JP2003182958A - Passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a passenger conveyor capable of reducing an installation area sufficiently. <P>SOLUTION: An outer peripheral part of a drive wheel 33 and a side frame 5A constituting a main frame 4 are arranged in such a way that mutual vertical projections are overlapped. A front wheel guide means 24 for guiding a travel locus 40 of a front wheel 26 in a direction conversion part of a step 23 is provided so that the travel locus 40 positions outside a travel locus 41 of step chains 18, 46 wound around a main sprocket and a driven sprocket. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a passenger conveyor such as an escalator or an electric road, and more particularly to a passenger conveyor suitable for being installed in a narrow area.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to reduce the installation area of a passenger conveyor, an electric motor is installed around a drive shaft for driving steps and the drive shaft is directly driven (for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-1086).
No. 83, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-505406), and a configuration has been proposed in which the step chain is directly driven (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 55-40185) between forward steps.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned prior art, since a driving machine device such as an electric motor can be installed around the driving shaft or between the forward and backward paths of steps, it is driven in the main frame that supports the constituent parts of the passenger conveyor. There is no need to secure a new space for installing the machine, and the total length of the main frame can be shortened by that much to reduce the installation area.

However, in the above structure, the width and height of the main frame are not taken into consideration, and when further reduction of the main frame is required, it is practically difficult to further reduce the main frame. It was

An object of the present invention is to provide a passenger conveyor capable of sufficiently reducing the main frame.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a main sprocket and a sub sprocket on which a step chain having a plurality of steps connected to each other is wound around a step changing portion, and a drive coaxial with the main sprocket. In a passenger conveyor equipped with a drive mechanical device for transmitting rotational force to wheels, and a main frame that supports these and has left and right side frames, an outer peripheral portion of the drive wheels is vertically projected onto one of the side frames. Front wheel guide means arranged so as to be overlapped with each other so as to guide the movement locus of the front wheel at the direction changing portion of the step so as to be outside the movement locus of the step chain wound around the main and subsidiary sprockets. It was provided.

As described above, by arranging the outer peripheral portion of the drive wheel so that the vertical projection overlaps with one of the side frames, the gap provided between the drive wheel and the side frame and the side frame are provided. The adjacent drive wheel installation space is eliminated, and the side frame is overlapped with the drive wheel by that amount, whereby the width dimension of the main frame can be reduced.

Further, by providing front wheel guide means for guiding the movement locus of the front wheels in the direction changing portion of the step outside the movement locus of the step chain wound around the main and subsidiary sprockets, Even if the diameter of the sub sprocket is reduced, it is possible to avoid the interference between the adjacent steps when changing the direction, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the height of the main frame.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In general, the escalator 1 is configured based on a main frame 4 installed over the upper floor 2 and the lower floor 3 of a building. As shown in FIG. 2, the main frame 4 is composed of a pair of left and right side frames 5A and 5B, and a bottom plate 6 and a cross beam 7 that connect the left and right side frames 5A and 5B,
Further, the side frames 5A and 5B include an upper chord member 8 extending in the longitudinal direction of the escalator, a lower chord member 9, and these upper chord members 8
And a vertical member 10 which connects the lower chord member 9 with the lower chord member 9.

On the upper floor 2 side of the main frame 4 having the above-mentioned structure, an upper horizontal portion 11 serving as an upper machine room is formed, and on the lower floor 3 side, a lower horizontal portion 12 serving as a lower machine room is formed. Part 1
1 and the lower horizontal portion 12 are connected by an inclined portion 13. Generally, the upper horizontal portion 11 and the lower horizontal portion 12 are the floor 1 for passengers to get on and off the upper portions thereof, respectively.
It is closed at 1F and 12F.

Below the upper and lower horizontal portions 11 and 12F of the upper and lower horizontal portions 11 and 12 of the main frame 4 thus constructed,
A pair of main sprocket 14 and secondary sprocket 15 are pivotally supported. The pair of main sprockets 14 are fixed to a drive shaft 16, and the end of the drive shaft 16 is rotatably held by a bearing 17. The bearing 17 is fixed to the vertical member 10 of the side frames 5A and 5B, and its vertical projection is within the width h (FIG. 2) of the side frames 5A and 5B.

An endless step chain 18 is wound around the main sprocket 14 and the sub sprocket 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the step chain 18 includes a large number of links 19 that are main parts, a link pin 20 that connects the links, and a substantially triangular special link 21 that is connected between the links 19. The special link 21 has a guide groove 22 that is long in the step height direction in the outer peripheral direction of the step chain 18. A plurality of steps 23 are connected to such a step chain 18. In particular,
The steps 23 are the guide rails 2 laid inside the main frame 4.
It is provided with front wheels 26 and rear wheels 27 that run on 4, 25. The front wheel shaft 28 that supports the front wheel 26 and projects from both ends of the step 23 in the width direction is provided with the special link 21.
The step 23 and the step chain 18 are connected to each other by penetrating through the guide groove 22. The center of the front wheel shaft 28 that penetrates the bottom of the guide groove 22 is the link pin 2
It is formed at a position to hold the front wheel shaft 28 at the same position as the center of 0, and the upper part of the guide groove 22 is attached to the main sprocket 14 and the sub sprocket 15 by the step chain 18
The front wheel shaft 28 is formed at a position where the front wheel shaft 28 can be held outside the locus of the step chain 18 so that the front wheel 26 does not interfere with the adjacent step 23 while being wound. Instead of penetrating the front wheel shaft 28 into the guide groove 22, a dedicated engaging shaft may be provided in the step 23 to engage with the guide groove 22. In addition, of the guide rails 24 and 25, the rear wheel 2
The center of the radius of the guide rail 25 that guides 7 is the step 23
Around the drive shaft 16, that is, around the drive shaft 16, the radial center of the guide rail 24 that guides the front wheel 26 is the center of the radius of the step 2.
In the direction changing portion of No. 3, the position is displaced by L dimension in the end direction of the upper horizontal portion 11 and the lower horizontal portion 12 with respect to the rotation center of the main sprocket 14 (FIG. 4).

A balustrade 29 is erected on each of the side frames 5A and 5B, and a moving handrail 30 is guided around the periphery of the balustrade 29. This moving handrail 30 is used for the balustrade 2.
It is driven by a handrail drive device 31 installed inside 9. The handrail drive device 31 is driven via a power transmission chain wound around a handrail drive sprocket 32 provided on the counter step 23 side of the main sprocket 14 on the one side. Here, the handrail drive sprocket 32 has a front wheel 2 that axially protrudes from the outer periphery of the main sprocket 14.
6 has a diameter smaller than the radius of the main sprocket 14 so as not to interfere with 6.

On the other hand, a drive sprocket 33 as a drive wheel is fixed on one end side of the drive shaft 16 and on the counter step 23 side of the handrail drive sprocket 32. The drive sprocket 33 is formed in a dish shape, the fixing portion to the drive shaft 16 is located on the side of the step 23 opposite to the main sprocket 14, and the tooth portion formed on the outer peripheral portion is the side frame 5A of the main frame 4.
Of the drive sprocket 33 when viewed from above and facing the width h of the
Of the drive sprocket 33 and the side frame 5A are arranged so that the tooth portions thereof and the side frame 5A overlap with each other. Therefore, the teeth of the drive sprocket 33, the bearing 17, and the side frame 5A of the main frame 4 are also positioned within the width h of the side frame 5A because their vertical projections overlap each other.

A power transmission chain 34 is wound around the teeth of the drive sprocket 33, and the power transmission chain 34 is wound around a sprocket of a drive machine 35 installed outside the reciprocating passage of the step 23. Has been. The drive machine device 35 includes an electric motor, a speed reducer, a brake, and the like, but the speed reducer is not always necessary.

With the above construction, the space required by the tooth portion of the drive sprocket 33 originally located between the bearing 17 and the one main sprocket 14 and the main frame 4 and the balustrade 29 are required. It is possible to eliminate the same space required on the side of the anti-drive sprocket 33 in consideration of the installation balance, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the total width Wf of the main frame 4 and the escalator 1
The installation width dimension Wo of can be narrowed.

When the narrow escalator 1 as described above is installed in a narrow area of a building, for example, on an existing stairway of a station building, usually, as shown in FIG.
The escalator 1 is installed close to the 7 side, and the balustrade 29 on the opposite wall 37 side of the escalator 1 is used as a partition wall between the stairs 36 and the escalator 1. Thus, the installation width dimension Wo
If Escalator 1 is installed on stairs 36, stairs 3
Although the width dimension used by the pedestrian of 6 is narrow, the installation width dimension Wo of the escalator 1 is narrow as described above, so that the reduction of the width dimension of the stairs 36 is minimized. can do.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the locus 40 of movement of the front wheel 26 at the turning portion of the step 23.
The front wheel shaft 28 is displaceably engaged with the guide groove 22 of the special link 21 so that the front wheel shaft 28 is located outside the movement locus 41 of the step chain 18 wound around the main and sub sprockets. A guide rail 24 for guiding the front wheel 26 so that the vehicle moves on the outer peripheral side of the movement locus 41.
The main sprocket 14 and the secondary sprocket 1
Even if the diameter of 5 is reduced, the adjacent steps 2
3 does not interfere. As a result, the main sprocket 1
The height dimension of the main frame 4 in at least the upper horizontal portion 11 and the lower horizontal portion 12 can be reduced by the amount by which the diameter of the main frame 4 and the diameter of the sub sprocket 15 are reduced.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to obtain the escalator 1 capable of reducing the width and height of the main frame 4.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment according to the present invention. What is largely different from the first embodiment is the position of the rear wheel 27 of the step 23. That is, the rear wheel 27
The rear wheel 27 is pivotally supported at a position where it is projected outward from both ends of the step 23 in the width direction and is brought close to the front wheel 26 side on a straight line connecting the front wheel 26 and the rear wheel 27.

By pivotally supporting the rear wheel 27 in this manner, the front wheel 26 and the rear wheel 27 are accommodated within the depth dimension L1 of the tread surface 23S of the step 23, and the depth dimension of the step 23 can be reduced. However, in the general escalator, since the rear wheel is located outside the riser 23R of the step 23 as shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 6, the depth dimension L2 of the step is located outside the riser 23R. The dimension is from the ring, which is longer than in the present embodiment.

Further, the height dimension H1 of the step 23 can be made smaller than the height dimension H2 of the step of a general escalator in which the rear wheels are located outside the riser 23R of the step 23.

Since the height dimension H1 and the depth dimension L1 of the steps 23 can be reduced as compared with the conventional ones, the space required between the reciprocating steps 23 can be reduced and the steps 23 in the direction changing portion can be reduced. The radius of gyration can be reduced, and as a result, the height dimension of the main frame 4 can be reduced.

In FIGS. 5 and 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 4 indicate the same parts, and the repetitive description will be omitted.

As described above, according to the second embodiment,
First, as in the case of the embodiment, the overall width Wf of the main frame 4 can be reduced, and the installation width dimension Wo of the escalator 1 can be reduced.
In addition, the movement locus of the front wheel 26 at the direction changing portion of the step 23 is configured to be outside the movement locus 41 of the step chain 18 wound around the main and subsidiary sprockets. The diameters of the sprocket 14 and the sub-sprocket 15 can be reduced, and the height dimension of the main frame 4 in at least the upper horizontal portion 11 and the lower horizontal portion 12 can be reduced accordingly. The rear wheel 27 is projected outward from both widthwise ends of the step 23, and the rear wheel 27
Is axially supported at a position close to the front wheel 26 side on the straight line connecting the front wheel 26 and the rear wheel 27, whereby the height dimension of the main frame can be further reduced.

7 to 9 show a third embodiment according to the present invention. Note that the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 6 denote the same components, and thus their repetitive description will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, the first and second
The configuration that is significantly different from the embodiment is the connection configuration of the step and the step chain. That is, in the first and second embodiments, the step chain 1 having the special link 21
8 has a structure in which the front wheel shaft 28 is engaged, but in the third embodiment, the step and the step chain are connected using an auxiliary link.

More specifically, one end of an auxiliary link 45 is rotatably connected to the end of the front wheel shaft 28 penetrating the front wheel 26, and the other end of the auxiliary link 45 is parallel to the step chain 46 toward the rear wheel 27. The extension end is rotatably connected to the step chain 46 by a connecting pin 47. Therefore, the step 23 and the step chain 46 are connected via the crank mechanism composed of the front wheel shaft 28-the auxiliary link 45-the connecting pin 47.
In the section other than the direction change section of the step 23, the auxiliary link 45 matches the moving direction of the step chain 46 as shown in FIG. 9, and in the direction change section, the connecting side with the front wheel shaft 28 is shown by a broken line. As described above, the step chain 46 gradually moves outward from the moving direction, and when the intermediate position of the direction change is exceeded, the connecting side of the auxiliary link 45 with the front wheel shaft 28 is again aligned with the moving direction of the step chain 46. Rock. Due to the swinging of the auxiliary link 45 in the direction changing portion, the front wheels 26 that are changing directions are changed to 26 (A), 26 (A), 26
The guide rails 24 in the direction change section are formed so as to move away from the movement locus of the step chain 46 as shown in (B) and 26 (C).

With the above construction, even if the diameters of the main sprocket 14 and the sub-sprocket (see FIG. 1) around which the step chain 46 is wound are made small, the adjacent steps 23 can be turned without interfering with each other. For this reason, the height dimension of the main frame 4 can be reduced by the amount that the diameters of the main sprocket 14 and the sub-sprocket are reduced.

The third embodiment has almost the same structure except that the connecting structure of the step chain 46 and the step 23 is different from the first and second embodiments, and therefore the width dimension Wf of the main frame 4 is set. Is also reduced, so that the installation width dimension Wo of the escalator 1 can be reduced.

By the way, in the third embodiment, the drive sprocket 33 is formed in a dish shape and the vertical projection with the side frame 5A constituting the main frame 4 is overlapped.
And the secondary sprocket must also be plate-shaped.
That is, in order to connect the step chain 46 and the step 23, it is necessary to position the end of the front wheel shaft 28 and the auxiliary link 45 between the step 23 and the main sprocket 14 and the sub-sprocket, and therefore, the main sprocket 14 and Similarly to the drive sprocket 33, the slave sprocket is also formed in a dish shape to secure a space for the end of the front wheel shaft 28 and the auxiliary link 45.

However, when it is difficult to form the drive sprocket 33, the main sprocket 14 and the sub-sprocket in the shape of a dish, the bearing 17 supported on the side frames 5A and 5B may be replaced by the bearing 17 shown in FIG.
As shown by the chain double-dashed line, the bearing 50 located near the center of the drive shaft 16 displaces the fixed position of the drive sprocket 33, the main sprocket 14, and the sub-sprocket to the drive shaft 16 toward the shaft end side. As a result, the drive sprocket 33, the main sprocket 14, and the sub-sprocket can be formed on a single surface. The bearing 50 is located near the center of the drive shaft 16 and is supported by the cross beam 7 shown in FIG.

By the way, although the above embodiments have been described with respect to the escalator as the passenger conveyor, the present invention can be applied not only to the escalator but also to an electric road having no step between the treads. In this case, it is necessary to read the steps described in the claims and the detailed description of the invention as treads. Furthermore, although the existing stairs of the station building have been described as an example of a narrow area, the passenger conveyor of the present invention is not limited to the existing stairs for station buildings, and can be used as a space-saving passenger conveyor for general buildings and flat passages. it can.

Further, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the drive sprocket on which the chain from the drive machine is wound is explained as the drive wheel provided on the drive shaft to which the main sprocket is fixed. May be used as the rotor of the electric motor to directly drive the drive shaft. In this case, since the width dimension of the main frame is reduced, a thin electric motor having a large diameter with respect to the axial length may be used as the drive machine device, and the rotor of this thin electric motor may be used as the drive wheel.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a passenger conveyor whose installation width can be greatly reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an escalator showing a first embodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a relationship between a step chain around the main sprocket shown in FIG. 1 and steps.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the guide rail for the step of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 of an escalator showing a second embodiment according to the present invention.

6 is a side view showing a step used in the escalator of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 of an escalator showing a third embodiment according to the present invention.

8 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the connection configuration of the step and the step chain of FIG. 7. FIG.

9 is a side view showing the relationship between the step chain around the main sprocket of FIG. 7 and the steps.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Escalator, 4 ... Main frame, 5A, 5B ... Side frame, 1
4 ... Main sprocket, 16 ... Drive shaft, 17,50 ... Bearing, 18,46 ... Step chain, 21 ... Special link, 2
2 ... guide groove, 23 ... steps, 24, 25 ... guide rail,
26 ... front wheel, 27 ... rear wheel, 28 ... front wheel axle, 29 ... balustrade,
30 ... moving handrail, 31 ... handrail drive device, 32 ... handrail drive sprocket, 33 ... drive sprocket, 40 ... front wheel movement locus, 41 ... step chain movement locus, 45 ... auxiliary link.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Chuichi Saito             4-6 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Within Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyasu Ogawa             4-6 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo             Within Hitachi, Ltd. (72) Inventor Takaaki Gunchi             2 days at 832 Horiguchi, Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture             Tachimito Engineering Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3F321 AA05 CA18 CA21 CA25 CC06

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An endless step chain that connects a plurality of steps with front wheels and rear wheels, and a main chain that turns the steps from a forward path to a return path by winding the step chain near the bottom of the boarding platform at both entrances and exits. And a sub sprocket, a drive wheel provided on a drive shaft to which the main sprocket is fixed, a drive mechanical device that transmits a rotational force to the drive wheel, and a main frame that supports these and has left and right side frames. In the passenger conveyor provided, the outer peripheral portion of the drive wheel is arranged so that the vertical projections overlap with one of the side frames, and the movement loci of the front wheels at the direction changing portion of the step are set to the main and subordinate directions. A passenger conveyor comprising front wheel guide means for guiding the step chain wound around a sprocket so as to be located outside a movement locus of a step chain. 2. The front wheel guide means is a guide rail for guiding the front wheels at the direction changing portion, and the step chain has a special link having a guide groove long in the height direction of the step. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein an engagement shaft provided on the step is loosely fitted in the guide groove of the specific link. 3. The passenger conveyor according to claim 2, wherein the engagement shaft is a front wheel shaft that pivotally supports the front wheel. 4. The front wheel guide means is a guide rail for guiding the front wheel at the direction changing portion, and the front wheel is pivotally supported by a front wheel shaft provided so as to project from the step,
The front wheel shaft is rotatably connected to one end side of a link extending to the rear wheel side, and the other end side of the link is rotatably connected to the step chain. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1. 5. The rear wheel of the step is axially supported at a position projecting from both sides in the width direction of the step and at a position closer to the front wheel in the depth dimension of the step. Passenger conveyor according to any one. 6. The drive wheel is a drive sprocket,
The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the drive machine device includes an electric motor that drives the drive sprocket via a drive chain. 7. The drive wheel is a rotor of an electric motor located at the end of the drive shaft, and the electric motor is a thin electric motor having a large diameter in the axial direction.
Passenger conveyor as described.