Regenerative monopropellant airbag inflator

A regenerative monopropellant airbag inflator, comprising:

• a housing having a longitudinal axis and defining an interior, said interior including at least one exit port extending through said housing;
• an piston within said interior, said piston dividing said interior into a fuel supply chamber and a combustion chamber, said exit port communicating with said combustion chamber, and said piston being mounted for movement along said longitudinal axis;
• a quantity of fluid monopropellant housed within said fuel supply chamber;
• an initiator operatively associated with said combustion chamber;
• and
• a plurality of injection ports extending through said piston for flow of said fluid monopropellant from said fuel supply chamber to said combustion chamber, said injection ports being oriented to focus said fluid monopropellant to a localized area within said combustion chamber wherein said injection ports each include an inlet and an outlet, and said inlets are angularly offset, about said longitudinal axis, with respect to said outlets, to cause a helical flow within said combustion chamber.

A regenerative monopropellant airbag inflator, comprising:

• a housing having a longitudinal axis an defining an interior, said interior including at least one exit port extending through said housing;
• a piston within said interior, said piston dividing said interior into a fuel supply chamber and a combustion chamber, said exit port communicating with said combustion chamber, and said piston being mounted for movement along said longitudinal axis;
• a quantity of fluid monopropellant housed within said fuel supply chamber;
• an initiator operatively associated with said combustion chamber;
• and
• a plurality of injection ports extending through said piston for flow of said fluid monopropellant fuel from said fuel supply chamber to said combustion chamber, each of said injection ports having an inlet and an outlet, said inlets being angularly offset, about said longitudinal axis, with respect to said outlets, to cause a helical flow within said combustion chamber.