Dual stage air bag inflator with toroidal chamber for combustible gas mixture
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- an inflatable air bag;
a container defining a chamber;
a mixture of gases in the chamber and comprising a combustible fuel gas portion and a noncombustible inflation gas portion;
an outlet passage in said container for providing fluid communication through a flow area between the chamber and the air bag, said outlet passage being initially blocked to prevent fluid flow through said outlet passage;
an actuatable first initiator for, when actuated, effecting the ignition of the combustible fuel gas portion of the mixture of gases to unblock said outlet passage and allow gas to flow into said air bag; and
an actuatable second initiator for, when actuated, changing the flow area defined by said outlet passage.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus comprises a container (22) that defines a chamber (24) for receiving a mixture of gases. The mixture of gases comprises a combustible fuel gas portion and a noncombustible inflation gas portion for inflating an air bag (B). An outlet passage (100) is formed in the container (22) and provides fluid communication between the chamber (24) and the air bag (B) through a flow area. The outlet passage (100) is initially blocked to prevent fluid flow through the passage. An actuatable first initiator (122), when actuated, effects ignition of the combustible fuel gas portion of the mixture of gases and unblocking of the outlet passage (100) to allow gas to flow into the air bag (B). An actuatable second initiator (202), when actuated, changes the flow area of the outlet passage (100).
34 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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an inflatable air bag; a container defining a chamber; a mixture of gases in the chamber and comprising a combustible fuel gas portion and a noncombustible inflation gas portion; an outlet passage in said container for providing fluid communication through a flow area between the chamber and the air bag, said outlet passage being initially blocked to prevent fluid flow through said outlet passage; an actuatable first initiator for, when actuated, effecting the ignition of the combustible fuel gas portion of the mixture of gases to unblock said outlet passage and allow gas to flow into said air bag; and an actuatable second initiator for, when actuated, changing the flow area defined by said outlet passage. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An inflator for inflating an air bag, said inflator comprising:
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a container defining an initially closed and substantially toroidal chamber; a mixture of gases in the chamber and comprising a combustible gas portion and a noncombustible inflation gas portion; an actuatable first initiator for, when actuated, effecting the ignition of the combustible gas portion of the mixture of gases to open the closed chamber and permit gas to flow into the air bag through a flow area; and an actuatable second initiator for, when actuated, decreasing the flow area through which the gas flows. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An inflator for inflating an air bag, said inflator comprising:
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a container defining a storage chamber; a combustible gas mixture in the storage chamber and comprising a combustible gas portion and a noncombustible inflation gas portion; an outlet passage in said container to provide fluid communication between the storage chamber and the air bag, the outlet passage being initially blocked to prevent fluid flow through said outlet passage; an actuatable first initiator located within the boundary of said container which defines the storage chamber and being in fluid communication with the storage chamber for, when actuated, effecting the ignition of the combustible gas portion of the gas mixture to unblock said outlet passage and allow the gas to flow through said outlet passage; and an actuatable second initiator located within the boundary of said container which defines the storage chamber for, when actuated, changing the speed at which the air bag becomes fully inflated. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An inflator for inflating an air bag, said inflator comprising:
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a container defining an initially closed and substantially toroidal chamber; a gas mixture in the toroidal chamber and comprising a combustible fuel gas portion and a noncombustible inflation gas portion for inflating an air bag; an actuatable first initiator for, when actuated, effecting the ignition of the combustible fuel gas portion of the gas mixture to open the closed toroidal chamber and permit inflation gas to flow into the air bag; said container defining an outlet passage and a first initiator chamber for said first initiator, said first initiator chamber in fluid communication with the outlet passage, said container further including a closure extending across the outlet passage to block fluid flow through the outlet passage, said closure being movable to unblock the outlet passage and open the closed toroidal chamber in response to actuation of said first initiator; a flow passage extending between the first initiator chamber and the toroidal chamber, a cap located in the flow passband, and a quantity of ignitable material in said cap which ignites in response to actuation of said first initiator to propel said cap into the toroidal chamber to ignite the combustible fuel gas portion of the gas mixture and increase the pressure of the gas mixture to move the closure and unblock the outlet passage; and an actuatable second initiator for, when actuated after actuation of said first initiator, controlling the pressure in the air bag as a function of time. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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Specification