Patent ID: 9700825
Date: 2017-07-11
CPC Classifications: B01D,B21D,B60R

Claim:
1. A tubular filter for use with a housing for an explosive charge of an airbag inflator, said housing having (A) a chamber for receiving (i) the tubular filter and (ii) the explosive charge, and (B) a circumferential ring of apertures for allowing gases generated by detonation of the explosive charge to exit the chamber, said circumferential ring of apertures being offset from the midplane of the chamber, said tubular filter being receivable in the chamber in two possible orientations, said tubular filter comprising expanded metal that has been rolled on itself to form a multi-layered tube having a substantially cylindrical outer surface wherein the expanded metal comprises a multiplicity of openings and the substantially cylindrical outer surface comprises two grooves, each of which is a circumferential groove which does not cut the expanded metal, the two circumferential grooves being offset from the midplane of the tubular filter so that only one of the two circumferential grooves is aligned with the circumferential ring of apertures of the housing when the tubular filter is received in the chamber irrespective of which of the two possible orientations the tubular filter has when received in the chamber, each circumferential groove allowing the apertures of the housing to function as an exit for gases generated by detonation of the explosive charge when the circumferential groove is aligned with the circumferential ring of apertures of the housing, each circumferential groove having a width such that when the circumferential groove is aligned with the circumferential ring of apertures of the housing, the circumferential groove is over the apertures even if all tolerances affecting the location of the circumferential groove are in one direction.