Floor panel and method for manufacturing a floor panel

Abstract

A floor panel including at least one substrate and a top layer, where the substrate includes at least one first layer of a first thermoplastic material and a second layer of a second thermoplastic material. The second layer is adjacent to a first side of the first layer and the second layer provides the floor panel with its underside. The first layer is characterized by a first colour with saturation value S1 in the HSL colour space and the second layer is characterized by a second colour with saturation value S2 in the HSL colour space, where S1 is less than S2.

Claims

1. A floor panel comprising at least one substrate and a top layer, said substrate comprising at least one first layer of a first thermoplastic material and a second layer of a second thermoplastic material, wherein the second layer is adjacent to a first side of the first layer and the second layer provides the floor panel an underside, wherein the first layer is defined by has a first colour with saturation value S1 in the HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) colour space and the second layer is defined by a second colour with saturation value S2 in the HSL colour space, wherein S1 is less than S2.

2. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the absolute value of S1-S2 is greater than or equal to 15.

3. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein S1 is greater than or equal to 15.

4. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the first colour has a luminance value L1 in the HSL colour space and L1 is less than or equal to 85.

5. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the second layer has a luminance value L2 in the HSL colour space and L2 is less than or equal to 85.

6. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein a hue of the first colour is defined by an angle H1 in the HSL colour space and a hue of the second colour is defined by an angle H2 in the HSL colour space and where the smaller angle between H1 and H2 is greater than or equal to 25°.

7. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic material of the first layer is PVC (polyvinylchloride), and wherein the thermoplastic material of the second layer is PVC.

8. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein at least one reinforcing element is provided at least in one of the first and second layer, or between the first and second layer.

9. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the substrate of the panel comprises one or more further layers of thermoplastic material, located on a second side of the first layer in the floor panel, wherein each of the one or more further layers of thermoplastic material is defined individually by a saturation value Sx.

10. The floor panel according to claim 9, wherein for each of the one or more layers of thermoplastic material, the colour has of a saturation value Sx that is less than S2.

11. The floor panel according to claim 10, wherein each of the one or more further layers of thermoplastic material is characterized individually by a hue with an angle Hx, wherein a smaller angle between H2 and each of the Hx is greater than or equal to 25°.

12. The floor panel according to claim 11, wherein the top layer of the panel further comprises a transparent or translucent wearing layer applied on the decorating layer.

13. The floor panel according to claim 12, wherein the top layer of the panel is provided with a relief on an uppermost surface.

14. The floor panel according to claim 9, wherein one of the one or more layers of thermoplastic material, the colour has of a saturation value Sx that is equal to S1.

15. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the top layer of the panel comprises a decorating layer, said decorating layer being located between the layers of thermoplastic material and an upper surface of the floor panel, wherein the decorating layer comprises a printed pattern.

16. The floor panel according to claim 15, wherein the decoration comprises a thermoplastic film, including PVC film, wherein the film is provided with a decorative print.

17. The floor panel according to claim 1, wherein the floor panel is provided on at least two opposite edges with coupling means that allow two such floor panels to be coupled together, wherein locking is brought about on said at least two opposite edges at least in a vertical direction perpendicular to the surface of the panels, wherein at least one of the said at least two opposite edges is provided with a groove, which is located entirely above the second layer.

18. The floor panel according to claim 17, wherein the floor panel is provided on two edges adjacent to one another with a groove, which is located above the second layer.

19. A method for making a floor panel, said method comprising the steps: making a floor panel according to claim 1, comprising at least providing edges of the panel by cutting the edge or milling coupling means on at least one of the edges; by means of an optical detector, detecting the second layer by detection that is substantially vertical to an upper surface of the panel; generating a signal as the optical detector detects the second layer.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the detector is a camera.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the camera is a line camera.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the camera is a colour camera.

23. The method according to claim 20, wherein the signal is supplied to a process control system.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the process control system will link the signal to an error message, wherein the process control system will generate an output signal linked to the error message.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) For better demonstration of the features of the invention, some preferred embodiments are described hereunder, as examples without any limiting character, referring to the appended drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a floor panel with the features of the invention;

(3) FIGS. 2 to 4 show, on a larger scale, a section along line II-II or XI-XI indicated in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) The present invention is described below on the basis of specific embodiments.

(5) It should be pointed out that the term “comprising”, as used for example in the claims, is not to be interpreted in a limiting sense, limiting to the elements, features and/or steps that then follow. The term “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements, features or steps.

(6) Thus, the scope of an expression “an object comprising the elements A and B” is not limited to an object that only contains the elements A and B. The scope of an expression “a method comprising the steps A and 8” is not limited to a method that only contains the steps A and B.

(7) In the light of the present invention, these expressions only signify that the relevant elements or steps for the invention are the elements or steps A and B.

(8) In the following specification, reference is made to “an embodiment” or “the embodiment”. Such a reference signifies that a specific element or feature, described on the basis of this embodiment, is comprised in at least this one embodiment.

(9) The occurrence of the terms “in an embodiment” or “in the embodiment” at various points in this description does not, however, necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may well refer to one and the same embodiment.

(10) Moreover, the properties or the features may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments, as would be obvious to a person skilled in the art.

(11) FIG. 1 shows a rectangular floor panel 1.

(12) FIG. 2 clearly shows that the floor panel 1 comprises a substrate 2 and a decoration 3 applied thereon. Together with the wearing layer 13, this decoration 2 forms the top layer of the floor panel. FIG. 2 is a cross-section along section XI-XI.

(13) The substrate 2 comprises a first layer, in this case a foamed layer, 4 made of thermoplastic material, in this case polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This foamed layer 4 is positioned in such a way that it is located at least centrally in the substrate 2, namely on the centre line C. In this case the thickness T1 of the foamed layer represents more than 40% of the thickness T2 of the substrate. The substrate further comprises a second, in this case non-foamed, layer 6. Otherwise the substrate 2 further comprises non-foamed layers 5 and 7. The second layer 6 provides the floor panel with its underside.

(14) The substrate 2 of the floor panel 1 from the example in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a first and a second reinforcing layer 8-9, in this case glass-fibre layers, more particularly glass-fibre mats (non-woven). A first reinforcing layer 8 is located on the surface 10 of the foamed layer 4 facing the decoration 3 and, together with the second reinforcing layer 9, encloses the foamed layer 4. The aforementioned second reinforcing layer 9 is in this case located on the opposite surface 11 of the foamed layer 4.

(15) The aforementioned decoration 3 comprises a printed pattern and shows a single wooden board. The printed pattern is applied on a thermoplastic film 12, namely a PVC film. The floor panel 1 has in addition a translucent or transparent wearing layer 13 that is applied on top of the aforementioned decoration 3.

(16) The aforementioned non-foamed layers 5-6-7 comprise, in the example, a non-foamed layer 5 and a non-foamed layer 6, which in each case are next to the aforementioned surfaces 10-11 of the foamed layer 4, and, in this case, also next to the reinforcing layers 8-9. These non-foamed layers 5-6 consist of the same thermoplastic material, namely PVC, as the foamed layer 4, but preferably comprise a higher content of fillers, such as lime or talc. The floor panel in FIG. 2 represents an example of a substrate 2, wherein said non-foamed layers 5-6 enclose the foamed layer 4.

(17) The substrate 2 in FIG. 2 further comprises a non-foamed layer 7 of thermoplastic material. This non-foamed layer 7 is located between the decoration 3 and the aforementioned first non-foamed layer 5, and has a plasticizer content that is greater than the plasticizer content optionally present in the foamed layer 4 and/or is greater than the plasticizer content optionally present in the non-foamed layer 5-6.

(18) The non-foamed layer 6 is attached to the lower surface 11 of the foamed layer 4, and the second non-foamed layer 6 is made thicker than the aforementioned non-foamed layer 5 on the upper surface 10 of the foamed layer 4, for example with a thickness T6 greater than 1.5 times the thickness T5 of the non-foamed layer 5. The sum of the thickness T5 of the non-foamed layer 5 and the thickness T7 of the third non-foamed layer 7 is preferably roughly equal, greater than or equal to the thickness T6 of the non-foamed layer 6, preferably at least 10% greater, but less than 50% greater. In this way, the second foamed layer 6 can optimally withstand any residual stresses in the non-foamed layer 5-7.

(19) The colours of the layers 4, 5, 6 and 7 of a first embodiment A are given in Table I on the basis of the luminance value L, the saturation value S and the hue H.

(20) TABLE-US-00001 CIE Lab HSL Layer/colour L a b H S L 7 27.89 0.16 0.2 0.00 0.76 25.69 Further layer 5 30.46 0.11 0.11 0.00 0.00 27.84 Further layer 4 44.08 −0.41 −2.33 210.00 2.88 40.78 First layer 6 37.73 30.76 12.32 357.63 34.63 40.20 Second layer

(21) It is clear that the saturation value S2 of the second layer is much greater than that of all other layers, especially the first layer 4. The difference in saturation value between the first and second layer is 31.75 The second layer is then also an especially lighter red layer with relatively high L value, whereas the other layers are rather darker layers with low luminance.

(22) In alternative embodiments the layer 4 is a non-foamed PVC layer.

(23) The floor panel 1 from the example is provided at least on the two opposite long edges 14-15 with coupling means 16 which allow two such floor panels 1 to be coupled together, wherein, as shown in FIG. 2, locking is brought about on the edges 14-15 in question. For this purpose, panel 1 is provided on at least one of its long edges 15 with a groove 17, wherein the deepest point 18 of this groove 17 is located in the aforementioned foamed layer 4. The groove 17 is, in this case, provided for interacting with a tongue 19 on the opposite edge 14, and is delimited by an upper lip 20 and a lower lip 21, wherein the lower lip 21 extends in the distal direction beyond the upper lip 20, or in other words beyond the groove opening 22. FIG. 2 shows that the tongue 19 can be fitted in the groove 18 by means of a rotating movement W round said edges 14-15.

(24) The groove 17 is made completely above the second layer 6 and is thus located above the second layer.

(25) The upper surface 23 of the lower lip 21 is in this case formed entirely from the material of the aforementioned foamed layer 4, and the lower lip 21 is provided near its distal end 24 with a hook-shaped locking part 25, which in this case also consists entirely of material of the foamed layer 4. The hook-shaped part 25 is intended to interact, in the coupled state, with a locking groove 26 on the underside of the edge 14 that is provided with the aforementioned tongue 19, and brings about the aforementioned locking in the horizontal direction H. For this purpose, a pair of horizontal active contact surfaces 27-28 is formed between the aforementioned hook-shaped part 25 and the locking groove 26. The contact surfaces 27-28 are formed on the material of the foamed layer 4.

(26) In the example, the lower surface 29 of the upper lip 20 is formed almost completely in layer 5, i.e. in a part of the substrate 2 that is free from the aforementioned foamed layer 4. In this way, surface 36 is made entirely from material of layer 4, and thus no material of the second layer is visible here on the surface 36.

(27) One of the reinforcing layers 9 extends continuously in the aforementioned lower lip 21, whereas the second of the aforementioned reinforcing layers 8 extends in the material of the aforementioned tongue 19. In this way, parts of material that project on the edges 14-15 are provided with extra support. The presence of a part of a non-foamed layer 5-6-7 both in the tongue 19 and in the lower lip 21 is also advantageous. The stability of the upper lip 20 is assured by the non-foamed layers 5-7 present there.

(28) The foamed layer 4, as well as the non-foamed layer 5-6 are free from plasticizer or comprise a plasticizer content less than 12 phr. The non-foamed layer 7 also has a plasticizer content less than 12 phr. Thus, the substrate 2 consists entirely of layers 4-5-6-7 with a plasticizer content less than 12 phr, even if plasticizer were to be present in said layers 4-5-6.

(29) The layers of the substrate 2 shown here are fastened to each other by a thermal laminating process. The foamed layer 4 and the non-foamed layers 5-6 are obtained by spreading and consolidating thermoplastic material, whether or not in the form of granules or so-called dry-blend.

(30) FIG. 3 shows an example in which the substrate 2 is structured similarly to FIG. 2, but on sides 14 and 15 there is a tongue and groove with a slightly different shape. Here too, the groove is located completely above the second layer 6. FIG. 3 is a cross-section along section II-II of the panel in FIG. 1.

(31) FIG. 4 shows the short edges 42-43 of the floor panel 1 from FIGS. 1 to 3. In this case edge profiling is applied with a male part 44 and a female part 45, allowing two such floor panels 1 to be coupled on said edges 42-43 by means of a downward movement M of the male part 44 into the female part 45, wherein, in the coupled state, locking is brought about both in a horizontal direction H and in a vertical direction V. The combination of a rotatable profile on the long edges 14-15, for example according to one of FIG. 2 or 3, and a downward coupling profile on the short edges 44-45, for example according to FIG. 4, gives rise to a floor panel 1 that can be coupled by a so-called fold-down movement. The long edges 14-15 are fitted together with a rotating movement W, and through this rotating movement W, a downward movement M arises on the short edges 42-43, which fits the male part 44 in the female part 45.

(32) The example presented here of this downward coupling profiling is produced on the one hand with the material of the floor panel 1 and comprises, for bringing about locking, an interacting snap hook 46 and undercut 47, as well as a hook-shaped part 25 on the lower lip 21, which in this case also has an undercut 47A. The undercut 47A on the hook-shaped part 25 is made in such a way that it makes an angle A1 with the vertical of 1° to 10°, and preferably about 5°. The locking groove 26 that interacts with the aforementioned hook-shaped part 25 is positioned entirely underneath the reinforcing layer 8 on the upper surface 10 of the foamed layer 4.

(33) The aforementioned interacting snap hook 46 and undercut 47 in this case have, in the coupled state, interacting vertical active contact surfaces 30-31, which are made partly in the foamed layer 4 and partly in the non-foamed layer 5 located above it. The horizontal and vertical active contact surfaces 27-28 of the hook-shaped part 25 are made entirely of the material of the foamed layer 4. The female part 45 is then also made completely above the second layer 6.

(34) The upper surface 23 of the lower lip 21 consists entirely of material of the foamed layer 4. In the coupled state the edge profiling has vertical active contact surfaces 32-33 formed on this upper surface 23. There is a space 40 between these vertical active contact surfaces 32-33 and horizontal active contact surfaces 27A-28A. The bottom reinforcing layer 9 extends as a single piece into the lower lip 21, and the top reinforcing layer 8 extends as a single piece over the aforementioned locking groove 26.

(35) On the underside of the lower lip 21, a recess 48 is made, which extends at least partially under the aforementioned space 40. This ensures smoother coupling, even with the overlap 38 shown in the contours.

(36) Thus, the floor panels as presented in FIGS. 1 to 4, viewed from above, do not have, in any place at all, material of the second layer on the surface. The edges, tongues and grooves are formed from flat boards by milling and cutting. If one or more of these cutting movements are carried out incorrectly, for example milled too deep or not cut vertically but cut with a cutting blade that is inclined towards the centre of the plate, or if the second layer is made too thick, material of the second layer will be visible on the upper surface of the panels after processing.

(37) During production it is possible to check by visual or optical inspection, for example based on a detection system, for example a colour camera, whether material with the brighter colour of the second layer is visible along the upper side of the panel. If this is so, this detection system can generate a signal, for example an electrical or optical signal can be supplied to a process control system, for example a processing unit of such a process control system. This system can generate an output signal linked to the error message that was given. For example it is possible to check where on the panel the colour of the second layer was detected, and which process step might be its cause. The output signal from the processing system may be a control signal to the machine that is operating incorrectly, or the operator can receive information from this output system showing which process step is taking place incorrectly, for example which milling cutter or cutting blade is operating incorrectly.

(38) It is clear that although the embodiments and/or the materials for implementing embodiments according to the present invention have been discussed, various changes or alterations may be applied without departing from the scope and/or the spirit of the present invention. The present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments described above, but may be implemented according to different variants while remaining within the scope of the present invention.