Pre-assembled Floor Panels with Mechanical Locking for Complex Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flooring systems with mechanical locking systems struggle to produce and install advanced patterns, especially those mimicking stone and tile designs, due to difficulties in aligning printed paper and controlling swelling, leading to unnatural appearances and high production costs and time consumption.
Innovation Solution
A flooring system comprising a plurality of floor panels with a core and discontinuous surface layers, where panels are pre-assembled in a factory using various mechanical locking systems, allowing for easy installation of non-rectangular shapes and patterns by connecting floor elements with glue or mechanical locking systems, reducing waste and simplifying the installation process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If floor panels are assembled in advance patterns using mechanical locking systems, then installation time is reduced, but production complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-assembling floor panels into advance patterns (such as brick patterns, herringbone patterns, or other designs) during factory production before shipping to the installation site. This allows complex patterns to be created once during manufacturing rather than requiring time-consuming on-site assembly, thereby reducing installation time while the factory production handles the complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the flooring system into pre-assembled panel units that can be manufactured independently in the factory with controlled conditions. Each panel unit is a complete, self-contained module with mechanical locking systems already integrated, allowing complex patterns to be broken down into manageable, pre-fabricated segments that simplify on-site installation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If advanced patterns are produced with printed paper and mechanical locking systems, then design versatility is improved, but alignment precision and appearance quality deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the alignment and pattern creation during the pre-assembly stage in the factory, where controlled environmental conditions and specialized equipment ensure precise alignment of printed papers and mechanical locking components. This preliminary action eliminates the alignment problems that would occur during on-site installation, as all positioning is done under controlled factory conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the pattern creation process into separate, manageable segments that can be independently positioned and locked during factory assembly. Each panel unit becomes a discrete segment with pre-aligned patterns and locking mechanisms, allowing for precise control of each unit's positioning and orientation, thereby maintaining high alignment precision across the entire flooring installation.
3Loss of time
If floor panels are pre-assembled in factory, then on-site installation time is reduced, but transportation and handling complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple floor panels into single pre-assembled units with integrated mechanical locking systems. By combining several individual panels into one cohesive unit during factory production, the system reduces the number of separate components that need to be handled and installed on-site, thereby reducing installation time while the unified structure simplifies transportation and handling compared to managing many separate panels.
Data Source
Figure 1a~5
Figure 6a~6e
Figure 7a~7f
AI summary
Floor panels (2) are shown with discontinuous surface layers (31), which are mechanically connectable to each other along one pair of adjacent edges, said floor panels comprising at least two floor elements (1, 1') whereof at least one of the floor elements is non rectangular.