JPH0219078B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to improvements in passenger conveyors such as escalators, motorized roads, etc., which are suitable for use not only by the general public but also by the elderly and the disabled.

[Problems to be solved by conventional technology and invention]

The depth of current escalator steps is approximately 400 mm, which is sufficient for general passengers to use, but when used by a physically disabled person who uses a wheelchair, etc. The downside was that it was too big to use the escalator.

On the other hand, when a disabled person or the like gets on an escalator, especially if he/she is in a wheelchair, the escalator needs to be stopped once, and when getting off, the escalator needs to be stopped once so that the person can get on and off safely.

For this reason, one or more large steps with a depth that is deep enough for a wheelchair to get on are installed in advance, and a passenger conveyor start/stop switch for disabled people is installed at the entrance. The operation ensures that this large step stops at the boarding entrance, and after a wheelchair passenger gets on board, the passenger conveyor is activated by pressing a dedicated start switch, and after a certain period of time, the large step is stopped at the destination floor. Recently, a passenger conveyor has been proposed that can be stopped again with the user's mouth and can be easily used by people with disabilities.

However, such passenger conveyors are always equipped with large steps with a depth (700 mm or more) that is deep enough for a wheelchair to ride on, even if the number of steps is limited among the multiple steps. It is necessary to increase the radius of the chain gear device, etc. for the reversing drive, and the body of the passenger conveyor that houses this inevitably becomes large, which poses a problem in that the installation space is restricted.

Furthermore, as in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-7685, a lifting mechanism is separately provided to push up the tread of a certain step to the position of the tread of an adjacent upper step.
Devices that substantially increase the area of the tread have been proposed, but when a large wheelchair such as one for adults rides toward the top of a passenger conveyor, the foot rest of the wheelchair hits the riser of the upper step. Not only is it inconvenient to use the passenger conveyor because it is not always possible to ride it facing forward, but since there is no wheel stopper, there is a high risk of wheels falling off or falling due to vibrations when the passenger conveyor is operating. You cannot use the passenger conveyor. Furthermore, even when only the general public uses this passenger conveyor, the mechanism that pushes up the treadle works, so when passengers run up the steps from below, they may trip on the protruding treadles and get injured. It is dangerous and can lead to injury.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a passenger conveyor that can secure sufficient space for the treads even in a large wheelchair and can be used safely by both handicapped people and the general public.

[Means for solving problems]

According to the present invention, the treadboards of any two adjacent steps of a plurality of steps constituting a passenger conveyor are configured to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to each step, and the upper step of the two steps is configured to A first lifting/lowering mechanism is provided for moving the tread of the upper step to a position where there is no step difference of more than a predetermined distance from the tread of the upper step adjacent to the upper step; is a passenger conveyor equipped with a second elevating mechanism for moving the tread of the lower step so as to maintain the same height position as the tread of the upper step; is rotatably provided, and the inclined plate is rotated by a rotation drive mechanism based on a command.

[Effect]

With the above-described configuration, when a wheelchair user uses a passenger conveyor, it is possible to secure a tread space where there is no risk of falling even if the wheelchair user is in a large wheelchair.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall side view of an escalator according to the present invention, in which 1 is the escalator body, 2 is a handrail, 3 is a normal step, and 4 is an adjacent bottom where the treads are movable in the vertical direction, as will be described later. The handicapped step 4' on the side is a step for the handicapped adjacent to the upper side of the handicapped step 4, and has a tread that is movable in the vertical direction, as will be described later.

S1 is a stop switch for people with disabilities.When a person with a disability wants to use the escalator, pressing this switch S1 activates steps 4 and 4' for people with disabilities.
After automatically stopping at the entrance, if the entrance is on the upper floor, raise the tread of the lower step 4 for disabled persons to the level of the tread of the upper step 4' for disabled persons. If the step is on the lower level, preparations are made so that the tread of the lower step 4 for the disabled moves at the same level as the tread of the upper step 4'. S2 is a starting switch for disabled persons that starts the escalator after the disabled person gets on the escalator, and S3 is a recovery switch for restoring the steps 4 and 4' for disabled persons to their original movements.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower step 4 for disabled persons. Fig. 2 a shows the normal state in which the footboard 5 is stored, and Fig. 2 b shows the step 4 for disabled persons in a wheelchair. Step board 5 so that you can ride it enough
This indicates the state in which the upper step 4' is raised to the same height as the tread 5' of the adjacent upper step 4'. In Fig. 2, 7 is the front wheel, 8 is the rear wheel,
9 is a roller rotatably attached to the lever 10 by a pin 9a, and the lever 10 is rotatably attached to the side of the step 4 for the disabled by a pin 11, and normally there is a roller between the lever 10 and the side of the step. It is pulled toward the rear wheel 8 by a provided spring 43 and comes into contact with a stopper 46 . Reference numeral 12 denotes an inclined plate that functions as a wheel stopper for a wheelchair, and is fixed to a shaft 12a rotatably provided at the rear end of the footboard 5.

3 is an enlarged perspective view of the handicapped step 4' adjacent to the upper side of the handicapped step 4, FIG. 3a is a view showing the normal state in which the footboard 5' is stored, and FIG. 3b 7' indicates the state in which the treadle 5' has been moved upward so that a wheelchair can be used by a disabled person, and 7' indicates the front wheel;
8' is a rear wheel, 9' is a roller rotatably attached to lever 10' by pin 9'a, and lever 10', like lever 10, is rotatably attached to the side of handicap step 4' by pin 11'. It can be installed freely,
Normally, the lever 10' is pulled toward the rear wheel 8' by a spring 43' provided between the lever 10' and the side surface of the step, and is brought into contact with the stopper 46'.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view showing the inside of the steps 4 and 4' for disabled persons, and Fig. 4 a shows a state in which the steps 4 and 4' for disabled persons are stopped at the lower entrance, and Fig. 4 b Figure 4c shows the state of the escalator immediately before the escalator starts operating after the handicapped person has boarded the steps 4 and 4' from the lower entrance, and Figure 4c shows the handicapped step 4 when the handicapped person is using the escalator. and 4' are at the escalator slope. 13, 14, 15, 1 in the diagram
6 is a link that constitutes a pantograph mechanism, and link 13 and link 15 are connected to pin 13 in the center.
The link 14 and the link 16 are also rotatably connected by the pin 14b in the center, but one end of the link 13 and one end of the link 16, and one end of the link 14 and the link 15 One end is rotatably connected by pins 16a and 14a, and the other end of the link 13 is rotatably attached to the lower handicapped person step 4 by a pin 13a, and the other end of the link 15 is rotatably connected. A roller 17 is attached, and this roller 17 runs on a platform 170 provided inside the step 4 for the disabled.

On the other hand, a roller 18 is rotatably attached to the other end of the link 14 and is always in contact with the back surface of the tread 5 of the step 4 for the disabled, and the other end of the link 16 is rotated to the bracket 50 of the tread 5 by a pin 16b. freely supported. 19 is a roller rotatably attached to the lever 20 by a pin 19a;
The lever 20 is connected to the handicapped step 4 by means of a pin 21.
It is rotatably attached to the inner side surface of the step 4 and is normally pulled toward the rear wheel 8 side by a spring 45 provided between the lever 20 and the inner side surface of the step 4 for the handicapped person, and is brought into contact with a stopper 47. 22 is lever 2
Chain gear fixed to pin 21 of 0, 24, 24'
is a chain gear fixed to the pin 13a of the link 13,
26 and 26' are chain gears fixed to the pin 16a of the link 16, and 28 and 28' are the pin 2 of the link 16.
Chain gear fixed to 8a, 29 and 30 are links 1
Chain gear and gear fixed to pin 16b of 6, 32
is a shaft 12 rotatably attached to the side of the footboard 5.
A chain gear fixed to a, chain gear 22 and chain gear 2
4, a chain 25 between the chain gear 24' and the chain gear 26, and a chain 25 between the chain gear 24' and the chain gear 26.
A chain 27 is wound between the chain gear 6' and the chain gear 28, a chain 31 is wound between the chain gear 29 and the chain gear 32, and the gear 28' and the gear 30 are meshed with each other. 33 is pin 3 in the middle of link 13
The roller 3a is rotatably attached to the lever 10 and moves while being guided by a tapered notch 10a provided in the lever 10.

34 and 35 are links that constitute the parallel action mechanism,
One end of the link 34 is rotatably attached to the inner side surface of the upper handicapped step 4' by a pin 34a, and the other end is rotatably supported by a bracket 51 of the footboard 5' by a pin 34b. The link 35 also has one end rotatably attached to the inner side surface of the step 4' for the handicapped person by a pin 35a, the other end rotatably supported by the bracket 52 of the footboard 5' by a pin 35b, and a pin 36a in the middle. The roller 36 is rotatably attached to the lever 1.
It moves while being guided by a dog-shaped notch 10'a provided at 0'.

Reference numerals 39 and 40 refer to switching guide rails at the U-shaped lower entrance that guide the rollers 9 and 9', and although not shown, at the rear of the page there are switching guide rails similar to the switching guide rails 39 and 40 that guide the roller 19. (not shown) is provided.

Reference numerals 41 and 42 denote drive devices that move the switching guide rails 39 and 40 in the vertical direction, and a similar drive device (not shown) is also provided on the switching guide rail that guides the roller 19. Similarly, switching guide rails and drive devices are provided in the upper layer as well.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the present invention will be explained using the drawings. During normal operation, the lower step 4 for disabled persons
As shown in FIGS. 2a and 4a, the upper step 4' for disabled persons is mounted on rollers 10, 20 and 10' as shown in FIGS. 3a and 4a. Since the steps 9, 19 and 9' only contact the switching guide rails 39 and 40 near the entrances and exits in the lower and upper parts of the escalator, the external structure and movement are no different from normal steps. Here, when a disabled person in a wheelchair comes to the boarding entrance of the lower level shown in Fig. 1 and presses the stop switch S1 for disabled people, for example, a protrusion provided only on the step 4 for disabled people on the lower level is activated. A well-known detection mechanism detects when the step 4 for disabled persons on the lower level rotates to the entrance of the lower level and stops the escalator.

Next, when the handicapped step 4 stops at the entrance, the switching guide rails 39 and 40 are moved upwardly by the drive devices 41 and 42, which are hydraulic devices, etc., as shown in FIGS. 4a to 4b. This action causes the levers 10, 10' to
The rollers 9, 9' provided on the levers 10, 10' are rotated clockwise around the pins 11, 11' against the spring pressure of the levers 43', and the rollers 9, 9' provided on the levers 10, 10' are in a state of running on the guide rail 44.

Next, when the wheelchair gets on the steps 4 and 4' for disabled people and presses the activation switch S2 for disabled people,
This time, the switching guide rail (not shown) provided near the switching guide rail 39 of the lower handicapped step 4 is moved upward by a drive device (not shown) consisting of a similar hydraulic device, etc., and this operation causes the lever 20 to move upwardly. rotates clockwise around pin 21. This rotational movement of the lever 20 is caused by the chain gear 22,
24, 24', 26, 26', 28 and chains 23, 25, 27 wound around these chain gears, the pin 28a is rotated clockwise.
Gear 28' and gear 30 fixed to 8a, pin 1
6b, the shaft 12a is rotated counterclockwise via the chain gear 29, chain 31, and chain gear 32, and the shaft 1
The inclined plate 12 fixed to 2a is stopped at the position shown in FIG. 4b to act as a car stop. After that, the escalator starts operating, and the levers 10 and 10' rotate clockwise (counterclockwise near the upper exit) in response to changes in the inclination angle of the guide rail 44. Roller 3 according to
3 and 36 are guided by the notches 10a and 10a' provided in the levers 10 and 10', respectively, and their positions change, and this change causes the tread plates 5 and 5' of the steps 4 and 4' for the disabled to be moved through the link mechanism. As shown in Figure 1, in the slope section,
Raise the tread plate 5' of the upper step 4' for disabled persons so that the difference in level from the tread plate of the step 3 above it does not widen beyond a predetermined value (for example, a level difference that does not catch the footrest of a wheelchair), and As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4c, the footboard 5 of the handicapped step 4 is raised so as to be kept at the same height as the footboard 5' of the upper handicapped step 4'.

Next, when the steps 4, 4' for the disabled reach the exit of the upper floor, the escalator is automatically stopped. is moved downward by a drive device such as a hydraulic device, and in FIG. 4B, the lever 20 is rotated counterclockwise around the pin 21 via the roller 19. The rotational movement of this lever 20 is controlled by a chain gear 22,
24, 24', 26, 26', 28 and the chains 23, 25, 27 wound around these chain gears, the pin 28a is rotated counterclockwise, and the gear 28' fixed to the pin 28a is rotated. Gear 30, pin 16b, chain gear 29, chain 31, chain gear 32
The shaft 12a is rotated clockwise through the shaft 1
The inclined plate 12 fixed to 2a is returned to the state shown in FIG. 4a. (This state is the same as the state in which the wheelchair can get off when the wheelchair stops on the lower floor during descending operation.) Next, after the disabled person gets off the escalator, when the recovery switch S3 is pressed, the disabled person on the upper and lower floors of the upper floor The switching guide rails (not shown) of the switching steps 4', 4 are moved downward by a drive device (not shown) consisting of a hydraulic device or the like, and in FIG. , the springs 43, 43' rotate counterclockwise about the pins 11, 11' and return to the state shown in FIG. 4a, which is no different from a normal step.

In the above description, a case has been described in which a handicapped person gets on an escalator from a lower floor and gets off at an upper floor. However, the present invention can be carried out essentially the same even when a person gets off at a lower floor.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, only when a handicapped person uses a passenger conveyor, the steps between the treads of two adjacent steps of a plurality of steps of the passenger conveyor and the step above are prevented from exceeding a predetermined distance. In addition, since the steps are moved vertically at the same height, there is enough space for even large wheelchairs to ride forward, and since the steps are usually the same size as a general passenger conveyor, the steps can be reversed. The sprocket used for this purpose is the same size as the sprocket of a conventional passenger conveyor, and the overall size of the passenger conveyor does not become unnecessarily large. Furthermore, since the inclined plate installed at the rear end of the tread of the lower step can be changed to an upright position for parking a vehicle, even if a person with a disability
Even humans can use the human conveyor extremely safely.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an overall side view of an escalator showing the present invention, Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower step 4 for the disabled, Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the upper step 4' for the disabled, and Fig. 4 is the escalator for the disabled. Steps 4 and 4'
FIG. 1... Escalator body, 3... Steps for general passengers, 4, 4'... Steps for disabled people, 5,
5'...Treadboard, 12...Slanted board.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. The treadboards of any two adjacent steps among the plurality of steps constituting the passenger conveyor are configured to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the respective steps,
The upper step of the two steps is provided with a first elevating and lowering mechanism for moving the tread of the upper step to a position where there is no step difference of more than a predetermined distance from the tread of the upper step adjacent to the upper step. In the passenger conveyor, the lower step of the two steps is provided with a second elevating mechanism for moving the lower step so that the tread of the lower step is maintained at the same height as the tread of the upper step, A passenger conveyor characterized in that an inclined plate is rotatably provided at the rear end of the tread of the lower step, and the inclined plate is rotated by a rotational drive mechanism based on a command. 2. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the rotational drive mechanism is a drive mechanism using a chain and a chain gear.