Set of Panels

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/716,622, filed on Apr. 8, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/029,658, filed on Sep. 23, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,326,353, which claims the benefit of European Application No. 19199250.2, filed on Sep. 24, 2019. The entire contents of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/716,622, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/029,658 and European Application No. 19199250.2 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to panels, such as floorboards, which are configured to be locked together by a vertical displacement.

Panels are known that are configured to be assembled by a vertical displacement and to be locked together in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction. Such panels are disclosed in, e.g., WO 2018/063047 and WO 2014/209213. A tongue and groove connection locks a first edge of a first panel to a second edge of the second panel in a second direction. The first edge and the second edge furthermore comprise a locking element configured to cooperate with a locking groove for locking in a first direction, which is perpendicular to the second direction.

Embodiments of the present disclosure address a need to provide an easier assembling and/or an increased locking strength of the panels.

It is an object of at least certain embodiments of the present disclosure to provide an improvement over the above described techniques and known art.

A further object of at least certain embodiments of the present disclosure is to facilitate assembling of panels configured to be assembled by a vertical displacement and locked together in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

Another object of at least certain embodiment of the present disclosure is to increase the locking strength by preventing or at least decreasing damage of edges of the panels, particularly parts of the edges that have a locking function. The locking strength may also be increased by an improved configuration of locking surfaces at the edges of the panels.

At least some of these and other objects and advantages that may be apparent from the description have been achieved by a first aspect of the disclosure including a set of panels comprising a first panel and a second panel, wherein the first panel comprising a first edge, a first panel surface and a second opposite panel surface and the second panel comprises a second edge, a third panel surface and an opposite fourth panel surface. The first edge comprises a locking strip with a locking element configured to cooperate with a locking groove at the second edge of the second panel for locking the first edge to the second edge in a first direction which is parallel to the first panel surface. The first edge is configured to be assembled to the second edge by a displacement of the second edge relative the first edge in an assembly direction, which is perpendicular to the first panel surface, to obtain a locked position of the first edge and the second edge. The locking element comprises a first locking surface at a first angle from a plane parallel to the first panel surface and the locking groove comprises a second locking surface at a second angle from a plane parallel to the third panel surface. The first angle is different from the second angle such that the first locking surface converges towards the second locking surface at a cooperation part in the locked position. The first locking surface cooperates with the second locking surface at the cooperation part for the locking in the first direction.

The converging locking surfaces may have the effect that a load in the first direction, e.g. from a force pulling apart the panels, is absorbed at a part with a shorter moment arm. A shorter moment arm may have the advantage that the locking strength is increased.

The converging locking surfaces may have the effect that the area of contact between the first and the second locking surface is decreased during assembling. The decreased area of contact during assembling may have the advantage that the friction during assembling is decreased and the assembling is facilitated.

The locking element may comprise a first guiding surface at an outer surface and the locking groove may comprise a second guiding surface at an opening of the locking groove.

The first guiding surface is configured to cooperate with the second guiding surface during assembling to guide the locking element into the locking groove.

The size of the first guiding surface may be greater than the size of the second guiding surface which may have the effect that the guiding is improved.

The first guiding surface may comprise an essentially planar surface.

The second guiding surface may have a rounded shape.

A ratio between a length of the planar surface and a radius of the rounded shape may be in the range of about 1 to about 5, or about 2 to about 4, or about 3.

The cooperation part may be closer to a strip surface of the locking strip than to an outer surface of the locking element.

There may be a space between the first locking surface and the second locking surface in the locked position, wherein the space is located between the cooperation part and an outer surface of the locking element.

An outer part of the locking element may be damaged during the assembling if the panel material is brittle or comprises imperfections. The space may have the advantage that it allows a desired locked position to be reached even in an event that an outer part of the locking element is damaged.

The difference between the first angle and the second angle may be in the range of about 5° to about 15°, or in the range of about 5° to about 10°, or about 7°.

The cooperation part may be positioned at a first distance from a strip surface of the locking strip, wherein an outer surface of the locking element is positioned at a second distance from a strip surface of the locking strip, and wherein a ratio between the first distance and the second distance is in the range of about 0.03 to about 0.3, or in the range of about 0.1 to about 0.2, 03, or about 0.15.

The first edge or the second edge may comprise a tongue which is configured to cooperate with a tongue groove at the other of the first edge or the second edge for a locking in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction.

The tongue may be a flexible tongue which is located in an insertion groove at the first edge or the second edge.

The first angle may be in the range of about 90° to about °145, or in the range of about 100° to about 135°, or in the range of about 110° to about 125°, or about 120° and wherein the second angle may be in the range of about 80° to about 135°, or in the range of about 100° to about 115°, or about 110°.

The locking surface and second locking surface may be configured for a locking in a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction.

The first angle may be in the range of about 70° to about 90°, or in the range of about 80° to about 89°, or in the range of about 85° to about 89°, and the second angle may be in the range of about 75° to about 85°, or in the range of about 80° to about 85°.

The panels may comprise a polymer material or a wood based material.

The distance between the first panel surface and the second panel surface may be in the range of about 3 mm to about 15 mm, or in the range of about 5 mm to about 8 mm.

A distance between the third panel surface and the fourth panel surface may be in the range of about 3 mm to about 15 mm, or in the range of about 5 mm to about 8 mm.

The first panel surface and the third panel surface may comprise a decorative surface.

The assembling may comprise a displacement in the horizontal direction.

The first and the second panel may be of a rectangular shape.

The first and the second panel may be building panels, such as floor panels, wall panels or ceiling panels.

The first edge and the second edge may be short edges of the first and the second panel.

The assembling may also comprise an angling motion along a long side of the first and/or the second panel. The angling motion may at the same time connect the long side of the first and/or the second panel to a side of a third panel by a mechanical locking device.

The first panel and the second panel may be resilient panels. The resilient panels may comprise a core comprising thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material may be foamed.

The thermoplastic material may comprise polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylate, methacrylate, polycarbonate, polyvinyl butyral, polybutylene terephthalate, or a combination thereof. The core may be formed of several layers.

The first panel and the second panel may comprise a decorative layer, such as a decorative foil comprising a thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material of the decorative layer may be or comprise polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylate, methacrylate, polycarbonate, polyvinyl butyral, polybutylene terephthalate, or a combination thereof. The decorative foil is preferably printed, for example by direct printing, rotogravure, or digital printing.

The first panel and the second panel may comprise a wear layer such as a film or foil. The wear layer may comprise thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material may be polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyester, polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyurethane (PU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyacrylate, methacrylate, polycarbonate, polyvinyl butyral, polybutylene terephthalate, or a combination thereof.

Embodiments of the disclosure may be particularly advantageous for panels comprising locking surfaces with higher friction.

The first and the second panel may comprise a wood-based core, such as HDF, MDF or plywood.

Specific embodiments of the disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. The terminology used in the detailed description of the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings is not intended to be limiting of the invention. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements.

Embodiments of the set of panels are according to the disclosure are shown in a locked position in. The set of panels comprises a first paneland a second panel, wherein the first panelcomprises a first edge, a first panel surfaceand a second opposite panel surface, and wherein the second panelcomprises a second edge, a third panel surfaceand an opposite fourth panel surface. The first edgecomprises a locking stripwith a locking elementconfigured to cooperate with a locking grooveat the second edgeof the second panelfor locking the first edgeto the second edgein a first directionwhich is parallel to the first panel surface. The first edgeis configured to be assembled to the second edgeby a displacement of the second edgerelative the first edgein an assembly direction, which is perpendicular to the first panel surface, to obtain a locked position of the first edgeand the second edge

As shown for example in, the locking elementcomprises a first locking surfaceat a first anglefrom a plane parallel to the first panel surfaceand the locking groovecomprises a second locking surfaceat a second anglefrom a plane parallel to the third panel surface. The first angleis different from the second anglesuch that the first locking surfaceconverges towards the second locking surfaceat a cooperation part(see, e.g.,) in the locked position, and that the first locking surfacecooperates with the second locking surfaceat the cooperation partfor the locking in the first direction. In illustrative embodiments, the cooperation partis a point of intersection of the first locking surfaceand the second locking surface. The converging locking surfaces may have the effect that a load in the first direction, e.g. from a force pulling apart the panels, is absorbed at a part with a shorter moment arm. A shorter moment arm may have the advantage that the locking strength is increased.

The converging locking surfaces may have the effect that the area of contact between the first and the second locking surface is decreased during assembling. The decreased area of contact during assembling may have the advantage that the friction during assembling is decreased and the assembling is facilitated.

shows an enlargement of the locking element, the locking stripand the locking grooveof the embodiments of.

shows an enlargement of the locking element, the locking stripand the locking grooveof the embodiment of.

show embodiments comprising a cooperation partwhich is closer to a strip surfaceof the locking stripthan to an outer surfaceof the locking element.

The outer surfacemay be an outermost surface of the locking element. For example, in, the outer surfacemay be an uppermost surface of the locking element.

The illustrative embodiments ofcomprise a spacebetween the first locking surfaceand the second locking surface. The space is located between the cooperation partand an outer surfaceof the locking element.