Mechanical locking system for building panels

Abstract

Building panels provided with a mechanical locking system including a tongue, at first edge of a first building panel, cooperating with a tongue groove, at a second edge of an adjacent second building panel, for vertical locking of the building panels and a method for producing such building panels. The method includes the step of forming the tongue of material of the first edge. The insertion groove may have a sidewall at a third edge, which is adjacent the first edge, and may be open at a fourth edge, which is opposite the third edge.

Claims

1. A set of building panels, including a mechanical locking system comprising: a tongue at a first edge of a first building panel, cooperating with a tongue groove at a second edge of an adjacent second building panel, for vertical locking of the first and second building panels, wherein the tongue is produced of the same material as the first edge and is at least partly positioned in an insertion groove at the first edge, the tongue is displaceable in the insertion groove to enable a vertical assembling of the first edge and the second edge, and the tongue is configured to be compressed during the vertical assembling, wherein a lower part of the tongue includes a first broken surface and an upper edge of the first edge includes a second broken surface, the first and second broken surfaces having been formed by breaking a connection part between the lower part of the tongue and the upper edge of the first edge.

2. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue springs back and into the tongue groove when the first building panel and the second building panel have reached a locked position.

3. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second edges comprise a resilient plastic material.

4. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second edges comprise a resilient vinyl material.

5. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first edge and the second edge are configured to be assembled by an angular movement.

6. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein a contact surface of the tongue groove is configured to cooperate, for the vertical locking, with a contact surface of the tongue.

7. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 6, wherein the contact surface of the tongue groove is positioned such that when the tongue springs back and into the tongue groove during the vertical assembling of the building panels, the tongue is prevented from reaching its original position.

8. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking system further comprises a locking element protruding from a locking strip at the first edge or the second edge, and a locking groove at the other of the first edge or the second edge, wherein the locking element and locking groove are configured to cooperate for locking the panels horizontally.

9. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the building panels are one of floor panels, wall panels, ceiling panels, and furniture components.

10. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second edges, of which the locking system is made, comprise a core material of the building panels.

11. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue has a length that is essentially the same as a length of the first edge.

12. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insertion groove comprises a first wall, a second wall opposite the first wall, and a third wall between the first wall and the second wall, and the tongue contacts the first wall and the second wall during the vertical assembling.

13. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insertion groove extends continuously along the first edge in a horizontal direction from one end of the first edge to an opposite end of the first edge.

14. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tongue is configured to be compressed by a vertical movement of a protrusion of the second edge on a portion of the tongue, and the portion of the tongue is configured to be inserted into the tongue groove.

15. A set of building panels, including a mechanical locking system comprising: a tongue at a first edge of a first building panel configured such that, when a second building panel is located adjacent to the first building panel, the tongue will cooperate with a tongue groove at a second edge of the second building panel, for vertical locking of the first and second building panels, wherein the tongue is produced of the same material as the first edge, wherein the tongue is configured to be compressed during a vertical assembling of the first edge and the second edge, wherein a connection part is provided between a lower part of the tongue and an upper edge of the first edge, and wherein the connection part is configured to break by displacement of the tongue at least partly into an insertion groove located at the first edge to enable a vertical assembling of the first edge and the second edge when the second building panel is located adjacent to the first building panel.

16. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 15, wherein the insertion groove is formed to be completely offset in a horizontal direction from an outer shape of the tongue.

17. The set of building panels as claimed in claim 15, wherein parts of an outer shape of the tongue are formed at an upper part of the first edge, above the insertion groove, the insertion groove is formed below the upper part of the first edge, and the tongue is configured to be displaced downwards and into the insertion groove.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present disclosure will by way of example be described in more detail with reference to the appended schematic drawings, which shows embodiments of the present disclosure.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a known locking system with a separate and resilient tongue.

(3) FIGS. 2a-c show a known locking system with a separate and displaceable tongue.

(4) FIGS. 3a-c show cross-sections of known locking systems with a separate and displaceable tongue.

(5) FIGS. 4a-f show cross-sections and top views of known locking systems with a separate and displaceable tongue.

(6) FIGS. 5a-c show an embodiment of the building panels.

(7) FIGS. 6a-c show top views of an embodiment of the building panels.

(8) FIGS. 7a-c shows an embodiment of an assembling of an embodiment of the building panels.

(9) FIGS. 8a-c shows an embodiment of an assembling of an embodiment of the building panels.

(10) FIGS. 9a-c show top views of an embodiment of the building panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) A known locking system for building panels, which comprises a displaceable and resilient tongue 30, at a first edge 4a of a first panel 1, cooperating with a tongue groove 20, at a second edge 4b of a second panel 1, for vertical locking of the first and a second edge 4a, 4b, is shown in FIG. 1. The tongue 30 is a separate part and is made of, e.g., plastic, and is arranged in an insertion groove at the first edge 4a. The tongue 30 is pushed into the insertion groove during a vertical assembling of the short edges 4a, 4b of the panels and springs back into the tongue groove 20, when the panels have reached a locked position. The locking system comprises at the first edge a locking strip 8 with a protruding locking element 6, which cooperates with a locking groove 14 at the second edge. A third and a fourth edge 5a, 5b of the panels 1, 1, 1 are provided with a locking system, which enables assembling to of panels in a first and second row R1, R2 by an angling movement, to obtain a simultaneous locking of adjacent edges 5a, 5b, 4a, 4b.

(12) FIGS. 2a-c show simultaneously assembling of adjacent long and short edges 5a, 5b, 4a, 4b in three steps from FIG. 2a to FIG. 2c. The second panel 1 is angled down along its first long edge 5a, at a second long edge 5b of a third panel 1, and the second edge 4b of the second panel 1 is simultaneous lowered vertically to be connected to the first edge 4a of the first panel 1. The tongue 30 is gradually pushed into the insertion groove, see FIG. 2b, and spring back into the tongue groove 20 when the first, the second and the third panels 1, 1, 1 have reached a locked position, see FIG. 2c.

(13) FIGS. 3a-c show cross sections of different embodiments of the known displaceable and resilient tongue 30 during assembling of two adjacent short edges. The panel with the tongue groove is lowered in relation to the panel with tongue 30, which is pushed into the insertion groove 40 by the lowered panel. The tongue springs back, and into the tongue groove, when the panels has reached a locked position, and locks the panels vertically.

(14) FIGS. 4a-f discloses another known embodiment, comprising a displaceable and resilient tongue 30, during assembling of a first and a second edge 4a, 4b of a first and a second panels 1, 1. This embodiment is similar to the locking system shown in FIGS. 1-3, but the displaceable and resilient tongue 30 that locks automatically by a spring effect during the vertical movement is replaced by a displaceable and resilient tongue 30 that locks the first and the second edge 4a, 4b, when a third 1 and a forth 1 building panel are assembled at the third and the forth edge respectively of the first panel 1. The displaceable and resilient tongue 30 is, in this embodiment, longer than the width of the front face of the first and the second panel 1, 1. A third and fourth edge 5a, 5b of the third and fourth building panel 1, 1 respectively, apply a force at outer parts E1, E2 of the displaceable and resilient tongue 30. The force bends the displaceable and resilient tongue 30 and a part is pushed into the tongue groove 20 at the second edge of the second panel 1.

(15) Embodiments of the disclosure are shown in FIGS. 5-9. A locking system is formed at a first and a second edge 4a, 4b of a first and second panel 1, 1 for locking the first and the second edge 4a, 4b in a vertical and/or horizontal direction. Embodiments of the locking system comprise a displaceable or compressible tongue that enables assembling of the first and the second edge 4a, 4b by a vertical movement, see FIGS. 5a-c, 6a-c and 7a-c. Another embodiment, which may comprise a fixed tongue, enables assembling of building panels at the adjacent edges by an angular movement, see FIGS. 8a-8c. The locking system is preferably formed by mechanical cutting, such as milling, drilling, cutting by knife and/or sawing, of the edges of the building panels.

(16) FIG. 5a discloses a tongue 30, which is formed of material of a first edge of first building panel 1 and at an upper part of the first edge. A tongue groove is formed at a second edge of a second building panel 1. The tongue 30 is configured to cooperate, in a locked position of the first edge and the second edge see FIG. 5c, with the tongue groove 20 for vertical locking of the first and the second edge.

(17) A connection part 50 may be formed between outer part of the tongue 30 and an upper edge of the first edge. The connection part 50 is preferably formed by making a groove 51, e.g., by cutting, between the outer part of the tongue 30 and an upper edge of the first edge. The connection part keeps the tongue in the correct position before the tongue is displaced.

(18) An insertion groove 40 is formed below the upper part and the tongue 30 is displaced into the insertion groove 40, see FIG. 5b.

(19) The tongue 30 is displaced into the tongue groove 20 during assembling of the first and the second edge, see FIG. 5c. A contact surface of the tongue is pressed against a contact surface 52 of the tongue groove 20.

(20) An embodiment may have a resilient part (not shown) between the tongue 30 and a bottom wall of the insertion groove 40. The resilient part makes it possible to push the tongue 30 into insertion groove, by an edge of the second edge, during a vertical assembling of the first and the second edge. The tongue springs back and into the tongue groove when the first and the second building panel have reached a locked position.

(21) A locking strip 8 with a vertically protruding locking element 6 is formed at the edge of the first building panel. The locking element 6 cooperates with a locking groove 14, formed at the edge of the second building panel 1, for horizontal locking of the first and second edge.

(22) Another embodiment is shown in top views in FIGS. 6a-c. The embodiment comprises an insertion groove 40 with a sidewall 60 formed at a third edge, which is adjacent the first edge, of the first building panel 1. An opening of the insertion groove 60 is formed at the forth edge, which is opposite the third edge and adjacent the first edge, of the first building panel 1. A pressing part E2 may protrude through the opening of the insertion groove. When the first and the second edge are in a locked position a force is applied at the pressing part E2. The force presses an inner part E1 of the tongue 30 against the sidewall 60. The force bends the tongue 30 and a part of the tongue is pushed into the tongue groove 20 at the second edge of the second building panel 1.

(23) Further embodiments are shown in cross sections in FIGS. 7a-c and 8a-c. The tongue 30 and the insertion groove 40 are formed of material of the first edge. The width of tongue 30 is greater than the depth of the insertion groove 40 to obtain a tongue with protruding part that protrudes outside the upper edge of the first edge when inserted into the insertion groove 40. If the edge material is an elastic material, such as plastic or vinyl, the tongue may be compressed, such that the protruding part is pushed into the insertion groove, and thereby enable a vertical assembling as shown in FIGS. 7b-c.

(24) If the tongue is not compressible and enables a vertical assembling as shown in FIGS. 7b-c, the first and the second edge may be assembled by an angular movement as is shown in 8a-c. The tongue 30, which may be a fixed tongue, which may be arranged firmly in the insertion groove 4, if the first and the second edge are intended to be assembled by an angular movement.

(25) FIGS. 9a-c show a top view of an embodiment of the disclosure in which an inner groove 90 is formed throughout the tongue 30, between the tongue and the first edge of the building panel, in order to obtain an embodiment of a resilient tongue part. The inner groove extends in the longitudinal direction of the tongue and between a first and a second protruding part 91 of the tongue 30, at the third and the fourth edge of the building panel respectively. The resilient tongue part extends from the first to the second protruding part. Before the tongue is displaced into the insertion groove the protruding parts function as connection parts as described above. A part of the tongue extends outside the insertion groove when the tongue is displaced into the insertion groove. The second building panel 1 is provided with recesses 92 in the lower lip of the tongue groove at positions that correspond to the first and the second protruding part 60, as is shown in FIG. 9a. The recess enables the second building panel to be assembled to the first building panel by a vertical motion. The resilient part is pushed into the insertion groove during the vertical motion. When the first and the second building panel are in a common horizontal plane, the resilient part springs back and into the tongue groove and provides for vertical locking of the first and the second building panel. As is shown in FIGS. 9b-c, if the insertion groove is provided with the side wall 60 and the opening as described for the embodiment shown in FIG. 6a-c this embodiment may comprise a further locking step comprising applying a force at the pressing part E2. The force presses an inner part E1 of the tongue 30 against the sidewall 60. The force bends the tongue 30 and a part of the tongue is pushed into the tongue groove 20 at the second edge of the second building panel 1.