of sidewalls, said orientation device having a configuration which supports a predetermined portion of the inflator in said opening and maintains the inflator in a predetermined rotational orientation within said housing cavity;

wherein said orientation device includes an orientation ring formed in one piece and surrounding a central axis, said orientation ring having an inner circumferential surface which defines an entrance opening and which includes a chord-shaped segment extending from one portion of said entrance opening to another portion of said entrance opening, said chord-shaped segment on said ring being adapted to engage a correspondingly-shaped surface formed on the other end of the inflator to require the inflator to be aligned in the predetermined orientation when the inflator is inserted into the housing, said orientation ring also having an inwardly-tapered shoulder extending toward said central axis, said shoulder having a configuration which engages the predetermined portion of the inflator and aligns said central axis of the inflator with said central axis of the orientation ring when the one end of the inflator is coupled to the housing.

7. An air bag assembly, comprising:

a reaction device having a housing at least partially enclosing an inflator and an air bag, said inflator at one end being coupled to one portion of said housing and at the other end being received within an opening formed in another portion of the housing; and

an orientation device coupled to said housing to support the other end of said inflator in the opening and maintain the inflator in a predetermined rotational orientation within said reaction device;

wherein said orientation device includes an orientation ring formed in one piece and surrounding a central axis, said orientation ring having an inner circumferential surface which defines an entrance opening and which includes a chord-shaped segment extending from one portion of said entrance opening to another portion of said entrance opening, said chord-shaped segment on said ring being adapted to engage a correspondingly-shaped surface formed on the other end of the inflator to require the inflator to be aligned in the predetermined orientation when the inflator is inserted into the housing, said orientation ring also having an inwardly-tapered shoulder extending toward said central axis, said shoulder having a configuration which engages the predetermined portion of the inflator and aligns said central axis of the inflator with said central axis of the orientation ring when the one end of the inflator is coupled to the housing.

8. An apparatus comprising an orientation device for use in supporting an air bag inflator in a housing, said orientation device comprising:

a frame designed to be interposed between the housing and the inflator, said frame having an outer portion designed to engage a portion of the housing and an inner portion designed to engage an inflator being inserted into the housing, said inner portion of said frame having a configuration which requires the inflator to be inserted into the housing in a predetermined rotational orientation and which supports a predetermined portion of the inflator in the housing when the inflator is in the predetermined rotational orientation in the housing;

wherein said frame includes an orientation ring formed in one piece and surrounding a central axis, said orientation ring having an inner circumferential surface which defines an entrance opening and which includes a chord-shaped segment extending from one portion of said entrance opening to another portion of said entrance opening, said chord-shaped segment on said ring being adapted to engage a correspondingly-shaped surface formed on the other end of the inflator to require the inflator to be aligned in the predetermined orientation when the inflator is inserted into the housing, said orientation ring also having an inwardly-tapered shoulder extending toward said central axis, said shoulder having a configuration which engages the predetermined portion of the inflator and aligns said central axis of the inflator with said central axis of the orientation ring when the inflator is inserted into the housing.