Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-04
2001-09-18
Mai, Lanna (Department: 3619)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
C280S741000, C280S742000, C280S735000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290256
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An inflatable vehicle occupant protection device, such as an air bag, is deployed upon the occurrence of a vehicle crash. The air bag is part of a vehicle occupant protection apparatus which further includes a crash sensor and an inflator. The inflator includes a housing and an inflation fluid source, such as a solid propellant, in the housing. When the crash sensor senses a crash-indicating condition of at least a predetermined threshold level, the inflator is actuated and produces inflation fluid under pressure in the inflator housing. The pressurized inflation fluid is directed out of the inflator housing and inflates the air bag into the vehicle occupant compartment. When the air bag is deployed in this manner, it helps to protect an occupant of the vehicle from a forceful impact with parts of the vehicle as a result of the crash.
When the inflator is actuated at an elevated ambient temperature, the pressure of the inflation fluid in the inflator housing increases. An inflator must be strong enough structurally to contain these elevated pressures. If the pressure in the inflator housing is thus increased, the mass flow rate of the inflation fluid flowing into the air bag can increase above the desired flow rate. Also, the possibility of such increased pressures may make it unfeasible to use a solid propellant which has a high burn rate exponent, that is, a high sensitivity to pressure variation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an apparatus for inflating an inflatable vehicle occupant protection device. The apparatus comprises an inflator housing including first and second end walls. An inflation fluid source in the inflator housing is actuatable to provide inflation fluid under pressure. An igniter assembly in the inflator housing, for actuating the inflation fluid source, includes an igniter housing located between the first and second end walls of the inflator housing and an igniter located in the igniter housing for actuating the inflation fluid source. The first and first end walls of the inflator housing move away from each other upon actuation of the inflation fluid source. The igniter housing moves with the second end wall away from the first end wall. The igniter assembly further includes a cap on the igniter housing for closing an open end of the igniter housing. The cap bodily moves with the first end wall away from the second end wall and relative to the igniter housing upon actuation of the inflation fluid source.
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TRW Presentation to General Motors Dec. 8, 1997.
TRW Presentation to Chrysler Jan. 28, 1997.
Deming Thomas H.
Green, Jr. Lloyd G.
McFarland Eric R.
Mai Lanna
Tarolli, Sundheim, Covell Tummino & Szabo L.L.P.
To Toan
TRW Inc.
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