Vehicle occupant protection apparatus
First Claim
1. Apparatus for deploying an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, said apparatus comprising:
- a container having a closed storage chamber containing a combustible mixture of gases;
a first initiator which, when actuated, first opens said storage chamber and then ignites said combustible mixture of gases;
a second initiator which, when actuated, ignites said combustible mixture of gases;
sensor means for sensing a vehicle crash and providing a signal indicative of crash severity; and
means for actuating said first and second initiators in a selected one of a plurality of differing stages which correspond to a plurality of differing deployment conditions dependent upon crash severity.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for deploying an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device (12) includes a container (26) with a closed storage chamber (28) containing a combustible mixture of gases. The apparatus (10) further includes first and second initiators (18, 20). The first initiator (18), when actuated, first opens the storage chamber and then ignites the combustible mixture of gases. The second initiator (20), when actuated, also ignites the combustible mixture of gases. The first and second initiators (18, 20) are actuated in a selected one of a plurality of differing stages which correspond to a plurality of differing deployment conditions.
17 Citations
14 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for deploying an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, said apparatus comprising:
-
a container having a closed storage chamber containing a combustible mixture of gases; a first initiator which, when actuated, first opens said storage chamber and then ignites said combustible mixture of gases; a second initiator which, when actuated, ignites said combustible mixture of gases; sensor means for sensing a vehicle crash and providing a signal indicative of crash severity; and means for actuating said first and second initiators in a selected one of a plurality of differing stages which correspond to a plurality of differing deployment conditions dependent upon crash severity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. Apparatus for deploying an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, said apparatus comprising:
-
a container having a storage chamber containing a combustible mixture of gases under pressure; first initiator means for initiating an outlet flow of said mixture from said storage chamber at a first time, said first initiator means igniting said mixture to increase said pressure and thereby to increase said outlet flow; second initiator means for maintaining said pressure and said outlet flow at increased levels by igniting said mixture at a second time which is not earlier than said first time; sensor means for sensing a vehicle crash and providing a signal dependent upon crash severity; and means for actuating said first and second initiator means in a selected one of a plurality of differing stages which correspond to a plurality of differing deployment conditions dependent upon crash severity. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
Specification