Air bag filter and seal arrangement
First Claim
1. A seal for use in an air bag having a cylindrical housing with a tubular wall having an inner face, and a gas filter in proximity to said inner face, said seal comprising:
- a presser foot for engagement with the filter, said presser foot having the form of an annular plate, said presser foot having a radially interior cantilevered edge and a radially exterior connecting edge, said connecting edge having a diameter less than that of the inner face of the tubular wall; and
an engagement leg extending from said connecting edge to a free edge and having the form of a frustrum of a cone, said engagement leg forming an obtuse angle with respect to said presser foot, said free edge having a diameter greater than that of the inner face of the tubular wall, said presser foot and said engagement leg being formed monolithically of a resilient sheet metal, with sufficient resilience that said engagement leg may resiliently deform such that said free edge may be received within the inner face of the tubular wall.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
A filter, seal and port arrangement for a pyrotechnic air bag inflator. The seal consists of a ring or annulus of sheet metal which has a foot section abutting against the filter, and a leg section of the seal angled to form an interference fit against an interior wall of the generator housing. For annular filters used in axial flow inflators, a ring is used at the radially inner and outer edges of the annular filter. For tubular filters used in radial flow inflators, a single seal at a longitudinal end may be sufficient. With such tubular filters, the seal may include a stand-off to form an annular void between the radially outer face of the filter and the wall of the housing. This void will act as a plenum to ensure that a greater volume of the filter is used. The tubular filter itself may also be formed with raised lands such that the interposed grooves form such a plenum. In a similar manner the disk filters may also have plenum producing lands on their outer faces, or the housing may include such lands. The housing may also be provided with tangentially oriented ports between the ignitor and the gas generating material to increase the contact area between the combusting ignitor and the generant, and to reduce the impingement force produced by the combusting ignitor.
45 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A seal for use in an air bag having a cylindrical housing with a tubular wall having an inner face, and a gas filter in proximity to said inner face, said seal comprising:
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a presser foot for engagement with the filter, said presser foot having the form of an annular plate, said presser foot having a radially interior cantilevered edge and a radially exterior connecting edge, said connecting edge having a diameter less than that of the inner face of the tubular wall; and an engagement leg extending from said connecting edge to a free edge and having the form of a frustrum of a cone, said engagement leg forming an obtuse angle with respect to said presser foot, said free edge having a diameter greater than that of the inner face of the tubular wall, said presser foot and said engagement leg being formed monolithically of a resilient sheet metal, with sufficient resilience that said engagement leg may resiliently deform such that said free edge may be received within the inner face of the tubular wall. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. An inflator for an air bag, comprising:
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a cylindrical housing having circular top and bottom walls, and a tubular outer wall, said walls defining a chamber therein a gas filter located within said chamber in proximity to said outer wall; a filter seal, including a presser foot engaged against said filter, said presser foot having the form of an annular plate, said presser foot having a radially interior cantilevered edge and a radially exterior connecting edge, said connecting edge having a diameter less than that of said outer wall, and an engagement leg extending from said connecting edge to a free edge and having the form of a frustrum of a cone, said engagement leg forming an obtuse angle with respect to said presser foot, said free edge having a diameter greater than that of said outer wall, said presser foot and said engagement leg being formed monolithically of a resilient sheet metal, with sufficient resilience that said engagement leg is resiliently deformed with said free edge abutting said outer wall. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A gas filter for an air bag inflator having a housing with a plurality of walls, said filter comprising:
a monolithic rigid reticulated member having a face, said face including a plurality of protrusions defined by intermediate grooves and depressions, said protrusions being constructed and arranged to be closely received against one of the housing walls, with at least a portion of said grooves and depressions being in communication to define at least one plenum chamber between said filter and the wall when received thereagainst. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A gas filter for an air bag inflator having a housing with circular top and bottom walls and a tubular outer wall extending therebetween, said filter comprising:
a monolithic rigid reticulated member, said member being substantially tubular with an outer diameter constructed and arranged to be received concentrically within said outer wall, said outer diameter being less than a diameter of said outer wall to form an annular plenum chamber between said filter and said outer wall.
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32. In an air bag inflator housing having a plurality of exit ports, the improvement comprising:
a top wall having a circular periphery and an interior face constructed and arranged to be in proximity to a gas filter, said face including a plurality of protrusions extending therefrom, said protrusions strengthening said top wall against pressures generated within said housing, said protrusions constructed and arranged to abut against the gas filter and defining therebetween, with the filter, at least one plenum chamber, at least one said plenum chamber being in communication with each of said exit ports.
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33. In an air bag inflator having a ignition chamber surrounded by a tubular wall, with a gas generant exterior of said wall, and a plurality of ignition ports extending through said wall and each having a longitudinal axis which may be projected upon a plane normal to said tubular wall to define a projected axis, the improvement comprising:
at least one of said ports having a projected axis which forms an angle with a radial line passing through said axis at the interior face of said tubular wall. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36)
Specification