A gas generator includes an elongated cylindrical housing, an accommodation chamber defining member arranged in the housing, a gas generating agent, and an autoignition agent. The accommodation chamber defining member includes a cylindrical portion which extends in a direction in parallel to an axial direction of the housing and accommodates the gas generating agent therein. A heat insulating layer is located between the housing and the cylindrical portion. The autoignition agent is arranged in a portion inside the housing in the axial direction of the housing where no heat insulating layer is provided, as being in contact with the housing with a member made of a metal being interposed.

A passenger airbag inflator for a vehicle includes: a housing having a first gunpowder therein, including a vent hole, and communicating with an airbag cushion; a first chamber located in a first side inner space of the housing, having a first booster and a first igniter, and configured to be triggered forwardly when the first igniter is ignited; and a second chamber located in a second side inner space of the housing, having a second booster and a second gunpowder, including a second igniter, and configured to be triggered forwardly when the second igniter is ignited.

An airbag inflator includes a pressure vessel with a bottom portion, a top portion and a center structure connecting the bottom portion and the top portion. The top portion includes an exit orifice that is closed with a rupturable membrane. An energetics cover attached to the center structure houses a pyrotechnic material, and a diverter is attached to the top portion. The pressure vessel, the energetics cover and the diverter define a gas flow path from inside the energetics cover toward the bottom portion of the pressure vessel, the gas flow path turning at least a first 180 degrees toward the top portion of the pressure vessel and between the energetics cover and the pressure vessel. The longer gas flow path allows time for multi-perforation grain slivers to burn up before exiting the inflator, thereby reducing the amount of particulate exiting the inflator.

Cool burning gas generant compositions for an automotive inflatable restraint system are provided that include a bismuth-containing compound selected from the group consisting of: bismuth citrate, bismuth subsalicylate, bismuth hydroxide, copper bismuth hydroxy nitrate, bismuth subcarbonate, bismuth suboxalate, and combinations thereof. The gas generant comprises at least one copper-containing component. The gas generant includes at least one oxidizer, fuel, and optional coolant. The maximum flame temperature at combustion (T.sub.c) of less than or equal to about 1700K (1,427 C.). The cool burning gas generant composition generates liquid phase combustion products making it suitable for use in a filterless inflatable restraint system. Copper and bismuth present in the cool burning gas generant composition react to form an alloy having a melting point at or near the maximum flame temperature at combustion (T.sub.c).

A gas generator includes a housing and a gastight container which accommodates a gas generating agent. The gastight container includes a cup body and a cover body. The cover body includes a bottom portion and a fold-over portion which covers an opening end of the cup body. The cover body is fixed to the cup body by providing, in the fold-over portion in a portion covering an outer circumferential surface of the opening end of the cup body, a first swaging portion in a portion of the fold-over portion which corresponds to a sidewall portion of the cup body and defines a gas generating agent accommodation chamber at a position adjacent to the bottom portion and a second swaging portion in a portion opposed to a portion of the fold-over portion which covers an inner circumferential surface of the opening end of the cup body.

Systems and methods are disclosed for an expanded metal filter for use with an automotive safety device, such an inflatable airbag system. The expanded metal filter is composed of a plurality of expanded metal layers, wherein when a first expanded metal layer is turned over or inverted the peaks of the first expanded metal layer conform to valleys of a second expanded metal layer, and valleys of the first expanded metal layer conform to peaks of the first expanded layer whereby the first and second expanded layers nest together.

Gas generator for a safety system, comprising: at least one pyrotechnic substance arranged to produce gases; a first part; a second part; a third part; and a fourth part separate from the previous parts, the first part and the second part being friction-welded to the third part. The gas generator is characterised in that the fourth part comprises: a first interface for positioning with the first part, and a second interface for positioning with the second part, such as to temporarily block at least one degree of freedom between the first and second parts in order to allow the first and second parts to be simultaneously friction-welded to the third part.

The present invention provides a gas generator, including an outer shell housing having a top plate, a bottom plate and a circumferential wall provided with a gas discharge port, a combustion chamber accommodating a gas generating agent, a cylindrical filter and an ignition device disposed in a cup-shaped ignition device chamber housing, the bottom surface of the cup-shaped ignition device chamber housing facing the top plate and an end surface of the opening thereof abutting against the bottom plate, a length from an upper end surface to a lower end surface of the cylindrical filter being shorter than a distance from the top plate to the bottom plate of the outer shell housing, and the cylindrical filter being disposed such that the upper end surface faces the top plate and the lower end surface faces the combustion chamber, a cup-shaped cover member which has a bottom surface, a circumferential wall and an opening, further being disposed between the cup-shaped ignition device chamber housing and the cylindrical filter.

A hybrid airbag inflator (100, 200) has a disk-shaped pressure vessel having a central axis with a domed upper housing portion (20) with a sealed exhaust port (22) for releasing inflation gases and a domed lower body portion (10) welded to the domed upper housing portion (20). The domed lower body portion (10) has one or more protrusions (12) extending from an outer or exterior surface positioned offset from the center axis. At least one of the protrusions (12) houses an igniter assembly (60) with accessible electrical connections (61, 63). The disk-shaped pressure vessel inflator (100, 200) contains gas generant pellets (2) and a quantity of pressurized inert gas (1) for inflating an airbag. The combination of the protrusions (12) and domed lower body portion (10) has a unique profile of a petaloid shape. Optionally, the domed upper housing portion (20) can also have the petaloid shape.

A gas generator includes a housing, a partition member which divides a space in the housing into a combustion chamber where a gas generating agent is accommodated and a filter chamber where a filter is accommodated, and a sealed container which externally seals the gas generating agent. The filter has a hollow portion which reaches an axial end surface located on a side of the combustion chamber. The sealed container is made of a member relatively low in mechanical strength so as to burst or melt as a result of burning of the gas generating agent. The partition member is made of a member relatively high in mechanical strength such that only a portion opposed to the hollow portion bursts as a result of burning of the gas generating agent to provide a communication hole which allows communication between the combustion chamber and the filter chamber with each other.