JP7626167B2 - Escalator steps and an escalator equipped with said escalator steps - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to escalator steps and escalators equipped with such escalator steps, and in particular to escalator steps that can effectively prevent walking on the steps.

The current rule on escalators is that people should stand still and not walk, and some local governments have even enacted this rule into law. Despite this, it is common to see people leaving one side open on escalators with two rows of passengers, for example, to leave one side open for people who are in a hurry.

Accidents have been occurring due to poor riding habits, such as passengers who are walking and passing by passengers who are standing, causing the passenger to fall when their luggage or body comes into contact with the passenger, or passengers who are walking themselves tripping over steps and falling.

To address this issue, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe escalator steps invented to prevent people from walking on the steps.

The steps described in Patent Document 1 have a movable partition 33 with a "blowback" structure (Figs. 4, 5, and 6 of Patent Document 1). The movable partition 33 is stored in a chamber 35 (Figs. 3 and 4 of Patent Document 1) provided at the tip of the step 21. The lower end of the movable partition 33 protruding from the chamber 35 serves as an air inlet/outlet 37 (Fig. 5 of Patent Document 1). Below the multiple steps 5 that run in an inclined staircase shape, an air blower 39 is provided along the path of the steps 5 (Fig. 1 of Patent Document 1).

Patent document 1, paragraph [0025], states that the air blowing section 39 can be "an upward jet that blows air upward toward the downward air inlet/outlet 37 when the movable partition 33 is on the forward path of the circular route, and a blower that blows air to the jet." It also states that "As a result, when the step 5 with movable partition moves along the circular route, the movable partition 33 rises up like a curtain only while it moves above the air blowing section 39 on the forward path."

In the steps described in Patent Document 1, the movable partition 33 protrudes from the tip of the step, which acts as an obstacle, and it is described that the purpose of preventing walking on the steps is achieved (paragraph [0026] of Patent Document 1). However, since there is a considerable distance between the air blowing section 39 and the air inlet/outlet 37 of the movable partition 33 (see Figures 1 and 5 of Patent Document 1), it is doubtful whether air sufficient to raise the movable partition 33 can be blown into the air inlet/outlet 37, raising doubts about the feasibility of this.

In addition, in the case of Patent Document 1, a new power source such as a blower is required to project the movable partition 33, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of energy conservation.

In response to this, a step that does not require a new power source has been disclosed. The step described in Patent Document 2 has an additional movable roller 42 that is guided by a guide rail 3 that guides the follower roller 14 of the step 100, and has a configuration in which a protruding member 20 is connected to the movable roller 42 (Figure 2 of Patent Document 2). The protruding member 20 can move in and out in the vertical direction from a through hole 11b opened at the tip of the step 11.

The step bracket 13 of the step body 10, which is triangular in side view, is provided with a roller bracket 41 having an elongated roller hole 41a in a position that protrudes outward from the triangle. The movable roller 42 moves in the longitudinal direction of the roller bracket 41, guided by the roller hole 41a.

Patent document 2 describes in paragraph [0027] that in the inclined section where the guide rail 3 is inclined, the movable roller 42, which is guided by the guide rail 3 and displaces vertically relative to the step 11, is positioned above the follower roller 14, so that the protruding member 20 is pushed up and protrudes upward from the tip of the step 11. No additional power source is required because the movable roller 42 is guided by the guide rail 3 and is connected to the movable roller 42, pushing up the protruding member 20 guided by the roller bracket 41.

JP 2017-154855 A International Publication No. 2020/003375

However, in the step 100 described in Patent Document 2, in the inclined section where the guide rail 3 is inclined relative to the step 11, as shown in FIG. 4, the roller bracket 41 moves while protruding below the guide rail 3, and in reality, there is a risk of interference with other elements constituting the escalator 1. In addition, although not shown, in the turnaround section of the step 11 where the guide rail 3 curves in an arc, the roller bracket 41 protrudes toward the inner circumference of the guide rail 3, and there is also a risk of interference with other components. In other words, like the escalator described in Patent Document 1, there are doubts about the feasibility of an escalator using the step 100 described in Patent Document 2.

In view of the above situation, and from the perspective of enriching the technology, the first objective of the present invention is to provide an escalator step with a different configuration from the escalator steps described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in which a partition protrudes from the step board.

The second object of the present invention is to provide an escalator equipped with such steps.

In order to achieve the first object, the escalator step of the present invention is an escalator step for transporting passengers, which is pulled by a pair of drive chains that run in a circular manner and guided by a pair of first guide rails and a pair of second guide rails that are laid out at a distance in the vertical direction, and comprises a frame that is triangular in side view, a riser attached to a first side of the triangle in the frame, a step that is attached to a second side of the triangle in the frame and has a slit opened along the edge of the riser at the end portion on the riser side, a drive shaft that is attached to the end of the step side of the third side of the triangle in the frame and has each of the pair of drive chains connected to each of both ends, a pair of drive rollers that are rotatably provided at each of both ends of the drive shaft and are guided by each of the pair of first guide rails, and a rotatable drive roller that is attached to the end of the riser side of the third side. The section includes a pair of driven rollers that are freely rotatably attached and guided by each of the pair of second guide rails, a rotating member that is freely rotatably attached around the axis of the drive shaft, a pair of oscillating rollers that are attached to the rotating member and guided by each of the pair of second guide rails, and a partition between the pair of oscillating rollers, the base end of which is attached to the rotating member and the tip end portion of which is provided so as to be able to enter and exit the slit. In the horizontal section in which the first guide rail and the second guide rail are laid horizontally, the tip of the partition is located at least below the upper edge of the slit, and when moving from the horizontal section to the inclined section in which the first guide rail and the second guide rail are laid diagonally, the oscillating rollers that are guided by the second guide rail oscillate around the axis toward the tread, and the partition protrudes upward from the slit.

Another feature is that the partition is flexible.

It is also characterized in that at least the portion of the partition that enters and exits through the slit is formed in an arc shape when viewed from the side.

The device is also characterized by having a biasing member that biases the rotating member in a direction away from the footboard.

The diameter of the oscillating roller is smaller than the diameter of the driven roller.

To achieve the second object, the escalator of the present invention is an escalator having a plurality of steps that are endlessly connected and run in a circular manner, and is characterized in that the above-mentioned escalator steps are used for each of the plurality of steps.

The escalator step having the above-mentioned configuration includes a step having the above-mentioned slit, a rotating member attached to the drive shaft so as to be freely rotatable about the axis of the drive shaft, a pair of oscillating rollers attached to the rotating member and guided by each of the pair of second guide rails, and a partition between the pair of oscillating rollers, the base end of which is attached to the rotating member and the tip end portion of which is arranged so as to be able to move in and out of the slit. This allows the partition to protrude from the step with a configuration different from that described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In other words, this leads to an abundance of technology regarding escalator steps.

In addition, the escalator according to the present invention has multiple steps that are connected in an endless manner and run in a circular motion, and each step uses the escalator steps described above, so it has the same effect as the escalator steps described above.

1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an escalator according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the steps that constitute the escalator. FIG. 4A is a side view of the steps when they are running horizontally, and FIG. 4B is a side view of the steps when they are running obliquely. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the characteristic elements of the steps. FIG. 2 is a side view of the entrance and its vicinity at the lower floor of the escalator that spans the upper and lower floors of a building. 13A is a side view of a step in which the protruding height of the partition has been changed, in which FIG. 13A is a side view of the step running horizontally, and FIG. 13B is a side view of the step running obliquely.

The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of an escalator 10 according to an embodiment. The escalator 10 has a number of steps 12 that are endlessly connected and run in a circular manner, and a pair of balustrades 14 erected on both sides of the path along which the steps 12 run. A skirt guard 16 made of a panel such as a stainless steel plate is provided on the side of the lower end of each of the pair of balustrades 14, which is arranged along the path and keeps a small gap between each step 12 and the pair of balustrades 14.

The multiple steps 12 are driven by a motor (not shown) as a power source via a power transmission mechanism (not shown). The escalator 10, which spans the upper US and lower DS of a building, can be used for both ascending and descending by switching the rotation direction of the motor between forward and reverse. In other words, the lower DS side can be either the boarding entrance or the disembarking entrance (hereinafter, both will be referred to as the "boarding/alighting entrance").

At the entrance and exit of the escalator 10, a comb plate 18 and a floor plate 20 adjacent to the comb plate 18 are provided. When the escalator 10 is for ascending, the multiple steps 12 that run in a circular motion are fed out one after another from the comb plate 18, run horizontally, then tilt upward, run horizontally again, and then sneak under the floor plate (not shown) from the comb plate (not shown) of the upper floor US. In contrast, when the escalator 10 is for descending, the steps 12 are fed out one after another from the comb plate of the upper floor US, run horizontally, then tilt downward, run horizontally again, and then sneak under the floor plate 20 from the comb plate 18 of the lower floor US.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the step 12, and Figure 3 shows a right side view of the step 12. Figure 3(a) shows the step 12 moving horizontally, and Figure 3(b) shows the step 12 moving at an angle.

As shown in FIG. 3, the step 12 has a frame 22 that is triangular in side view. A riser 24 is attached to the first side 22A of the triangle. A step 26 that is rectangular in plan view as shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the second side 22B. Here, the direction along the long side of the rectangle is the length direction of the step 12, and the direction along the short side of the rectangle is the width direction of the step 12.

A drive shaft 28 is provided at the end of the third side 22C on the side of the tread 26, parallel to the longitudinal direction, so as to be freely rotatable about its axis. A pair of drive chains 30 is connected to each of the two end portions of the drive shaft 28 (for convenience, the drive chains 30 are omitted from the illustration in Figs. 2 and 3(b)). The pair of drive chains 30 connects the multiple steps 12 in a ring shape (Fig. 5).

A pair of drive rollers 32 are provided coaxially on the drive shaft 28 at the end side of the drive chain 30. The drive rollers 32 are attached to the drive shaft 28 so as to be freely rotatable around its axis.

A pair of driven rollers 34 are provided at the end of the third side 22C on the riser 24 side so as to be rotatable about their axes.

The pair of drive rollers 32 are guided by a pair of first guide rails 36 laid inside a truss (not shown). The pair of driven rollers 34 are guided by a pair of second guide rails 38 also laid inside the truss. The first guide rails 36 and the second guide rails 38 will be explained later.

The above is the basic configuration of a typical escalator. Next, we will mainly explain the characteristic configuration of the escalator 10 according to the embodiment. Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the step 12, which mainly extracts the characteristic configuration. In Figure 4, the step 26 and riser 24 are represented by dashed imaginary lines.

The step 12 has a pair of L-shaped bars 40. The L-shaped bar 40 is an L-shape formed by a first bar 40A and a second bar 40B. One end of the first bar 40A is joined to the drive shaft 28 by welding or the like in such a position that the first bar 40A is perpendicular to the drive shaft 28, the second bar 40B is parallel to the drive shaft 28, and the pair of second bars 40B are coaxial with each other. As a result, the pair of L-shaped bars 40 function as a rotating member attached to the drive shaft 28 so as to be freely rotatable around the axis of the drive shaft 28.

The manner in which the L-shaped bars 40 are attached to the drive shaft 28 is not limited to this, and may be as follows. A hollow cylindrical sleeve is fitted onto the drive shaft 28. The inner diameter of the sleeve is made slightly larger than the outer diameter of the drive shaft 28 so that it can rotate smoothly relative to the drive shaft. One end of the first bar 40A is then joined to the outer periphery of the sleeve. This makes it possible to attach a pair of L-shaped bars 40 to the drive shaft 28 so that they can rotate freely around its axis, even if the drive shaft 28 is fixed to the frame 22 so that it cannot rotate.

At the tip of the second bar 40B, an oscillating roller 42 is provided so as to be rotatable around the axis of the second bar 40B. The oscillating roller 42 is guided by the second guide rail 38. The pair of oscillating rollers 42 provided on the pair of L-shaped bars 40, which are turning members, run along the track of the second guide rail 38, and oscillate around the axis of the drive shaft 28, as described below. The diameter of the oscillating roller 42 is set smaller than the diameter of the driven roller 34. The reason for this setting will be described later.

A rectangular sheet-shaped partition 44 is attached to the pair of second bars 40B. The partition 44 is made of, for example, rubber (natural or synthetic rubber) or synthetic resin, and is flexible. Note that the partition 44 is not limited to rubber or synthetic resin, and may be made of other materials as long as it is flexible in relation to its thickness. The partition 44 is attached to the second bar 40B, for example, as follows. A groove (not shown) is provided on the periphery of each of the pair of second bars 40B parallel to its axis. The long side of the partition 44 is inserted into the groove and fixed with adhesive or the like.

When the oscillating roller 42 oscillates, the partition 44 installed as described above has its base end fixed to the second bar 40B oscillating as well, displacing generally in the up-down direction. A slit 26A is provided in the step 26 to allow the tip end portion of the displacing partition 44 to protrude upward from the step 26. The slit 26A penetrates the step 26 in the thickness direction (up-down direction). The slit 26A is provided along the edge of the riser 24 at the end portion on the riser 24 side.

When the steps 12 are moving horizontally as shown in FIG. 3(a), the tip (top) of the partition 44 is located at least below the upper edge of the slit 26A. In this example, the tip of the partition 44 is located inside the slit 26A. When the steps 12 are moving obliquely as shown in FIG. 3(b), the tip (top) of the partition 44 protrudes upward from the slit 26A.

That is, the partition 44 moves in and out of the slit 26A depending on the running direction of the steps 12. At least the portion of the partition 44 that moves in and out of the slit 26A is formed in an arc shape in the side view shown in FIG. 3.

The step 12 also has a pair of torsion coil springs 46 as biasing members that bias the pair of L-shaped bars 40 in a direction away from the step 26. The coil portion (not shown) of the torsion coil spring 46 is fitted onto the drive shaft 28. A hook portion formed at the tip of one arm 46A is hooked onto the first bar 40A, and the other arm 46B abuts against the underside (rear surface) of the step 26.

The operation of the steps 12 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a side view of the escalator 10 at the entrance to the lower DS and its vicinity. FIG. 5 mainly shows the steps 12 in the section where passengers are transported, and does not show the steps 12 that move back and forth within the truss (not shown) after being used to transport passengers. Note that FIG. 5 only shows the pair of drive chains 30, the pair of first guide rails 36, and the pair of second guide rails 38 that are perpendicular to the page and on the near side. Also, FIG. 5 does not show the torsion coil spring 46.

As mentioned above, the escalator 10 can be used for both ascending and descending purposes. Here, however, we will explain the case where the escalator 10 is used for ascending purposes, that is, the case where the steps 12 are pulled by a pair of drive chains 30 that run in a circular manner in the direction of the arrow U and are guided by a pair of first guide rails 36 and a pair of second guide rails 38 that are laid out at a distance in the vertical direction. To distinguish between the multiple steps 12 in FIG. 5, an alphabet is added to the reference number "12."

In the horizontal section where the first guide rail 36 and the second guide rail 38 are laid horizontally, the tips of the partitions 44 of the steps 12B and 12C are located inside the slit 26A. Passengers board the steps 12 as they travel across this horizontal section. When the train moves from the horizontal section to the inclined section where the first guide rail 36 and the second guide rail 38 are laid at an angle, the oscillating roller 42 guided by the second guide rail 38 oscillates around the axis of the drive shaft 28 toward the step 26, causing the partitions 44 to protrude upward from the slit 26A.

At this time, because the partition 44 is flexible, it bends appropriately while sliding against the side wall of the slit 26A, allowing the partition 44 to protrude smoothly. Also, in the unlikely event that a passenger bumps into it, the partition 44 deforms appropriately, preventing injury.

The area that moves in and out of the slit 26A is formed in an arc shape, which also allows the partition 44 to protrude smoothly.

As described above, passengers attempting to walk on the escalator 10 in which the partition 44 appears must step over the partition 44 that protrudes upward from the step 26, and the partition 44 becomes an obstacle to walking. The partition 44 that appears as shown in FIG. 1 has the effect of discouraging passengers from walking, thereby suppressing walking on the steps. Furthermore, even if some passengers start to walk because the partition 44 makes it difficult to walk, they will give up and stop trying to walk thereafter, thereby suppressing walking on the steps.

When moving from the inclined section to the horizontal section (not shown) on the upper US side, the oscillating roller 42 oscillates around the axis of the drive shaft 28 in a direction away from the step 26, and the tip of the partition 12 is stored in the slit 26A, similar to the steps 12B and 12C in FIG. 5. In this case, the pair of L-shaped bars 40 can be rotated with a large force due to the weight of the pair of L-shaped bars 40 and the pair of oscillating rollers 42, as well as the biasing force (restoring force) of the torsion coil spring 46, so that the partition 12 can be stored reliably.

At the lower DS and upper US, the steps 12 are guided by the first guide rail 36 and the second guide rail 38 laid in an arc shape to make a turn. At that time, the adjacent steps 12A and 12B are in the posture shown in FIG. 5. When adding the configuration specific to this embodiment (the configuration that moves the partition 44 forward and backward above the step 26) to an existing escalator, it is preferable to make the diameter of the oscillating roller 42 smaller than the diameter of the driven roller 34. FIG. 5 shows an example of such a configuration. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the distance between the oscillating roller 42 of the step 12A and the driven roller 34 of the step 12B is very short. Therefore, if the oscillating roller 42 is made the same diameter as the driven roller 34, there is a risk that the two will interfere with each other and smooth turnaround operation will not be ensured.

The above describes the operation of the steps 12 at the downstairs DS using the escalator 10 as an upward movement, but the operation at the upstairs US is similar, so illustrations and explanations of that are omitted. Also, the operation when used for the downward movement is the same as when used for the upward movement, so explanations of that are also omitted.

As described above, unlike Patent Document 1, the escalator 10 according to the embodiment does not require any equipment that requires a new power source to be added to the existing escalator configuration. In addition, the partition 44 can be protruded from the tread 26 by a configuration different from that described in Patent Document 2.

The amount (height) of the partition 44 protruding from the step 26 can be changed (adjusted) as follows. For example, if the height of the partition 44 is to be made higher than that shown in FIG. 3, the length of the first bar 40A, i.e., the turning radius of the L-shaped bar 40, which is the turning member, is shortened.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the rotation angle of the L-shaped bar 40 when moving from the horizontal section to the inclined section increases from α (FIG. 3(a)) to β (FIG. 6(a)) (β>α). As a result, the protruding height of the partition 44 from the footboard 26 increases in proportion to the rotation angle. In other words, the protruding height of the partition 44 can be adjusted by changing the rotation radius of the L-shaped bar 40, which is a rotating member.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiment, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and for example, the present invention can be made into the following embodiment.
(1) In the above embodiment, a pair of L-shaped bars 40 are used as the rotating members, but this is not limited to the above. For example, a square plate can be used as the rotating member. A first side of the plate is fixed to the drive shaft 28. A bearing member or the like is fixed to both ends of a second side parallel to the first side, and an oscillating roller 42 is attached to each of the bearing members. Then, a partition 44 is attached to the upper surface of the plate near the second side.

(2) In the above embodiment, a torsion coil spring 46 is used as a biasing member for biasing the L-shaped bar 40 in a direction away from the footboard 26, but the biasing member is not limited to this and other elastic bodies may be used. For example, a urethane mat may be used, and the urethane mat is inserted between the pair of first bars 40A and the back surface of the footboard 26.

(3) In the above embodiment, the escalator 10 is described as a two-row escalator, but the present invention can also be applied to a one-row escalator. This is because the "no walking" rule remains the same even when there is only one row of passengers.

The present invention can be used, for example, in escalators where it is necessary to prevent passengers from walking.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 12 step 22 frame 22A first side portion 22B second side portion 22C third side portion 24 riser 26 step plate 26A slit 28 drive shaft 32 drive roller 34 driven roller 40 L-shaped bar 42 swing roller 44 partition

Claims (6)

An escalator step for transporting passengers, which is pulled by a pair of drive chains that travel in a circular manner and guided by a pair of first guide rails and a pair of second guide rails that are laid at an interval in the vertical direction,
A triangular frame when viewed from the side,
a riser attached to a first side of the triangle in the frame;
a step plate attached to the second side of the triangle of the frame, the step plate having a slit at an end portion on the riser side along the edge of the riser;
a drive shaft attached to an end of the third side of the triangle of the frame on the side of the footboard, the drive shaft having both ends connected to the pair of drive chains, respectively;
a pair of drive rollers rotatably provided on both ends of the drive shaft and guided by the pair of first guide rails, respectively;
a pair of driven rollers rotatably attached to the end of the third side portion on the riser side and guided by the pair of second guide rails, respectively;
a rotating member attached to be rotatable about an axis of the drive shaft;
a pair of oscillating rollers provided on the rotating member and guided by the pair of second guide rails, respectively;
a partition having a base end attached to the rotating member and a tip end portion capable of moving in and out of the slit, the partition being disposed between the pair of oscillating rollers;
Including,
An escalator step characterized in that in a horizontal section for transporting passengers, where the first guide rail and the second guide rail are laid horizontally, the tip of the partition is located at least below the upper edge of the slit, and when moving from the horizontal section to an inclined section where the first guide rail and the second guide rail are laid diagonally, the oscillating roller guided by the second guide rail oscillates around the axis toward the step, and the partition protrudes upward from the slit. The escalator step according to claim 1, characterized in that the partition is flexible. The escalator step according to claim 1, characterized in that at least the portion of the partition that enters and exits through the slit is formed in an arc shape in side view. The escalator step according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a biasing member that biases the rotating member in a direction away from the step. The escalator step according to claim 1, characterized in that the diameter of the oscillating roller is smaller than the diameter of the driven roller. An escalator having a plurality of steps that are endlessly connected and run in a circular motion,
An escalator, characterized in that the escalator step according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is used for each of the plurality of steps.