Auto ignition package for an air bag inflator
First Claim
1. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
- a housing;
gas generating material within said housing to provide gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint when said gas generating material is ignited; and
an annular auto ignition packet within said housing, said annular auto ignition packet containing material having an ignition temperature below an ignition temperature of said gas generating material.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An inflator (10) for inflating an air bag (12) includes an outer housing (40). A hermetically sealed canister (90) containing disks (110) of gas generating material is located in the outer housing (40). The canister (90) also contains an annular auto ignition packet (150) containing an auto ignition material (164) having an ignition temperature below the ignition temperature of gas generating material in disks (110). The auto ignition packet (150) extends around a base (138) of an igniter (99). The auto ignition packet (150) is disposed adjacent to a lower end wall (46) of the inflator housing (10) opposite from an end wall across which the folded air bag extends. Consequently, the air bag does not insulate the auto ignition packet (150) from the interior of the vehicle in which the inflator is disposed.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing; gas generating material within said housing to provide gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint when said gas generating material is ignited; and an annular auto ignition packet within said housing, said annular auto ignition packet containing material having an ignition temperature below an ignition temperature of said gas generating material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An apparatus comprising:
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a housing having a first end wall and a second end wall opposite from said first end wall; an air bag connected with said housing and folded in a plurality of layers which extend across said first end wall of said housing, said first end wall of said housing being located between said second end wall of said housing and said plurality of layers of said air bag which extend across said first end wall of said housing; gas generating material disposed within said housing to provide gas to inflate said air bag when said gas generating material is ignited; and an auto ignition packet, said auto ignition packet containing material having an ignition temperature below the ignition temperature of said gas generating material, said auto ignition packet being disposed within said housing between said gas generating material and said second end wall of said housing wherein heat is conducted through said second end wall of said housing to said auto ignition packet without being conducted through said plurality of layers of said air bag and without being conducted through said gas generating material. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing having an end wall; gas generating material disposed within said housing to provide gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint when said gas generating material is ignited; an auto ignition packet disposed within said housing and containing material having an ignition temperature below the ignition temperature of said gas generating material; and an igniter connected with said end wall of said housing and extending through said auto ignition packet, said igniter being actuatable to ignite said gas generating material. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing; gas generating material within said housing to provide gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint when said gas generating material is ignited; and an annular auto ignition packet within said housing, said annular auto ignition packet containing material having an ignition temperature below an ignition temperature of said gas generating material; said housing including an outer housing having surface means for defining a plurality of gas outlet openings through which gas provided by said gas generating material flows toward the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, and a hermetically sealed canister disposed within said outer housing, said gas generating material and said annular auto ignition packet being disposed within said canister. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. An apparatus comprising:
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a housing having a first end wall and a second end wall opposite from said first end wall; an air bag connected with said housing and folded in a plurality of layers which extend across said first end wall of said housing, said first end wall of said housing being located between said second end wall of said housing and said plurality of layers of said air bag which extend across said first end wall of said housing; gas generating material disposed within said housing to provide gas to inflate said air bag when said gas generating material is ignited; and an auto ignition packet, said auto ignition packet containing material having an ignition temperature below the ignition temperature of said gas generating material, said auto ignition packet being disposed within said housing between said gas generating material and said second end wall of said housing wherein heat is conducted through said second end wall of said housing to said auto ignition packet without being conducted through said plurality of layers of said air bag and without being conducted through said gas generating material; said housing including an outer housing having surface means for defining a plurality of gas outlet openings through which gas provided by said gas generating material flows toward said air bag, and a hermetically sealed canister disposed within said outer housing, said gas generating material and said auto ignition packet being disposed in said hermetically sealed canister. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing having an end wall; gas generating material disposed within said housing to provide gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint when said gas generating material is ignited; an auto ignition packet disposed within said housing and containing material having an ignition temperature below the ignition temperature of said gas generating material; and an igniter connected with said end wall of said housing and extending through said auto ignition packet, said igniter being actuatable to ignite said gas generating material; said housing including an outer housing having surface means for defining a plurality of gas outlet openings through which gas provided by said gas generating material flows toward the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, and a hermetically sealed canister disposed within said housing, said gas generating material and said auto ignition packet being disposed within said canister, said igniter being disposed outside of said canister.
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25. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing having an end wall; gas generating material disposed within said housing to provide gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint when said gas generating material is ignited; an auto ignition packet disposed within said housing and containing material having an ignition temperature below the ignition temperature of said gas generating material; and an igniter connected with said end wall of said housing and extending through said auto ignition packet, said igniter being actuatable to ignite said gas generating material; said gas generating material including a plurality of disks of gas generating material, said igniter extending through at least some of said disks of gas generating material.
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26. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint, said apparatus comprising:
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a housing; gas generating material within said housing to provide gas to inflate the inflatable vehicle occupant restraint when said gas generating material is ignited; an annular auto ignition packet within said housing, said annular auto ignition packet containing material having an ignition temperature below an ignition temperature of said gas generating material; said gas generating material including a plurality of annular disks formed of gas generating material, said annular discs of gas generating material being disposed in a coaxial relationship with said annular auto ignition packet; and an igniter connected with said housing and actuatable to ignite said annular disks of gas generating material, said igniter extending through a central opening in said annular auto ignition packet and through central openings in said plurality of said annular disks of gas generating material.
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Specification