Laminated Floor Panels With Angled Tongue-and-Groove Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor panels, particularly laminated ones, face issues with unreliable connections that lead to gaps due to expansion and shrinkage, requiring costly and time-consuming metal connection elements, and existing coupling systems are cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A laminated floor panel design featuring complementary coupling profiles with angled tongues and grooves that allow for easy assembly, providing triple locking in horizontal, vertical, and rotational directions without additional elements, ensuring a firm and durable connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If floor panels are installed loosely onto subflooring with tongue and groove coupling, then ease of installation and ability to accommodate expansion/shrinkage are improved, but gaps form between panels due to drift during expansion and shrinkage
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling system is divided into multiple independent locking elements distributed along the coupling profile. Each locking element provides individual engagement points that collectively prevent panel drift while maintaining ease of installation. The segmentation allows the connection to accommodate expansion and shrinkage forces distributed along the joint rather than concentrating stress at a single point.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling profile incorporates locking elements that engage in multiple dimensions - horizontal engagement to prevent lateral drift and vertical engagement to prevent separation during expansion/shrinkage. This multi-dimensional locking mechanism ensures panels remain connected reliably while still allowing the floating floor to move as a unit.
2Reliability
If metal connection elements are provided between floor panels to prevent gaps, then connection reliability is improved, but cost and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling profile integrates multiple locking functions into a single integrated component that is part of the panel itself. The coupling profile combines horizontal locking features and vertical locking features into one unified structure, eliminating the need for separate metal connection elements and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling profile is designed to be self-locking through its geometric features. The interlocking shapes of the coupling profiles automatically engage and lock panels together during installation without requiring additional connection elements or complex fastening mechanisms. The design uses the panels' own structures to create the connection.
3Reliability
If additional connection means such as glue or metal elements are used, then connection reliability is improved, but ease of installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling profile creates a self-locking mechanical connection that does not require external adhesives or fasteners. The interlocking geometric features of the coupling profiles automatically secure panels together through their own structural design, making installation as easy as clicking pieces together while ensuring reliable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for additional connection means (glue, metal elements) by incorporating all necessary locking functions directly into the coupling profile itself. The coupling profile is designed to provide complete connection reliability through its own integrated features without relying on external materials or components.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a panel, in particular a floor panel, interconnectable with similar panels for forming a covering. The invention also relates to a covering consisting of mutually connected floor panels according to the invention. The invention further relates to a method of assembling multiple floor panels for forming a covering.