Panel Joint Member for Easier Side-Access Screw Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for assembling wooden building panels require precise hole-making and screw placement, which are labor-intensive and prone to errors, affecting the structural integrity and earthquake resistance of the finished wall, especially when openings for doors or windows are created.
Innovation Solution
A joint member with four connecting portions, each with a seat for fixing elements, positioned at the vertices of a quadrilateral, allowing for easier assembly by accessing opposite faces of the panels, reducing the need for precise top-down hole-making and enabling secure, strong connections without requiring shaped panels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If fixing screws are inserted from above into holes made in the thickness of the panels at approximately 45° relative to the vertical direction, then the upper panel is mechanically connected to the lateral panels, but the precision required in making holes makes it difficult to prepare them in advance and requires working from above which is very awkward for operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional top-down screw insertion approach by enabling screw insertion from the lateral faces of the panels. The joint member provides access channels that allow fixing elements to be inserted horizontally from the sides rather than vertically from above, making the assembly operation much more accessible and easier to perform while maintaining the same mechanical connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint member acts as an intermediary device that facilitates the connection between the upper panel and lateral panels. It provides a structured interface with pre-formed access channels that guide the fixing elements, mediating the connection process and enabling screw insertion from lateral faces while ensuring proper alignment and connection strength.
2Reliability
If holes are made during installation after the upper panel has been positioned on the supports, then alignment risks are avoided, but the holes are long holes which must pass through the height of the upper panel and require particular care by the operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the connection path into two parts: the joint member is prepared in advance with pre-formed access channels at the correct angles and positions, while the panel holes are made during installation. This segmentation allows the complex angular geometry to be pre-fabricated in the joint member, reducing the complexity of on-site hole making while ensuring accurate alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint member is prepared in advance with pre-formed access channels that define the correct trajectory for the fixing elements. This preliminary action of creating the access channels before installation ensures that when holes are made in the panels during assembly, the fixing elements will follow the pre-determined path, guaranteeing proper alignment without requiring operators to calculate and execute complex angular measurements.
3Ease of manufacture
If the lateral panel shaping to create supports and the upper panel shaping to match are performed at the factory, then the connection is prepared in advance, but these operations are at risk of working errors which are difficult to correct during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the critical geometric operations from the panel fabrication process and concentrates them in the joint member production. By taking out the complex shaping operations and performing them only in the joint member (which is manufactured in controlled factory conditions), the design eliminates the need for matching operations on the panels themselves, reducing the risk of errors while maintaining factory preparation efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A joint member (1) for mechanically connecting a first panel (51) and a second panel (52) to each other has a body (20) equipped with at least four connecting portions (21, 22, 23, 24) each having a respective seat (31, 32, 33, 34) which receives a fixing element (5). The seats (31, 32, 33, 34) are spaced from each other and, in a plan view of the joint member (1), are positioned at the vertices of a quadrilateral. A first (21) and a second (22) of said connecting portions form a first pair of connecting portions, to be fixed to the first panel (51), whereas a third (23) and a fourth (24) of said connecting portions form a second pair of connecting portions, to be fixed to the second panel (52). Each connecting portion (21, 22, 23, 24) has a first face (41), which is facing the respective panel (51, 52) in use, and a second face (42), which is on an opposite side to the first face (41). Each seat (31, 32, 33, 34) is, or comprises, a through hole which extends between the first face (41) and the second face (42). The second face (42) of the first connecting portion (21) and the second face (42) of the third connecting portion (23) are on a same first side (25) of the body (20); the second face (42) of the second connecting portion (22) and the second face (42) of the fourth connecting portion (24) are on a same second side (26) of the body (20), opposite to the first side (25). An assembly (57) comprises a first panel (51), a second panel (52), at least one joint member (1) and a plurality of fixing elements (5). A wall (58) for a building or a floor for a building is formed by a plurality of panels (51, 52, 53) and comprises at least said assembly (57).