Mechanical locking device for building panels

Abstract

A set of building panels including similar or essentially identical building panels. Each building panel includes a first mechanical locking device configured to horizontally and vertically lock a first edge of a building panel to a second edge of an adjacent building panel. The first mechanical locking device includes, at the second edge, a locking tongue configured to be received in a tongue groove arranged in the first edge. The locking tongue has, in an upper portion, an impact surface extending at an acute angle in relation to the horizontal plane and the tongue groove has, in an upper portion, an impact surface extending in an acute angle in relation to the horizontal plane, configured to cooperate with the impact surface of the locking tongue in an assembled position, when a force, acting, at least partially, in a vertical direction, is applied to at least one of the building panels.

1 . A set of building panels comprising similar or essentially identical building panels, wherein each building panel comprises a first edge, a second edge, a third edge, and a fourth edge and comprises a first mechanical locking device configured to horizontally and vertically lock at least one of the first edge of a building panel to the second edge of an adjacent building panel or the third edge of a building panel to the fourth edge of an adjacent building panel, wherein upper edge portions of the adjacent building panels are joined in a joint seam in an assembled position,
 wherein the first mechanical locking device comprises:   at at least one of the first edge or the third edge, a locking tongue which is configured to extend at least partly outwardly of the plane of the joint seam, relative to the first edge and/or the third edge, in a direction parallel to a front surface of the building panel;   at at least one of the second edge or the fourth edge, a tongue groove which is configured to extend at least partly inwardly of the plane of the joint seam in the direction parallel to the front surface of the building panel and configured to receive the locking tongue of an adjacent building panel to lock the adjacent building panels in a vertical direction in the assembled position; and   at at least one of the second edge or the fourth edge, a locking strip extending outwardly of the plane of the joint seam in the direction parallel to the front surface of the building panel, wherein the locking strip comprises, at its outermost portion, a locking element extending in a direction perpendicular to the extension of the locking strip, the locking element being configured to cooperate with a locking groove arranged in one of the first edge or third edge to lock the adjacent building panels in a horizontal direction in the assembled position,   wherein the locking tongue comprises an upper impact surface extending at an acute angle in relation to a horizontal plane,   wherein the tongue groove comprises an upper impact surface extending at an acute angle in relation to the horizontal plane, and   wherein the upper impact surface of the tongue groove is configured to cooperate with the upper impact surface of the locking tongue in the assembled position, when a force, acting, at least partially, in the vertical direction, is applied to at least one of the building panels.   
     
     
         2 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the upper impact surface of the tongue groove or the upper impact surface of the locking tongue is arranged at an acute angle of between 20° and 60°. 
     
     
         3 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper impact surface of the tongue groove is arranged essentially parallel to the upper impact surface of the locking tongue. 
     
     
         4 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein the locking tongue further comprises a locking surface extending between the upper impact surface and an outermost portion of the locking tongue, wherein the tongue groove further comprises a locking surface extending between the upper impact surface and an innermost portion of the tongue groove, and wherein the locking surface of the tongue groove is configured to cooperate with the locking surface of the locking tongue in the assembled position to lock the adjacent building panels in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         5 . The set of building panels according to  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the locking surface of the tongue groove or the locking surface of the locking tongue is arranged at an acute angle of between 0° and 20°. 
     
     
         6 . The set of building panels according to  claim 4 , wherein the locking surface of the tongue groove is arranged essentially parallel to the locking surface of the locking tongue. 
     
     
         7 . The set of building panels according to  claim 4 , wherein at least one of the locking surface of the tongue groove or the locking surface of the locking tongue is arranged at an acute angle which differs from the acute angle of at least one of the upper impact surface of the tongue groove or the upper impact surface of the locking tongue. 
     
     
         8 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the locking element further comprises a lower impact surface extending from an outer surface of the locking element in a direction towards a back surface of the building panel, at an acute angle in relation to the horizontal plane,   wherein the locking groove further comprises a lower impact surface extending from an inner surface of the locking groove in a direction towards the back surface of the building panel, at an acute angle in relation to the horizontal plane, and configured to cooperate with the lower impact surface of the locking element in the assembled position, when the force, acting, at least partially, in a vertical direction, is applied to the at least one of the building panels.   
     
     
         9 . The set of building panels according to  claim 8 , wherein at least one of the lower impact surface of the locking element or the lower impact surface of the locking groove is arranged at the acute angle of between 40° and 70° in relation to the horizontal plane. 
     
     
         10 . The set of building panels according to  claim 8 , wherein the lower impact surface of the locking element is arranged essentially parallel to the lower impact surface of the locking groove. 
     
     
         11 . The set of building panels according to  claim 8 , wherein the lower impact surface of the locking element is arranged non-parallel to the lower impact surface of the locking groove. 
     
     
         12 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein the first edge and the second edge of the building panels are assembled with the first mechanical locking device by a pivoting motion or a snapping motion. 
     
     
         13 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second mechanical locking device configured to horizontally and vertically lock a third edge of a building panel to a fourth edge of an adjacent building panel. 
     
     
         14 . The set of building panels according to  claim 12 , wherein the second mechanical locking device differs from the first mechanical locking device. 
     
     
         15 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein the first edge and the second edge are the short edges of building panels. 
     
     
         16 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein the building panel has a thickness of between 3 and 8 mm. 
     
     
         17 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper impact surface of the tongue groove and the upper impact surface of the locking tongue are spaced in the assembled position of the building panels in a relaxed state, when the force is not applied to the at least one of the building panels. 
     
     
         18 . The set of building panels according to  claim 1 , wherein the upper impact surface of the locking groove and the upper impact surface of the locking element are spaced in the assembled position of the building panels in the relaxed state, when the force is not applied to the at least one of the building panels.