ADAPTIVE OUTPUT INFLATOR

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an airbag inflator (10) which supplies airbag inflation gas in a highly adaptive output property.SOLUTION: The inflator (10) includes two discrete and mutually isolated chambers (34, 82) of gas generant materials (36, 86) and permits several distinct inflation performance scenarios while employing a single set of inflation gas treatment components such as filters (40) for the treatment of products of both chambers. The first chamber (34) includes the second chamber (82) therein, the second chamber has an outlet orifice (104) configured to be opened so that a second combustion product is communicated with a first combustion product. An insulator (106) is disposed around the second chamber so as to avoid the automatic ignition of the second gas generant material (86) in the second chamber when the combustion product that is generated when the first gas generant material (36) in the first chamber is ignited, comes into thermal contact with the second chamber.