Floor Covering Connecting Element with Nested Locking Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing floor covering systems have protruding connecting elements and heavy floor segments, leading to tripping hazards and difficulties in assembly and transportation due to their weight and design.
Innovation Solution
A connecting element system with hollow partial elements and internal connectors that allow for flush assembly, reducing weight and eliminating protrusions, featuring elongated holes for tolerance and pivoting capabilities to facilitate easy installation and resistance to buckling forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If floor segments are connected using straps and screws with continuous openings, then the floor segments can be connected to one another, but the connecting means protrude from the surface creating tripping hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is inserted into a connection channel formed by two connecting elements, with the connecting means (screw and nut) nested within the connection channel. This nesting arrangement ensures that no part of the connection system protrudes from the floor covering surface, eliminating tripping hazards while maintaining secure connection between floor segments
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting means (screw head and nut) are extracted from the external surface and placed entirely within the connection channel. The connector extends laterally from within the connection element to receive the connecting means, keeping all connection components hidden beneath the floor covering surface
2Strength
If floor segments are designed with large wall thicknesses to withstand wheel loads, then the structural strength is sufficient, but the weight becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is divided into two partial elements (first and second partial elements) that form a connection channel between them. This segmentation allows for optimized material distribution, concentrating material where structural support is needed while reducing material in non-critical areas, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining strength
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting elements have varying wall thicknesses optimized for specific functions: thicker walls in areas requiring structural strength to withstand wheel loads, and thinner walls where weight reduction is prioritized. The hollow body design with strategically placed connecting openings provides local reinforcement only where necessary
3Ease of operation
If the connecting means are arranged externally on the floor covering, then the assembly process is straightforward, but the surface is not flat and safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting means are nested within the connection channel formed by the two partial elements, with the connector providing lateral access. This nested arrangement maintains surface flatness while preserving assembly accessibility through the lateral extension of the connector
Solution Approach 2:
The connector acts as an intermediary element that provides lateral access to the connecting means while keeping the connecting means hidden within the connection channel. The connector mediates between the need for accessible assembly and the requirement for a flat, safe surface
Data Source
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AI summary
The locking system for floor covering sections has two part-sections (24,26), with openings (34), to be locked together. When fitted together, a locking channel is formed to take a bonding unit also with an opening to take the lock. The bonding unit projects sideways from the lock into the locking channel of a neighboring lock to hold them together. The lock dimensions are set to lie below the floor covering surface. The first part-section has a claw (30) for a floor covering segment with a double hook (32) to grip the floor covering segment. The other part-section has a double hook to lock into the claw at the first section.