Patent ID: 7159901

Claim:
A vehicle interior trim component comprising a cylinder having an interior wall, the interior wall defining a cavity; a single-use gas generator fluidly coupled to the cavity; a piston disposed within the cavity, the piston being movable from a first non-deployed position to a deployed position, the piston defining a ramp and having a locking mechanism; wherein said locking mechanism comprises at least one bearing element in contact with said ramp, where said locking mechanism is configured to restrain movement of the piston within the cavity from the deployed position toward the non-deployed position when the piston is subjected to a first compressive impact load during an impact event; an impact plate configured to interact with a knee of an occupant, said impact plate being coupled to the piston by a member, said cylinder configured to deform at a second compressive impact load, said first impact load being different than the second impact load; wherein a difference between said first impact load and said second impact load provides a relatively steady state load against the knees of said occupant during said impact event.