Power actuator suitable for vehicle occupant restraint systems
First Claim
1. A power actuator for rapidly actuating a driven member, said power actuator comprising:
- a cylinder attachable to a seat frame;
a piston received in said cylinder;
a propellant received in said cylinder for selectively applying a pressure to said piston, a piston rod extending from said piston and having a free end connected to a slip preventing member;
a spring member received in said cylinder to urge said piston out of said cylinder; and
a front end of said propellant received in a central hole of said spring member.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Provided is a compact power actuator which is simple in structure, reliable in operation, and easy to install. The power actuator comprises a piston assembly which is received in a fixed cylinder for either directly or indirectly engaging a vehicle occupant restraint member, and a propellant for rapidly increasing the inner pressure of the cylinder to push the piston assembly outward so that the restraint member may be instantaneously driven. A spring is interposed between the piston assembly and the propellant to urge the piston assembly in the projecting direction. The front end of the propellant fits into the central opening so that the available space may be fully utilized. Therefore, the size of the power actuator can be reduced, and the required amount of the pyrotechnic material for the propellant can be reduced due to the reduced initial volume of the chamber for the expansion of the generated gas.
50 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A power actuator for rapidly actuating a driven member, said power actuator comprising:
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a cylinder attachable to a seat frame;
a piston received in said cylinder;
a propellant received in said cylinder for selectively applying a pressure to said piston, a piston rod extending from said piston and having a free end connected to a slip preventing member;
a spring member received in said cylinder to urge said piston out of said cylinder; and
a front end of said propellant received in a central hole of said spring member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14)
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7. A vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising:
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a vehicle occupant restraint member moveable between a rest position and a deployed position;
a power actuator supported by a seat frame for selectively driving said restraint member toward said deployed position; and
a locking mechanism for retaining said restraint member substantially at said deployed position once said restraint member is deployed;
said power actuator including a cylinder attached to the seat frame, said cylinder having an inner bore, a piston received in said cylinder, a propellant received in said cylinder for selectively applying a pressure to said piston, a piston rod extending from said piston and having a free end connected to said restraint member, and a spring member received in said cylinder to urge said piston out of said cylinder, wherein said front end of said propellant is received in said central hole of said spring member in such a manner that a gap is defined between said front end of said propellant and an opposing end of said piston in a fully compressed state of said spring member. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15)
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16. A vehicle occupant restraint system, comprising:
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a vehicle occupant restraint member moveable between a rest position and a deployed position;
a power actuator supported by a seat frame for selectively driving said restraint member toward said deployed position; and
a locking mechanism for retaining said restraint member substantially at said deployed position once said restraint member is deployed;
said power actuator including a cylinder attached to the seat frame, said cylinder having an inner bore, a piston received in said cylinder, a propellant received in said cylinder for selectively applying a pressure to said piston, a piston rod extending from said piston and having a free end connected to said restraint member, and a spring member received in said cylinder to urge said piston out of said cylinder, wherein a piston rod retaining member is provided at an end of said cylinder remote from said propellant for resisting inadvertent movement of said piston rod during handling but permitting movement of said piston rod when said piston is actuated by said propellant.
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Specification