Conveyors: power-driven – Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people – By stairway having steps forming an endless member
Patent
1990-11-08
1992-10-27
Valenza, Joseph E.
Conveyors: power-driven
Conveyor or accessory therefor specialized to convey people
By stairway having steps forming an endless member
198333, B65G 2102
Patent
active
051581671
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an escalator with a multitude of mobile stairs, which are connected to each other in such a way that they form an endless chain and which rotate alongside of a guide, as well as a drive for moving the stairs.
Known escalators of the type named above are straight-lined. The stairs are connected to each other at both side-ends by joints and pass at their ends across driving chain wheels. The empty escalator part is essentially guided parallel to the staircase area. Straight-lined escalators have only little flexibility with regard to their installation and have a relatively large space requirement.
Furthermore bend escalators are known, which are guided around curves with relatively large diameters, whereby the angle to be covered amounts to a maximum of 180.degree.(DE-PS 34 41 845). Bend escalators are constructed similar to straight-lined escalators. The stairs are connected to each other at both sides by joints, whereby the length of the joint parts are adjusted to the bendline. The empty part of the escalator is guided back below the bend. Although new kinds of staircase guide-ways can be realized with such bend escalators, they also have a relatively large space requirement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Object of the invention is to provide an escalator, which can be placed within the narrowest possible space, without loss of any of the advantages of the known escalators.
This problem is solved according to the invention in that the escalator is guided like a spiral staircase, that the stairs have steps which are spaced like a sector of a circle, that only the broader, outer side-ends of the stairs are coupled with the respective adjacent stairs by connecting elements, which permit pivoting of the stairs relative to each other around an approximately vertical axis and furthermore an approximately vertical shift of the stairs relative to each other, that the stairs in the staircase area pass across at least one stationary, spiral type guide, that in the center of the staircase area a vertical central column is arranged, that in the peripheral area of the central column a coupling device is provided for the detachable holding facility and guidance of the small side ends of the stairs and that at least the coupling device of the column is rotatory around the axis of the column.
The inventive spiral escalator is very versatile with regard to the possibilities of its application and is relatively simple in its construction compared to known escalators. It exhibits all advantageous features of known staircases and is in addition beneficial to its user, since it represents a smaller risk of accident for tumbling persons, because the closed outer periphery alleviates tumbling and slipping across a longer staircase area.
The inventive spiral escalator can be constructed as a simple upwardly directed staircase or as a simple downwardly directed staircase. The empty part of the escalator is guided in this case space-saving through the inner space of the central column, which is designed accordingly.
Preferably a staircase directed upwardly is combined with a staircase directed downwardly, whereby the stairs of both staircases form an endless chain. For both staircases, which exhibit a separate central column respectively, only one drive is necessary.
The two central columns of the staircase directed upwardly and of the staircase directed downwardly are suitably arranged close to each other with the result that the chain formed by the individual stairs can be kept relatively short. Such double staircase can be constructed as a compact unit, which can be attached outside to buildings as a tower. A subsequent erection of such a unit is readily possible. The construction of such tower-like units can also readily be carried out across several floors.
In addition the inventive spiral escalator is well suited in particular with regard to its little space requirement and low price also for one family houses, for road overpasses or road underpasses, which are in particul
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