GB2300168A

GB2300168A - Variable-speed passenger conveyor

Info

Publication number: GB2300168A
Application number: GB9606696A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tyuichi Saito; Tetsuya Tkahashi
Original assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Current assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Priority date: 1995-04-04
Filing date: 1996-03-29
Publication date: 1996-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2016-03-29
Also published as: JP3572114B2; CN1147475A; JPH08268673A; TW306498U; GB9606696D0; KR960037531A; HK125797A; GB2300168B

Abstract

A variable-speed passenger conveyer of enhanced safety, enables every breadboard 6 thereof to be handled as a unit and also ensures that almost no influence is given to passengers when the breadboard distance varies. Cleats formed on a breadboard 6 consist of a first cleat group 7 having a number of cleat pieces 7a, and a second cleat group 8 having a number of cleat pieces 8a, where each cleat piece 8a of the second cleat group 8 is arranged to be stored between and below the top surface of adjacent cleat pieces 7a of the first cleat group 7 while rendering it capable of being pulled out by a predefined distance along the moving direction.

Description

VARIABLE-SPEED PASSENGER CONVEYER The present invention relates to variable-speed passenger conveyers capable of increasing the moving speed of a chain of breadboards at intermediate positions or midway between the entrance and exit ports.

One prior art variable-speed passenger conveyer for increasing the moving speed of breadboards midway between the entrance and exit ports has been described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.

5-246672.

Each of the breadboards as employed in this variable-speed passenger conveyer is-formed by pressing a thin steel plate into a wave-like corrugated surface configuration to define breadboard cleats, and by slidably inserting separate cleat pieces coupled to a neighboring breadboard into a space extending along the moving direction of the projected portions thereof, wherein the separate cleat pieces are pulled out of the space of such projected portions in the moving-direction in accordance with an increase in the moving speed of the breadboards midway between the entrance and exit ports, thereby increasing the distance between respective breadboards to increase in turn the total length of these breadboards in the moving direction.

However, the prior art variable-speed passenger conveyer breadboards suffer from a problem in that the individual breadboard remains difficult in handling or treatment for maintenance, thus making it impossible to transfer, carry and disassemble for maintenance the breadboards with each one as a unit as has been in typical passenger conveyers due to the fact that the prior art breadboards are constituted from a series of breadboards coupled together in the moving direction and cleat pieces spanning between adjacent ones of these breadboards.

Another problem faced with the prior art is that, since the separate cleat pieces are arranged so that they are slidably inserted into the space as defined along the moving direction of cleats, a relatively greater step-like difference can take place between the upper surfaces of such separate cleat pieces and those of the breadboard cleats. Such difference tends to exist like a transverse line extending across the width of breadboards which is at right angles to the moving direction.

This may result in that a passenger standing near the edges of breadboard cleats is influenced when the breadboard surface is expanding or shrinking; in the worst case, the passenger will possibly be in danger of being slipped away and fell down accidentally.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a variable-speed passenger conveyer capable of facilitating maintenance of breadboards with the individual one as a unit.

It is another object of the invention to provide a variable-speed passenger conveyer of enhanced safety which can protect passengers against the occurrence of accidents even when the breadboards are expanding or shrinking in distance therebetween.

To attain the foregoing objects, a variable-speed passenger conveyer in accordance with the present invention comprises a plurality of breadboards arranged between an entrance port and an exit port to be coupled together to provide an endless form and each having a number of cleats extending in the moving direction, and balustrades standing on the both sides of the breadboards and having handrails that are movable therearound, wherein the moving speed of the breadboards is rendered variable between the entrance port and the exit port, wherein the cleats include a first cleat group and a second cleat group each having a number of cleat pieces, and wherein each cleat piece of the second cleat group is arranged so that it can be stored between adjacent cleat pieces of the first cleat group while enabling it to be pulled out by a certain length along the moving direction.

Preferably, a rotator is provided between respective cleat pieces of the first cleat group, which rotator is contacted with the lower surface of each cleat piece of the second cleat group and is rotatable with movement of the second cleat group. It is also preferable that the first cleat group and the second cleat group comprise control means arranged at portions whereat the cleat pieces of respective groups oppose each other for allowing the second cleat group to move only in the moving direction. In this case, the second cleat group is supported by the control means to be lower in position than the top portion of the first cleat group by a predetermined distance.

With such an arrangements it becomes possible, by enabling the second cleat group to be pulled by a certain length from the first cleat group in the moving direction, that the second cleat group is pulled out of the first cleat group to thereby increase the size in the running direction. Moreover, placing the second cleat group between the first cleat group in the stationary state can allow the whole structure to be handled as if it were a single unit.

Furthermore, the frictional resistance will no longer take place on the outsole of passenger's shoe by employing the control means for preventing the top portion of each cleat piece of the second cleat group from projecting upward from the top portion of each cleat piece of the first cleat group while maintaining the second cleat group lower by a certain distance than the top portion of each cleat piece of the first cleat group. This can protect passengers against the occurrence of accidents such as a fall.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a breadboard of a variable speed passenger conveyer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an electric moving road employing the breadboard shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the breadboard shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the structure along the line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of ends of the breadboards shown in Fig. 1.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with regard to an electric moving road as shown in Figs. 1 to 5. The electric moving road 1 is constituted from handrails 2 moving between an entrance port and an exit port, balustrades 3 and guide rails 4, 5 for guiding the handrails 2, and others. A number of breadboards 6 are arranged to move continuously by wheels 9, 10 along the upper surfaces of the guide rails 4, 5, thereby to carry passengers thereon.

While not specifically illustrated in the drawings, the breadboards 6 are driven by a drive mechanism as has been described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-246672 to move at lower speed near the entrance port, move at higher speed thereafter midway between the entrance and exit ports, and then return at lower speed as approaching the exit port. This may shorten the time required for passengers to arrive at their target place while providing the safety for passengers' riding and landing.

For adaptation to such speed variations, the breadboards 6 are arranged as shown in Fig. 2 in such a manner that the total length of adjacent ones of breadboards 6 is gradually increased from a breadboard length La (in the low speed region) through breadboard lengths Lb and Lc to a length Ld, and then finally reach the high speed region; thereafter, as the breadboards 6 are approaching the exit port, the length is gradually decreased from Ld to La in the reverse order.

The practical arrangement of the breadboards 6 will now be described by referring to one exemplary case shown in Fig. 1 where the breadboard length Ld is attained.

The breadboards 6 are constituted from a combination of a first cleat group 7 consisting of a plurality of parallel cleat pieces 7a which are identical in size to the breadboard length La in the moving direction, and a second cleat group 8 including a plurality of parallel cleat pieces 8a having the length Laa in the moving direction.

The second cleat group 8 is integrally arranged by placing the cleat pieces 8a in parallel with one another and holding them together by use of'bolts 11 at certain intervals therebetween. Similarly, the first cleat group 7 is integrally arranged by holding together using bolts 12 the parallel-disposed cleat pieces 7a at certain intervals therebetween.

Note that the second cleat group 8 is coupled to the first cleat group 7 while rendering the group 8 capable of being pulled therefrom along the moving direction.

Where the second cleat group 8 is completely stored within the breadboard length Ld as formed in the first cleat group 7 as will be described in detail later, the breadboard length Ld which determines the full length of adjacent breadboards 6 in the moving direction becomes equivalent to the substantial breadboard length La.

Here, a coupler section (not shown) is provided at the pulling edge portion of the second cleat group 8, for being shaft-coupled to the first cleat group 7 of an adjacent one of the breadboards 6.

Alternatively, when the second cleat group 8 is pulled out of the L4-sized storage section of the first cleat group 7 by an expansion length L2 in the direction as defined by an arrow A shown, the resulting breadboard length Ld at this time--that is, the full length of breadboard 6 in the moving direction--is defined by "La + Laa - L1 due to the presence of an overlapping length L1 with respect to the first cleat group 7.

With such an arrangement, it is possible to increase the moving speed between the entrance and the exit ports as a result of the breadboards being accelerated by a degree corresponding to the substantial expansion length L2.

The structure of the first cleat group 7 will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. The first cleat group 7 defines a narrow space or gap of width Sa between adjacent cleat pieces by providing a first notch 7G at the upper portion of one side edge of each cleat piece 7a in the moving direction, which pieces are coupled together by use of a bolt 12.

In addition, a second notch 7b is formed at the remaining portion excluding the first notch 7G along the moving direction, thus providing a thin portion 7c which is placed near one side across the width direction.

This thin portion 7c serves to form a storage section between adjacent ones of cleat pieces 7a, for storing therein a corresponding one of the cleat pieces 8a of the second cleat group 8. The storage section has the length L4, which may occupy most of the breadboard length La as shown in Fig. 1.

On the other hand, the second cleat group 8 is arranged so that, as shown in Fig. IT each cleat piece 8a is disposed to define a gap of width S6 between adjacent ones thereof, and then integrally coupled together using a bolt 11. A third notch 13 is formed at a corresponding portion of the first cleat group 7 thereby ensuring that the bolt 13 does not act as a bar when the second cleat group is being stored into the first cleat group 7.

The second cleat group 8 and the first cleat group 7 determine the total width of the breadboards 6.

Fig. 4 shows the overlapping section of the second cleat group 8 and the first cleat group 7, wherein a plurality of bolts 14 are disposed at the lower portions each corresponding to the thin portion 7c of the cleat pieces 7a of the first cleat group 7 at predefined intervals along the moving direction. A tubular rotator 15 with blades at opposite sides thereof is inserted assembled to each bolt 14 at those positions between the two cleat pieces positioned at the both ends across the width. Each cleat piece 8a constituting the second cleat group 8 is in contact with the rotator 15 at its lower surface, to thereby permit the rotator 15 to rotate during movement of the second cleat group 8 with expansion/shrink operations causing the moving resistance to decrease.

In order to ensure that, while the second cleat group 8 is moving with expansion/shrink operations, the top portion of each cleat piece Ba is prevented from projecting upward beyond the top portion of each cleat piece 7a, a pair of protuberance portion 8b and concave portion 7d are formed on the opposing side sections of each cleat piece 8a of the second cleat group 8 and of its corresponding cleat piece 7a of the first cleat group 7 in such a way that these portions 8b, 7d may gear slightly with each other, thereby constituting a control means 16 for controlling the height of top portion of cleat piece 8a.

More specifically, the control means 16 forms along the longitudinal direction the protuberance portion 8b on the opposing side surface of each cleat piece 8a of the second cleat group 8 with respect to a corresponding one of cleat pieces 7a of the first cleat group 7; at each cleat piece 7a of the first cleat group 7 opposing such protuberance portion 8b, the concave portion 7d is formed in the longitudinal direction so as to gear slightly with the protuberance portion 8b to thereby eliminate the upward floating thereof.

Furthers the control means 16 forces the top portion 8c of cleat piece 8a to be lower in position than the top portion of cleat piece 7a by a predetermined net distance of about 1 mm, whereby a step-like difference 5 is formed between these top portions.

Furthermore, a narrow gap g (see Fig. 4) is formed between each cleat piece 7a and its neighboring cleat piece 8a constituting the control means 16, thus enabling each cleat piece 8a of the second cleat group 8 to move relative to the first cleat group 7'in the moving direction.

Additionally, a stopper mechanism (not shown) is provided for eliminating the occurrence of abnormal expansion of the cleat top-portion width, which may b4 the sum of the widths of cleat pieces 7a and the widths of cleat pieces 8a, the gap width therebetween, and the breadboard length Ld.

With such an arrangements when the running speed is increased at positions spaced apart from both the entrance port and the exit port, the second cleat group 8 which has been stored in the first cleat group 7 is then pulled out of it. At this time, each cleat piece 8a of the second cleat group 8 is smoothly moving while the rotator 15 of Fig. 4 is rotating accordingly. Note here that the top portion of cleat piece 8a is kept lower in position than the top portion of cleat piece 7a by the predetermined distance to define the step-like difference 5 between the both top portions, which difference S will be maintained by the control means 14 of Fig. 4 while the second cleat group 8 continues moving.Consequently, even when a passenger is on the first cleat group 7, no influence is given thereto, thus enabling unlike the prior art the passenger to be successfully protected against the occurrence of a danger of being slipped and fell down accidentally in the worst case. Here, numeral 16 means a control means.

Fig. 5 illustrates certain end portions of the first and second cleat groups under a condition that the second cleat group 8 has been stored into the first cleat group 7 with the result of the breadboard length being shrank to equal the net breadboard length La.

As can be seen from Fig. 5, the sum of the plate thickness WI of the thin portion 7c of cleat piece 7a and the plate thickness W2 of the thin portion 8c of cleat piece 8a is substantially the same as the plate thickness WO of the first notch portion 7G of cleat piece 7a; as a consequence, it may be observed that only the first cleat group 7 were present in the storage state of the second cleat group 8. This may be identical to the breadboard 6 under the condition of the breadboard length La shown in Fig. 1, and therefore may allow it to be handled as a single unit of breadboards 6.

While in the aforementioned embodiment the plurality of cleat pieces 7a, Ba ar? tightly coupled by the bolts 11, 12 to constitute the first cleat group 7 and the second cleat group 8 respectively, such second cleat group 8 and first cleat group 7 may alternatively be manufactured integrally in substantially the identical form.

As has been described above, the breadboards for use in a variable-speed passenger conveyer are specifically arranged so that each cleat piece of the second cleat group can be stored between adjacent ones of cleat pieces of the first cleat group while enabling it to be pulled out as the moving speed increases; accordingly, while the breadboard distance may remain adjustable, the first and second first cleat groups can be handled or treated as a breadboard unit under the storage condition of the second cleatgroup in the first cleat group.

Another advantage of the invention is that employing the control means for eliminating undesirable projection of the top portion of the second cleat group can ensure that any interference will no longer act on the outsole of a passenger's shoe during expansion or shrink operations.

This in turn enables to provide a variable-speed passenger conveyer of enhanced safety which can successfully protect passengers against the occurrence of accident such as a fall.

Claims

1. A variable-speed passenger conveyer comprising a plurality of breadboards arranged between an entrance port and an exit port to be coupled together to provide an endless form and each having a number of cleats extending in the moving direction, and balustrades standing on the both sides of the breadboards and having handrails movable therearound, wherein the moving speed of said breadboards are variable between the entrance port and the exit port, characterized in that said cleats comprise a first cleat group and a second cleat group each having a number of cleat pieces, and each cleat piece of said second cleat group is arranged to be stored between respective cleat pieces of said first cleat group while allowing it to be pulled out by a certain length along the moving direction.

2. The variable-speed passenger conveyer as recited in claim 1, characterized in that said first cleat group is provided with a rotator being in contact with the lower surface of said second cleat group and rotatable with the movement of said second cleat group.

3. The variable-speed passenger conveyer as recited in claim 1, characterized by further comprising control means for allowing said second cleat group to move only in the moving direction of said breadboards, said control means being provided at a portion whereat one of the cleat pieces of said first cleat group opposes a corresponding cleat piece of said second cleat group.

4. The variable-speed passenger conveyer as recited in claim 3, characterized in that said second cleat group is kept by said control means lower than the top portion of said first cleat group by a predetermined distance.

5. A variable-speed passenger conveyer substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1. A variable-speed passenger conveyer comprising a plurality of treadboards arranged between an entrance port and an exit port to be coupled together to provide an endless form and each having a number of cleats extending in the moving direction, and balustrades standing on both sides of the treadboards and having handrails movable therearound, the moving speed of said treadboards being variable between the entrance port and the exit port, wherein said cleats comprise a first cleat group and a second cleat group each having a number of cleat pieces, said first cleat group being provided with a rotator in contact with the lower surface of said second cleat group and rotatable with the movement of said second cleat group, and each cleat piece of said second cleat group is arranged to be stored between respective cleat pieces of said first cleat group while allowing it to be pulled out by a certain length along the moving direction.

2. A variable-speed passenger conveyer according to claim 1, characterised by further comprising control means for allowing said second cleat group to move only in the moving direction of said treadboards, said control means being provided at a portion whereat one of the cleat pieces of said first cleat group opposes a corresponding cleat piece of said second cleat group.

3. A variable-speed passenger conveyer according to claim 2, characterised in that the cleat pieces of said second cleat group are respectively kept by said control means lower than the top portion of the cleat pieces of said first cleat group by a predetermined distance.

4. A variable-speed passenger conveyor according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that respective outside surfaces of the laterally outermost cleat pieces of the treadboards are perpendicular to the width direction of the treadboards.