Floor Panel Upward Locking Part Prevents Edge Loosening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fold-down type floor panels often experience issues with edges coming loose during the shifting movement, leading to gaps and height differences in the final installation, particularly with thin, rigid thermoplastic materials.
Innovation Solution
The floor panel design features an upward-directed locking part that extends over a height more than 0.1 times the panel thickness, along with locking surfaces defining a tangent line at an angle between 50 and 90 degrees, and a lower lip that extends beyond the upper lip to provide stability and ease of installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the floor panel uses thin, rigid thermoplastic material, then the manufacturing precision and appearance quality are improved, but the edges tend to come loose during shifting movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the coupling structure by introducing an upward-directed locking part with specific height (more than 0.1 times the panel thickness) and locking surfaces at angles between 50-90 degrees. This parameter optimization prevents edge loosening while maintaining the thin, rigid material structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling structure is segmented into distinct functional elements: the upper lip, lower lip, upward-directed locking part, and locking surfaces. Each segment performs a specific function to prevent edge loosening during the shifting movement, allowing the thin rigid material to maintain edge stability.
2Reliability
If the upward-directed locking part extends higher, then the resistance to edge loosening increases, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the height parameter of the upward-directed locking part to be more than 0.1 times the panel thickness but not excessively high. This parameter optimization provides sufficient resistance to edge loosening while keeping the coupling structure relatively simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the locking part extremely tall to prevent edge loosening, the patent uses a more subtle approach with locking surfaces at specific angles (50-90 degrees) and optimized height, achieving the same effect with simpler geometry.
3Reliability
If the locking surfaces are at steeper angles, then the locking effectiveness improves, but the ease of installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the angle parameter of the locking surfaces to be between 50-90 degrees. This range provides sufficient locking effectiveness to prevent edge loosening while maintaining ease of installation during the shifting movement, avoiding excessively steep angles that would make installation difficult.
Data Source
AI summary
A floor panel for forming a floor covering includes a pair of edges provided with coupling parts allowing to couple two of such floor panels to each other by means of a rotation movement. The coupling parts are realized in the form of a tongue and a groove with locking parts. The groove is bordered by an upper lip and a lower lip which comprises a locking part in the form of an upward-directed locking part. The upward-directed part extends over a height which is more than 0.1 times the thickness of the floor panel.