Panel Edge Locking with a Self-Releasing Flexible Tongue
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical locking systems for floating floor panels are difficult to disassemble, lacking ease of unlocking and requiring complex disassembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A set of panels with a locking device featuring a flexible tongue and tongue groove system, where a flexible portion cooperates with a locking surface and a stop surface to facilitate vertical locking and unlocking, allowing for easier disassembly through relative vertical displacement of edge portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical locking system is used to join floor panels, then the panels are securely locked horizontally and vertically, but the disassembly process becomes difficult and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system employs a dynamic flexible tongue that can transition between locked and unlocked states. The flexible tongue is designed to be deformable, allowing it to be pushed into a locked position during assembly and pulled back to an unlocked position during disassembly, making the system adaptable to both installation and removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking system is divided into separate functional components: a flexible tongue with locking means, a tongue groove with release means, and a shelf. This segmentation allows the disassembly process to be simplified by providing a dedicated release mechanism that acts on the flexible tongue independently, enabling easy removal without requiring complete disengagement of all components simultaneously.
2Reliability
If a separate flexible snap tab is used for vertical locking, then the locking function is achieved, but the disassembly process requires complex manual manipulation
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue groove acts as an intermediary structure that provides a release mechanism for the flexible tongue. By incorporating a release means (such as a shelf or groove feature) that interacts with the flexible tongue, the system enables disassembly through simpler actions rather than requiring direct manual manipulation of the snap tab itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking system is designed to be self-releasing through the interaction between the flexible tongue and the tongue groove features. The release means in the tongue groove automatically engages with the flexible tongue when panels are separated, facilitating self-service disassembly without requiring complex manual operations or additional tools.
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 system enables facile disassembly of panels by allowing vertical unlocking through relative displacement, improving installation efficiency and providing enhanced water resistance at joint seams.
Implementation Method 1
a flexible tongue arranged in an insertion groove of one of said first edge portion and said second edge portion, said flexible tongue extending along said one of said first edge portion and said second edge portion
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a set of panels, such as building panels, comprising a first panel and a second panel and a locking device for locking a first edge portion of the first panel to a second edge portion of the second panel. The locking device includes a vertical locking device. The vertical locking device comprises a flexible tongue arranged in an insertion groove of one of said first edge portion and said second edge portion. The vertical locking device also comprises a tongue groove provided in and extending along the other of said one of said first edge portion and said second edge portion. In a vertically locked state of the first and second edge portions a flexible portion of the flexible tongue cooperates with tongue groove. In the vertically locked state of the first and second edge portions a longitudinal end portion of the flexible tongue cooperates with a stop surface on the other of said one of said first edge portion and said second edge portion.