Inflator having snap fit initiator

摘要

An inflator includes a housing formed by two cups. An initiator is snap fit into an opening of a cup before the cup is connected to the other of the two cups. Flexible fingers on the outer surface of the initiator are biased inwardly as the initiator is inserted into the opening and then snap radially outward into an annular groove disposed on the inside surface of the opening to hold the initiator in the opening. An O-ring is then placed around the initiator between a shoulder of the initiator and a wall of the cup to bias the initiator away from the cup to ensure that the initiator remains in position and to seal the inside of the cup from the atmosphere.