JP2001032382A - Building panel joining system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) Abstract: The present invention relates to a system for laying and mechanically joining building panels, particularly thin hard floating floor panels. SOLUTION: Adjacent seam edges (3, 4) of two panels (1, 2) are engaged with each other to engage the seam edges (3, 4) in a first direction (D1) perpendicular to a main surface of the panels. ) Resulting in a first mechanical articulation that locks. At each seam there is further provided a strip (6) integral with one seam edge (3) and projecting below the other seam edge (4). This strip (6) comprises an upwardly projecting locking element (8) which engages in a locking groove (14) in the rear side (16) of the other seam edge (4). Together, they form a second mechanical connection that locks the panels (1, 2) in a second direction (D2) parallel to the main surface of the panel and perpendicular to the seam. These first and second mechanical connections allow a relative movement of the joined panels (1, 2) in the direction of the seam.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a system for forming a seam along an adjacent seam edge of two building panels, particularly floor panels.

More particularly, said seam has a first mechanical connection in which adjacent seam edges lock these seam edges together in a first direction perpendicular to the main surface of the panel;
A locking device for forming a second mechanical connection that locks the panels together in a second direction parallel to the main surface and perpendicular to the seam edge; the locking device includes a locking groove; The lock groove is of a type that extends parallel to and separates from a seam edge of one of the panels, called a groove panel, and opens to the rear side of the groove panel.

The present invention is particularly suited for use in joining floor panels, especially thin laminate floors. Accordingly, while the following prior art and description of the objects and features of the present invention are focused on this field of use, the present invention is directed to ordinary wooden floors and other types of building panels such as wall panels or roof slabs. We must emphasize that this is also effective.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art A seam of the above-mentioned type is, for example, SE450,1.
41. The first mechanical connection is achieved by a seam edge having a tongue and a groove. The locking device of the second mechanical articulation includes two oblique locking grooves disposed on the rear side of each panel and a plurality of spaced apart spring clip portions, which are along the seam. Distributed, the legs of these clips are pressed into said grooves,
These clips fasten the floor panels to each other by resilience. Such joining techniques are particularly useful for joining thick floor panels to form expensive floor surfaces.

[0005] Thin floor panels, laminate floor panels, having a thickness of about 7-10 mm, have occupied the market in a short time. All thin floor panels currently in use are laid as "floating floors" without being secured to a support structure. In principle, the size of the floor panel is 200 × 12
The long and short edges are formed with a tongue and a groove. Traditionally, floors are formed by crimping the panels together with glue in grooves. There the tongue is glued into the groove of the other panel. In principle, the laminate floor consists of a top decorative abrasion layer of about 1 mm thickness, an intermediate core layer of particle or other plates and a base layer supporting the laminate structure. The core layer is inferior in hardness and water resistance to the other layers, but is needed primarily to form grooves and tongues for assembly. This means that the overall thickness must be at least about 7 mm. However, known laminate floors using such tongue / groove bonding have a few problems.

[0006]

First, there are undesirable limitations with regard to floor laying, as they require an overall thickness of at least about 7 mm. The threshold may be low when using thin floor panels, and the door must often be adjusted away from the laid floor. Furthermore, manufacturing costs are directly proportional to material consumption.

Second, the core must be made of a moisture-absorbing material so that a water-based adhesive can be used when laying floor panels. Therefore, it is not possible to use so-called compact laminates to thin the floor, since there is no suitable method of bonding the non-moisture-absorbing core material.

Third, tool wear is a significant problem during surface preparation for tongue formation because the laminate layer of the laminate floor is highly abrasive.

Fourth, the strength of the seam based on the adhesion of the tongue and groove is limited by the properties of the core and the adhesive and the depth and height of the groove. Panel laying quality depends entirely on bonding. In the case of poor adhesion, the seam opens as a result of, for example, tensile stresses caused by changes in air humidity.

Fifth, laying floor panels, where the seams are formed by bonding the tongues and grooves, is time consuming because the adhesive must be applied to the long and short edges of each panel. Sixth, once the adhesive panel is laid, it cannot be dismantled without breaking the seam. Therefore, the dismantled floor panel cannot be used again. This is a drawback, especially in rental housing where the flat must be returned to its original occupancy. Replacing damaged or worn panels requires a great deal of effort, and such replacement is especially desirable in public facilities and other facilities where parts of the floor are heavily worn.

Seventh, known laminate floors are not suitable for applications where there is a high risk of moisture penetration into the moisture-sensitive core.

Eighth, current hard-floating floors require floorboards, felt, foam, or other discrete materials to attenuate the impact sound and provide comfortable walking on the floor before laying the floor panels on the hard floor. Underlays need to be laid. Laying the underlay is a complicated task because the underlay must be laid end-to-end and different underlays affect the properties of the floor.

Therefore, there is a keen need to overcome the problems of the prior art. But very thin floors,
For example, it is not easy to use a conventional bonding technique by bonding a tongue and a groove for a floor having a thickness of about 3 mm. The tongue / groove joint is not strong enough for such a thin floor and is practically impractical. Another reason that it is difficult to make thin floors from compact laminates, for example, is the thickness tolerance of the panels, which is about 0.2-0.3 mm for a panel thickness of about 3 mm. A 3 mm compact laminate with such thickness tolerances, even when polished to a uniform thickness on the back side, exhibits an asymmetric design and risks bulging. Furthermore, if the panels have different thicknesses, this also means that the seam will be overloaded.

The use of double adhesive tape or the like on the rear side of the panel does not solve the above problem. Because such articulations are moored directly,
Does not allow post-adjustment of the panel as with normal gluing.

U of the type described in SE450, 141
The use of a mold clip or similar technique does not solve the aforementioned problems. In particular, this type of resilient clip cannot be used to join panels as thin as about 3 mm. In principle, the panel cannot be disassembled without access to the rear side of the floor panel. This known technology has the following problems.

The post-adjustment of the longitudinal direction of the panel when laying is a complicated operation since these clips press the panel strongly against each other.

Laying floor panels using clips is time consuming;

This technique can only be used if clips are placed between the floor panels and these panels are mounted on the lower beams. In the case of thin floors laid on a continuous flat support structure, such clips cannot be used.

The floor panels can be joined to each other only at their long edges. At the short edge, clip connection cannot be performed.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a system for interconnecting architectural panels, especially floor panels, with a rigid floating floor, which allows the use of thinner floor panels overall than currently used floor panels. To be.

[0021]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a panel joining system which simplifies the production of seams between floor panels which do not require an adhesive, especially seams based solely on the mechanical connection between the panels. It can be inexpensive and efficient, and can be used to join floor panels that are thinner than current laminate floors and that have better properties than current floors even at 3mm thickness by using other types of core materials. Seams can be created between thin floor panels, eliminating seam unevenness due to the thickness tolerances of these panels;-all edges of the panels can be joined; -Reduced tool wear during the processing of floor panels with:-The floor laid earlier can be repeatedly dismantled and reassembled without damaging the panels and ensuring high laying quality. A system is provided which allows the formation of a moist floor, which eliminates the need for precise and separate placement of sub-layers before laying the floor panels, and which significantly saves panel joining time.

These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by a panel joining system having the features recited in the claims.

Accordingly, the present invention provides that the adjacent seam edges form a first mechanical link that locks the seam edges together in a first direction perpendicular to the major surface of the panel, and also on the rear side of the panel. A second mechanical link for locking the panels together in a second direction parallel to the main surface and perpendicular to the seam edge, the locking device comprising a locking groove. Wherein the locking groove includes two building panels extending parallel to and spaced from a seam edge of one of the panels, referred to as a groove panel, and configured to open to a rear side of the groove panel; Particularly in a system for forming a seam along an adjacent seam edge of a floor panel, the locking device further comprises a strip part integrated with the other panel, called a strip part panel, wherein the strip part is the strip part. A locking element extending substantially along the entire length of the seam edge of the lip section panel and projecting from the strip section, such that when the panels are joined to each other, the strip section is the grooved panel And the locking element projecting therefrom is received in the locking groove of the grooved panel and occupies a relative position in the second direction when the panels are joined together, at which position the locking groove and the panel The second facing the seam edge
There is play between the locking surface of the locking element operating in mechanical connection, the first and second mechanical connections permit relative movement of the panel in the direction of the seam edge;
In particular, the second mechanical connection is configured such that when the groove panel is rotated about its seam edge so as to be angularly spaced from the strip portion, the locking element comes out of the locking groove. A system for forming a seam along an adjacent seam edge of a floor panel is provided.

As used herein, the term "rear side" means the side located on the rear / lower side of the front of the panel. Therefore, the open surface of the lock groove of the groove panel can be arranged at a fixed distance from the rear side surface of the panel mounted on the support structure. Also, in the present invention, the strip portion extending substantially along the entire length of the seam edge of the strip portion panel is different from the case where the strip portion is a continuous uninterrupted element and the case where the "strip portion" is in the longitudinal direction. , Consisting of several parts covering most of the seam edges.

Also, (i) the first and second mechanical connections themselves allow the panels to move relative to each other in the direction of the seam edge, and (ii) the second mechanical connection itself has a grooved panel around the seam edge. To allow the locking element to exit the locking groove when rotated angularly from the strip portion. Within the spirit of the invention, means such as adhesives and mechanical devices can be provided that can prevent such movement and / or upward angular rotation.

The system according to the invention makes it possible to form hidden precise locks on both short and long edges of rigid thin floor panels. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION The floor panel of this invention can disassemble a floor panel quickly and simply in the reverse order to the laying, at the same time guaranteeing high laying quality without risk of damaging the panel. The panels of the present invention can be assembled and disassembled more quickly than prior art systems, and damaged or worn panels can be replaced by picking up and re-laying a portion of the floor.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention,
A system is provided that can accurately join thin floor panels, for example, having a thickness on the order of 3 mm, while at the same time producing a smooth front at the seam, independent of panel manufacturing tolerances. Therefore, the strip portion is cut into the rear side surface of the strip portion panel, and the strip portion is disposed in the equilibrium groove showing an accurate specific distance from the bottom to the front of the strip portion panel. The portion of the strip protruding downwardly of the channel panel is cut into the rear surface of the channel panel and engages in a particular balancing channel having the same exact specific spacing from its bottom surface to the front of the channel panel. . In this case, the thickness of the strip is such that the rear side of the strip is coplanar with the rear side of the panel and preferably projects slightly downward from the rear side. In this embodiment, the panel is placed at the seam with its balancing groove positioned on the strip portion. This structure balances panel tolerances and provides the necessary strength for the seam. The strip transmits horizontal and upward forces to the panel and applies a downward force to the floor.

Preferably, the strip part is made of a flexible, elastic and strong material and can be a cut sheet. The preferred strip material is an aluminum sheet. In the case of an aluminum strip portion, a sufficient strength can be obtained with a thickness on the order of 0.5 mm.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the groove panel is pressed against the strip panel in the second direction, so that the seam panel laid earlier can be easily removed.
The maximum spacing between the axis of rotation of the groove panel and the lock surface of the lock groove close to the seam edge when the lock element is in contact with the lock surface of the lock groove when it is then rotated angularly away from the strip. Without a lock groove. Such disassembly can be performed even if the play between the locking groove and the locking surface is not greater than 0.2 mm.

According to the present invention, a sufficient lock function can be achieved even when the height of the lock surface is very small.
Sufficient locking can be achieved even with a locking surface as high as 0.5 mm. As used herein, the term “locking surface” refers to the portion of the locking element that engages the locking groove to form a second mechanical connection.

In order to obtain the optimal function of the present invention, the strip part and its locking element must be formed very precisely on the strip part panel. In particular, the locking surface of the locking element must be arranged at a precise distance from the seam edge of the strip section panel.

In addition, the degree of mutual engagement of the floor panels must be minimized as it reduces the floor strength.

According to known manufacturing methods, it is possible to produce a strip with locking pins by extruding aluminum or plastic into a suitable profile and gluing it to the floor panel or inserting it into special grooves. Although possible, these methods and all other traditional methods do not guarantee satisfactory performance and satisfactory savings levels. To produce the seam system according to the invention, the strip is cut from an aluminum sheet and mechanically secured to the strip panel.

To lay the panels, first place the strip panel on the floor, and then extend the long edge of the groove panel to the corresponding long edge of the strip panel between the main surface of the groove panel and the floor. Is moved while maintaining a certain angle. When the seam edges are engaged with each other to form a first mechanical connection, the groove panel is lowered angularly to insert the locking element into the locking groove.

Also, first, the strip panel and the groove panel are laid flat on the floor, and then the panels are bent down to their mains while bending the strip section down until the locking element snaps into the locking groove. Laying can also be implemented by joining parallel to the surface. This laying technique in particular enables mechanical locking of both the short and long edges of the floor panel. For example, using the first laying technique described above, the grooved panels are angled down to join the long edges of both panels together, and then the short edges of the panels are placed above the short edges of adjacent panels in the same row. The short edges of the panels are joined together by moving the panels longitudinally until they are pressed and locked.

The floor panel can be provided with, for example, a floorboard, foam or felt underlay in its manufacture. The underlay preferably covers the strip so that the seam between the underlays is offset with respect to the seam between the floor panels.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0038]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, these figures show a first floor panel 1 (hereinafter referred to as a strip panel) and a second floor panel 2 (a groove panel hereinafter). ). The terms "strip panel" and "groove panel" are merely for convenience of explanation, and these panels 1, 2 are practically identical.
These panels 1 and 2 consist of a compact laminate, have a thickness of about 3 mm and a thickness manufacturing tolerance of about ± 0.2.
mm. In view of this thickness tolerance, panels 1 and 2 are shown with different thicknesses (FIG. 1b), strip section panel 1 has a maximum thickness (3.2 mm) and groove panel 2 has a minimum thickness. It has a thickness (2.8 mm).

In order to join the panels 1, 2 at their respective opposing seam edges 3, 4, they are provided with grooves and strips as described below.

Referring mainly to FIGS. 1A and 1B, and secondly to FIGS. 4A and 4B showing the basic design of the panel from below and above, respectively.

From the seam edge 3 of the strip part panel 1, ie from one longitudinal edge thereof, a flat strip part 6
The strip 6 is attached to the rear side of the strip panel 1 at the factory and extends along the entire seam edge 3. The strip 6 made of a flexible elastic aluminum sheet is mechanically secured by an adhesive or any other suitable method. Although the strip portion 6 is adhered in FIGS. 1A and 1B, FIG.
In (b), it is attached by a mechanical connecting means. This will be described in detail below.

Other strip material, such as other metal sheets, and aluminum or plastic profiles can be used. Alternatively, the strip portion 6 can be formed integrally with the strip portion panel 1. In any case, the strip part 6 must be integral with the strip part panel 1. That is, it must not be mounted on the strip section panel 1 when laying. As a non-limiting example, the strip portion 6 can have a width of about 30 mm and a thickness of about 0.5 mm.

4 (a) and 4 (b), the short edge 3 'of the strip panel 1 is provided with a similar short strip 6'. However, this short strip 6 'does not extend along the entire short edge 3', but is otherwise identical to the strip 6 and will not be described in detail here.

The edge of the strip section 6 opposite the seam edge 3 is provided with a locking element 8 which extends along the entire length of the strip section 6. The locking element 8 has a locking surface 10 facing the seam edge 3, which has a height of, for example, 0.5 mm. When the floor is laid and the seam 4 of the panel 2 of FIG. 1a is pressed against the seam 3 of the panel 1 and lowered towards the floor 12 as shown in FIG. The locking element 8 is designed to enter a locking groove 14 formed on the rear side of the panel 2 parallel to and spaced from the seam edge 4. As shown in FIG. 1b, the locking element 8 and the locking groove 14 form a mechanical connection that locks the panels 1, 2 together in the direction D2. More specifically, the locking surface 10 of the locking element 8 acts as a stop for the surface of the locking groove 14 close to the seam 4.

However, when the panels 1 and 2 are joined together, they assume a relative position in the direction D2 such that there is a small play Δ between the locking surface 10 and the locking groove 14. Such a mechanical connection in the direction D2 allows the panels 1 and 2 to move relative to one another in the direction of the seam, which greatly simplifies the installation of the panels and allows the short edges to be snap-joined.

4 (a) and 4 (b), each panel in the system has a strip 6 along one longitudinal edge 3, a locking groove 14 along the other longitudinal edge 4, and A strip portion 6 'is provided along one short edge 3', and a lock groove 14 'is provided along the other short edge 4'.

Further, the joint edge 3 of the strip section panel 1
Has a recess 20 in the side surface 18 which extends along the entire seam edge 3 and extends in the front 2
2 and a recess 24 that opens in the lateral direction is formed. Groove panel 2
Has a corresponding recess 28 in its front face 26 which forms a locking tongue 30 which is accommodated in said recess 24 and allows the seams 3, 4 to move in the direction D1 with respect to each other. Make a mechanical connection to lock. In another design of the seam edges 3, 4, this connection is carried out, for example, by bevels of these edges, so that the seam edge 4 of the grooved panel 2 extends obliquely below the seam edge 3 of the strip panel 1 It can be locked between 3 and the strip part 6.

These panels 1 and 2 can be laid again without damaging the seam even if the panels are taken up in the reverse order.

The strip portion 6 is connected to the seam edge 3 and has a tolerance balancing groove 4 provided on the rear side surface of the strip portion panel 1.
Mounted in 0. In this embodiment, the width of the balancing groove 40 is about half the width of the strip part 6, ie, about 15 mm. Due to this balancing groove 40, there is always a precise predetermined spacing E between the front face 21 of the panel 1 and the bottom face of the groove 40, which is always slightly less than the minimum thickness of the floor panels 1, 2 (2.8 mm). Will be. The floor panel 2 has a tolerance balancing surface or groove 4 corresponding to the rear side 16 of its seam edge 4.
2 is provided. The balancing surface 42 and the front surface 26 of the groove panel 2
Is equal to the exact distance E described above. Furthermore, the thickness of the strip part 6 is chosen such that the rear side 44 of this strip part is located slightly below the rear sides 18 and 16 of the floor panels 1 and 2 respectively. In this way, the entire seam rests on the strip section 6, all vertical downward forces are efficiently transmitted to the floor 12 and no stress is applied to the seam edges 3, 4. The provision of the balancing grooves 40, 42 provides a completely uniform seam at the front face without grinding or similar processing along the entire panel, despite the thickness tolerances of the panels 1, 2. . In particular, in this way, the risk of damage to the underlayer of the compact laminate, which would cause bulging of the panels, is avoided.

Next, a description will be given of the embodiment of FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c) which sequentially shows the laying method substantially similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). The main difference between these embodiments of FIGS. 2 (a)-(c) and the embodiment of FIG. 1 is that the strip portion 6 is attached to the strip portion panel 1 by mechanical connecting means instead of bonding. It is in the point.
In order to carry out such a mechanical connection, as shown in detail in FIG.
A groove 50 is provided apart from the recess 24. The groove 50 can be formed as a continuous groove extending along the entire length of the panel 1, or can be formed as a plurality of separate grooves. The groove 50 together with the recess 24 defines a dovetail-shaped gripping edge 52 whose rear side shows a precise equilibration distance E to the front face 21 of the strip part panel 1. The aluminum strip 6 has a plurality of punched and bent tongues 54 and one or more lips 56 bent around the opposite edge of the gripping edge 52 to engage this edge. . This connection is shown in detail from below in the perspective view of FIG.

In another embodiment, the mechanical connection between the strip section 6 and the strip section panel 1 can be implemented as shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a part of the strip part panel 1 directed upward. FIG.
The mechanical connection comprises a dovetail-shaped recess 58 in the rear side 18 of the strip panel 1 and a tongue / lip 60 which is punched and bent from the strip 6 and fastened to the opposite inner side of the recess 58. And

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C is further characterized in that the locking element 8 of the strip part 6 is designed as a part bent from an aluminum sheet. This locking element 8 is located on the front 2
An actuating locking surface 10 extending at right angles from 2 to a height of, for example, 0.5 mm, and the locking element 8 is inserted into a locking groove 14 when the groove panel 2 is lowered towards the floor surface 12 (FIG. 2b). It has a round guide surface 34 for facilitation and a portion 36 which is inclined towards the floor surface 12 and which does not work in these laying methods of FIG.

Further, as can be seen in these FIGS.
The seam edge 3 of the strip panel 1 has a lower bevel 70, which cooperates with the corresponding upper bevel 72 of the seam edge 4 of the grooved panel 2 in the laying, and the respective seam edge 3 of the panels 1 and 2 , 4 are moved toward each other, and as these panels are pressed horizontally, panels 1 and 2 are moved vertically relative to each other.

Preferably, when the groove panel 2 is pressed horizontally in the direction D2 from the joint position in FIG. 2C and comes into contact with the strip panel 1 and is rotated upward from the strip section 6, the locking element 8 is turned on. The locking surface 10 is spaced from the seam edge 3 so that a maximum distance between the rotation axis A of the groove panel 2 and the locking surface 10 of the locking element 8 can be obtained so as to leave the locking groove 14 without coming into contact with the locking groove 14. Be placed.

FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show another method of mechanically joining the floor panels of FIGS. 2 (a)-(c) to one another. These methods shown in FIG. 3 are based on the fact that the strips 6 are elastic, in particular joining the short edges of the floor panels already joined together along one long edge as shown in FIG. It is effective to do. The method of FIG. 3 first places the two panels 1 and 2 flat on the floor 12 and then moves these panels horizontally towards each other as in FIG. 3 (b). In this case, the inclined part 36 of the locking element 8 serves as a guide surface and guides the joining edge 4 of the groove panel 2 to the front face 22 of the strip part 6. Next, the locking element 8 is
The strip part 6 is pressed downward while sliding on the upper part 2. When the edges 3 and 4 of both panels are fully engaged with each other horizontally, the locking element 8 snaps into the locking groove 14 (FIG. 3 (c)), whereby FIG. A similar lock condition results. In the first position, the same locking method as described above can be implemented by engaging the balancing groove 42 with the locking element 8 and arranging the joining edge 4 of the groove panel 2 (FIG. 3 (a)). In this case, the inclined portion 36 of the locking element 8 does not operate. This technique allows the floor panels to be mechanically locked in all directions, and by repeating this laying method, the entire floor can be laid without the use of glue.

The present invention is not limited to the above description, but can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the gist. The strip part 6 can be divided into small parts covering most of the seam length. Also, the thickness of the strip portion 6 can be varied along its width. All the strips, locking grooves, locking elements and recesses are sized so that the flat front of the floor panel rests on the strips 6 at the seam. If the floor panel is made of a compact laminate and a rubber strip or other sealing member is applied between the flat projection of the strip 6 and the grooved panel 2 and / or in the recess 24 before the panel is laid. If this is the case, a moisture-resistant floor can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 6, during the manufacture of the panel, a backing 46, for example a floor, foam or felt, can be attached to its rear side. In one embodiment, this undergarment 46 covers the strip portion 6 up to its locking element 8, thus the seam between the undergarments 46 is offset against the seam between the seam edges 3 and 4 of the panel. .

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the strip part 6 and its locking element 8 are formed integrally with the strip part 1, so that an extension of the strip part 6 is
Forms an extension of The lock function is the same as in each of the above embodiments. On the rear side 18 of the strip panel 1, a separate strip, band or the like 74 extends along the entire length of the seam, this strip 74 being in this embodiment a separate strip of each of the previous embodiments. Strip part 6
Has the same area as. The strip section 74 is positioned behind the panel 1 such that the distance from the floor front 21, 26 to the rear side 74, including the thickness of the strip section 74, is always at least equal to the corresponding distance of the maximum thickness tolerance of the panel. Side 1
8 can be arranged directly or in a recess (not shown) provided on the rear side. In this case, the panels 1 and 2 are placed on the strip portion 74 at the seam or, if the rear faces 18, 16 of the panel are made flat, they are simply placed on these rear faces.

When using a material which does not allow downward bending of the strip part 6 or the locking element 8, the laying is carried out by the structure shown in FIG. The long edge 4a of the panel 2a is engaged with the long edge 3 of the previously laid panel 1 to be inclined upward, and at the same time, the short edge 4b 'of the third panel 2b is shortened by the short edge of the above-mentioned inclined panel 2a. 3a ', and the panel 2b is fixed by tilting it downward. Next, the panel 1 on which the long edge 4b of the panel 2b is already laid
Along the short edge 3a 'of the panel 2a until it engages the long edge 3 of the panel 2a. In this way, the two upwardly inclined panels 2a and 2b are lowered onto the floor 12 to create a locked state.

These panels can be removed and laid again in the reverse order of the laying without damaging the seams.

A few other preferred laying methods are conceivable. For example, if the strip panel is inserted below the groove panel, the panel can be laid in all four directions with respect to the initial position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show two methods of joining two floor panels of different thickness to each other according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
It is a schematic diagram showing a stage.

2 (a), 2 (b) and 2 (c) are schematic views showing three steps of a method of mechanically joining two-panel panels according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are FIGS. 2A and 2B;
It is the schematic which shows three steps of another method of mechanically joining the panel of (c).

FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are views of the panels of FIGS. 2 (a), (b) and (c) viewed from below and above, respectively.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a method of laying and joining panels according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom perspective view of a first modification of the method of mounting the strip portion on the panel.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a second modification in which a strip portion is mounted on a panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 panel 3, 4 seam edge 3 ', 4' short edge 6 strip portion 6 'short strip portion 8 locking element 10 locking surface 12 floor 14 locking groove 16, 18 rear surface 20 recess 22 front 24 recess 26 front 28 recess

Claims (12)

[Claims] When a plurality of floor panels are arranged and assembled on a subfloor such that the upper portions of the seam edges are separated from each other, the adjacent seam edges of adjacent floor panels are mechanically connected to each other. A seam edge locking device for use in a flooring system, comprising means for locking vertically adjacent seam edges to form a first mechanical connection, and locking horizontally adjacent seam edges perpendicular to the seam edge to one another. (I) a lock groove extending parallel to and apart from the seam edge of one of the panels, the lock groove being open on the rear surface of the panel; ii) means having a flexible lock stop integrally provided on the other panel and having a locking element extending and projecting over the corresponding seam edge; Wherein the second mechanical link displaces the adjacent seam edges toward each other, folds the flexible locking strip portions downward, and engages the upper corners of the adjacent seam edges with one another, whereby the locking element Act to horizontally unidirectionally snap engage during assembly of the flooring system by snapping into the locking groove to prevent release of the adjacent seam edge; The target connection interconnects adjacent panels and pivots the adjacent panels together through the upper corners of the seam edges, thereby removing the locking element from the locking groove and releasing the one-way snap engagement. A seam edge lock device. 2. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the first mechanical connection comprises a tongue and groove connection including a tongue and a tongue groove for receiving the tongue. 3. The tongue groove is regulated upward by an upper lip portion provided integrally with the corresponding panel, and the tongue portion is provided integrally with the corresponding panel.
A locking device as described. 4. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the tongue groove is provided integrally with the corresponding panel and is regulated downward by a lower lip portion forming a lock strip portion. 5. The lock device according to claim 4, wherein the thickness of the lock strip portion changes along the width direction. 6. An adjoining seam edge has a lower bevel and an upper bevel cooperating with each other, the lower bevel being formed at the tip of an upper lip for upwardly regulating a tongue groove, and the lower bevel being a tongue. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the locking device is formed at a tip of the portion. 7. The locking device according to claim 2, wherein the tip of the tongue has a lower surface, and the lower surface is non-parallel to an adjacent surface of a tongue groove located below the lower surface. . 8. The lock device according to claim 1, wherein the lock strip portion is formed integrally with the other panel. 9. The lock device according to claim 8, wherein the lock strip portions have different thicknesses in the width direction. 10. The lock device according to claim 1, wherein the lock strip portion is formed of a different material separately from the other panel, and is fixed in a factory. 11. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein adjacent seam edges cooperate with a lower bevel and an upper bevel. 12. The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the locking element comprises a locking lip extending along the locking strip.