Patent ID: 7437995

Claim:
An inertial igniter for use with a thermal battery for producing power upon acceleration, the inertial igniter comprising: a first member having a wall defining an internal cavity; a second member disposed on one of the internal cavity and an exterior surface of the wall, the second member being slidable relative to the first member and having one of a striker and a first pyrotechnic material disposed thereon, the second member further having a first concave portion; a third member disposed on the other of the internal cavity and an exterior surface of the wall, the third member being slidable relative to the first member, the third member having a second concave portion; a first biasing means for biasing the second member in a direction opposite the acceleration; a second biasing means for biasing the third member in the direction opposite the acceleration; one or more locking balls each having a portion thereof disposed in the first concave portion and another portion thereof disposed in the second concave portion for preventing relative movement of the second and third members with the first member when an acceleration time profile is below a predetermined threshold; and one of a percussion cap primer and a second pyrotechnic material disposed on the first member; wherein when the acceleration time profile is greater than the predetermined threshold the one or more locking balls are released from one or more of the first concave portion and the second concave portion to first permit relative movement of the third member with the first member and after a time delay to permit relative movement of the second member with the first member such that the one of the striker and the first pyrotechnic material strikes the one of the percussion cap primer and the second pyrotechnic material.