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US 5,964,479 AGranted
Acetylene-based airbag inflator
AssigneeAutoliv ASP, Inc.
InventorsKarl K. Rink, David J. Green, Michael Hepworth
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inflator apparatus and method for inflating an inflatable device which rely on the formation and subsequent reaction of acetylene are provided.
Claims22
An apparatus for inflating an inflatable device, said apparatus comprising:
- a first chamber containing a supply of calcium carbide, a supply of water and a supply of a combustion oxidant, and wherein at least a portion of said supply of calcium carbide and at least a portion of said supply of water react to form acetylene when said apparatus is actuated, with at least a portion of the formed acetylene reacting to produce at least one gaseous product species, at least a portion of the at least one gaseous product species being released from said first chamber for inflating the inflatable device and wherein at least a portion of the formed acetylene contacts at least a portion of said supply of combustion oxidant and burns to produce the at least on gaseous product species.
A method for inflating an inflatable safety device, said method comprising the steps of:
- reacting calcium carbide and water in a first chamber of an inflation apparatus additionally containing a supply of a combustion oxidant to form acetylene,
- reacting at least a portion of the formed acetylene to produce at least one gaseous product species, with at least a portion of the formed acetylene burning to produce at least a portion of the at least one gaseous product species, and
- releasing at least a portion of the at least one gaseous product species from the inflation apparatus to inflate the inflatable safety device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.