The present invention provides a gas generator, including: a housing with a gas discharge port; an igniter assembly and a gas generating agent in the housing; and a metallic cup of constant inner diameter covering the igniter to define a charging chamber. The igniter assembly includes a main body, including an ignition portion and a electro-conductive pin integrated with a metallic collar by a resin. The metallic collar has a fixing portion inserted into a hole in a bottom surface of the housing and a remaining portion projecting inward from the bottom surface of the housing, and a guide portion. An inner circumferential wall surface of the metallic cup and an outer circumferential wall surface of the fixing portion are press-fitted, and an annular gap is formed between the inner circumferential wall of the metallic cup member and an outer circumferential wall surface of the guide portion.

In a gas generator, a closing member includes: a first region exposed to a side of a second combustion chamber in a closed state, a second region in contact with a partition member from a side of the first combustion chamber in the closed state, and an engagement region that engages an engaged member fixed in a housing in the closed state; and the closing member is configured to have one or a plurality of communication holes be in a closed state by the closing member being supported at the partition member in the second region due to combustion pressure of a first gas generating agent and to have the closed state released by at least a part of the closing member, the closing member including a displacement portion that is formed continuously so as to be included at least a part of the first region, being displaced in a direction from the side of the second combustion chamber toward the side of the first combustion chamber by combustion pressure of a second gas generating agent acting on the first region.

The invention relates to a hybrid inflator especially for a vehicle safety system, comprising an igniter (10), a combustion chamber (16) including a propellant charge (18) which is separated from the igniter (10) by a first bursting element (14) held by a bursting element holder (13), and comprising a compressed gas tank (20) filled with compressed gas and having at feast one discharge opening, the discharge opening being closed by a second bursting element (24) and the compressed gas tank (20) being fluid-communicated with the combustion chamber (16) so that the compressed gas surrounds the propellant charge (18). The invention excels by the fact that the bursting element holder (13) at least in portions delimits an ignition chamber (30) containing a booster charge (15), wherein a shock wave (SW) for opening the second bursting element (24) can be formed only when both the igniter (10) and the booster charge (15) have been ignited and, respectively, activated. The invention further deals with an airbag unit and a vehicle safety system comprising said hybrid inflator or said airbag unit. Moreover, the invention states a method of forming a shock wave within a hybrid inflator.

A filter for gas generator has an outer geometry substantially of a hollow cylinder and it is formed by a wound body of a metal wire. The metal wire is made of an elongated member having a V-shaped cross-section orthogonal to a direction of extension thereof. A V-shaped groove defined in the metal wire faces a hollow portion in the filter for gas generator and an angle α of the V-shaped groove is not smaller than 130[°] and not greater than 140[°].

A method is provided for destructively processing an airbag inflator having an outer housing, a propellant housed within the outer housing, and a membrane disposed between the propellant and an inner surface of the outer housing. The method includes rupturing the membrane, exposing the propellant to a liquid, and permitting the propellant to mix with the liquid to form a liquid-propellant mixture. The method may further include removing at least a portion of the liquid from the liquid-propellant mixture to produce an at least partially solidified material that includes the propellant.

The present invention provides a gas generator, including: a cylindrical housing attached with an ignition device at one end and a diffuser portion, which has a gas discharge port, at the other end; and a combustion chamber charged with a molded article of a gas generating agent in the remaining space inside the cylindrical housing, the combustion chamber provided with a plurality of grooves serving as a gas discharge path, the plurality of the grooves serving as a gas discharge path being formed plurally and continuously in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical housing and arranged in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical housing, a size of the grooves in the lateral direction being adjusted to be less than a minimum length of the molded article of the gas generating agent, and combustion gas, which is generated by combustion of the molded article of the gas generating agent at a time of actuation, flowing along the grooves serving as a gas discharge path and being discharged from the gas discharge port of the diffuser portion.

The invention relates to a hybrid inflator especially for a vehicle safety system, comprising an igniter (10), a combustion chamber (16) including a propellant charge (18) which is separated from the igniter (10) by a first bursting element (14) held by a bursting element holder (13), and comprising a compressed gas tank (20) filled with compressed gas and having at feast one discharge opening, the discharge opening being closed by a second bursting element (24) and the compressed gas tank (20) being fluid-communicated with the combustion chamber (16) so that the compressed gas surrounds the propellant charge (18). The invention excels by the fact that the bursting element holder (13) at least in portions delimits an ignition chamber (30) containing a booster charge (15), wherein a shock wave (SW) for opening the second bursting element (24) can be formed only when both the igniter (10) and the booster charge (15) have been ignited and, respectively, activated. The invention further deals with an airbag unit and a vehicle safety system comprising said hybrid inflator or said airbag unit. Moreover, the invention states a method of forming a shock wave within a hybrid inflator.

The disclosure relates to a gas generator fora vehicle safety system. The gas generator has a longitudinal axis, an outer housing in the form of a compressed-gas container. In an inoperative state of the gas generator, the housing is filled with compressed gas. The housing is closed at one housing end with a closure element by a welded joint, which extends along the longitudinal axis from the welded joint into the housing. The housing has at least one bead for mechanically relieving the welded joint of load. A bead base of the bead is provided in a region of an axial longitudinal extent of the closure element.

An ejector for ejecting a combustion product including, an igniter including an ignition charge and an ignition portion, a pyrotechnic agent, and a cup made of metal, the cup including a bottom surface and a peripheral wall, the peripheral wall being contiguous with a peripheral edge of the bottom surface and disposed to surround the ignition portion, the cup further including an accommodating space accommodating therein the pyrotechnic agent, the bottom surface of the cup including a through hole being defined by a plurality of through-hole peripheral edges, and the adjacent through-hole peripheral edges being connected together at a predetermined connection point, and the through hole including a narrow part, in which a width of the through hole defined by each of parts of the two through-hole peripheral edges of the plurality of through-hole peripheral edges decreases gradually with an increasing distance from a center of the bottom surface toward the peripheral edge of the bottom surface, and the narrow part being located closer to the peripheral edge of the bottom surface than a non-narrow part, which is defined by each of other parts of the two through-hole peripheral edges, is located.

An igniter assembly includes an igniter of an electric ignition type including: an ignition portion including an igniting agent; a holding portion made of resin and covering at least a portion of the ignition portion and holding the ignition portion; and an electro-conductive pin configured to energize the ignition portion, and also includes an igniter collar made of metal and to which the igniter is attached. The igniter collar includes a fixing portion surrounding the holding portion to fix it. The holding portion includes a protrusion portion formed continuously around a periphery of the holding portion and formed integrally with the holding portion. The protrusion portion is press-attached to the fixing portion in a state where the holding portion is fixed to the fixing portion.