What is claimed is:
1. A vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device comprising:
a housing, the housing having a disk form and defining a first chamber, the first chamber in a static state containing a quantity of a first gas generant material ignitable to produce first combustion products including a first inflation gas, the housing having at least a first and a second row of spaced apart gas exit ports adapted to permit passage of the first inflation gas from the inflator device into an associated inflatable airbag cushion;
the first chamber containing at least one inflation gas-permeable treatment element disposed between the quantity of the first gas generant material and the at least two rows of spaced apart gas exit ports, wherein passage of gas through the treatment element results in treatment thereof;
the first chamber also containing a second chamber; the second chamber in a static state having an enclosed volume containing a quantity of a second gas generant material ignitable to produce second combustion products; the second chamber having a lid closure adapted to permit fluid communication of the second combustion products with the contents of the first chamber;
a first initiator device operatively associated with the first chamber; and
a second initiator device operatively associated with the second chamber;
the inflator device discharging sufficient inflation gas to inflate a passenger inflatable airbag cushion.
2. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 additionally comprising a barrier closing the gas exit ports to mass flow in a static state.
3. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein the device has a gas output of at least 2 moles of inflation gas.
4. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 3 wherein the device has a gas output in a range of about 3-4.5 moles of inflation gas.
5. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein the housing has a length to diameter ratio of at least about 0.6.
6. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 5 wherein the housing has a length to diameter ratio of no more than about 1.0.
7. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 6 wherein the housing has a length to diameter ratio in a range of at least about 0.7 and no more than about 0.8.
8. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second rows of spaced apart gas exit ports comprises a plurality of holes with the holes of the first row offset relative to the holes of the second row.
9. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 8 wherein the holes of at least the first row includes a plurality of holes of a first diameter and a plurality of holes of a second diameter and wherein the ratio of the first diameter to the second diameter is in a range of about 1.2 to about 1.6.
10. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 9 wherein the first row includes at least first and second adjacent holes wherein the first adjacent hole is of the first diameter and the second adjacent hole is of the second diameter.
11. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein the holes of each of the first and second rows includes a plurality of holes of a first diameter and a plurality of holes of a second diameter and wherein the ratio of the first diameter to the second diameter is in a range of about 1.2 to about 1.6.
12. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 11 wherein each of the first and second rows of gas exit ports includes alternating holes of the first and the second diameters.
13. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 12 wherein:
the device has a gas output of at least 2 moles of inflation gas;
the housing has a length to diameter ratio of at least about 0.6 and
the holes of the first row are offset relative to the holes of the second row.
14. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein the at least one inflation gas-permeable treatment element is spaced apart from the at least two rows of spaced apart gas exit ports by a plenum.
15. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and the second gas generant materials is a pyrotechnic material.
16. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein the first gas generant material and the second gas generant material is each a pyrotechnic material.
17. The vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 1 wherein the first and second gas generant materials differ in at least one aspect selected from the group consisting of: composition, shape, form and size.
18. A passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device comprising:
a housing, the housing having a disk form and defining a first chamber having a cylindrical outer wall, the first chamber in a static state containing a quantity of a first gas generant material ignitable to produce first combustion products including a first inflation gas, the housing including a plurality of rows of spaced apart gas exit ports in the cylindrical outer wall, the gas exit ports adapted to permit passage of the first inflation gas from the inflator device into an associated inflatable airbag cushion;
the first chamber containing at least one inflation gas-permeable treatment element disposed between the quantity of the first gas generant material and the spaced apart gas exit ports, wherein passage of gas through the treatment element results in treatment thereof;
the first chamber also containing a second chamber, the second chamber in a static state having an enclosed volume containing a quantity of a second gas generant material ignitable to produce second combustion products, the second chamber having a lid closure adapted to permit fluid communication of the second combustion products with the contents of the first chamber;
a first igniter assembly operatively associated with the first chamber, the first igniter assembly comprising a first initiator device and a supply of igniter material housed in a first igniter assembly housing, wherein actuation of the first initiator produces a discharge in reaction initiating communication with at least a portion of the supply of the igniter material housed within the first igniter assembly housing and wherein the first igniter assembly housing includes a plurality of openings to permit passage of igniter material reaction products therethrough and into reaction initiating communication with at least a portion of the quantity of the first gas generant material contained in the first chamber; and
a second initiator device operatively associated with the second chamber;
the inflator device discharging sufficient inflation gas to inflate a passenger inflatable airbag cushion, wherein the inflator device discharges at least 2 moles of inflation gas.
19. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 18 wherein the first igniter assembly housing is sized to correspond the supply of igniter material housed therewithin.
20. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 18 wherein the first igniter assembly additionally comprises an insert element joined to the igniter assembly housing, the insert element maintaining discharge reaction initiating communication between the first initiator device and the at least a portion of the supply of the igniter material housed within the first igniter assembly housing.
21. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 18 including at least first and second rows of spaced apart gas exit ports in the cylindrical outer wall, wherein spaced apart gas exit ports of the first row are offset relative to the spaced apart gas exit ports of the second row.
22. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 18 having a gas output in a range of about 3-4.5 moles of inflation gas.
23. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 18 wherein the housing has a length to diameter ratio of at least about 0.6.
24. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 23 wherein the housing has a length to diameter ratio of no more than about 1.0.
25. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 24 wherein the housing has a length to diameter ratio in a range of at least about 0.7 and no more than about 0.8.
26. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 18 wherein each of the first and second rows of spaced apart gas exit ports comprises a plurality of holes with the holes of the first row offset relative to the holes of the second row.
27. The passenger side vehicular inflatable restraint system inflator device of claim 26 wherein the holes of at least the first row includes a plurality of holes of a first diameter and a plurality of holes of a second diameter and wherein the ratio of the first diameter to the second diameter is in a range of about 1.2 to about 1.6.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A head support mechanism including a slider on which a head element is mounted is arranged at a tip end part of a load beam, the head support mechanism comprising:
a support projection arranged at the tip end part of the load beam;
a gimbal part including the slider and arranged to support the slider in a revolvable manner around the support projection;
a displacement member arranged to revolve the slider around the support projection; and
a counter balance aligned along a symmetric axis of the gimbal part so as to align a centroid of the gimbal part including the slider with the support projection, wherein
a centroid adjustment mechanism is arranged on the counter balance in order to adjust the centroid of the gimbal part, and
the centroid adjustment mechanism includes a plurality of centroid adjustment pads that are independently arranged with respect to each other to apply a material having a large relative density onto the counter balance.
2. The head support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
the counter balance is a portion of the gimbal part.
3. The head support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
the material having the large relative density is solder.
4. The head support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
the displacement member includes a piezoelectric element arranged at an insulation layer of a flexure, and
the displacement member allows the slider to revolve around the support projection by pushing or pulling a wire via a reinforcement part formed of a stainless substrate in accordance with displacements of the piezoelectric element.
5. The head support mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
a limiter mechanism, which is arranged to lift the slider upward from a disk when the slider unloads, is a portion of the counter balance.