Airbag inflation gas generation via a decomposing material
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable device, said apparatus comprising:
- a first chamber having contents including at least one gas source material selected from the group consisting of nitrous oxide, acetylene or an acetylene-based material and which undergoes decomposition to form decomposition products including at least one gaseous decomposition product used to inflate the device, andan initiator to initiate the decomposition of the at least one gas source material in said first chamber.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for inflating a vehicular inflatable device are provided wherein inflation gas is produced via a decomposing material.
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Citations
59 Claims
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1. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable device, said apparatus comprising:
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a first chamber having contents including at least one gas source material selected from the group consisting of nitrous oxide, acetylene or an acetylene-based material and which undergoes decomposition to form decomposition products including at least one gaseous decomposition product used to inflate the device, and an initiator to initiate the decomposition of the at least one gas source material in said first chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 56)
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16. An apparatus for inflating an inflatable device, said apparatus comprising:
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a first chamber having contents including at least one gas source material which undergoes decomposition to produce decomposition products including at least one gaseous decomposition product, said first chamber adapted to open when a predetermined increase in pressure within said first chamber is realized, whereby at least a portion of the decomposition products including at least a portion of the at least one gaseous decomposition product is released from said first chamber; a second chamber containing a supply of pressurized stored gas, said second chamber in fluid communication with said first chamber upon the opening of said first chamber with the at least a portion of the decomposition products released from said first chamber mixing with the pressurized stored gas to produce inflation gas and increasing the temperature and pressure within said second chamber, said second chamber adapted to open when a predetermined increase in pressure within said second chamber is realized, whereby at least a portion of the inflation gas is released from said second chamber to inflate said device, and an initiator to initiate the decomposition of the at least one gas source material in said first chamber. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 57)
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26. A multiple level airbag inflator which includes at least one chamber, said inflator comprising:
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a first chamber having contents including at least one gas source material adapted to undergo decomposition upon actuation to form decomposition products including at least one gaseous decomposition product for use in an inflating inflatable device, an initiator to initiate the decomposition of the at least one gas source material in said first chamber, and a chamber opening device adapted to selectively open a chamber of said inflator whereby the contents of said selectively opened chamber at least in part are released from said inflator. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A method for inflating an inflatable safety device in a vehicle using an inflation apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:
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decomposing at least one gas source material in a first chamber of the apparatus to form decomposition products including at least one gaseous decomposition product and releasing inflation gas comprising at least a portion of the at least one gaseous decomposition product from the apparatus to inflate the inflatable safety device, wherein in said method at least one of the following conditions is also satisfied; a) the at least one gas source material is selected from the group consisting of nitrous oxide, acetylene or an acetylene-based material and b) the method additionally comprises the step of mixing the decomposition products with a stored gas to form inflation gas for said release from the apparatus to inflate the inflatable safety device. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 58)
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43. A method of operation of a multiple level air bag inflator which includes at least one chamber, the inflator including:
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a first chamber having contents including at least one gas source material adapted to undergo decomposition upon actuation to form decomposition products including at least one gaseous decomposition product for use in inflating an inflatable device, an initiator to initiate the decomposition of the at least one gas source material in the first chamber, and a chamber opening device adapted to selectively open a chamber of the inflator whereby the contents of the selectively opened chamber at least in part are released from the inflator, said method comprising; selectively actuating at least one of the initiator and the chamber opening device. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59)
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Specification