Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people – By stairway having steps forming an endless member
Patent
1996-04-09
1998-07-07
Dayoan, D. Glenn
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people
By stairway having steps forming an endless member
B66B 2106
Patent
active
057754772
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a drive system for a curved escalator with a frame, which is helically arranged in the vertical direction and contains a transport section for steps with a sector-shaped cross section, an upper and lower reversing section with chain wheels in connection with at least one drive, and return tracks for the steps, which can be driven by means of a plurality of chains, hinged in the lateral edge areas of the steps, arranged parallel with each other and formed by interior and exterior brackets, and wherein each step has in its respective edge area a shaft section equipped with a roller as well as a traction roller placed at a distance thereof, which roll off on guide tracks associated with them, wherein at least one of the respective end areas of the individual brackets and/or the associated shaft section is provided with a bushing containing a spherical bearing.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a curved escalator was previously known from EP-B 118 813. A roller chain is provided on both sides of the steps, wherein each step has a step shaft connecting the roller chains. The connecting links of the chain formed from chain brackets are connected with the step shaft via the free end sections of each step shaft, or with each other, adjacent to the step shaft only by two spherical joints. The cylindrical exterior surface of the spherical joint connecting the connecting links with each other has essentially the same size as the rollers of the step chains such, that the cylindrical exterior surface can cooperate with the chain wheel like a roller of the step chain. With curved escalators, the drive chains are guided on a helically disposed track, wherein the rollers roll on corresponding guide tracks. The drive chains run at different circumferential speeds because of the diameter differences between the inner and outer area of the steps determined by the radius of the helices, so that when the track radii change, in particular in the transition and deflecting areas, deformation problems arise from the rise into the landing area, which cannot be completely overcome even by the proposed design.
A curved escalator can be found in DE-C 34 32 961, which includes a plurality of steps provided with step shafts, which are connected with each other by step chains. Support rollers are rotatably seated on the step shafts, wherein moreover guide rollers running on guide rails are provided which rotate around an axis perpendicularly with the step shafts. In this case the guide rollers are only provided on the ends of the step shafts toward the outside of the curve. With a conical arrangement of inner and outer gear wheels with different diameters in the deflecting areas, the bottom faces of the teeth are inclined at an angle with respect to a horizontal line. The step chains can be three-dimensionally deflected by means of a first connecting link, which is connected with the step shaft, and by means of a second connecting link, which adjoins the first connecting link. Besides the complicated structure of the drive system, it should be noted as disadvantageous that its function per se is questionable for the following reasons:
The speed differences of the step chains occurring in the deflecting areas because of the differences in diameter of the chain wheels cause an oppositely directed displacement of the step chains, particularly in the turning areas, by which considerable forces are created. Even though a certain amount of deformation is possible because of the use of two spatial bearing areas, it could not absorb the movement of the step chains against each other. This takes place in all areas of the curved escalator in which the angular speeds of the inner and outer step chain do not match. When the steps are tilted during running, the support rollers hinged on them naturally also run tilted, which causes considerable wear, and the run-up of the step chains on the respective chain wheel is subjected to considerable forcing which can even lead to a deformation of the step sha
REFERENCES:
patent: 4681206 (1987-07-01), Sugita
patent: 4730717 (1988-03-01), Sugita
patent: 4739870 (1988-04-01), Saito
patent: 4775043 (1988-10-01), Tomidokoro
patent: 4884673 (1989-12-01), Rivera
patent: 4895239 (1990-01-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 4930622 (1990-06-01), Sansevero
patent: 5094335 (1992-03-01), Adrian et al.
Dayoan D. Glenn
O&K Rolltreppen GmbH
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