Patent ID: 7942440

Claim:
An airbag cushion designed for protecting an occupant knee regions, comprising: a front face; a rear face having an inflator opening, wherein the front and rear faces define an interior of the airbag cushion having a single chamber with a central region and lateral peripheries; and a diffuser panel positioned over the inflator opening and in between the front and rear faces, wherein the diffuser panel defines a plurality of connected, elongated channels extending diagonally at an angle relative to each other, wherein the channels are positioned and configured to receive inflation gas from an inflator via the inflator opening, wherein the channels each have a vent opening directed toward one of the lateral peripheries, and wherein the vent openings are positioned diagonally and laterally with respect to the inflator opening, wherein the channels contain the inflation gas as the inflation gas is transmitted from the inflator opening within the channels to the vent openings in the channels and to deliver the inflation gas out of the channels via the vent openings to the lateral peripheries of the interior of the airbag cushion, wherein at least two of the plurality of connected, elongated channels have sacrificial sew lines that break open upon deployment of the inflator, whereby the lateral peripheries inflate to provide immediate protection to occupant knee regions upon impact followed by inflation of the remainder of the single chamber such that the central region of the interior of the airbag cushion inflates after the lateral peripheries of the interior of the airbag cushion and such that the lateral peripheries remain inflated after the central region becomes inflated.