The United States of America As Represented by the Administrator of the

Oea, Inc.

Thomas J Graves

Christopher W Brown

James A Longwell

William C Hoffman, Iii

Robert L Robinson

Robert A Yang

An all-glass header assembly is provided for use in an air bag system that is located in a vehicle. The header assembly acts to initiate flow of gases into the air bag. The header assembly includes an eyelet having a bore that receives an all-glass insulating body that is flush with an outer surface of the eyelet. A center electrode pin is located through a preformed hole in the center of the glass insulating body. A side electrode pin is welded to the eyelet. Electrical current flows through the two electrode pins when predetermined power is applied at a desired time. In making the all-glass header assembly, a fixture system and process are employed for achieving flushness among the eyelet, glass insulating body and center electrode pin while avoiding unwanted voids, bubbles or cracks in the glass insulating body.

All-glass header assembly used in an inflator system

A coupling device which is mechanically two fault tolerant for release. The device comprises a fastener plate 11 and fastener body 12, each of which is attachable to a different one of a pair of structures to be joined. The fastener plate 11 and body 12 are coupled by an elongate toggle 13 mounted at one end in a socket on the fastener plate for universal pivotal movement thereon. The other end of the toggle 13 is received in an opening in the fastener body 12 and adapted for limited pivotal movement therein. The toggle is adapted to be restrained by three latch hooks 55 arranged in symmetrical equiangular spacing about the axis of the toggle, each hook being mounted on the fastener body 12 for pivotal movement between an unlatching non-contact position with respect to the toggle and a latching position in engagement with a latching surface 44 of the toggle. The device includes releasable lock means 61, 63 for locking each latch hook 55 in its latching position whereby the toggle couples the fastener plate to the fastener body and means 70, 72 for releasing the lock means to unlock each said latch hook from the latch position whereby the unlocking of at least one of the latch hooks from its latching position results in the decoupling of the fastener plate from the fastener body.

Two fault tolerant toggle-hook release

A pyrotechnic actuated structural release device 10 which is mechanically two fault tolerant for release. The device 10 comprises a fastener plate 11 and fastener body 12, each attachable to a different one of a pair of structures to be joined. The fastener plate 11 and body 12 are fastenable by a toggle 13 supported at one end on the fastener plate and mounted for universal pivotal movement thereon. At its other end which is received in a central opening in the fastener body 12 and adapted for limited pivotal movement therein the toggle 13 is restrained by three retractable latching pins 61 symmetrically disposed in equiangular spacing about the axis of the toggle 13 and positionable in latching engagement with an end fitting on the toggle. Each pin 61 is individually retractable by combustion of a pyrotechnic charge 77, the expanding gases of which are applied to a pressure receiving face 67 on the latch pin 61 to effect its retraction from the toggle. While retraction of all three pins 62 releases the toggle, the fastener is mechanically two fault tolerant since the failure of any single one or pair of the latch pins to retract results in an asymmetrical loading on the toggle and its pivotal movement to effect a release. An annular bolt 18 is mounted on the fastener plate 11 as a support for the socket mounting 30, 37 of the toggle whereby its selective axial movement provides a means for preloading the toggle.

Toggle release

A four-terminal electrical connector device (40) for testing and measuring unknown resistances of initiators (11) used for starting pyrotechnic events aboard a Space Transportation System. The testing device minimizes contact resistance degradation effects and so improves the reliability of resistance measurement taken with the device. Separate and independent voltage sensing (19) and current supply (20) circuits each includes a pair of socket contacts (13-16) for mating engagement with the pins (17,18) of the initiator. The unknown resistance that is measured by the device is the resistance of the bridgewire (23) of the initiator which is required to be between 0.95 and 1.15 ohms.

Growing community of inventors

Parker, CO, United States of America

Thomas J Graves