Patent ID: 8616128

Claim:
A gas generator assembly, comprising: a gas generator including: a substantially cylindrical housing containing: a plurality of laterally adjacent and laterally and axially supported stacks of substantially cylindrical gas generant wafers located within a chamber within the housing in spaced relationship to and free from contact with structure of a side wall of the housing, at least some of the plurality of laterally adjacent gas generant wafer stacks being: laterally supported by lateral support structure extending axially along a length of a respective stack and located inwardly of the side wall of the housing, substantially contacting the respective stack on at least a part of a circumference thereof and supporting each stack against rotational movement within the housing; and axially supported at opposing ends by axial support structure contacting gas generant wafers of the respective stack; the gas generant wafers of the stacks formulated and of sufficient mass in combination to, upon ignition, generate a gas within the chamber of a pressure in excess of ambient; and igniter material adjacent each of the plurality of laterally adjacent stacks adjacent one end of the housing; and an initiator operably associated with the igniter material and communicable with an exterior of the housing; the substantially cylindrical housing comprising at least one closed gas exhaust port in communication with the chamber adjacent an opposing end of the plurality of laterally adjacent stacks, the at least one closed gas exhaust port configured to open to release the gas to an exterior of the substantially cylindrical housing in response to substantially a predetermined pressure within the chamber above ambient pressure.