Patent ID: 6412817
Filing Date: 2002-07-02
Classification: B60R,F42B

Abstract:
A pretensioner for a vehicle occupant safety restraint, which removes static charges in order to avoid inadvertent actuation of the pretensioner comprising:an outer case; a header cap disposed within the outer case comprising a top portion and a side portion; a gas generant contained within said outer case, the gas generant is disposed between said outer case and said header cap; an igniter comprising an igniter housing comprising a conductive plastic material and igniter material for igniting a gas generant material, said igniter housing being disposed at least partially within the header cap and adjacent thereto, said igniter housing also being adjacent to said outer case, the igniter material being disposed inside the header cap and retained therein by the igniter housing; and first and second electrodes extending completely through the igniter housing and communicating with said igniter material, the first electrode is electrically connected by the conductive plastic material of the igniter housing to the outer case and said first electrode is electrically connected by the conductive plastic material of the igniter housing to the interior of the side portion of the header cap, said first electrode functioning as a ground path connector link connecting the header cap and the outer case to a grounding path, the second electrode is coated with an insulating material such that the second electrode is not in electrically conductive communication with the conductive plastic material igniter housing.