Rotatable Spacer With Irregular Polygon Extension For Adjustable Plank Spacing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spacer systems for fastening planks to a substructure in outdoor floor coverings either allow direct contact between planks and the substructure, leading to moisture issues, or require additional tools for setting specific plank distances, and cannot easily accommodate varying distances without using a distance gauge.
Innovation Solution
A spacer system featuring a flat part and a protruding extension with an irregular polygon cross-sectional area, allowing adjustable plank spacing by rotating the spacer to align different side edges with the planks, and optionally marked with references for specific settings, enabling easy assembly and detachment of the extension for moisture management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If planks are fastened directly to the substructure using screws or nails, then the connection is simple and requires no additional connecting parts, but the planks rest directly on the substructure which promotes creeping moisture and its negative consequences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a spacer as an intermediary component between the plank and substructure. This spacer consists of a flat part that rests on the substructure and a protruding extension that projects into the gap between adjacent planks, maintaining a defined distance and preventing direct contact between the plank and substructure, thereby eliminating moisture accumulation while adding minimal complexity to the connection system
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional spacers with circular-cylindrical extensions are used, then planks are kept at a defined distance from the substructure, but the spacer precisely defines a single specific minimum distance and requires an additional distance gauge for larger distances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the spacer rotatable about its vertical axis. The protruding extension has an irregular polygonal cross-section with multiple side edges, allowing the spacer to be rotated to different angular positions. Each rotation position presents a different effective width between parallel side edges, enabling adjustable plank spacing without requiring additional distance gauges or tools
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the spacer's protruding extension from a fixed circular-cylindrical shape to an irregular polygonal cross-section. This parameter change allows the spacer to provide multiple predetermined spacing values (corresponding to different distances between parallel side edges of the polygon) while maintaining a single spacer component, thus achieving adaptability without increasing device complexity
3Ease of manufacture
If the extension is designed as a fixed circular-cylindrical body, then the spacer structure is simple, but different plank distances cannot be set without additional tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by designing the protruding extension with an irregular polygonal cross-section rather than a symmetric circular shape. This asymmetric geometry creates multiple distinct spacing options (different distances between parallel side edges) while remaining manufacturable using standard molding or machining processes, thus improving ease of operation without significantly complicating manufacturing
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a spacer for connecting planks to a substructure, which extends on one side with a flat portion between the planks and the substructure, and on the other hand with a projection into the gap between two adjacent planks. The width of the normal projection of the projection (3.2, 13.2) onto the plane of the substructure (1) depends on the direction in which the width within this plane is measured. This makes it possible to adjust the distance between adjacent planks (2) abutting the projection (3.2, 13.2) of a spacer (3) by rotating the spacer (3, 13).