Field of the invention

The present invention relates to an assembly of joining means for joining together construction materials such as construction panels, said assembly comprising joining elements designed to be complementary to each other so as to jointly form a form-locked connection in a position of use thereof.

The invention further relates to joining elements for use in such an assembly, and to construction panels. In addition to that the invention relates to a method for constructing a wall or a surface, using construction panels.

Background of the invention

Throughout history, people have constructed houses and/or buildings, with a large succession of different construction techniques being predominantly used during the various periods. The traditional brick construction method has been a popular construction technique for building houses for quite some time. The brick construction method has this drawback, however, that it is relatively labour intensive, so that building a wall or surface is a time-consuming process. Moreover, the method of using bricks and mortar is in particular suitable for constructing vertical or inclined surfaces. When a floor is to be constructed or when the angle of inclination relative to the vertical is too large, it is generally necessary to look at other construction methods for a solution. In many cases concrete is poured when a floor is to be constructed (in part because of the ease of use thereof), or a combination of girders and floor slabs is used. All these construction methods are relatively labour intensive, and as a result the construction of a building or a house takes a few months at least.

Technical developments in the construction industry and the use of concrete have led to the current popularity of prefabricated construction elements. The use of prefabricated ("prefab") construction elements has made it possible to reduce the construction time of a house or a building to a significant extent. However, because of the size and the weight of such elements, working with said construction materials is difficult. Moreover, traditional joining methods must still be used for joining such building materials together. Summary of the invention

The object of the present invention is to obviate the drawbacks and problems of the prior art and to provide an improved construction technique which makes it possible to realise structures such as houses and buildings in a quick and accurate manner and according to modern standards.

In order to accomplish that object, the invention provides an assembly of joining means for joining together construction materials such as construction panels together, said assembly comprising a first joining element, a second joining element and a locking pin, said first and second joining elements and said locking pin being designed to be complementary to each other so as to jointly form a form-locked connection in a position of use thereof, said first and said second joining element both comprising a base surface, each base surface comprising a first and a second support edge extending from said base surface, wherein said first and said second support edge extend parallel to each other, and wherein said first and said second support edge are each provided with a clamping edge on one side thereof, such that the clamping edges of the first and the second support edge extend in the same direction, and wherein the clamping edges of the first joining element extend in the opposite direction of the clamping edges of the second joining element in the position of use, such that the clamping edges of the first and the second joining element hook together in the position of use, forming a common space between the first and the second support edge of each of the joining elements for receiving the locking pin therein, wherein the locking pin fits the space in such a manner as regards the dimensions thereof that the first and the second joining element are thus fixed in radial directions relative to the locking pin in the position of use so as to provide said form-locked connection.

The assembly according to the invention consists of (preferably two) joining elements, which hook together. When said joining elements hook together, a space is formed which, in the position of use, is located between the places at which the joining elements hook together. In other words, as a result of the joining elements hooking together, one common space is formed, which is located between the first and the second support edge of each of the joining elements. A locking pin is inserted into said common space once the joining elements are hooked together. The locking pin ensures that the two joining elements (which hook together) can no longer be disconnected from each other. In this way a sufficiently strong connection between the two joining elements is obtained, which, in addition, can be realised in a quick and accurate manner (hooking the joining elements together and inserting the locking pin).

The dimensions of the locking pin are such that they match the dimensions of the space. The locking pin is to limit the freedom of movement of the joining parts to such an extent that it will no longer be possible to undo the hooked connection between the joining elements. More in particular, the freedom of movement of the joining elements relative to each other in the radial direction of the locking pin is limited in the position of use. It must of course be readily possible to insert the locking pin into the space without having to overcome an overly large frictional force.

According to a preferred embodiment, the dimensions of the locking pin in two mutually substantially perpendicular radial directions are such that the locking pin spans the space in said two perpendicular radial directions in the position of use for fixing the first and the second joining element in position. If the freedom of movement of the joining elements is minimised, a strong connection between the joining elements is obtained. The freedom of movement of the joining elements relative to each other can be minimised, for example, by designing the locking pin to have a shape corresponding to that of the space, so that it can be inserted into the space with a close fit. According to another possibility, the locking pin fills the space only across the diagonals thereof, or the locking pin has a different shape which fills the space only in part and which limits the freedom of movement of the joining elements to a sufficient extent.

The locking pin may have a cross-sectional shape which belongs to a group comprising rectangular, square, round, oval, cross-shaped, such as X- shaped, star-shaped, cross-shaped or star-shaped with a multitude of legs, triangular, U-shaped, T-shaped, S-shaped, N-shaped, Z-shaped, H-shaped or polygonal.

The hooking together of the joining elements together and the subsequent fixation thereof by means of the locking pin can be carried out quickly by a skilled person and provides a strong connection by the joining elements. If said joining elements are fixed on the sides of the construction panel, for example, a wall can thus be erected in a simple manner. Usually, also other structural requirements besides the structural strength of the building will be made of a building. One of said structural requirements may be, for example, that the connection between the construction panels be such that the connection must not be air permeable in view of the thermal management of the building. In order to achieve this, and to impart additional strength to the connection, at least one of the support edges or at least one of the clamping edges or the base surface of at least one of the joining elements may according to the invention be further provided with a stiffening part or stiffening edge extending along the length thereof. The presence of the stiffening part or the stiffening edge enables the respective support edge with the clamping edge to provide a groove relative to the base surface and the stiffening edge for receiving the clamping edge of the joining element to be connected. Said groove will in that case preferably have a shape corresponding to that of the clamping edge.

According to another embodiment, the above-described receiving groove preferably comprises draught exclusion means extending along the length thereof. According to another embodiment, said draught exclusion means may be made up of at least one element from a group consisting of a strip, a tape or a tubular draught strip made of a flexible material, such as a flexible polymer, a polymer foam, a gel or a resin.

Not only do the above-described embodiments strengthen the connection between the joining elements, they also provide a draught-free connection, so that the obtained building can also meet the modern building requirements as regards energy management.

The joining elements may be integrally formed on a construction panel. It is also possible to attach the joining elements to the side edges of a construction panel in advance, using traditional means of attachment such as screws, for example, or a glue.

According to a preferred embodiment, the joining elements are provided with connecting means for attaching a joining element to a construction panel. Said connecting means may for example comprise a connecting edge. In this embodiment the construction panels are provided with a connecting groove having a shape corresponding to that of the connecting edge for receiving the connecting edge and providing a form-locked connection between the construction panel and the joining element.

The joining elements may furthermore be provided with a bonding edge for bonding the joining element to a construction panel. According to another possibility, both the construction panel and the joining element are provided with a chemical bonding layer, the bonding layer on the construction panel comprising a first chemical components and the bonding layer on the joining element comprising a second chemical component. When the joining element and the construction panel are brought into contact with each other, a chemical reaction takes place, providing a very strong connection between the joining element and the construction panel. The skilled person will appreciate that the joining elements can be attached to the construction panel in many different ways.

According to a second aspect thereof, the invention provides a joining element for use in an assembly as described in the foregoing, which joining element comprises a base surface and a first and a second support edge extending from said base surface, which first and second support edges extend parallel to each other and which are each provided with a clamping edge on one side thereof, such that the clamping edges of the first and the second support edge extend in the same direction.

According to a third aspect thereof, the invention provides a construction panel which is provided with a joining element as described above on at least one side thereof.

According to a fourth aspect thereof, the invention provides a method for constructing a wall or a surface, using construction panels, which construction panels are joined together by means of an assembly according to the first aspect of the invention as described above, said assembly comprising a first joining element, a second joining element and a locking pin, said first joining element, said second joining element and said locking pin being designed to be complementary to each other so as to jointly form a form-locked connection in a position of use thereof, said first and said second joining element both comprising a base surface, each base surface comprising a first and a second support edge extending from said base surface, wherein said first and said second support edge extend parallel to each other, and wherein said first and said second support edge are each provided with a clamping edge on one side thereof, such that the clamping edges of the first and the second support edge extend in the same direction, which method comprises the steps of:

hooking together the clamping edges of the first and the second joining element, such that a common space is formed between the first and the second support edge of each of the joining elements; and

placing the locking pin in the space, wherein the locking pin fits the space in such a manner as regards the dimensions thereof that the first and the second joining element are thus fixed in radial directions relative to the locking pin so as to provide said form-locked connection between the construction panels.

The present invention, in all the aspects thereof, can be universally applied in the construction of all kinds of buildings and makes it possible to realise strong connections between construction panels in an efficient manner and within a short period of time. Said connections may be designed to be thermally insulating and draught-free. The invention can be used for forming connections between construction panels in all weight classes. This renders the invention suitable for use in the construction of houses and/or buildings, but also in the construction of stands at exhibitions and the like, as well as in the furniture industry for quick and easy assembly of furniture, and in the advertising industry for setting up temporary and/or (semi) permanent constructions for advertising purposes. Construction panels may be made of all kinds of materials, among which (without being limited thereto) glass fibre, wood, metal, concrete, pressed plastic materials, glued materials, resins (such as epoxy) and the like.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will now be explained in more detail in the following description of specific, non-limitative embodiments thereof, in which reference is made to the appended drawings, in which:

Figures 1A and 1 B are schematic, cross-sectional views of a basic embodiment, which show the principle of the present invention;

Figures 2A and 2B are further schematic, cross-sectional views of a further embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of an assembly according to the invention as used for joining construction panels together.

Detailed description of the embodiments

Figure 1A schematically shows in cross-sectional view an assembly 1 according to the invention. The assembly 1 consists of a first joining element 3, a second joining element 4 and a locking pin 5. All three parts 3, 4 and 5 are shown in cross-sectional view and extend in axial direction transversely to the plane of the drawing. The cross-section of the joining elements and the locking pin remains unchanged along the entire length of said parts, those skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that this is not essential to the invention, and that it may vary from embodiment to embodiment.

Although the joining elements 3 and 4 are quite similar to each other, said joining elements 3 a 4 are not identical in the present embodiment. The dimensions of the two joining elements differ from each other, so that the joining elements can be easily joined together.

The joining elements 3 and 4 are embodied as clamping strips 3 and 4, which are suitably configured for releasing a connection. To make the connection between the joining elements 3 and 4, the clamping strip 3 is inserted into the clamping strip 4 in the manner shown in figure 1 B. Then the locking pin 5 is inserted into the space that is formed and bounded by the joining elements 3 and 4, in the manner shown in figure 1 B.

The clamping strip 3 is made up of a base surface 6, on which support edges 11 and 12 are present. In the present embodiment, the support edges 1 and 12 extend transversely to the base surface 6, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that this is merely a design choice and that the designer is free to adapt it as he or she wishes. Clamping edges 18 and 19 are present on the support edges 1 1 and 12.

Similarly, the joining element 4 comprises a base surface 7, support edges 8 and 9 and clamping edges 15 and 16. Located between the support edge 9 of the joining element 4 and the end of the clamping edge 15 is an opening 17. The opening 17 is dimensioned so that the clamping edge 18 of the joining element 3 can be inserted therein.

In figure 3B, the clamping edge 18 of the joining element 3 is shown to be inserted into the opening 17 of the joining element 4. The joining elements 3 and 4 now hook into each other with their respective edges 18, 15 and 19, 16. By inserting the locking pin 5 into the space thus formed between the support edges 11 and 9 of the joining elements 3 and 4, respectively, it is ensured that the joining element 3 cannot be detached from the joining element 4. The arrows 22 and 23 schematically indicate that the exertion of a force in the direction indicated by the arrows 22 and 23 will not lead to the joining elements 3 and 4 being disconnected from each other. The arrows 24 and 25 indicate that the exertion of a force in the direction indicated by said arrows 24 and 25 cannot result in the joining elements 3 and 4 being disconnected from each other. A form-locked connection between the joining elements 3 and 4 and the locking pin 5 has been obtained.

Figure 2A shows another embodiment of the present invention. The advantage of the embodiment shown in figure 2A is that the joining elements 33 and

34 are identical to each other. A suitable design and selection of the dimensions of the support edges and the clamping edges of the joining elements makes it possible to use identical parts without affecting the principle of the invention.

The joining element 33 consists of support edges 41 and 42 and clamping edges 48 and 49. The joining element 34 consists of support edges 38 and 39 and clamping edges 45 and 46. Furthermore, a stiffening edge 51 extends transversely to the support edge 42 of the joining element 33. A similar stiffening edge 50 is present on the support edge 38 of the joining element 34. The locking pin

35 is also shown in figure 2A.

By hooking together the clamping edges 48, 45 and 49, 46 of the joining elements 33 and 34 a space is formed, which space is sufficiently large and suitably shaped to accommodate the locking pin 35, as shown in figure 2B. The arrows 52, 53 and 54, 55 schematically indicate that forces exerted in the directions indicated by the arrows will not result in the joining elements 33 and 34 being disconnected from each other.

In figures 1A and 1 B, and in figures 2A and 2B a (substantially) rectangular locking pin (indicated at 5 and 35, respectively) is shown. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the use of a locking pin having a rectangular cross- section is not essential to the invention, as shown in particular in figure 2B, for example. The function of a locking pin is to ensure that the joining element 3 cannot be slid out of the joining element 4. The same result can be achieved by using an oval locking pin, for example, which is suitably shaped to bridge the distance between the support edge 1 1 and the support edge 9 of the joining element 3 and the joining element 4, respectively. It is also possible to use a differently shaped locking pin 5 in order to accomplish this object: fixing the joining elements 3 and 4 relative to each other and providing a form-locked connection therebetween.

An application of the assembly according to the present invention is shown in figure 3. Figure 3 shows three construction panels 85, 86 and 87 and an angle section 88, which are joined together by using the invention. The angle section 88 may be attached to the construction panels 85 in the following manner. Present on one side of the construction panel 85 is a joining element 64. Present on one side of the angle section 88 is furthermore a joining element 63.

The joining element 64 comprises support edges 68 and 69 and clamping edges 75 and 76. The joining element 63 comprises support edges 71 and 72 and clamping edges 78 and 79. The joining element 63 further comprises a stiffening edge 81 , and the joining element 64 comprises a stiffening edge 80. The construction panel 85 is attached to the angle section 88 by hooking the clamping edges 75 and 76 of the joining element 64 into the clamping edges 78 and 79 of the joining element 63. A locking pin 65 is inserted into the space thus formed between the joining elements 63 and 64. The locking pin 65 ensures that the joining element 64 can no longer be detached from the joining element 63.

The joining elements 63 and 64 are in turn attached to the construction panels 85 and 88 by means of a suitably shaped connecting edge on the rear side of the base surface of the joining element 64, which connecting edge corresponds to a suitably shaped aperture in the construction panel 85. For the construction panel 87, for example, this is the aperture 94, in which the connecting edge 93 engages. A similar aperture is indicated at 95 for the angle section 88. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the joining elements may also be attached to the construction panels in a different manner. Traditional joining means may be used for this purpose, such as bonding agents, glue, screws or nails. According to another possibility, the joining elements form an integral part of the angle sections and the construction panels. Such differences between the various embodiments can be regarded as design choices.

The present invention and the inventive principle may be embodied in ways different from those described in the foregoing. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.