Crimp-formed joint housings for air bag inflators
First Claim
1. An inflator for generating gas to rapidly inflate an air bag, comprising:
- a quantity of gas generating material;
housing means having spaced apart opposite end walls with aligned outer peripheral edges;
an outer side wall extending between said upper and lower end walls around said peripheral edges thereof defining an enclosure for holding an annular filter element adjacent said outer side wall and providing an annular chamber inside said filter element for holding the quantity of gas generating material;
an annular filter in said housing means adjacent an inner surface of said outer side wall for entrapping combustion residue from said gas generated in said housing means before discharge of said gas;
an inner side wall extending between said end walls in concentric centered relationship with said outer side wall defining a central ignition chamber for containing an igniter, wherein the gas generating material is held between the inner side wall and the filter element;
said inner side wall formed with a plurality of ignition ports spaced apart around the periphery thereof for directing hot ignition gases into said annular chamber for igniting the gas generating material;
said outer side wall formed with a plurality of diffusion ports spaced apart around the periphery thereof for directing gases from the gas generating material outwardly to rapidly inflate said air bag;
a pair of resilient annular sealing rings for sealing between facing interior surfaces of said opposite end walls and respective adjacent annular opposite end portions of said annular filter for preventing gas generated in said housing means from bypassing said filter to reach said diffusion ports; and
at least one crimp-formed annular flange on said outer side wall engaging at least one of said end walls for closing said housing means and compressing said sealing rings to seal said opposite end portions of said filter to seal against blow-by.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An air bag inflator for generating gas to rapidly inflate an air bag includes a housing having spaced-apart opposite end walls with aligned outer peripheral edges, an outer side wall extending between the end walls around the peripheral edges defining an outer chamber for containing gas-generating material and a filter element. The housing also includes an inner side wall extending between the end walls in concentric, centered relation for containing an ignition squib and ignition-enhancing material and provided with ignition ports in communication with the other combustion chamber. The outer side wall is provided with a plurality of ports directing hot products of combustion outwardly to inflate an associated air bag. At least one pair of concentric crimp-formed joints are provided to interconnect the side walls and at least one of the end walls, top or bottom.
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Citations
51 Claims
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1. An inflator for generating gas to rapidly inflate an air bag, comprising:
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a quantity of gas generating material; housing means having spaced apart opposite end walls with aligned outer peripheral edges; an outer side wall extending between said upper and lower end walls around said peripheral edges thereof defining an enclosure for holding an annular filter element adjacent said outer side wall and providing an annular chamber inside said filter element for holding the quantity of gas generating material; an annular filter in said housing means adjacent an inner surface of said outer side wall for entrapping combustion residue from said gas generated in said housing means before discharge of said gas; an inner side wall extending between said end walls in concentric centered relationship with said outer side wall defining a central ignition chamber for containing an igniter, wherein the gas generating material is held between the inner side wall and the filter element; said inner side wall formed with a plurality of ignition ports spaced apart around the periphery thereof for directing hot ignition gases into said annular chamber for igniting the gas generating material; said outer side wall formed with a plurality of diffusion ports spaced apart around the periphery thereof for directing gases from the gas generating material outwardly to rapidly inflate said air bag; a pair of resilient annular sealing rings for sealing between facing interior surfaces of said opposite end walls and respective adjacent annular opposite end portions of said annular filter for preventing gas generated in said housing means from bypassing said filter to reach said diffusion ports; and at least one crimp-formed annular flange on said outer side wall engaging at least one of said end walls for closing said housing means and compressing said sealing rings to seal said opposite end portions of said filter to seal against blow-by. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A housing for an air bag inflator, comprising:
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a quantity of gas generating material; cylindrical inner and outer side walls and a pair of opposite end walls joined therewith to form a sealed enclosure; said inner side wall forming a central ignition chamber for containing ignition means and having a plurality of gas ports in communication with a gas generation chamber holding the gas generation material around said ignition chamber; said outer side wall having a plurality of gas exit ports for discharging gas generated in said gas generation chamber for inflating an air bag; an annular filter in said gas generation chamber adjacent an inner surface of said outer side wall for entrapping combustion residue from said gas generated in said housing before discharge of said gas through said exit ports; a pair of resilient annular sealing rings for sealing between facing interior surfaces of said opposite end walls and respective, adjacent, annular opposite end portions of said annular filter for preventing gas generated in said housing from bypassing said filter to reach said gas exit ports; said outer side wall having a crimp-formed end flange engaging at least one of said end walls to close said housing and compress said resilient sealing rings to seal said opposite end portion of said filter to seal against blow-by; and at least said inner side wall having at least one end crimped over against one of said end walls for closing said housing means to form said sealed enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 50)
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18. A housing for an air bag inflator, comprising:
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a base and a spaced apart coaxial aligned top wall having matching aligned peripheral edges and aligned central openings; a tubular outer side wall extending between said aligned peripheral edges of said base and said top wall and having a plurality of gas exit ports; an annular filter in said housing adjacent an inner surface of said outer side wall for entrapping combustion residue from said gas generated in said housing before discharge of said gas from said housing; a pair of resilient annular sealing rings for sealing between facing interior surfaces of said base and top walls and, respective, adjacent, annular opposite end portions of said annular filter for preventing gas generated in said housing from bypassing said filter to reach said outer side wall; said tubular outer side wall having at least one crimp-formed annular end flange engaging an outer surface of said bottom wall for closing said housing and compressing said sealing rings against said opposite end portions of said filters to seal against blow-by; a tubular inner side wall extending between said aligned central openings and crimped over against opposite outer faces of said base and said top wall; and said inner side wall having a plurality of ignition ports therein and defining an ignition chamber for containing ignition materials ignitable to direct hot ignition gas outwardly through said ports for initiating combustion of gas generating materials contained in a combustion chamber defined outside of said ignition chamber between said inner and outer side walls, said outer side having a plurality of diffuser ports for directing generated gas outwardly to inflate an associated air bag. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A housing for an air bag inflator for containing ignition material, gas generating material and a filter, comprising:
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a base having a central opening and an outer peripheral edge in coaxial alignment therewith, and a cover having a top wall spaced opposite said base and having a depending, peripheral outer side wall having a plurality of gas exit ports; an annular filter in said housing adjacent an inner surface of said outer side wall for entrapping combustion residue from said gas generated in said housing before discharge of said gas from said housing; a pair of resilient annular sealing rings for sealing between facing interior surfaces of said base and top walls and respective, adjacent, annular opposite end portions of said annular filter for preventing gas generated in said housing from bypassing said filter to reach said outer side wall; said outer side wall having an annular end flange at a lower end portion crimped over against a lower surface of said base to close said housing and compress said sealing rings to seal said opposite annular end portions of said filter to seal against blow-by; an inner side wall in coaxial alignment with said outer side wall having an upper end in contact with said top wall and a lower end portion crimped over against said lower surface of said base defining a central ignition chamber for said ignition material; and said inner and outer side wall defining an annular outer chamber for containing said gas generating material and said filter. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 48)
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38. A housing for an air bag inflator, comprising:
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a base having a central opening and an outer peripheral edge; a cover including a top wall spaced opposite said base having a central opening aligned with said central opening in said base and including a depending outer side wall having a plurality of gas exit ports and having a lower end joined to said base adjacent said outer peripheral edge; an annular filter in said housing adjacent an inner surface of said outer side wall for entrapping combustion residue from said gas generated in said housing before discharge of said gas through said exit ports; a pair of resilient annular sealing rings for sealing between facing interior surfaces of said base and top walls and respective, adjacent annular, opposite end portions of said annular filter for preventing gas generated in said housing from bypassing said filter to reach said gas exit ports; said outer side wall having an annular end flange at a lower end crimp-formed over against said base to close said housing while compressing said sealing rings to seal between said opposite end portions of said base and top wall to prevent filter blow-by; and a ported inner side wall extending between said aligned central openings of said base and top wall having a lower end portion crimped over against an outer surface of said base around said central opening and having a flanged end wall at the upper end engaging an outer surface of said top wall forming a central ignition chamber and a combustion chamber outwardly thereof. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 51)
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Specification