Escalator with high speed inclined section

Details Escalator with high speed inclined section Escalator with high speed inclined section

2003-06-05

2004-12-21

Hess, Douglas (Department: 3651)

Conveyors: power-driven

Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people

With means to control the operation of the section

C198S329000, C198S330000, C198S333000, C198S334000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06832678

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to an escalator with a high speed inclined section in which steps move faster in an inclined section than in upper and lower horizontal sections.
BACKGROUND ART
Nowadays, a large number of escalators of great height are installed in subway stations or the like. In an escalator of this type, the passenger is obliged to stand on a step for a long period of time, which is often rather uncomfortable. In view of this, a high-speed escalator has been developed. However, in such a high-speed escalator, there is a limitation regarding the traveling speed from the viewpoint of allowing the passengers to get off and on safely.
In view of this, there has been proposed an escalator with a high speed inclined section in which the steps move faster in the intermediate inclined section than in the upper and lower horizontal sections, whereby it is possible to shorten the traveling time for the passenger.
FIG. 6
is a schematic side view showing a conventional escalator with a high speed inclined section described, for example, in JP 51-116586 A. In the figure, a plurality of steps
2
coupled in an endless manner are provided in a main frame
1
. The steps
2
are driven by a drive unit (step driving means)
3
and moved to circulate.
A circulation path of the steps
2
has a forward path side section, a return path side section, an upper side reversing section L, and a lower side reversing section M. The steps
2
perform a reversing movement from a forward path side to a return path side or from the return path side to the forward path side in the upper side reversing section L and the lower side reversing section M.
The forward path side section of the circulation path of the steps
2
has a forward path upper side horizontal section A to be an upper side platform portion, a forward path side upper curved section B, a forward path side constant inclination section C, a forward path side lower curved section D, and a forward path lower side horizontal section E to be a lower side platform portion. The return path side section of the circulation path of the steps
2
has a return path upper side horizontal section F, a return path side upper curved section G, a return path side constant inclination section H, a return path side lower curved section J, and a return path lower side horizontal section K.
Next,
FIG. 7
is a side view showing the vicinity of the forward path side upper curved section B of
FIG. 6
in an enlarged state. A speed variation principle of a variable-speed escalator will be described using this figure. In the figure, the step
2
has a footplate
4
for carrying a passenger; a riser
5
formed to be bent at one end in a longitudinal direction of the footplate
4
; and a pair of brackets
6
provided integrally with the footplate
4
and the riser
5
at both ends in a width direction thereof. The riser
5
serves as a riser plate which blocks an opening portion between the footplates
4
adjacent to each other.
A driving roller shaft
7
a
and a trailing roller shaft
9
a
are provided to the bracket
6
of each step
2
. A pair of rotatable driving rollers
7
are attached to the driving roller shaft
7
a
. The driving rollers
7
are guided by forward path side drive rails
8
a
supported by the main frame
1
(FIG.
6
).
A pair of rotatable trailing rollers
9
are attached to the trailing roller shaft
9
a
. The trailing rollers
9
are guided by forward path side trail rails
10
a
supported by the main frame
1
. Note that shapes of the forward path side driving rails
8
a
and the forward path side trail rails
10
a
are formed such that the footplate
4
of the step
2
always keeps a level in forward path side sections.
The driving roller shafts
7
a
of the adjacent steps
2
a
recoupled with each other by a link mechanism (bending link mechanism)
11
. Auxiliary rollers
12
are provided in the vicinity of a curving point P of the link mechanism
11
. The auxiliary rollers
12
are guided by auxiliary rails
13
supported by the main frame
1
. The auxiliary rollers
12
are guided by the auxiliary rails
13
, whereby the link mechanism
11
transforms so as to bend and stretch, and an interval between the driving roller shafts
7
a
, that is, a gap between the adjacent steps
2
is changed. Conversely, a track of the auxiliary rails
13
is designed such that the gap between the adjacent steps
2
changes.
In addition, although
FIG. 7
shows the structure in which the gap between the steps
2
is changed in the forward path side upper curved section B, the gap between the steps
2
is arranged to be changed also in the forward path side lower curved section D with the same structure.
That is, in the forward path side sections, the gap between the adjacent steps
2
is continuously changed in accordance with advance of the steps
2
so as to be the smallest in the upper side horizontal section A and the lower side horizontal section E serving as platform portions, to be the largest in the constant inclination section C, and to change from the largest to the smallest or from the smallest to the largest in the upper curved section B and the lower curved section D.
Next, movements will be described. When the steps
2
of the endless manner are driven by starting-up of the drive unit
3
, the driving rollers
7
of each step
2
and the trailing rollers
9
are moved to rotate on the drive rails
8
a
and the trail rails
10
a
, respectively. Simultaneously with this, the auxiliary rollers
12
are moved to rotate along the auxiliary rails
13
, the link mechanism
11
is transformed according to a shape of the auxiliary rails
13
, and the gap between the steps
2
is enlarged or reduced.
Due to the transformation of the link mechanism
11
, in the forward path upper side horizontal section A and the forward path lower side horizontal section E, the gap between the steps
2
becomes the smallest, and the adjacent footplates
4
come into a state in which they continue in an identical horizontal plane shape. In the forward path side constant inclination section C, the gap between the steps
2
becomes the largest, and the adjacent footplates
4
displace in a step shape.
In one of the forward path side upper curved section B and the forward path side lower curved section D, the gap between the steps
2
changes from the largest to the smallest, and the adjacent footplates
4
displace from the step shape to the identical horizontal plane shape. In the other of the forward path side upper curved section B and the forward path side lower curved section D, conversely, the gap between the steps
2
changes from the smallest to the largest, and the adjacent footplates
4
displace from the identical horizontal plane shape to the step shape.
In this way, since the gap between the steps
2
changes according to the actuation of the link mechanism
11
following the advance of the steps
2
, the steps
2
coupled in the endless manner are moved at a variable speed.
Since the plurality of steps
2
are driven to circulate in the endless manner by the drive unit
3
in the above description, a reversing section is required as a transition section between a forward path section and a return path section. In order to make the reverse of the steps
2
possible, it is necessary to keep a posture of the steps
2
in the reversing section, and for this purpose, it is necessary to regulate a moving route in the reversing section of the driving roller
7
and the trailing roller
9
.
Thus, in the conventional escalator with a high speed inclined section as described above, a structure of a reversing section as shown in
FIG. 8
(the figure shows an upper side reversing section L) is adopted. That is, forward path side reversing section drive rails
8
b
of an arc shape, which are fixed in a form extending to the reversing section side from the forward path side drive rails
8
a
, and return path side reversing section drive rails
8
c
of an arc shape, which are fixed in a form extending to the reversing section side from the return path

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