TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an insulation nail to be inserted in insulation panels and/or insulation blocks. Insulation panels are used to create a large insulation bed for a concrete foundation. The separate insulation panels are held together by insulation nails inserted through the insulation panels.

BACKGROUND ART

Concrete constructions are normally provided with some kind of reinforcement to increase the strength and to prevent cracking. The reinforcement can be single reinforcement bars (rebars), reinforcement grids/meshes or different kinds of fibres or other. Most common are reinforcement grids/meshes made from reinforcement bars of steel when larger areas are to be covered in a fast and time-efficient manner. For smaller areas or as a complement to the grids, single reinforcement steel bars are often used.

The concrete construction, e.g. the foundation, may be placed directly on the ground or may be placed on insulation. The insulation often consists of large blocks or panels of an insulation material, e.g. of expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene foam (XPS). These materials comprise closed cells, which gives rigid and tough insulation plates or blocks, which in turn will give the foundation a low thermal conductivity.

The insulation bed is often assembled from a plurality of insulation panels. In order to provide a higher strength and a lower thermal conductivity, the insulation panels are stacked with overlapping layers. The insulation panels are often attached to each other with insulation nails or insulation screws in order to hold the insulation panels together and to minimize the distance between the insulation panels. The insulation panels are attached to each other by the use of the nails or screws, often by attaching two or three layers to each other at the time. The screws of the top layer may not be inserted all the way, such as part of the screw sticks out of the top insulation layer. This will allow the concrete to include the screw heads in the concrete, such that the insulation will be attached to the concrete even if the ground under the insulation should sink. The nails may also be used to attach the insulation panels to the concrete.

The insulation nails or screws thus have two main purposes. One purpose is to attach the insulation panels to each other, the other purpose is to attach the insulation panels to the casted floor, wall or foundation.

An insulation nail resembles an ordinary nail, but the head is larger and flat, the nail is made from plastic material and the tip is most often provided with barbs. One nail at the time is inserted into the insulation by first inserting the tip into the insulation by hand, and then pressing the complete nail into the insulation by hand, a foot or a hammer. The insertion of a nail is thus relatively slow and requires the user to bend down each time a nail is inserted. A further disadvantage of insulation nails are that the barbs will deform the insulation during the insertion, which will decrease the possible holding force of the insulation nails. Insulation nails are thus mostly used to hold insulation panels together preventing horizontal movements, and not that often when the insulation is to be attached to the foundation. Further, since the holding force for the insulation nail is between the head and the barbs at the tip, the length of the nail must be selected in dependency of the dimensions of the insulation panels.

An insulation screw resembles an ordinary screw, but is larger with a larger head and with a thread arranged only at the tip of the screw. Insulation screws are commonly used when insulation is to be attached to concrete in a vertical direction. The insulation screw is normally inserted by using an electric screwdriver but a user must normally bend down to start the insertion. With a long screw bit, the user may stand up during most of the insertion. The insertion will even though be relatively slow, since the complete screw must be screwed in to the insulation. Insulation screws are further relatively expensive. Since the holding force for the insulation screw is between the head and the threads at the tip, the length of the screw must be selected in dependency of the dimensions of the insulation panels.

One disadvantage of an insulation screw is that the insulation screw is designed to pull itself into the insulation material with the threaded section. If the user does not apply an appropriate pressure on the insulation screw during the insertion, or does not use an appropriate rotational speed to rotate the insulation screw, the threaded section may instead function as a drill that will destroy the insulation material around the threaded section. In this case, the insulation screw will provide a minimum of holding force. This problem is especially cumbersome for low-density insulation materials.

Insulation nails of the above described types functions, but are relatively time consuming to insert and relatively costly to use. There is thus room for an improved insulation nail adapted to be inserted by a mounting device and a method for inserting insulation nails.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An object of the invention is therefore to provide an improved insulation nail adapted to be inserted by a mounting device. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved method for inserting insulation nails.

The solution to the problem according to the invention is described in the characterizing part of claim 1 regarding the insulation nail and in claim 13 regarding the method. The other claims contain advantageous embodiments and further developments of the insulation nail and the method.

In an insulation nail adapted to be inserted by a mounting device into insulation material, where the insulation nail comprises a body, a head and a tip, where the tip of the body is pointed, and where the cross section of the head is equal to or smaller than the cross section of the body, the object of the invention is achieved in that the insulation nail is provided with a protruding holding means adapted to bend away or break when the insulation nail is pushed through an opening of the mounting device.

By this first embodiment of an insulation nail according to the invention, an insulation nail that can be inserted into insulation material in a quick and reliable way by the use of a mounting device is provided. The insulation nail is intended to be used to attach two or more insulation panels or blocks to each other, e.g. when creating an insulation bed for a foundation. An insulation nail is inserted into the mounting device and the insulation nail will be positioned with the tip at the opening of the mounting device. The drive means will then drive the insulation nail through the lower central opening of the mounting device and into the insulation material. The drive means is adapted to drive the insulation nail completely through the central opening. For this reason, the insulation nail does not comprise a head having a cross section that exceeds the cross section of the body of the insulation nail. By inserting the insulation nail completely through the central opening, the insulation nail can be inserted in one operation step, which will save time. Since the drive means can be operated when the user stands up straight, the ergonomic of the insertion is improved. With the inventive insulation nail, a user can insert several insulation nails after each other without having to bend down.

The drive head is adapted to not rotate during insertion of an insulation nail. The central opening of the head portion of the mounting device is provided with an opening that corresponds to the shape of the insulation nail. Before insertion, the insulation nail is held in place with the tip of the insulation nail at the central opening. The protruding holding means will prevent the insulation nail to fall through the opening. The protruding holding means is preferably arranged at the tip of the insulation nail, but may be arranged at any position of the insulation nail. It is also possible to provide the mounting device, e.g. at the opening, with some sort of holding means that will hold the insulation nail and that will prevent the insulation nail to fall through the opening. When the drive head is moved downwards, the insulation nail is pushed through the central opening and the protruding holding means breaks off or bends away. Since the head portion of the mounting device bears on the insulation material, the insulation nail will be inserted completely into the insulation material. When the drive head has passed through the central opening, the insertion is completed. The drive head can return to the idle position by the user pulling the drive head upwards, or by a spring loaded return mechanism.

The insulation nail can be provided with different cross sections. In one example, the cross section is circular, and in another example, the cross section is cross shaped. The outer edges may be pointed and may be provided with barbs or corrugations. Other shapes may be quadratic, triangular or a three-star shape.

The drive head is provided with a gliding surface that will bear against the pushing surface of the insulation nail when the insulation nail is inserted. The drive head is guided in a central channel of the mounting device. The central channel is provided with a longitudinal slot on one side, such that an insulation nail can enter the interior of the mounting device from the side. In this way, an insulation nail can enter the mounting device without having to remove the drive head of the mounting device each time an insulation nail is to be loaded into the mounting device. A user can insert a single insulation nail through the slot, but the mounting device may be provided with a second channel and a removable magazine arranged at the second channel, such that an automatic loading of insulation nails can take place. The magazine is preferably reusable and may be loaded with new insulation nails by a user. The mounting device may also be provided with a magazine directly coupled to the central channel, such that the insulation nails enter the receiving position directly. The drive means of the mounting device may be either operated manually or by an electric motor. A manually operated drive means may comprise a handle and/or a foot pedal. When an electric motor is used for the drive means, a non-rotating drive head is preferably used. A non-rotating drive head is achieved by e.g. providing the inside of the body with an internal thread or groove which cooperates with a thread or pin of the drive head. It would e.g. be possible to adapt the mounting device such that it can use any commercially available electric screwdriver as the drive means.

With a manually operated drive means, the mounting device is provided with a pedal and/or a handle that is adapted to move the drive head from a start position to an end position. In one example, the drive means is a handle. The handle is connected to the drive head by a rod, and when the handle is pressed down, the drive head is pressed down and will push the insulation nail down into the insulation material.

In another example, a foot pedal adapted to be operated by the foot of a user is used. The pedal is applied at the lower end of the mounting device, such that it is easy to reach with a foot. The height of the pedal is adapted to the length of an insulation nail that is to be inserted. The height of the pedal may be adjusted to correspond to the used insulation nail. When an insulation nail is loaded into the mounting device, the pedal is pressed such that the drive head moves from the start to the end position and the insulation nail is inserted into the insulation material. The pedal may be connected to the handle, such that a user may use either a hand, a foot or both to insert an insulation nail. The drive head has a stroke length corresponding to the longest insulation nail that is to be inserted. The length of an insulation nail may e.g. vary between 5 cm to up to 40 cm. The stroke length of the drive head is thus preferably in the same region. In one example, the stroke length of the drive head may be adjusted to the actual length of an insulation nail. In this way, no excessive travel of the drive head must be performed every time an insulation nail is inserted. The start position of the drive head is in one example adjustable to a selected position. In this way, it is possible to adapt the start position of the drive head to the length of the used insulation nail.

The end position of the drive head is in one example adjustable to a selected position. The end position is normally set to the position in which the insulation nail has been inserted into the insulation, and where the drive head is aligned with the bearing surface of the head portion. In this position, the drive head has just passed through the central opening. The end position may be set such that the insulation nail is not completely inserted at the end position. The insulation nail may in this case extend out of the insulation material by up to a few centimetres, and preferably between 1 - 3 cm. With the insulation nail extending out of the insulation material, the concrete of the foundation will cover the extended part of the insulation nail such that the insulation nails will be fixed to the concrete.

In the method for inserting an insulation nail into insulation material using a mounting device, where the tip of the insulation nail is provided with a protruding holding means adapted to bend away or break when the insulation nail is pushed through an opening of the mounting device, the following steps are comprised. An insulation nail is placed inside the mounting device such that the protruding holding means bears on an opening of the mounting device. The insulation nail may be placed in the mounting device one by one, or may be placed in position automatically from a magazine loaded with insulation nails. The mounting device is placed to bear against the insulation material with a bearing surface comprised in a head portion of the mounting device. The insulation nail is driven into the insulation material by the mounting device, such that the protruding holding means bends away or breaks when the insulation nail is pushed through an opening of the mounting device, where the complete insulation nail is driven through the central opening of the head portion of the mounting device. The drive head will be aligned with the bearing surface in this position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in greater detail in the following, with reference to the embodiments that are shown in the attached drawings, in which

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of an insulation nail according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows a second example of an insulation nail according to the invention, Fig. 3 shows a third example of an insulation nail according to the invention,

Fig. 4 shows a plurality of insulation nails according to the invention connected with connecting strips,

Fig. 5 shows a mounting device adapted to insert an insulation nail according to the invention, and

Fig. 6 shows a cut view of the mounting device.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention with further developments described in the following are to be regarded only as examples and are in no way to limit the scope of the protection provided by the patent claims. Fig. 1 shows a first example of an insulation nail 30 that is adapted to be inserted with a mounting device 1 . The insulation nail is adapted to be inserted with a straight, non-rotating movement through a central opening in the head portion of the mounting device. In this way, the insulation nail can be inserted completely into the insulation material.

The insulation nail shown in Fig. 1 is circular. The insulation nail comprises a tip 31 , a body 32 and a head 33. The tip is preferably pointed with a sharp point 34. This will simplify the insertion of an insulation nail into the insulation material. The body 32 is elongated and is solid without any channels or voids. The head 33 is the upper part of the insulation nail and the cross section of the head may be smaller than the cross section of the insulation nail, or may have the same cross section. The upper surface of the head 33 is provided with a pushing surface 35, which is the surface on which the drive head of the mounting device interacts with the insulation nail. The pushing surface may be flat or may have a convex shape, corresponding to the shape of the bearing surface of the drive head. A convex shape is of advantage since sharp edges of the insulation nail can be avoided, which minimizes the risk of injury at a working site, especially if the insulation nails extend out of the insulation material.

In the shown example, the diameter of the head corresponds to the diameter of the body of the insulation nail. In this way, the head will easily pass through the central opening of the mounting device. The length of the head can vary, and may be e.g. up to 3 centimetres. The head will correspond to the opening in the bushing of the drive head of the mounting device, such that the bushing will be able to guide the insulation nail in a secure way. In the shown example, the head is the upper part of the insulation nail, i.e. the upper part of the body.

The body of the insulation nail may have different cross sections. The shown insulation nail is circular. The outer diameter of the insulation nail is 8 millimetres and the shown length is 12 centimetres. Other dimensions are of course possible, depending on the intended use of the insulation nail. The shown insulation nail is made in a plastic material. The material may be fibre reinforced if the requirements are high. Polypropylene is one suitable plastic material. The insulation nail is injection moulded in a two-part injection tool.

The insulation nail is further provided with a holding means 36, in the shown example arranged at the tip 31 of the insulation nail. The holding means may be a small protruding pin or rib, which extends outwards and will interact with e.g. the central opening of the mounting device. The holding means will ensure that the insulation nail does not fall through the central opening by gravity before an insertion has started. When the insertion starts, the holding means will break or bend away, such that the insulation nail can be pushed through the central opening.

Fig. 2 shows a second example of an insulation nail. In this example, the insulation nail is provided with a cross shaped cross section. The outer edges 37 are pointed sideways.

Fig. 3 shows a third example of an insulation nail. In this example, the insulation nail is also cross shaped, and the outer edges 37 are somewhat pointed and provided with barbs 38. The bards will increase the contact surface between the insulation nail and the isolation.

Several insulation nails can be injection moulded at the same time, with one or more connecting strips arranged between the insulation nails that connect the insulation nails to each other. A strip of connected insulation nails may e.g. be used in a magazine for automated feeding of the insulation nails. Fig. 4 shows an example of several insulation nails 30 connected to each other by connecting strips 39. By moulding the insulation nails and the connecting strips at the same time and in the same material, a cost-effective strip of insulation nails is provided, where the insulation nails must not be attached to each other with another type of connecting strips in a separate process. A strip of insulation nails is preferably used in a magazine attached to the mounting device. The magazine may be arranged at the upper part of a mounting device, or at the lower part of the mounting device. One insulation nail at the time can be fed from the magazine to a receiving position of the mounting device. The insulation nail is cut from the strip of insulation nails in the magazine and can fall down to the receiving position, or is fed directly to the receiving position. The connecting strip arranged closest to the tip of the insulation nail may constitute the protruding holding means 36 when the connecting strip 39 has been cut. The position of one connecting strip may for this reason be arranged close to the tip of the insulation nail. The holding means may also be a separate holding means moulded e.g. at the tip of the insulation nail, even though the holding means may be arranged at any position of the insulation nail.

Figs. 5 and 6 show an example of a mounting device adapted to insert an insulation nail according to the invention. The mounting device 1 comprises a body 4 which forms the body of the mounting device. The body is in the shown example injection moulded in a plastic material. The body comprises in this example a central channel 14, a second channel 15 and a third channel 17. The central channel is adapted to hold and guide the drive head 3 which is connected to a handle 21 through a first rod 20 which is supported by the central channel. The second channel is adapted to guide an insulation nail 30 from an upper insertion position to a receiving position 5 in the central channel 14. The central channel is provided with a longitudinal slot 13 between the central channel and the second channel, through which an insulation nail can be transferred to the receiving position. In the receiving position, the insulation nail will rest with the tip at the central opening.

The body is provided with a head portion 6 at the lower end of the mounting device. The head portion is provided with a bearing surface 8 adapted to bear on the insulation material when an insulation nail is inserted. The head portion further comprises an insert 10 comprising the central opening through which the insulation nails are inserted. The central opening is provided with a shape corresponding to the insulation nail that is to be used. The insert may be removable such that it can be replaced if it is worn, or if an insulation nail with another cross section is to be used.

The drive head 3 is provided with a coaxial bushing 9 which is arranged around the drive head. The bushing is mounted to the drive head in a resilient manner, such that the bushing can move independently of the drive head. In a start position, where the drive head is in its highest position, the lower edge of the bushing will extend somewhat below the bearing surface of the drive head. In this way, the insulation nail will be held in a secure way, where the head of the insulation nail is enclosed by the bushing. The upper part of the insulation nail will thus be supported in a sideway direction during the insertion.

The third channel 17 is adapted for a foot pedal 19. The foot pedal is mounted through a slit 18 in the third channel to a second rod 22 suspended in the third channel. The second rod is connected to the handle 21 . In this way, the foot pedal or the handle is able to push the drive head downwards. The foot pedal may be advantageous when larger insulation nails are used, or when an insulation material having a higher density is used. The length of the slit 18 in the third channel 17 is preferably adapted to the longest of the different insulation nails that are to be used. By providing the second rod with e.g. threaded holes, it is possible to set the start position and the end position of the drive head by inserting screws in corresponding threaded holes. The slit for the start/stop adjustment may be the same as for the foot pedal, or may be another slit arranged closer to the handle. The start/stop adjustment may also be made in other ways, e.g. by using an adjustable cover over the slit 18.

The drive head has a stroke length corresponding to the longest insulation nail that is to be inserted. The length of an insulation nail may e.g. vary between 5 cm to up to 40 cm. The stroke length of the drive head is thus preferably in the same region. By adjusting the stroke length of the drive head to the actual length of an insulation nail, no excessive travel of the drive head must be performed every time an insulation nail is inserted.

An insulation nail is in the shown example inserted into the second channel, which is adapted to guide an insulation nail 30 from an upper insertion position to a receiving position 5 in the central channel 14. The upper insertion position may be provided with e.g. a funnel in order to simplify the feeding of insulation nails to the second channel. The insulation nail is inserted into the upper part of the second channel and falls down to the central channel to the receiving position, through the longitudinal slot 13 provided between the central channel and the second channel. In the receiving position, the insulation nail will rest with the tip at or in the central opening. The insulation nail will be supported by the protruding holding means 36. It is also possible to provide the central opening or the receiving position with a holder means of some kind that will hold the insulation nail in the receiving position before the insulation nail is inserted into the insulation material. This will secure that an insulation nail does not fall out of the central opening by gravity.

The mounting device may also be provided with a magazine 16 arranged at the second channel, e.g. at the insertion position at the upper part of the second channel. The magazine is preferably removable, such that it can easily be attached to and removed from the mounting device. The magazine is adapted to hold a plurality of insulation nails, e.g. 50 or more. The magazine may be loaded with insulation nails at a remote place, or may be loaded by the user at the building site. In one example, the insulation nails are provided in a package that can be inserted directly into the magazine. Every time the drive head returns to its start position, a new insulation nail is released from the magazine by a release means, e.g. operated by a pin provided on the first rod 20. In Fig. 6, one insulation nail is shown in the receiving position 5, and one insulation nail is shown in the insertion position of the second channel, at the magazine. In a mounting device comprising only the central channel, the magazine will release the insulation nails directly to the central channel.

The mounting device is further provided with a positioning means 12 which is adapted to push the insulation nail completely into the receiving position before an insulation nail is inserted. The positioning means is operated by a spring-loaded pin that extends out of the bearing surface of the head portion. When the bearing surface bears on the insulation material, the pin is pushed upwards which causes the positioning means to pivot around its lower part, which causes the upper part to swing inwards. This will push the upper part of the insulation nail into the central channel, to a position where the insulation nail is aligned with the drive head 3 and the bushing 9.

It is also possible to use a mounting device having only a central channel, where the insulation nails are fed directly from a magazine to the receiving position of the centre channel. The central channel is provided with a longitudinal slot through which an insulation nail can be transferred to the receiving position from a magazine. In the receiving position, the insulation nail will rest with the tip at the central opening. The magazine is in this example positioned at the lower part of the mounting device, close to the receiving position for the insulation nail.

When an insulation nail is to be inserted, the mounting device is positioned at the position where the insulation nail is to be inserted. If an insulation nail is already present in the receiving position, the drive head is pushed downwards, either by the use of the handle or by the foot pedal. The drive head will push the insulation nail downwards through the central opening. When most of the insulation nail is inserted into the insulation material, the bushing will reach the upper side of the insert. The bushing will stop at the upper side of the insert, and the drive head will continue to push the insulation nail through the central opening until the complete insulation nail has passed the central opening.

An insulation nail may also enter the central channel directly through a slot in the central channel. The insulation nails are preferably attached to each other by small connecting strips that hold the insulation nails together. The first insulation nail extends into the central channel when the drive head is in its upper position. The second insulation nail is held in a fixed state by a holding means, arranged in either the mounting device or the magazine. When the drive head is lowered, the connecting strips are cut such that the first insulation nail is disconnected from the rest of the insulation nails. The insulation nail enters the central opening and is inserted into the insulation material by the drive head. The tip of the insulation nail is arranged close to the central opening of the insert, i.e. at the receiving position. The magazine is in this example arranged at the lower part of the mounting device.

Since it is possible to adjust the stop position of the drive head somewhat, the drive head may stop when the insulation nail is not completely inserted into the insulation material, or when the insulation nail is pushed down into the insulation material with a few extra centimetres. In some insulation nails, the head is e.g. 1 centimetre, and this head may extend out of the insulation material when the insulation material should be secured to the concrete.

In another example of a mounting device 1 according to the invention, the drive means 2 is an electric motor (not shown) arranged at the upper end of the mounting device. The motor may be an integrated motor or may be a conventional electric screwdriver that is attached to the mounting device by an attachment means. The motor drives the drive head downwards in the same way as described above. The rotation of the motor is transferred to a linear motion by e.g. an internal thread in the central channel. The drive head is in this example preferably provided with a spring-loaded return mechanism that releases when the drive head reaches the stop position and returns the drive head to the start position without having to drive the drive head back with the motor. This will save time. In this example, the handle and the foot pedal are not necessary, and the third channel may also be removed.

The invention is not to be regarded as being limited to the embodiments described above, a number of additional variants and modifications being possible within the scope of the subsequent patent claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS

1 : Mounting device

2: Drive means

3: Drive head 4: Body

5: Receiving position 6: Head portion 7: Central opening 8: Bearing surface 9: Bushing

10: Insert

12: Positioning means 13: Slot

14: Central channel 15: Second channel

16: Magazine

17: Third channel 18: Slit

19: Foot pedal 20: First rod

21 : Handle

22: Second rod

30: Insulation nail 31 : Tip

32: Body

33: Head

34: Point

35: Pushing surface 36: Holding means

37: Edge

38: Barb

39: Connecting strip