MXPA06001896A - Guard device for escalator handrail - Google Patents

Abstract

A guard device (20) for a handrail in an entry zone of an escalator is disclosed, having a guide channel (21) at its bottom to receive a part of the handrail (14). The guard device includes advertising display (40) on its front face, a sterilisation unit (30) and an air cleaning unit (50) provided at a side wall thereof.

Description

For two-letter codes and other abbrevialions. referto the "Guidance Notes on Codes and Abbreviations" appearing at the beginning-ning ofeach regular issue of the PCT Gazette.

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR MOBILE STAIRCASE HANDRAILS TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a protective device for a handrail in an entrance area of a moving staircase, which is intended to ensure the safety of an entrance of the escalator, sanitary maintenance of the handrail by means of sterilization, effective advertising of products and corporations, and clean air maintenance at the entrance to the escalator.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART Generally, escalators are installed in plural floors of buildings in such a way that the escalators connect to each other in a zigzag manner, different from elevators traveling between a moving floor and a desired floor. According to the above, escalators are used predominantly in department stores in which they sell various products, meters, airports, terminals and the like, to which people shingle, instead of business buildings. Recently, moving walkways, which are a type of horizontal traveling escalator, are still used in the same plant, in order to reduce traffic. Such a moving staircase is usually designed to travel only in one direction. As shown in FIG. 1, the escalator 10 includes a pair of valance bases 1 1, which are separated from one another by a distance of approximately 80 cm -120 cm between them, and a step tape consisting of a plurality of steps 12, which they travel continuously while maintaining the upper surfaces in the horizontal position and on which the passengers are mounted. Each of the pair of valance bases 1 1 is provided thereon with lateral balustrade 13 made of glass or metal. The side balustrade 13 is provided thereon with a handrail 14, which travels in the same direction and at the same speed as those of the step tape 12, and serves as a handle for the passengers. Handrails 14, which serve as a handhold, are intended to prevent passengers from falling or slipping. To prevent slippage by passengers, handrails 14 are commonly made of a rubber material. Since the handrails 14 come into contact with the hands of a multitude of people, if the sanitary maintenance of the handrails 14 is not assured, several viruses, bacteria and the like, harmful to humans are apt to spread on the handrails 14. therefore, handrails 14 must always be kept in clean condition. Heretofore, the sanitary maintenance of the handrails 14 has been completed by frequently scrubbing and cleaning the surfaces of the handrails 14 with neutral detergent or antiseptic solution.

However, since the conventional handrails of escalators must be cleaned frequently manually, there is a problem in which the maintenance of the handrails requires very high costs. In addition, since the cleaning work can not completely sterilize and disinfect the handrails by a simple cleaning operation, the passengers are exposed to danger such as a disease and bacterial infection due to viruses and bacteria that exist in the handrails. Since escalators are used to transport a multitude of people, it is desirable to maximize the advertising effectiveness for products and corporations by providing advertising copies to escalators. However, until now, triangular guide plates are placed at intersections of crossed escalators to prevent the heads of passengers from being caught at intersections, and small advertising boards are erected in the transfer area between successive escalators, such as the advertising copies. As an example, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0298362 describes a "P" advertising object consisting of a printed layer adhered to the handrails 14 of a moving escalator, and a film cover adhered to the printed layer, as shown in FIG. 2. However, since the advertising object "P" adheres to the handrails 14 by rotating around the balustrades of the escalator, the advertising object "P" comes in contact with a multitude of hands of the passenger, leading to macules and contaminants in the advertising object and attenuation of the color of the advertising object. For this reason, it is difficult to attract the attention of people for the advertising object. When one arrives at the escalator 10, a passenger first grabs the handrails 14 in the entrance area of the escalator and then steps on a step 12. At this point, because the weaker or older man or children have slow reflexes, his arms are pulled forward by the handrails 14 before stepping on the steps 12, originating in such a way that the passenger falls or injures himself. In addition to the above problems, since escalators are used by a multitude of people, there are several bacteria and dust in the entrance area of the escalator, reading for non-sanitary equipment. However, despite the fact that it has been recognized that the entrance area of the escalator is not sanitary, a specific solution to overcome the problem can not be achieved.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the above, the present invention has been elaborated keeping in mind the previous problems that are presented in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a protective device for a handrail of escalator, the which receives a portion of the handrail in the ente area of the escalator, to prevent the safety hazards that may arise in the ente area. Another object of the present invention is to provide a protective device for a mobile ladder handrail, which includes a sterilization unit thereon for sterilizing the handrail, thereby preventing passengers from being infected by existing bacteria, viruses and germs. in the handrail. A further object of the present invention is to provide a protective device for a mobile ladder handrail, which includes an advertising display device provided on an external surface thereof to provide effective advertising effects to the passengers. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a protective device for a ladder handrail, which includes an air purification unit provided in a side wall thereof to maintain the air in the inlet zone in the clean condition. In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a protective device that removably mounts to a handrail placed in an ente area of a moving staircase. The protective device includes a guide channel formed in its lower part to receive the portion of the handrail placed in the ente area, a sterilization unit for sterilizing the handrail, and an advertising display device provided on an external surface to provide effective advertising effects. to the passengers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional escalator; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional escalator, which is provided in its handrail with advertising slogans; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of protective devices according to an embodiment of the present invention, which are mounted on handrails of a moving staircase, placed in an ente area; FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the protective device according to the present invention, in which a tparent sheet is removed therefrom. FIG. 5a is a cross-sectional view of an example of a sterilization unit provided in the protective device according to the present invention, which includes ultraviolet lamps; FIG. 5b is a cross-sectional view of another example of a sterilization unit provided in the protective device according to the present invention, which includes a sprinkler; FIG. 5c is a cross-sectional view of a further example of a sterilization unit provided in the protective device according to the present invention, which includes an applicator; and FIG. 6 is a side view of an air purification unit provided in the protective device according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Reference should now be made to the drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used throughout the different drawings to designate the same or similar components. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing protective devices for a moving staircase, according to an embodiment of the present invention, which are mounted on handrails in an ente area of the escalator, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing only one of the protective devices in detail. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the protective device 20 according to the present invention includes a guide channel 21 with a predetermined depth, which is provided along the center line of a lower surface of the protective device 20 and in which a handrail 14 is received. The guide channel 21 is formed to avoid interference with the guide device 20 during a handrail operation, thereby ensuring the safe and uniform operation of the handrail.

As such, since the protective device 20 is installed in the handrail 14, a part of the handrail 14 in the entrance area of the escalator, is not exposed to an external environment and thus protects against the environment, surpassing so the problem of the prior art mentioned above. More specifically, a security risk, in which the passenger's arms grasping the handrail 14 are pulled forward before stepping on the step 12, originating in such a way that the passenger falls or is injured, is effectively prevented. The protective device 20, which is constructed to prevent the security risk that may occur in the entrance area of the escalator, has a predetermined length corresponding to a distance between a front end of the handrail 14 and a front edge of the front step 12 of the step. Therefore, the protective device 20 can prevent a passenger from grabbing the handrail 14 in motion to step on the step 12, thereby avoiding safety hazards when pulling them. passenger arms forward. As shown in FIG. 5a, the protective device 20 is provided therein with a sterilization unit 30 for sterilizing the handrail 14. The sterilization unit 30 is preferably installed on an inlet side 22 or an outlet side 23 in the guide channel 21, and it is separated from the handrail 14 by a certain distance while facing the handrail 14. Although the sterilization unit 30 is preferably included by ultraviolet lamps 31, as shown in FIG. 5a, the sterilization unit 30 may be included by a sprayer 32 for spraying bacterial liquid on the handrail 14, as shown in FIG. 5b, or an applicator 33 for applying bacterial liquid to the handrail 14, as shown in FIG. 5c, if necessary. Ultraviolet lamps 31 are effective in removing most bacteria, viruses and fungi but do not change the properties of irradiated objects. In addition, since the sterilization unit 30 using the ultraviolet lamps 31 can be operated by a simple manipulation of turning the ultraviolet lamps 31, its use is relatively easy, and installation and maintenance costs are reduced. In the sterilization unit 30 using ultraviolet lamps 31, the sterilization unit 30 is preferably provided with a reflecting plate 31 a for radiating ultraviolet light to side surfaces as well as an upper surface of the handrail 14. The reflecting plate 31 a is made preferably of a stainless plate or a metal plate that is effective in the reflection of lights. As shown in FIG. 5b, the sprayer 32 includes nozzles 32a through which the bacterial liquid is applied to the handrail 14. At this point, the bacterial liquid is atomized through the nozzles 22a, and the atomized bacterial liquid is applied to the handrail 14. therefore, in spite of a passenger grabbing the handrail 14 immediately after the application of the bacterial liquid, the passenger's hands are not painted with an excessive amount of the bacterial liquid. As shown in FIG. 5c, the applicator 33 includes a roller 33a which is in contact with the handrail 14 for applying bacterial liquid to the handrail 14. The roller 33a is supplied with the bacterial liquid. As the handrail 14 is operated, the roller 33a containing the bacterial liquid is correspondingly rotated by direct contact with the handrail 14. The protective device 20 according to the present invention further includes an advertising display device 40, which is provided on a front side of the protective device 20 to be face up and forward. The advertising display device 40 can be included by any of a group consisting of LED, an LCD, an organic EL sheet and a hologram. Where the advertising display device 40 is incorporated by the LED, the advertising display device 40 includes a plurality of pixels, each comprising an LED, and the advertising display device 40 is programmed such that the LEDs selectively flash to display a desired character or logo. Meanwhile, where the advertising display device 40 is constructed by the LCD or the organic EL-sheet, the advertising display device 40 can display a moving photograph as well as the character and logo by selectively radiating a backlight to a plurality of cells. which contain a screen of the advertising display device 40. The advertising display device 40 according to the present invention allows the advertising content to easily be replaced with new different contents by changing the program entry for the advertising display device 40. Alternatively, the advertising display device 40 may be provided with the hologram showing a stereoscopic image or an advertising band reflector. The advertising display device 40 is covered with a transparent cover 41 to protect the screen of the advertising display device 40 from the environment. The transparent cover 41 is made of plastic, synthetic resin, acrylic resin or glass, and is removably attached to the screen of the advertising display device 40. According to the above, the advertising display device 40 allows the advertising contents to be replaced Quickly and easily with new content according to the changes of the advertising provider or production of new brands. As shown in FIG. 6, the advertising display device 20 according to the present invention is further provided on its side wall with an air purification unit 50, which operates to extract the air in the entrance area of the escalator, remove the bacteria and air powder, and discharge the clean air out of the protective device 50. The air purifying unit 50 is comprised of a pump 51 for extracting external air and discharging the air out of the protective device 50, an ultraviolet lamp 52 for sterilizing the extracted air, and a filter 53 to remove dust from the extracted air. More specifically, the air purification unit 50 fulfills the air purification process in such a way that the external air is drawn to the air purification unit 50 through a plurality of outlet holes 24 formed in the side wall of the air purification unit 50. protective device 20 by the pump 51, the extracted air is sterilized by ultraviolet lights emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 52, the powder contained in the sterilized air is removed through the filter 53, and the filtered and sterilized air is discharged out of the protective device 20 through a plurality of outlet holes 25 formed in the other side wall of the protective device 20. Consequently, the air in the inlet zone of the protective device 20 is kept in a clean condition, thereby having little harmful effect in the passengers. The electricity required to drive the sterilization unit 30, the sprayer 32, the applicator 33, the advertising display device 40 and the air purification unit 50 can deviate from the main electrical power supplied to the escalator. The above components can be controlled by a control unit (not shown) additionally provided in the protective device 20 or mounted on an external surface of the protective device 20. The control unit is preferably operated to control the sterilization unit 30, the sprayer 32 , the applicator 33, the advertising display device 40 and the air purification unit 50 while the escalator is driven.

IN DUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention provides a protective device, which is mounted on a handrail placed in an entrance area of a moving staircase to prevent security risks that may arise in the entrance area. Since the protective device according to the present invention includes a sterilization unit thereon for sterilizing the handrail, it is possible to prevent passengers from becoming infected by bacteria, viruses or germs existing in the handrail. Furthermore, since the protective device according to the present invention includes an advertising display device on an external surface thereof, it is possible to achieve effective information and advertising effects for companies and products. Furthermore, since the protective device according to the present invention includes an air purification unit in a side wall thereof, which is intended to extract the external air in an entrance area of a moving staircase, eliminate the unwanted substances such as bacteria, viruses and dust from the extracted air and discharge of clean air out of the protective device, it is possible to keep the air in the entrance area of the escalator in the sanitary condition.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as described in the appended claims. .

Claims (9)

1. CLAIMS, 1. A protective device which is mounted removably on a handrail of escalator, the protective device comprising: a guide channel formed in its lower part to receive a part of the handrail placed in the entrance area of the escalator. The protective device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a sterilization unit provided therein, for sterilizing the received handrail in the guide channel. The protective device as set forth in claim 2, wherein the sterilization unit includes at least one ultraviolet pump for irradiating ultraviolet lights to the handrail. 4. The protective device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the sterilization unit includes an application means for applying the bacterial liquid to the handrail. The protective device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an advertising display device provided on a front side thereof to face forward. The protective device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the advertising display device includes any one selected from a group consisting of an LED, an LCD, an organic EL sheet and a hologram. 7. The protective device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the advertising display device is covered with a transparent sheet to protect the surface of the display device of the advertising display device against an environment. 8. The protective device as set forth in claim 2 or 5, further comprising an air purification unit provided in a side wall thereof for extracting air in the entrance area of the escalator, removing bacteria and dust from the air. air, and discharge the clean air out of the protective device. The protective device as set forth in claim 2 or 5, wherein the protective device has a length corresponding to a distance between a front end of the handrail and a front edge of the front step of the escalator.