Pleated airbag construction

An airbag for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle, comprising:

• first and second panels having substantially identical peripheries, wherein the first and second panels are positioned overlying each other and connected to each other via a perimeter connection that extends along their peripheries to define an inflatable volume of the airbag, wherein the airbag has a length and a width that corresponds to respective lengths and widths of the interconnected first and second panels;
• wherein the first panel comprises a pleat configured to form a bend in the airbag when the airbag is inflated, wherein the first panel comprises multiple panel pieces that have end portions positioned adjacent to each other and interconnected along respective edges by a panel connection that extends widthwise across the first panel between opposite longitudinally extending portions of the periphery of the first panel, wherein the interconnected edges have curved configurations such that the panel connection has a length that is greater than the width of the first panel across which the panel connection spans, which causes the area of the first panel to be greater than the area the second panel, allowing the pleat to be formed in the first panel despite the substantially identical peripheries of the first and second panels.