Passenger conveyor having a support

Abstract

The invention relates to a passenger transport system (1) comprising a circulating transport belt (25) and comprising a drive (41) for driving the belt. The drive (41) has a motor (80), a connecting gear unit (83) and a drive shaft (84) which is operatively connected via the connecting gear unit (83) to the motor (80). The passenger transport system (1) has a supporting structure (11) in which the transport belt (25) is movably guided and the drive shaft (84) is rotatably mounted. The passenger transport system (1) also has a support (33) which is arranged in the region of a first end (8) of the supporting structure (11) in order to support the first end (8) of the supporting structure (11) against a building structure (3). The support (33) projects from a bottom (U) of the supporting structure (11) and from the supporting structure (11) in an orthogonal direction relative to the longitudinal extent of the supporting structure (11). The motor (80) is secured to the support (33) outside of an interior space (12) bounded by the supporting structure (11).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a passenger conveyance system designed as an escalator or moving walkway.

[0002] Passenger transport systems such as escalators or moving walkways are frequently used to transport large crowds of people. Escalators and moving walkways are therefore often found in department stores, airports, train stations, or underground stations.

[0003] Passenger transport systems of the aforementioned type typically feature a stable supporting structure in the form of a framework, within which conveying elements connected to form a circulating conveyor belt are movably arranged. In the case of an escalator, this conveyor belt is designed as a stepped belt; in the case of a moving walkway, it is essentially a flat pallet belt. This circulating conveyor belt is driven by a drive unit located within the framework, which comprises at least one motor, at least one gearbox, and a drive shaft operatively connected to the motor via the gearbox. The conveyor belt is usually guided at an angle of 180° around the drive shaft, allowing it to be deflected and driven by the shaft. Furthermore, balustrades with movable handrails are usually provided on both sides of the conveyor belt, driven synchronously with the conveyor belt by a handrail drive.

[0004] Due to the high load forces that occur during the operation of an escalator or moving walkway, and which act particularly on the drive, the surrounding frame must be particularly stable in order to absorb and dissipate these large forces acting on the drive.

[0005] In escalators and moving walkways, the motors and gearboxes that drive the system are, where possible, located in the space between and below the step or pallet conveyor within the supporting structure due to limited space and architectural requirements; this also applies to the handrail drive. However, in extra-long escalators and moving walkways, the space within the supporting structure is insufficient. RU 2 508 242 C2 therefore discloses a drive frame completely separate from the supporting structure, on which the drive shaft, the connecting gearbox, and the motor are mounted. The drive frame and the supporting structure must be very securely anchored in the building, as enormous tensile forces from the conveyor belt act between the two components. Furthermore, the building structure in this area must be designed to adequately support these tensile forces.

[0006] Depending on the type of structure in which the passenger transport system is to be used, maintenance from below may be necessary. EP 3 224 185 B1 discloses such an escalator that can be serviced from below. In this design, the gearbox housing of the connecting gear serves as a support for the motors and the drive shaft and contains a set of gears for a reduction gear arrangement. The gearbox housing, which serves as a support, must be very robust and rigid, and is therefore very large in its dimensions. Furthermore, the manufacture of such a gearbox housing is very complex and expensive. Due to this multifunctional design, maintenance work usually requires the entire drive unit to be removed, which necessitates a considerable amount of surrounding space within the structure.CN 105 712 168 A discloses an escalator whose supporting structure is braced against the building structure by means of a support arranged on its underside. CN 105 712 168 A also discloses a passenger conveying system according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0007] The present invention is therefore based on the objective of creating a drive system, in particular for extra-long escalators with a large lifting height and for very long moving walkways, whereby the space requirement in the building and the manufacturing costs of the drive system are to be kept as low as possible.

[0008] This task is solved by a passenger conveying system designed as an escalator or moving walkway. The passenger conveying system comprises a circulating conveyor belt, which is composed of a multitude of conveying elements, and a drive unit for powering the conveyor belt. The drive unit has at least one motor, at least one gearbox, and a drive shaft, which is operatively connected to the motor via the gearbox. The conveyor belt is guided over the drive shaft and is movable by means of the drive shaft. The passenger conveying system also has a supporting structure in which the conveyor belt is movably guided. With respect to its longitudinal extent, the supporting structure is bounded at two ends, with the drive shaft being rotatably mounted in the supporting structure at the first end.The longitudinal extent of the supporting structure or the passenger transport system essentially corresponds to the direction of its longest extension or a conveying direction of the conveyor belt.

[0009] Furthermore, the passenger transport system has a support located at the first end of the supporting structure. This support is designed to brace the first end of the supporting structure against a building in the intended installation position of the passenger transport system. For this purpose, the support projects below the underside of the supporting structure by extending from it at least orthogonally. The at least one motor is mounted on the support outside an interior space enclosed by the supporting structure. If multiple motors are present, which drive the drive shaft, preferably all motors are mounted on the support.

[0010] In other words, the support projects from the underside of the structure and extends at least perpendicular to its longitudinal extent. The support does not necessarily have to terminate at the underside, but can also extend into the interior space enclosed by the structure.

[0011] In other words, the support not only bears the weight of the passenger transport system and any lateral operating forces acting at its first end, but also serves as a mounting point for at least one motor. The support thus provides an exceptionally stable and rigid base, allowing the motor(s) to be mounted relative to the other components of the passenger transport system without extensive adjustments. The counter-torque and weight of the motor are directly supported by the support within the structure, thereby decoupling the connecting gearbox housing from motor forces. This allows for a significantly lighter and more cost-effective design.The same applies to the drive shaft mounted in the supporting structure, where its weight and the tensile forces of the conveyor belt acting upon it are directly supported by the supporting structure, thus preventing any additional load on the connecting gear housing. Furthermore, with this drive arrangement, the motor, the drive shaft, and, depending on the specific design, even the connecting gear can be easily removed and serviced independently of one another.

[0012] An intermediate gearbox is located between the motor and the connecting gearbox. The motor is attached to the support via a housing of the intermediate gearbox. The housing of the intermediate gearbox thus also supports the weight and counter-torque of the motor on the support. Since the intermediate gearbox is located outside the supporting structure, accessibility for maintenance work is also very good.

[0013] The intermediate gearbox is preferably a hypoid gearbox, a hypoid spur gearbox, or a worm gearbox. A hypoid spur gearbox is a gearbox with at least two stages, comprising a hypoid gear stage and a spur gear stage. Such gearboxes allow for the simple placement of a motor drive shaft along the longitudinal axis of the passenger transport system, enabling the placement of two motors side-by-side within the width of the supporting structure, if required. Furthermore, the design of the intermediate gearbox as a worm gearbox, hypoid spur gearbox, or hypoid gearbox allows for a high gear ratio in the range of 1:5 to 1:40 within a very small space.

[0014] The connecting gear is preferably designed as a spur gear. This allows for a very flat housing design, so that no additional space in the width of the passenger conveying system is required at the first end. The connecting gear can have a gear ratio between its output shaft and its input shaft ranging from 1:1 to 1:20.

[0015] In one embodiment of the invention, the connecting gear and the intermediate gear are connected to each other via a torque-transmitting elastic coupling. This has the advantage of damping vibrations in the drive train. Furthermore, the elastic coupling also compensates for axial misalignments between the connecting gear shafts of the two gears. For example, a jaw coupling or pin coupling with elastic intermediate elements made of metal or plastic can be used as the elastic coupling.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the drive shaft extends through the connecting gear housing of the connecting gear. This allows the connecting gear to be pivotally mounted in the support structure via the extending drive shaft. To absorb torques and thus relieve stress on the elastic coupling, the connecting gear is also supported by a torque arm on the support or the support structure. This design ideally decouples the connecting gear housing from external forces. The connecting gear is designed such that its output shaft has a bore through which the drive shaft can extend. Optionally, the output shaft with its output spur gear is designed in two halves (the dividing plane contains the axis of rotation of the output shaft and the output spur gear), and the connecting gear housing and the rolling bearings are similarly designed to be divisible in the area of ​​the output shaft.By opening the connecting gear housing at this point and removing the output spur gear, the connecting gear can be removed from the drive shaft without detaching the drive shaft from the support structure.

[0017] In a further embodiment of the invention, the support is detachably attached to the supporting structure by means of fasteners. This has the advantage that the support can, for example, first be mounted in the building, and then the first end of the supporting structure can be placed on the support. This makes the supporting structure or supporting structure section to be installed in the building less bulky.

[0018] In a further embodiment of the invention, the support has a height-adjustable base. This enables precise leveling of the passenger transport system relative to an adjacent floor of the building. As a result, the foundation of the building on which the support is to be mounted can be constructed with less precision and therefore at a lower cost. Furthermore, no additional materials, such as a set of spacers or the like, are required.

[0019] To accommodate the remaining components, the supporting structure has a U-shaped cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the passenger conveyor system. This cross-section is formed by two side sections and a base structure. Guide rails for the conveyor belt, the conveyor belt itself, return sections of handrails, and similar components are arranged in the space between the side sections. The base structure is positioned at the lower edges of the side sections, rigidly connecting them to the structure. Top chords are present on the upper surface of the side sections, with the first ends of the side sections and the first end of the base structure forming the first end of the supporting structure.

[0020] In a further embodiment of the invention, upper chord end sections of the two upper chords are present in the area of ​​the first end of the supporting structure. These end sections project along the longitudinal extent of the supporting structure beyond the support, the floor structure, and the other components of the side sections. The upper chord end sections serve as supports for a floor covering of the passenger conveyor system. The floor covering is designed as a walkable surface and spans the area between a floor of the structure and the conveyor belt. This creates a very stable support for the floor covering on the supporting structure.

[0021] In a further embodiment of the invention, the upper chord end sections project above the at least one motor. The floor cover arranged on the upper chord end sections thus covers components of the drive unit located below.

[0022] In a further embodiment of the invention, the supporting structure has two L-shaped side panels, each comprising a vertical leg and a horizontal leg. A side panel is attached to the first end of each side panel by its vertical leg, with the two side panels arranged parallel to each other and their horizontal legs extending parallel to the upper chord end sections of the passenger conveyor system. Preferably, the vertical leg and the side panel are connected to each other by means of welds; however, the side panels can also be soldered or bonded to the side panels. Naturally, positive-locking and friction-locking connections such as screws, pins, rivets, and the like are also suitable.

[0023] In a further embodiment of the invention, a bearing block with rolling bearings for rotatable mounting of the drive shaft is arranged on each horizontal leg of the side walls. In other words, the horizontal legs at the first end of the support structure form a kind of fork on which the bearing blocks are arranged and between which the drive shaft is rotatably mounted.

[0024] In a further embodiment of the invention, the bearing block is attached to the side wall in a position that is adjustable relative to the side wall by means of adjusting means. This allows the drive shaft to be adjusted relative to the supporting structure, so that the sprockets arranged on the drive shaft are aligned with the conveyor belt and the axis of rotation of the drive shaft can be correctly aligned.

[0025] Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereby neither the drawings nor the description are to be interpreted as limiting the invention. Identical or equivalent features are designated by the same reference numeral. The drawings show: Figure 1: Schematic side view of a passenger conveying system according to the invention, the first end of which is supported by a column in a building and the second end of which is supported by a bearing bracket in the building; Figure 2: The first end of the passenger conveying system from the Figure 1 in an enlarged and more detailed side view; Figure 3: the one in the Figure 2 The first end of the passenger transport system is shown in a three-dimensional view from below, without adjacent contours of the structure.

[0026] The figures are schematic only and not to scale. Identical reference symbols in the different figures denote identical or equivalent features.

[0027] Figure 1 Figure 1 schematically shows a side view of a passenger conveying system 1, designed as an escalator, connecting a first floor E1 with a second floor E2 of a building 3. The passenger conveying system 1 has a supporting structure 11, which is composed of four serially connected supporting structure modules 13, 15, 17, 19. A first end 8 of the supporting structure 11 is supported by a column 33 located at ground level on a foundation slab 7 of floor E1. A second end 6 of the supporting structure 11 is supported by a bearing bracket 16 located at the end face on the floor 5 of floor E2. Instead of a bearing bracket 16, the second end 6 can also be supported by a column located at ground level on the supporting structure 11 on the floor 5 of floor E2.

[0028] The first structural module 13, located on floor E2, has an access area 21. The fourth structural module 19 also has an access area 23 and is located on floor E1. The second structural module 15 and the third structural module 17 are located between the first structural module 13 and the fourth structural module 19, connecting them. For clarity, only the outlines of the first and fourth structural modules 13 and 19 are shown. The second and third structural modules 15 and 17 are shown in more detail and have an identical structure in this example. The structural modules 13, 15, 17, and 19 are connected to each other via connection points 31. Typically, detachable fasteners such as high-strength bolts are used for this purpose.

[0029] The supporting structure 11 bears the load of all other components of the passenger transport system 1 and supports them against the structure 3. Such components include, for example, a drive 41, guide rails 43, and a control unit 45 for controlling the drive unit 41. Furthermore, a conveyor belt 25 is located between the components described below. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The described side sections 63, 65 of the supporting structure 11 are arranged. The conveyor belt 25 of the passenger transport system 1 has steps 27. In a moving walkway, the conveyor belt 25 would have pallets instead of steps 27. The conveyor belt 25 is guided by the guide rails 43 so that it can move freely around its circumference and can be driven by the drive 41.

[0030] Above the supporting structure 11 are two balustrades 51 which can be assembled from balustrade components 53, 55, 57 (based on the side view shown). Figure 1(Only one of the two balustrades 51 is visible) is erected, with the balustrades 51 arranged on both sides of the conveyor belt 25 and attached to mounting flanges 61 of the supporting structure 11. A handrail 29 is arranged to move around each of the two balustrades 51. The two handrails 29 are also driven synchronously with the conveyor belt 25 by means of the drive 41.

[0031] The Figures 2 and 3 Both show the first end 8 of the supporting structure 11 from the Figure 1 in an enlarged and more detailed side view, or in a three-dimensional view from below. Both figures are described together. The following references to position "bottom" and "top" and the characteristics "underside" and "top" refer to the installation position of the supporting structure 11 in the building 3.

[0032] The first end 8 of the supporting structure 11 is supported in the intended installation position of the passenger transport system 1 by means of the support 33 on the structure 3. For the sake of clarity, the structure 3 is only shown in the Figure 2 , but not in the Figure 3 The support 33 projects from a bottom surface U of the supporting structure 11 and in an orthogonal direction to its longitudinal extent from the supporting structure 11.

[0033] As can be seen in particular from the Figure 3As can be seen, the supporting structure 11 has a U-shaped cross-section transverse to the longitudinal extent of the passenger transport system 1, which is formed by two side sections 63, 65 and a base structure 67 of the supporting structure 11. The base structure 67 is arranged at the lower edges 64, 66 of the side sections 63, 65 and connects them firmly to each other. Top chords 69, 70 are present on the upper surface 68 of the side sections 63, 65, which project beyond the first end 8 of the supporting structure 1 in the longitudinal extent of the passenger transport system 1 as top chord end sections 71, 72. By definition, the first end 8 of the supporting structure 11 is formed by the first ends of the side parts 63, 65 and the first end of the floor structure 67, and not by projecting areas such as the top chord end sections 71, 72. The top chord end sections 71, 72 serve as supports for a floor covering 73 of the passenger transport system 1.The drive 41 is arranged below the upper chord end sections 71, 72 and is completely covered by the bottom cover 73.

[0034] The supporting structure 11 also has two L-shaped side stringers 75 (only one visible), each comprising a vertical leg 76 and a horizontal leg 77. A side stringer 75 with its vertical leg 76 is welded to each side section 63, 65 below the top chord end sections 71, 72. The two side stringers 75 are arranged parallel to each other, with their horizontal legs 77 extending parallel to the top chord end sections 71, 72 of the supporting structure 11.

[0035] The aforementioned drive 41 comprises, according to its drive train, a motor 80, an intermediate gearbox 81, a connecting gearbox 83, and a drive shaft 84. The drive shaft 84 is thus operatively connected to the motor 80 in a speed-reducing and torque-transmitting manner.

[0036] As can be seen in particular from the Figure 3 As can be seen, the drive 41 has two motors 80, two intermediate gearboxes 81, and two connecting gearboxes 83 (one only barely visible), which act in parallel to transmit torque to the drive shaft 84. The number of motors 80 to be used depends on the intended conveying height (vertical distance between floors E1 and E2) and the length of the passenger conveying system 1. The conveying elements 27, connected to form a circulating conveyor belt 25, are as shown in the Figure 1 shown, guided over the drive shaft 84. In the Figures 2 and 3 For clarity, the conveyor belt 25 was omitted so that the two drive sprockets 85 of the drive shaft 84, over which the conveyor belt 25 is deflected and driven, are visible.

[0037] On each horizontal leg 77 of the two side walls 75, a bearing block 78 with a roller bearing (inside the bearing block, not visible) is arranged, in which the drive shaft 84 is rotatably mounted. The two bearing blocks 78 are attached to the side wall 75 in an adjustable position relative to the side wall 75 by means of adjusting means 79. For improved mutual support, one leg end 74 of each horizontal leg 77 is connected to the upper chord end section 71, 72 arranged above it by a detachable triangular frame 90. Screws, pins, and the like can be used for this detachable connection. The supporting structure 11, with its two side sections 63, 65, its base structure 67, its two side walls 75, and its two triangular frames 90, thus encloses an interior space 12. The drive shaft 84 is rotatably arranged within the interior space 12.

[0038] The motor 80 is attached to the support 33 outside the interior space 12 enclosed by the supporting structure 11 via a housing 87 of the intermediate gearbox 81. The intermediate gearbox 81 is a hypoid gearbox, hypoid spur gearbox, or worm gearbox and has a gear ratio of 1:5 to 1:40 between its output shaft 88 and its input shaft 89. A motor shaft 103 of the motor 80 is connected to the input shaft 89 of the intermediate gearbox 81. The output shaft 88 of the intermediate gearbox 81 is connected to an input shaft 91 of the connecting gearbox 83 via a flexible coupling 82, thus transmitting torque. An auxiliary motor 97 is arranged below one of the two motors 80 and can be coupled to the motor shaft 103 of the motor 80 by means of a clutch 98. The auxiliary motor 97 is intended to move the conveyor belt 25 at a very low speed during maintenance work.

[0039] The connecting gear 83 is designed as a multi-stage spur gear and has a gear ratio from its output shaft 92 to its input shaft 91 in the range of 1:1 to 1:20. The output shaft 92 of the connecting gear 83 is designed as a hollow shaft in which the drive shaft 84 is arranged to pass through. The drive shaft 84 also passes through a connecting gear housing 93 of the connecting gear 83. This allows the connecting gear 83 to be pivotally mounted in the support structure 11 via the passing drive shaft 84. Furthermore, the connecting gear 83 is also supported on the support 33 via a torque arm 94. In the present embodiment, the connecting gear 83 is thus arranged partly inside the interior space 12 and partly outside the interior space 12.

[0040] A sprocket 86 is arranged on both ends of the drive shaft 84, which drives a handrail drive wheel 101 via a circulating chain 99. By means of the in Figure 2 The handrail 29, shown schematically by means of a dashed line, is driven by the handrail drive wheel 101, which is shown with a broken line.

[0041] The support 33 can be detachably attached to the supporting structure 11 by means of fasteners. In the illustrated embodiment, however, the support 33 is welded to the supporting structure 11. Furthermore, the support 33 has a height-adjustable base 34. This allows for precise leveling of the passenger transport system 1, or rather its floor covering 73, relative to an adjacent floor 4 of the structure 3. The base rests on a foundation slab 95, which is anchored to the foundation base 7 in the structure 3 by means of anchor bolts 96.

[0042] Although based on the Figures 1 to 3Since a welded support structure 11 is shown, it is obvious that riveted, clinched, screwed or glued support structures 11 can also be used for the present invention.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as "comprising," "encompassing," etc., do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. Reference numerals in the claims are not to be considered as limitations.

Claims

1. A passenger transport system (1) designed as an escalator or moving walkway; having a circulating transport belt (25) and a drive (41) for driving the transport belt (25), wherein the drive (41) has at least one motor (80), at least one connecting gear (83), and a drive shaft (84) operatively connected to the motor (80) via the connecting gear (83), wherein the transport belt (25) is guided via the drive shaft (84) and can be moved by means of the drive shaft (84); and having a support structure (11) in which the transport belt (25) is arranged such as to be movably guided, and wherein the drive shaft (84) is rotatably mounted in the support structure (11) in the region of a first end (8) of the support structure (11), wherein • the passenger transport system (1) has a support (33) which is arranged on the support structure (11) in the region of the first end (8) and is provided to support the first end (8) of the support structure (11) on a building structure (3) in the intended installation position of the passenger transport system (1); and • wherein the support (33) projects below an underside (U) of the support structure (11) by projecting from the underside at least in the orthogonal direction; characterized in that • the motor (80) is fastened to the support (33) outside an internal space (12) enclosed by the support structure (11), wherein an intermediate gear (80) is arranged between the motor (80) and the connecting gear (83) and the motor (80) is attached to the support (33) via a housing (87) of the intermediate gear (81).

2. The passenger transport system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate gear (81) is a hypoid gear, a hypoid spur gear, or worm gear and has a gear ratio from its output shaft (87) to its input shaft (89) in the range of 1:5 to 1:40.

3. The passenger transport system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the connecting gear (83) is a spur gear and has a gear ratio from its output shaft (92) to its input shaft (88) in the range of 1:1 to 1:20.

4. The passenger transport system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the connecting gear (83) and the intermediate gear (81) are connected to one another in a torque-transmitting manner via an elastic coupling (82).

5. The passenger transport system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the drive shaft (84) protrudes through a connecting gear housing (93) of the connecting gear (83); as a result, the connecting gear (83) is, on the one hand, pivotably mounted in the support structure (11) via the protruding drive shaft (84), and, on the other hand, the connecting gear (83) is supported on the support (33) or on the support structure (11) via a torque support (94).

6. The passenger transport system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the support (33) is releasably fastened to the support structure (11) by means of fastening means.

7. The passenger transport system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the support (33) has a height-adjustable base region (34).

8. The passenger transport system (1) according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the support structure (11) has a U-shaped cross section transversely to the longitudinal extent of the passenger transport system (1), which cross section is formed by two side parts (63, 65) and a bottom structure (67) of the support structure (11), wherein the bottom structure (67) is arranged at lower edges (64, 66) of the side parts (63, 65) with respect to the installation position of the support structure (11) in the building structure (3) and connects them firmly to one another, and wherein top chords (69, 70) are present on the upper side of the side parts (63, 65), wherein first ends of the side parts (63, 65) and the first end of the bottom structure (67) form the first end (8) of the support structure (11).

9. The passenger transport system (1) according to claim 8, wherein top chord end portions (71, 72) of the two top chords (69, 70) are present in the region of the first end (8) of the support structure (11), which in the longitudinal extent of the support structure (11) protrude beyond the support (33), the bottom structure (67), and the remaining components of the side parts (63, 65) and which serve as carriers of a floor cover (73) of the passenger transport system (1).

10. The passenger transport system (1) according to claim 9, wherein the top chord end portions (71, 72) project beyond the at least one motor (80).

11. The passenger transport system (1) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the support structure (11) has two L-shaped sidewalls (75), which each comprise a vertical leg (76) and a horizontal leg (77), and a sidewall (75) with its vertical leg (76) is fastened to the first end (8) of each side part (63, 64) of the support structure (11), wherein the two sidewalls (75) are arranged parallel to one another and their horizontal legs (77) extend parallel to the top chord end portions (71, 72) of the passenger transport system (1).

12. The passenger transport system (1) according to claim 11, wherein a bearing block (78) with a roller bearing is arranged on each horizontal leg (77) of the sidewalls (75) for rotatably supporting the drive shaft (84).

13. The passenger transport system (1) according to claim 12, wherein the bearing block (78) is fastened to the sidewall (75) by adjusting means (79) such as to be adjustable in its position relative to the sidewall (75).

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