Resilient Laminate Floor Panel Coupling for Tight-Space Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laminate floor panels require significant force and space for coupling, which can lead to damage and make installation difficult in confined areas, such as near walls or under radiators.
Innovation Solution
The floor panel design features resilient coupling parts with tongues and grooves that deform elastically to securely lock together, reducing noise and allowing for easy installation without the need for excessive force or space, using rigid locking elements connected to the core to prevent vertical displacement and enhance durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional coupling methods are used to join floor panels, then the coupling can be realized by having floor panels engage each other at an angle followed by tilting, but relatively great forces are exerted on the floor parts which can result in permanent damage (breakage)
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the coupling mechanism from a tilting motion to a pushing motion along the normal direction. The coupling parts are designed with resilient tongues that deform elastically under the pushing force, allowing the panels to join without requiring angular tilting. This parameter change in the coupling method eliminates the need for great forces and prevents permanent damage to floor parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling parts incorporate resilient tongues that can dynamically deform and recover. During the pushing operation, the tongues deform elastically to accommodate the coupling, then return to their original shape to secure the connection. This dynamic behavior allows the coupling to absorb forces without causing permanent damage to the floor panels.
2Ease of operation
If traditional coupling methods are used to join floor panels, then the floor panels can be hooked into each other, but a relatively large amount of space is required to enable mutual coupling which makes coupling difficult or impossible in a limited space
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient tongues provide dynamic deformation capability that allows coupling in confined spaces. The tongues can compress and deform during the pushing operation, enabling the panels to join even when there is limited space for maneuvering. This eliminates the need for large coupling spaces required by traditional tilting methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the coupling direction from angular tilting to linear pushing along the normal direction. This parameter change allows the coupling to be performed in a straight line, requiring minimal space and making it feasible to install panels in tight locations such as near walls or under radiators.
3Ease of operation
If resilient coupling parts are used to reduce coupling forces and space requirements, then the coupling can be performed in tight spaces without excessive force, but the locking mechanism must be sufficiently strong to prevent vertical displacement and ensure durability
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient tongues provide dynamic deformation during coupling, allowing easy installation in tight spaces. Once coupled, the tongues return to their original shape, creating a secure mechanical interlock that prevents vertical displacement. The dynamic-to-static transition ensures both ease of operation and coupling reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the coupling and locking functions into a single integrated mechanism. The resilient tongues serve both as the coupling element that deforms during installation and as the locking element that secures the panels after coupling. This merging ensures that the same structure provides both ease of operation and reliability without requiring separate components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a reliable, durable, and quiet coupling of floor panels with reduced material stress, facilitating installation in tight spaces and increasing the tensile strength of the assembly while minimizing the risk of damage.
Implementation Method 1
the one or both coupling parts will deform elastically (move resiliently), as a consequence of which the volume taken up by the downward groove and/or upward groove will be increased such that the upward tongue and the downward tongue can be arranged relatively simply in respectively the downward groove and the upward groove
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a floor panel, in particular a laminated floor panel. The invention also relates to a floor covering consisting of a plurality of mutually coupled floor panels according to the invention. The invention further relates to a method for mutually coupling two floor panels, in particular laminated floor panels, according to the invention.