Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people – With means to facilitate passenger entry or exit
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-17
2002-08-27
Ellis, Christopher P. (Department: 3651)
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people
With means to facilitate passenger entry or exit
Reexamination Certificate
active
06439365
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a conveying system for the purpose of increasing the speed of a continuous conveying apparatus, and contributes to efficient operation of a moving walk, a moving slope and an escalator.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an escalator or a moving walk travels at a low speed (normally 30 m/min) necessary for a passenger to get on/off, it has to travel at the low speed in its entire range, so that conveying efficiency is made relatively low. To solve this problem, there has been proposed a moving walk or the like which has a constitution such that a horizontal or inclined low-speed section using a small-diameter roller or a belt pulley is provided to allow a passenger to transfer to a horizontal high-speed running section of the moving walk or the like. However, this conveying apparatus has a problem in manufacture or lives of parts, so that it has many difficulties and its application is limited.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to secure a transition region sufficient in function and strength between a getting on/off area and a high-speed running element, and another object is to minimize shock and slip exerted on a passenger in transferring by setting optimum different speeds for tread faces, proposing components for forming the tread faces.
A limited angle of inclination for a moving slope depends on the material of a tread. A limited inclination angle for a surface of metal such as light metal and cast iron is standardized as 12°, and that for a surface of nonmetal such as hard rubber and plastics is standardized as 15°. Therefore, if a part of the running tread in the getting-on/off area, which is conventionally horizontal, is made sloping with an inclination angle within the limited value to allow the transfer between the treads having different speeds under a floor level, an angle between the sloping tread of a high-speed running member, which is a main traveling member, and a relatively low-speed sloping tread on the getting-on/off area becomes the sum of inclination angles of both slopes at the transferring area, so that a small belt pulley or a small chain pulley of appropriate size can be located. Further, there are provided a free running tread and a fixed bridge that enable smooth transfer in the getting-on/off area.
When the transfer is made between the treads with different speeds, a problem of shock arises for a passenger. The magnitude of shock is equal to a product of mass and acceleration of the passenger. Even if the mass is constant, the acceleration changes complicatedly. Considering an average acceleration, however, a criterion for the magnitude of shock can be obtained. As the actual method, it is considered that the shock is minimized if speeds of the respective treads are determined so that the average acceleration in each transfer are equal. In
FIG. 1
, when the tread face including the floor surface
0
S is represented as nS (n=0, 1, 2, . . . , n, {overscore (n+1+L )}, . . . , N), a speed of the tread as Vn, an average acceleration when transfer is performed from nS to {overscore (n+1+L )} S as An, a distance between transferring points as Ln, and time required for the transfer as Tn, an acceleration An in the transfer from the tread nS to the tread {overscore (n+1+L )} S is expressed as follows;
An
=(
V
{overscore (n+1+L )}−
Vn
)/
Tn
Tn=
Ln
/[(
V
{overscore (n+1+L )}+
Vn
)/2]
An
=(
V
{overscore (n+1+L )}
2
−Vn
2
)/2
L
n
Therefore, V{overscore (n+1+L )}
2
−Vn
2
=2
AnLn
If An and Ln are constant,
V
{overscore (n+1+L )}
2
−Vn
2
=const.
That is to say, Vn
2
(n=0, 1, 2, . . . ) forms an arithmetical progression, and since
V
n
2
=V
0
2
+n(
V
1
2
V−V
0
2
)
V
0
=0
the following equation is obtained.
Vn
={square root over (n)}V
1
(1)
Equation (1) is a newly found important equation. If a speed train of the tread faces takes the values that substantially accord with this equation, a tread train with low shock is realized. As a numerical example, when V
1
=30 m/min and n=N=4, V
4
=60 m/min is obtained and a high speed twice a speed of an ordinary escalator or a moving walk is realized on the highest-speed running tread
4
S. Further, it is useful to decrease V
1
and increase N for aged persons, etc. For example, when V
1
=24.4949≈24.5 m/min, and N=6, V
6
=60 m/min is obtained but the speed changing area becomes long. When N is small, a passenger may transfer by striding over between the different-speed treads. However, when N is large, a free rotating roller may be interposed at an intermediate position of a bridge between the different-speed treads so that the transfer is performed easily and automatically. Such a system is shown in the embodiment. When V
1
=30 m/min and N=3 are set for simple constitution and easy transfer, V
3
=51.96≈52 m/min is obtained, which is useful for traveling of a short distance.
The following is a description of the operation of an escalator from a downstairs floor surface to an upstairs floor surface. The tread is provided with longitudinal grooves for safety, and the comb of the getting-on/off section and the both combs, front and rear, of the bridge fit in the grooves. As a passenger advances, he/she steps over the comb and bridge from the low-speed section to the medium-speed section, and the medium-speed section to the high-speed section along with his/her inertia, by which the transfer is made safely. Also, during the transfer from the high-speed moving slope section to the slope traveling with an inclination angle &thgr;, the inclination of the tread is changed gradually to an allowable inclination angle, by which smooth traveling is made possible. However, in order that the slip and shock occurring when the passenger makes transfer by striding over the bridge between the different-speed treads do not impose an excessive burden on a passenger, a tread with a small speed difference is provided between the treads, and the sum of the longitudinal widths of the bridges before and behind the tread and the longitudinal width of the free tread is made approximately equal to the longitudinal length of shoe of the passenger, by which the slip and shock can be relieved. For example, when transfer begins at the getting-on area, the heel lies on the low-speed side, but the toe lies on the free moving side. Therefore, the free moving side is frictionally driven at the low speed. With further advance, the toe rides on the high-speed side, and the heel goes away from the low-speed tread and rides on the free tread. With still further advance, the heel transfers from the low-speed free tread to the high-speed side, by which the transfer is completed. If the above-described process is carried out relatively gradually, the slip and shock can be held within the allowable limit. When getting off the escalator, the passenger transfers from high speed to low speed. When the passenger advances from the state in which the heel still lies on the high-speed tread and the toe rides on the free tread, the heel goes away from the high-speed tread and rides on the free tread. With further advance, the heel also rides on the low-speed tread, by which the transfer is completed. If this process is carried out gradually, both of the slip and shock scarcely occur and are tolerable. As the aforementioned free tread, a free rotating roller is suitable for the reason of space.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2936873 (1960-05-01), Seidman
patent: 3150757 (1964-09-01), Minejiro Jin
patent: 3698535 (1972-10-01), Johnson
patent: 5234095 (1993-08-01), Patin
patent: 5470293 (1995-11-01), Schonenberger
patent: 5765679 (1998-06-01), Greive
patent: 5950797 (1999-09-01), Aulanko et al.
patent: 5971129 (1999-10-01), Stawniak et al.
patent: 6068107 (2000-05-01), Brun-jarret
patent: 685421 (1995-06-01), None
pa
Ellis Christopher P.
Tran Khoi H.
LandOfFree
High-speed continuous conveying system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with High-speed continuous conveying system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and High-speed continuous conveying system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2935041