The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 14, 1999
Filed:
Mar. 19, 1997
Eric R McFarland, Mesa, AZ (US);
Lloyd G Green, Jr, Mesa, AZ (US);
TRW Inc., Lyndhurst, OH (US);
Abstract
An air bag inflator (10) includes a housing (20) and an inflation fluid source (140) in the housing actuatable to provide inflation fluid under pressure. The housing (20) is deformable due to the pressure of inflation fluid in the housing upon actuation of the inflation fluid source (140). The housing (20) has a fluid outlet (52) for directing flow of inflation fluid out of the housing. A control passage (160) is located between the inflation fluid source (140) and the fluid outlet (52). The control passage (160) has a smaller flow area than the fluid outlet (52). The inflator (10) further includes portions (84, 82, 110, 42) for causing substantially all inflation fluid flowing between the inflation fluid source (140) and the fluid outlet (52) to flow through the control passage (160). The flow area of the control passage (160) increases due to deformation of the housing (20). The flow area of the control passage (160) varies in accordance with the pressure of inflation fluid in the housing (20) upon actuation of the inflation fluid source (140).