Valve controlled automotive pyrotechnic systems

An adaptively controlled safety restraint system (20, 42) activated by a crash management controller (38) of a vehicle comprising:

• a plurality of safety restraint devices (20, 24) for deployment within a passenger compartment (16) of the vehicle, the safety restraint devices (20, 24), including at least one seat belt component and at least one air bag component, operative in response to a flow of pressurized gas;
• fluid means (28) having a stored energy device (30) which can be activated for generating the flow of pressurized gas for driving the safety restraint devices (20, 24);
• a plurality of conduits (34, 36) in fluid communication with the fluid means (28) and connected to the plurality of safety restraint devices (20, 24) for delivering the flow of pressurized gas thereto;
• a valve assembly (32, 58) disposed along each conduit (34, 36) for controllably varying the flow of pressurized gas to each safety restraint device (20, 24);
• and
• an actuator (86) for controlling the position of the valve assembly (32, 58), the actuator (86) operable in response to an electrical signal received from the crash management controller (38).