Abstract: An inflator for an airbag comprises a bottle (2) containing a pressurized oxidizable gas and a bottle (4) containing a pressurized oxidizing gas, the bottles being connected with a structure (12, 16) providing a chamber (14) that has an outlet, for example provided by a conduit (16), for connection with a vehicle airbag. The bottles have respective first discharge openings (18) and further discharge openings (18a) sealed by respective sealing foils. The inflator includes a first pyrotechnic squib (22) which when fired causes the sealing foils over the first openings (18) to rupture to allow the gases from bottles (2, 4) to pass into chamber (14) and then into the airbag, and also includes a further pyrotechnic squib (22a) which is fired some time after the squib (22) and causes the sealing foils over the further openings (18a) to boost the discharge of gases from the gas bottles.

Abstract: An inflator for an airbag comprises a bottle (2) containing a pressurised oxidisable gas and a bottle (4) containing a pressurised oxidising gas, the bottles being connected with a structure (12, 16) providing a chamber (14) that has an outlet, for example provided by a conduit (16), for connection with a vehicle airbag. The bottles have respective first discharge openings (18) and further discharge openings (18a) sealed by respective sealing foils. The inflator includes a first pyrotechnic squib (22) which when fired causes the sealing foils over the first openings (18) to rupture to allow the gases from bottles (2, 4) to pass into chamber (14) and thence into the airbag, and also includes a further pyrotechnic squib (22a) which is fired some time after the squib (22) and causes the sealing foils over the further openings (18a) to boost the discharge of gases from the gas bottles.

Abstract: An inflator for an air-bag comprises a single gas bottle (1) containing the pressurised gas. The pressurised gas is a mixture including at least one oxidisable gas and at least one oxidising gas. The inflator incorporates a mechanism (20) to open the gas bottle to enable gas to flow from the gas bottle to the interior of an air-bag (13). There is an initiating device (30) within the air-bag in the form of a spark generator which generates a spark across electrodes (31) to ignite the mixture of gas from the gas bottle.