Roller structure for handrail guide profile of escalator or moving walkway

Abstract

The invention relates to a roller structure (25) which can be inserted into a groove (61, 63) of a handrail guide profile (19) of an escalator (11) or a moving walkway (21). The roller arrangement (25) comprises a bearing block (71) and at least one roller shaft (81) having a roller (31), the roller (31) being rotatably mounted in the bearing block (71) by means of the roller shaft (81). Furthermore, the roller structure (25) has at least one locking element (83, 93, 96) and a clamping element (85), which are arranged on the bearing block (71) in an interacting manner such that, when the roller structure (25) engages in the recess (61, 63), the locking element (83, 93, 96) can be clamped between mutually opposite walls (65, 67) of the recess (61, 63) by means of the clamping element (85).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a roller structure for a handrail guide profile, a handrail guide profile with the roller structure, and an escalator or a moving walkway with the handrail guide profile. Background Art

[0002] Escalators and moving walkways have handrails arranged around their guardrails, which move synchronously with the step belts of the escalator or the pallet belts of the moving walkway. These handrails are usually profile belts made of elastic material, reinforced with strands, and are guided by handrail guide profiles, also commonly referred to as handrail guide rails. The handrail guide profiles are mostly plate profiles made of steel or stainless steel or extruded profiles made of polymer materials or aluminum with a cross section that is approximately hat-shaped. Usually, the handrail guide profile is not provided with a low-friction structure that reduces wear. As a result, the handrail is in direct contact with the handrail guide profile. In the case of escalators and moving walkways used outdoors, rainwater may reach between the handrail guide profile and the handrail. This leads to a change in friction resistance, so that the handrail will produce a jerky movement during operation. This not only brings an uncomfortable ride feeling to the user, but also brings some hidden dangers, and may even cause the monitoring sensor to respond and stop the escalator or moving walkway.

[0003] In order to reduce the frictional resistance when the handrail is deflected violently, DE29500800U1, for example, proposes to use rollers instead of handrail guide profiles in this area. EP3587335A2 discloses a roller arrangement with a plurality of rollers, which are fixed in the handrail guide profile by means of slats and by fixing screws. For this purpose, the handrail guide profile is provided with fixing holes on site, which means considerable assembly effort. In addition, the individual slats must be cut into the areas to be provided with rollers. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the invention is to minimize the installation effort of rollers in a handrail guide profile and to design them more flexibly.

[0005] This object is achieved by a roller arrangement which is suitable for being inserted into a groove of a handrail guide profile of an escalator or moving walkway. Specifically, this means that the roller arrangement is dimensioned so that it can be inserted and fixed in the groove. The roller arrangement comprises a bearing seat and at least one roller shaft with rollers. The rollers are rotatably supported in the bearing seat by means of the roller shaft. In addition, the roller arrangement has at least one locking element and a clamping element which are arranged on the bearing seat in an interactive manner so that when the roller arrangement is inserted into the groove, the locking element can be clamped between mutually opposing walls of the groove by means of the clamping element.

[0006] In other words, the roller arrangement comprises a locking element which can be moved by means of a clamping element from an unclamped position, in which the roller arrangement can be easily inserted into the recess, into a clamped position, in which the roller arrangement can no longer be moved out of the recess. As a result, it is no longer necessary to modify the handrail guide profile in order to securely and durably fix the roller arrangement therein. Furthermore, such a roller arrangement can be used in a highly flexible manner, since the individual rollers can be fixed in the recess of the handrail guide profile at freely selectable spacings from one another, and it is not necessary to insert an entire belt with rollers. This saves considerable installation effort and material costs, since the roller arrangement is only installed where the corresponding support is required.

[0007] The locking element and the clamping element can have completely different designs. For example, a threaded connection can be used as the clamping element. Of course, a lever arrangement, such as a toggle lever or an eccentric arrangement, can also be used to apply the clamping force to the locking element. Preferably, the clamping element has a bolt and a nut.

[0008] In a first embodiment of the roller arrangement, the locking element is an arched leaf spring element. A bearing surface is formed on the bearing seat, on which the locking element is arranged. Here, the arched portion of the leaf spring element spans the bearing surface. With the aid of a clamping element, the arched portion of the locking element can be variably flattened on the bearing surface, thereby changing its lateral expansion or width. This width variation is used to clamp the clamping element between the mutually opposite walls of the groove. Depending on the design of the locking element and the force applied by the clamping element, a force-locking (frictional lock) and / or positive-locking (forming a notch in the wall of the groove) fixation of the roller arrangement in the groove is achieved.

[0009] In a second embodiment of the roller structure, the locking element is designed as a wedge element. In addition, a wedge surface is formed on the bearing seat, on which the locking element is arranged in a linearly movable manner. Due to the shape of the wedge surface and the wedge element, the wedge element can be moved orthogonally to the direction of the clamping force and relative to the bearing seat, similar to the above-mentioned leaf spring element, due to the clamping force of the clamping element. As a result, the width of the roller structure is also changed until the contour of the wedge element on the one hand and the bearing seat on the other hand are located on the mutually opposite walls of the groove. The clamping force acting on the wall depends on the reduction ratio of the wedge element, more precisely on its wedge angle.

[0010] The third embodiment of the locking element is very similar to the second embodiment, wherein the locking element comprises two wedges. A bearing surface is formed on the bearing seat, on which the two wedges are arranged in a linearly movable manner and with complementary inclinations to one another. The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in function only in that the two wedges are movable relative to one another and relative to the bearing surface.

[0011] In order to achieve a secure fixation or anchoring of the roller arrangement in the handrail guide profile, the region of the locking element provided for contact with the wall of the recess can have a contact edge.

[0012] In principle, the clamping element and / or the locking element can be designed so that the locking element that has been clamped between the walls of the groove can no longer be released. To this end, the clamping element and / or the locking element can have mutually hooked structures, plastically deformable areas, snap-in elements or fastening mechanisms, such as anaerobic adhesives, fastening elements, etc.

[0013] The bearing seat of the roller structure has two side walls with receptacles for roller shafts. The two side walls are connected to each other via a base structure of the bearing seat, so that the bearing seat has a U-shaped cross section formed by the side walls and the base structure. A locking element and at least one clamping element corresponding to the locking element are arranged on the base structure, for example.

[0014] In order to be able to replace the rollers without having to release the bearing seat from the groove of the handrail guide profile, the receptacle formed in the side wall is preferably designed as a U-shaped recess. Its open area is oriented in the direction away from the base structure. The roller shaft can be inserted into the receptacle. In this case, the roller shaft is prevented from falling out of the bearing seat by the roller-guided handrail.

[0015] In order to prevent relative movements and thus wear between the bearing seat and the roller axle, a complementary positive-locking structure can be formed between the roller axle and the at least one recess as a rotation lock.

[0016] The handrail guide profile may be provided with at least one roller structure before it is installed in the guardrail of the escalator or moving walkway. Of course, the handrail guide profiles of existing escalators or moving walkways may also be provided with these roller structures, as long as these handrail guide profiles have at least one matching groove.

[0017] In principle, the groove only has to have two mutually opposite walls, the spacing of which in the provided area is coordinated with the locking element. The cross section of the groove can be designed as desired, wherein the trapezoidal cross section of the groove should not widen excessively toward the open side of the groove, since the clamped locking element could become loose due to vibrations during operation. The design of the groove bottom of the groove arranged between the walls is largely unimportant and the groove can be a concave surface, a surface arranged at an angle to the walls, etc. However, grooves with a rectangular cross section are particularly suitable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the accompanying drawings nor the description should be considered as limiting the present invention. The same features or features having the same functions are provided with the same reference numerals. Among them:

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic side view shows a section of a guardrail of an escalator or moving walkway, the guardrail having a rotatably movable handrail guided by a handrail guide profile, wherein a roller arrangement embedded in the handrail guide profile is shown;

[0020] Figure 2 Shown enlarged Figure 1 The cross section AA through the handrail and the handrail guide profile shown in has two roller structures arranged side by side according to the first embodiment;

[0021] Figure 3 Shown in 3D view Figure 2 The roller structure shown;

[0022] Figure 4 Shown enlarged Figure 1 The cross section AA shown in FIG. 1 is through the handrail and the handrail guide profile as well as the roller arrangement in the second embodiment and the roller arrangement in the third embodiment.

[0023] The drawings are only schematic and not drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in different drawings denote identical or identically acting features. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Figure 1 A section of a guardrail 3 of an escalator 11 or a moving walkway 21 is schematically shown in a side view. The handrail 3 has a plurality of handrail panels 5, 7, 9 which are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal extension of the escalator 11 or the moving walkway 21. The handrail panels 5, 7, 9 are fixedly connected at their lower arms 13 by means of fixing means (not shown) in the handrail base 15 to other stationary components of the escalator 11 or the moving walkway 21. A handrail guide profile 19 is arranged on the other edge 17 of the handrail panels 5, 7, 9, which guides a rotatable handrail 23. In addition, at the Figure 1 , a plurality of roller structures 25 are shown, which are distributed along the guide path S of the handrail guide profile 19 and are embedded in the handrail guide profile 19. In fact, for a better overview, only the rollers 31 of the roller structures 25 are shown with a normal line width (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ). Rather, these parts that are not visible from the outside must be represented by thin, interrupted lines.

[0025] from Figure 1It can also be seen that the roller structures 25 can be arranged at different distances B, C, D from one another in the handrail guide profile 19. Thus, for example, where the direction of the handrail 23 changes and therefore high pressures must be supported on the handrail guide profile, the roller structures 25 are arranged closer to one another.

[0026] Figure 2 The enlarged view shows Figure 1 AA through the handrail 23 and the handrail guide profile 19 is given in FIG. The handrail 23 has a C-shaped cross section and is made of an elastic polymer material. The lateral guide grooves 51, 53 of the handrail guide profile 19 that are present through the C-shaped cross section surround the laterally projecting strips 55, 57 of the handrail guide profile 19 and thus form a sliding guide for the handrail 23 that can be moved relative to the handrail guide profile 19.

[0027] The handrail guide profile 19 has three grooves 59, 61, 63 arranged parallel to one another and extending in the longitudinal direction of the handrail guide profile 19. The central groove 59 is designed as a plug connection for fastening the handrail guide profile 19 to the edge region 17 of the guardrail panels 5, 7, 9. The roller structure 25 can be embedded in the other two grooves 61, 63. Embedding in this context means that the roller structure 25 is inserted into the grooves 61, 63 and is fixed therein in a non-retractable manner. In this case, the roller 31 protrudes from the grooves 61, 63 and the inner surface 33 of the handrail 23 resting on the roller 31 is spaced apart from the strips 55, 57 of the handrail guide profile 19.

[0028] exist Figure 2 In the cross section AA of , a roller structure 25 is respectively embedded side by side in each of the two outer grooves 61, 63. This arrangement in pairs is advantageous so that the handrail 23 is also supported by the roller structure 25 over its width (orthogonal to the guide path S).

[0029] exist Figure 3 The 3D view is also shown in Figure 2 One of the two roller structures 25 shown in FIG. 1 , so they will be described together below. Figure 2 and Figure 3 .

[0030] In the first embodiment, the roller arrangement 25 essentially comprises a bearing seat 71, a roller shaft 81, a roller 31, two locking elements 83 and two clamping elements 85. In the present embodiment, commercially available ball bearings made of steel are used as rollers 31. Of course, other rollers 31 can also be used, which, for example, have a plain bearing bushing coordinated with the roller shaft 81. The rotation axis R of the roller 31 is arranged orthogonally to the guide path S of the handrail guide profile 19 (see also Figure 1 ).

[0031] The bearing seat 71 is implemented as a bent sheet metal part and includes two side walls 73, 74 with a receptacle 77 for the roller shaft 81 and a bottom structure 75 connecting the two side walls 73, 74. The bearing seat 71 has a U-shaped cross section formed by the side walls 73, 74 and the bottom structure 75, so that the roller 31 can be arranged between the two side walls 73, 74. In addition, the spacing W between the two side walls 73, 74 is coordinated with the groove width T of the mutually opposite walls 65, 67 of the two outer grooves 61, 63, so that the bearing seat 71 can be inserted into the grooves 61, 63 with sufficient clearance.

[0032] The receiving portion 77 formed in the side walls 73, 74 is a U-shaped recess. Thus, the roller shaft 81 together with the roller 31 can be easily inserted into or removed from the receiving portion 77. This is possible even when the bearing seat 71 is embedded in the grooves 61, 63.

[0033] The locking elements 83 and the clamping elements 85 serve to fix the roller arrangement 25 in the recesses 61, 63 of the handrail guide profile 19. For each locking element 83, a bearing surface 79 is formed on the base structure 75 of the bearing seat 71. The locking element 83 is arranged on this bearing surface 79. The locking element 83 is an arched leaf spring element, wherein the arch of the leaf spring element spans the bearing surface 79. In addition, a bolt 86 is arranged on the bearing surface 79, which protrudes vertically from the bearing surface 79 and passes through the hole 84 of the locking element 83. In addition, a self-locking nut 87 is arranged on the bolt 86, wherein the locking element 83 is arranged between the bearing surface 79 and the nut 87. When the nut 87 is now tightened onto the bearing surface 79, the locking element 83 is gradually flattened. As a result, the width of the locking element 83 relative to the mutually opposite walls 65, 67 of the recesses 61, 63 changes until the regions of the locking element 83 provided for contact with the walls 65, 67 of the recesses 61, 63 come to bear against said walls. By further tightening the nut 87, these regions are clamped with increasing force relative to the walls 65, 67 of the recesses 61, 63. The bolt 86 and the nut 87 thus form a clamping element 85 for the locking element 83.

[0034] In order to prevent the roller shaft 81 from rotating in the receptacle 77, complementary structures 91, 92 are formed in the form of surfaces on the roller shaft 81 and on the recess 77. Together, these recesses provide a positive fit with respect to a rotational movement about the rotation axis R and thus form an anti-twist device between the roller shaft 81 and at least one recess 77.

[0035] Figure 4 The handrail 23 and the handrail guide profile 19 as well as the roller structure 25 in the second embodiment and the roller structure 25 in the third embodiment are shown in enlarged form. Figure 1The cross section AA shown in FIG. The basic structure of the second and third embodiments is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment. The difference between these two embodiments and the first embodiment is only in the differently designed locking elements 93 , 96 .

[0036] The roller structure 25 of the second embodiment has a wedge-shaped locking element 96. Instead of the bearing surface 79, a wedge surface 97 is formed on the bearing seat 71, on which the wedge-shaped locking element 96 is arranged in a linearly movable manner. Figure 4 As can be seen in the figure, the wedge angle α of the locking element 96 is complementary to the wedge surface 97, so that the nut 87 of the clamping element 85 acts in a planar manner on the wedge-shaped locking element 96. The wedge angle α should be greater than the solid friction angle that is formed, which depends on the friction coefficient between the nut 87, the locking element 96 and the wedge surface 97. When the nut 87 is tightened, the locking element 96 moves toward one of the two walls 67 of the groove 61 and presses the opposite side of the bearing seat 71 against the opposite wall 65 of the groove 61. As a result, the roller structure 25 is not embedded in the groove 61 in a central manner.

[0037] In order to insert the roller structure 25 in the middle, the third embodiment has a locking element 93 with two wedges 94, 95. As in the first embodiment, a bearing surface 79 is also formed on the bearing seat 71, on which the two wedges 94, 95 are arranged with complementary inclinations and in a linearly movable manner relative to each other. When the nut 87 is tightened, one wedge 94 of the locking element 93 moves toward one of the two walls 67 of the groove 63, and the other wedge 95 of the locking element 93 moves toward the opposite wall 65 of the groove 63.

[0038] The region of the locking elements 83, 93, 96 which is provided for contact with the walls 65, 67 of the recesses 61, 63 may have a contact edge 99 (see Figure 3 When the clamping element 85 is clamped, the pressing edge 99 partially embeds into the material of the handrail guide profile 19 and thus produces a positive fit, which better prevents the roller structure 25 from escaping from the grooves 61, 63 and / or prevents it from shifting along the guide path S in the grooves 61, 63.

[0039] Despite Figures 2 to 4 In the drawings, a screw is always shown as a clamping element 85, but it is obvious that other clamping elements 85 (e.g. a toggle clamp, an eccentric clamp, etc.) can be used for the invention in order to exert a force on the locking elements 83, 93, 96 and clamp the locking elements 83, 93, 96 in the groove of the handrail guide profile 19. In addition, the roller arrangement 25 can also have more than one roller 31, which are rotatably supported side by side on the same roller shaft 81 or on multiple roller shafts 81 in the same bearing seat 71 one after the other.

[0040] Finally, it is pointed out that terms such as "having", "comprising", etc. do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims should not be considered as limitations.

Claims

1. A roller structure (25) adapted to be embedded in a groove (61, 63) of a handrail guide profile (19) of an escalator (11) or a moving walkway (21), wherein: The roller structure (25) comprises a bearing seat (71) and at least one roller shaft (81) having a roller (31), and the roller (31) is supported in the bearing seat (71) in a rotatable manner by means of the roller shaft (81), characterized in that the roller structure (25) has at least one locking element (83, 93, 96) and a clamping element (85), and the at least one locking element and the clamping element are arranged on the bearing seat (71) in a manner that can interact with each other, so that when the roller structure (25) is inserted into the groove (61, 63), the locking element (83, 93, 96) can be clamped between mutually opposite walls (65, 67) of the groove (61, 63) by means of the clamping element (85).

2. The roller structure (25) according to claim 1, wherein: The locking element (83) is a curved leaf spring element and a bearing surface (79) is formed on the bearing seat (71), on which the locking element (83) is arranged, wherein the curved portion of the leaf spring element spans the bearing surface (79).

3. The roller structure (25) according to claim 1, wherein: The locking element (96) is designed as a wedge-shaped element and has a wedge surface (97) formed on the bearing seat (71), on which the locking element (96) is arranged in a linearly displaceable manner.

4. The roller structure (25) according to claim 1, wherein: The locking element (93) comprises two wedges (94, 95) and a bearing surface (79) is formed on the bearing seat (71), on which the two wedges (94, 95) are arranged with complementary inclinations to one another and in a linearly displaceable manner.

5. The roller structure (25) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The clamping element (85) has a screw (86) and a nut (87).

6. The roller structure (25) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The region of the locking element (83, 93, 96) which is provided for contact with the wall (65, 67) of the recess (61, 63) has a contact edge (99).

7. The roller structure (25) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The bearing seat (71) comprises two side walls (73, 74) and a bottom structure (75) connecting the two side walls (73, 74), the side wall having a receiving portion (77) for the roller shaft (81), and the bearing seat (71) having a U-shaped cross-section formed by the side walls (73, 74) and the bottom structure (75).

8. The roller structure (25) according to claim 7, wherein: The receptacle (77) formed in the side walls (73, 74) is a U-shaped recess.

9. The roller structure (25) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein: Complementary positive locking structures (91, 92) are formed between the roller shaft (81) and at least one recess as a rotation-proof device.

10. The roller structure (25) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein: At least one locking element (83, 93, 96) and at least one clamping element (85) corresponding to the locking element (83, 93, 96) are arranged on the base structure (75).

11. A handrail guide profile (19) having at least one roller arrangement (25) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. An escalator (11) or a moving walkway (21) having at least one handrail guide profile (19) according to claim 11.

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