Floor panel assembly

Abstract

A floor panel assembly includes adjacent floor panels connected together along edges thereof with a locking element extending between the edges. The locking element has a first locking surface; a locking portion at one end; a control portion near another end; and a connecting portion connecting the locking portion to the control portion. The connecting portion is slidably accommodated in a channel of one of the panels and pushed towards a first end of the channel when the locking element is moved or deformed from a first position to a second position by the control portion, the front position being when the panels are disconnected and movable relative to each other and the second position being when the panels are fixedly connected to each other.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Building panels provided with a locking system for vertical locking of a first building panel and a second building panel by a vertical displacement of the panels relative each other, the panels comprising:
 a sidewardly open tongue groove provided at an edge of the first building panel, and a strip protruding below the tongue groove and outwardly beyond an upper part of the edge of said first building panel;   a displaceable tongue provided in a sidewardly open displacement groove in an edge of the second building panel, the displaceable tongue comprises a main body extending along the edge of the second panel and a tongue locking surface located at an upper and outer part of the tongue, the tongue locking surface cooperating for vertical locking with a groove locking surface of the tongue groove; the displaceable tongue comprises an inner part spaced inwardly from an upper part of the edge of said second panel;   the inner part comprises a tongue pressing surface configured to cooperate with a strip pressing surface on the strip, such that the displaceable tongue is displaced into the tongue groove when the tongue pressing surface and the strip pressing surface are displaced vertically against each other to obtain a locking of the first and the second building panel in a vertical direction.   
     
     
         2 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said displaceable tongue is asymmetric and comprises a protrusion and the second panel comprises a cavity for housing the protrusion. 
     
     
         3 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the protrusion comprises a part that is flexible. 
     
     
         4 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein the strip comprises a locking element configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove formed on the second panel, for locking of the first and the second building panels in a horizontal direction. 
     
     
         5 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the tongue pressing surface is provided on the protrusion and the strip pressing surface is provided on the locking element. 
     
     
         6 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the strip pressing surface is provided at an inclined surface of the locking element directed towards the first edge. 
     
     
         7 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the strip pressing surface is provided at an upper part of the locking element. 
     
     
         8 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein cavity extends from the displacement groove to the locking groove. 
     
     
         9 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the displacement groove extends vertically above the locking groove. 
     
     
         10 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein an upper part of the locking element is located vertically below the tongue locking surface of the displaceable tongue. 
     
     
         11 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein an upper part of the locking groove is located vertically below the tongue locking surface of the displaceable tongue. 
     
     
         12 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein an upper most part of the locking element is located in a lower half of an intermediate core of the first building panel. 
     
     
         13 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tongue pressing surface and the strip pressing surface are inclined relative to a horizontal plane with an angle of about 25 to 75 degrees. 
     
     
         14 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the first and the second building panels are locked vertically by a first and a second pair of cooperating surfaces, the first pair comprises the tongue locking surface and the groove locking surface, the second pair comprises an upper part of the strip and a lower part of the edge of the second panel. 
     
     
         15 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said groove locking surface and said tongue locking surface are inclined relative to a horizontal plane. 
     
     
         16 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the groove locking surface and the tongue locking surface are inclined relative to a horizontal plane with an angle of about 10 to about 60 degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue comprises at least two protrusions extending from the main body, wherein each protrusion comprises said tongue pressing surface at an outer part of the protrusion, wherein each tongue pressing surface is configured to be in contact during locking with a locking element provided on the strip. 
     
     
         18 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the building panels are floor panels. 
     
     
         19 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the upper and outer part of the displaceable tongue in an unlocked position is located in the displacement groove. 
     
     
         20 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the tongue pressing surface is located vertically below the tongue locking surface. 
     
     
         21 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue during locking is gradually inserted into the tongue groove from one part of the tongue, which is adjacent to an installed long edge of an adjacent panel, to another part of the tongue part, which is adjacent to a free long edge of the first panel. 
     
     
         22 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the strip comprises a locking element configured to cooperate with a downwardly open locking groove formed on the second panel, for locking of the first and the second building panels in a horizontal direction. 
     
     
         23 . The building panels as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the displaceable tongue is an injection-moulded tongue. 
     
     
         24 . Building panels provided with a locking system for vertical locking of a first building panel and a second building panel by a vertical displacement of the panels relative each other, the panels comprising:
 a sidewardly open tongue groove provided at an edge of the first building panel, and a strip protruding below the tongue groove and outwardly beyond an upper part of the edge of said first building panel;   a displaceable tongue provided in a sidewardly open displacement groove at an edge of the second building panel, the displaceable tongue comprises a main body extending along the edge of the second panel and a tongue locking surface located at an upper and outer part of the tongue, the tongue locking surface contacting a groove locking surface of the tongue groove for vertical locking; the displaceable tongue comprises an inner part spaced inwardly from an upper part of the edge of said second panel;   the inner part comprises a tongue pressing surface configured to cooperate with a strip pressing surface on the strip, such that the displaceable tongue is displaced into the tongue groove when the tongue pressing surface and the strip pressing surface are displaced vertically against each other to obtain a locking of the first and the second building panel in a vertical direction.