Injection termination feature
First Claim
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1. An inflator of a vehicle safety restraint system, comprising:
- a housing, the housing including a reservoir of liquid propellant;
a combustion chamber disposed in the housing in communication with the liquid propellant reservoir;
regenerative piston means for separating the liquid propellant reservoir and the combustion chamber, the piston means including a plurality of injection ports for delivering the liquid propellant to the combustion chamber in a controlled manner; and
injection termination means disposed in the housing, wherein upon completion of a stroke of the piston means, the injection termination means seals the injection ports of the piston means for preventing combustion and decomposition reactions of any residual liquid propellant from propagating through the piston means.
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Abstract
In an inflator of a vehicle safety restraint system utilizing liquid propellant as the inflation gas generator, decomposition of residual liquid propellant within the inflator produces undesirable gases which can result in unacceptable inflator effluent. The injection termination features of the present invention are formed onto an encapsulation or plug of a regenerative piston inflator. Upon completion of the piston stroke, the injection termination feature makes contact with the injection ports and plugs the injection ports to prevent combustion and decomposition reactions from propagating through the piston.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An inflator of a vehicle safety restraint system, comprising:
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a housing, the housing including a reservoir of liquid propellant; a combustion chamber disposed in the housing in communication with the liquid propellant reservoir; regenerative piston means for separating the liquid propellant reservoir and the combustion chamber, the piston means including a plurality of injection ports for delivering the liquid propellant to the combustion chamber in a controlled manner; and injection termination means disposed in the housing, wherein upon completion of a stroke of the piston means, the injection termination means seals the injection ports of the piston means for preventing combustion and decomposition reactions of any residual liquid propellant from propagating through the piston means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of terminating injection of a liquid propellant in a regenerative piston inflator of a vehicle safety restraint system, comprising the steps of:
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movably positioning a piston within a housing of the inflator, the housing including a reservoir of liquid propellant and a combustion chamber separated from the liquid propellant reservoir by a head of the piston; driving the piston head into the liquid propellant reservoir, the piston head including a plurality of injection ports in fluid communication with the liquid propellant reservoir, the liquid propellant flowing through the injection ports into the combustion chamber; combusting the liquid propellant in the combustion chamber; continuing to drive the piston into the liquid propellant reservoir; and sealing the injection ports of the piston head by injection termination means disposed in the housing to prevent combustion and decomposition reactions of any remaining liquid propellant from propagating through the injection ports of the piston. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification