Passenger conveyor

Abstract

To provide a passenger conveyor capable of reducing the sense of resistance to handrail gripping and facilitating handrail gripping of a passenger.SOLUTION: This passenger conveyor comprises: a plurality of steps 30 that circulates in a truss 2; a pair of handrails 13 provided on both sides of the steps 30; a handrail belt 15 that moves around the handrail 13 in synchronization with the circulation of the steps 30; a heater 52 that heats the handrail belt 15 moving on a return path; and a sterilization device 53 that sterilizes the handrail belt moving on the return path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE An embodiment of the present invention relates to a passenger conveyor. [Background technology]

[0002] In passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways, when the temperature of the surrounding environment drops in winter, the handrails also become cold, so many passengers are seen not wanting to hold onto the handrails and instead putting their hands in their pockets to keep warm. Also, due to the recent increase in interest in preventing infectious diseases, there is a growing tendency to avoid holding onto handrails that are touched by an unspecified number of passengers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-215383 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a passenger conveyor that reduces the resistance felt when holding onto a handrail, making it easier for passengers to hold onto the handrail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The passenger conveyor of the embodiment comprises a plurality of steps that circulate within a truss, a pair of handrails provided on either side of the steps, a handrail belt that moves around the handrails in synchronization with the circulatory movement of the steps, a heating device that heats the handrail belt as it moves on the return path, and a sterilization device that sterilizes the handrail belt as it moves on the return path. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a passenger conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] Cross section of line AA in Figure 1 [Diagram 3] A longitudinal section view of the processing device mounted on the passenger conveyor from the right side. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of a passenger conveyor according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Hereinafter, a passenger conveyor 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0008] In this embodiment, the passenger conveyor 1 is described as an escalator in which a number of steps 30 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "steps 30") move in a circular manner between an upper floor boarding / alighting entrance 17 and a lower floor boarding / alighting entrance 18, but the present invention can also be applied to a moving walkway in which steps move horizontally.

[0009] In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the truss 2 may be referred to as the front-rear direction, and the width direction of the truss 2 as the left-right direction. Additionally, the front-rear direction and the left-right direction refer to the direction when looking at an upper floor from a lower floor, with the upper floor side being the front side and the lower floor side being the rear side.

[0010] (1) Passenger Conveyor 1 As shown in Fig. 1, a truss 2 that extends in the front-rear direction (the direction in which steps 30 move) and is the framework of the passenger conveyor 1 is supported by a support angle (not shown) across the upper and lower floors of the building. Note that the members on the right side of the passenger conveyor 1 are omitted in Fig. 1.

[0011] The passenger conveyor 1 is located near the boarding and alighting entrances 17, 18 of the upper and lower floors, and is composed of horizontal sections 25a, 25e along which the steps 30 move horizontally, an intermediate inclined section 25c along which the steps 30 move in a straight line at a predetermined inclination angle, and a pair of upper and lower curved sections 25b, 25d which gently connect the horizontal section and the intermediate inclined section and along which the steps 30 move in a curved manner.

[0012] The steps 30 are connected by endless step chains 11 arranged on both sides thereof, and are disposed within a truss 2 installed under the floor of the building.

[0013] The step 30 comprises a pair of left and right step frames 31 whose side shapes are approximately triangular, a cleat surface 32 formed on the upper surface of the step frames 31, and a riser surface 33 formed on the rear surface of the step frames 31. The step frames 31, the cleat surface 32, and the riser surface 33 are integrally formed by aluminum die casting.

[0014] On the surface of the cleat face 32, i.e., the surface on which passengers board the step 30, a plurality of cleat protrusions extending along the movement direction (front-to-back direction) of the step 30 are provided parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and cleat grooves are formed between adjacent cleat protrusions.

[0015] A pair of left and right front wheels 35 are mounted via bearings on the front ends of the pair of left and right step frames 31 and on support shafts that protrude outward in the width direction of the steps 30. In addition, a pair of left and right rear wheels 37 are mounted via bearings on the outside of the tip of the mounting part formed integrally with the step frames 31 at the rear lower ends of the pair of left and right step frames 31.

[0016] A pair of left and right guide rails, a front guide rail (not shown) and a rear guide rail (not shown), fixed to the truss 2, are disposed on both sides of the width of the steps 30 along the traveling direction of the steps 30. The front wheels 35 are guided along the traveling direction of the steps 30 by the front guide rail, and the rear wheels 37 are guided along the traveling direction of the steps 30 by the rear guide rail, so that the steps 30 move cyclically along a predetermined track within the truss.

[0017] Inside the machine room 5 on the upper floor side at the upper end of the truss 2, there are provided a drive device 6 for running the steps 30, a pair of left and right drive sprockets 7, a pair of left and right handrail belt sprockets 12, and a control unit 16.

[0018] The drive device 6 has a motor consisting of an induction motor, a reducer, an output sprocket attached to the output shaft of the reducer, a step chain 11 driven by the output sprocket, and a disk brake that stops the rotation of the motor and keeps it stopped. The drive sprocket 7 is rotated by a drive chain 8. The pair of left and right drive sprockets 7 and the pair of left and right handrail belt sprockets 12 are connected by a connecting belt (not shown) and rotate synchronously.

[0019] A driven sprocket 10 is provided inside the lower floor machine room 9 at the lower end of the truss 2. A pair of left and right endless step chains 11 are hung between the driving sprocket 7 on the upper floor and the driven sprocket 10 on the lower floor. Front wheels 35 of multiple steps 30 are attached at equal intervals to the pair of left and right step chains 11.

[0020] A pair of left and right balustrades 13 are erected on both the left and right sides of the truss 2. An outward handrail rail 14A is provided above the balustrade 13, and a return handrail rail 14B is provided below the balustrade 13 (see Figure 2). An endless handrail belt 15 is attached to the handrail rails 14A and 14B. The handrail rails 14A and 14B guide the handrail belt 15 as it moves around the balustrade 13. The handrail belt 15 is made of a material such as rubber or urethane.

[0021] As shown in Fig. 2, the handrail belt 15 has a gripping portion 15a that faces upward and is touched by the passenger's hands when moving along the handrail rail 14A on the outbound route, side portions 15b provided at both left and right ends of the gripping portion 15a, and a folded portion 15c that extends inward from the side portions 15b so as to wrap around the handrail rails 14A and 14B. As shown in Fig. 1, the handrail belt 15 is wound around the circumferential surface of the handrail belt sprocket 12 and is pressed against the circumferential surface of the handrail belt sprocket 12 by a pressing roller 29. When the handrail belt sprocket 12 rotates, the handrail belt 15 is driven by the frictional force generated between the gripping portion 15a and the handrail belt sprocket 12, and is guided by the handrail rails 14A and 14B to move circulating around the balustrade 13.

[0022] An upper floor front skirt guard 21 is provided at the lower front part of the upper floor side of the balustrade 13, and a lower floor front skirt guard 22 is provided at the lower front part of the lower floor side. Inlets 23, 24, which are the entrances and exits of the handrail belt 15, protrude from the upper floor and lower floor front skirt guards 21, 22, respectively.

[0023] A skirt portion 25 is provided along the front-to-rear direction on the lower portion of each side of a pair of left and right balustrades 13 extending from the boarding / alighting entrance 17 to the boarding / alighting entrance 18. As shown in Fig. 2, the skirt portion 25 includes a plate-shaped inner ledge 26 that covers the step 30 side (inner side in the width direction) of the lower portion of the balustrade 13, an outer ledge 27 that covers the outside of the lower portion of the balustrade 13, and a plate-shaped skirt guard 28 that is arranged in the vertical direction facing the side of the step 30. The step 30 runs between the pair of left and right skirt guards 28. The inner ledge 26, together with the skirt guard 28, protects the feet of passengers, and is attached at an angle between the upper end of the skirt guard 28 and the step 30 side of the lower portion of the balustrade 13.

[0024] As shown in Figure 1, the skirt portion 25 is composed of, in order from the upper floor side to the lower floor side, an upper floor horizontal portion 25a, an upper floor curved portion 25b, an intermediate inclined portion 25c, a lower floor curved portion 25d, and a lower floor horizontal portion 25e.

[0025] The upper floor horizontal portion 25a is a portion that forms the upper floor end of the skirt portion 25, and is a portion where the upper end of the skirt portion 25 (i.e., the inner ledge 26 and the outer ledge 27) extends horizontally. The lower floor horizontal portion 25e is a portion that forms the lower floor end of the skirt portion 25, and is a portion where the upper end of the skirt portion 25 extends horizontally. The intermediate inclined portion 25c is a portion provided in the center of the skirt portion 25 in the front-to-rear direction, and is a portion where the upper end of the skirt portion 25 inclines along the moving direction of the step 30. The upper floor curved portion 25b is a portion that gently connects between the upper floor horizontal portion 25a and the intermediate inclined portion 25c, and is a portion where the upper end of the skirt portion 25 curves to bulge upward. The lower floor curved portion 25d is a portion that gently connects the lower floor horizontal portion 25e and the intermediate inclined portion 25c, and is a portion where the upper end of the skirt portion 25 is curved so as to bulge downward.

[0026] When the driving sprocket 7 rotates upon receiving a rotational force from the driving device 6, the step chain 11 moves cyclically between the driving sprocket 7 and the driven sprocket 10. In response to this, the front wheels 35 and rear wheels 37 provided on the steps 30 run on the front guide rail and the rear guide rail, and engage with recesses on the outer periphery of the driving sprocket 7 and recesses on the outer periphery of the driven sprocket 10, causing the steps 30 to turn upside down. As a result, the steps 30 move cyclically between the upper boarding / alighting entrance 17 and the lower boarding / alighting entrance 18, alternately passing through an outward route in which the steps move from one boarding / alighting entrance (boarding entrance) 17 (or 18) to the other boarding / alighting entrance (alight) 18 (or 17) to transport passengers, and a return route in which the steps move from the alighting entrance to the boarding entrance below the outward route.

[0027] Furthermore, when the handrail belt sprocket 12 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive sprocket 7, the handrail belt 15 is driven by the frictional force with the handrail belt sprocket 12. As a result, the handrail belt 15 circulates in synchronization with the steps 30 between the upper floor boarding / alighting entrance 17 and the lower floor boarding / alighting entrance 18, alternately passing through an outward route where the handrail belt 15 moves from the boarding entrance to the alighting entrance along the outward handrail rail 14A with the gripping portion 15a facing upward, and a return route where the handrail belt 15 moves from the alighting entrance to the boarding entrance along the return handrail rail 14B with the gripping portion 15a facing downward.

[0028] A treatment device 50 is provided inside the pair of left and right skirt portions 25 to heat and sterilize the handrail belt 15 running on the return handrail rail 14B.

[0029] (2) Processing device 50 Next, the processing device 50 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. The processing device 50 provided on the left skirt portion 25 and the processing device 50 provided on the right skirt portion 25 have the same configuration.

[0030] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the processing device 50 includes a cover 51 that covers the gripping portion 15a, side portion 15b and folded portion 15c of the handrail belt 15 moving on the return path, a heating device 52 and a sterilization device 53 provided inside the cover 51, a first temperature detection unit 57 that detects the temperature inside the cover 51, and a second temperature detection unit 58 that detects the temperature outside the cover 51.

[0031] The cover 51 is fixed to the truss 2 via the mounting member 54 and is provided on the intermediate inclined portion 25c of the skirt portion 25. The cover 51 includes a bottom portion 51a provided along the handrail rail 14B on the return route side, a pair of left and right side walls 51b extending upward from both left and right ends of the bottom portion 51a, and a pair of left and right upper walls 51c extending inward from the upper ends of the pair of left and right side walls 51b. The cover 51 is cylindrical with a slit-shaped opening 51d opening upward between the pair of left and right upper walls 51c.

[0032] The return-way handrail rail 14B is provided inside the cylindrical cover 51. The handrail rail 14B is connected to a rail support part 55 by a connecting bolt 56 that extends upward through an opening 51d in the cover 51, and the rail support part 55 is fixed to the truss 2. The handrail belt 15 that moves on the return way along the return-way handrail rail 14B passes inside the cover 51. The cover 51 covers the grip part 15a and side part 15b that form the lower surface and the folded part 15c that forms the upper surface of the handrail belt 15 that passes inside it.

[0033] One or more heating devices 52 are provided on the bottom 51a of the cover 51 so as to face the gripping portion 15a of the handrail belt 15 passing through the inside of the cover 51 at an interval in the vertical direction. The heating device 52 is composed of an infrared heater or a resistor, and heats the handrail belt 15 passing through the inside of the cover 51.

[0034] One or more sterilization devices 53 are provided on the bottom 51a of the cover 51 so as to face the gripping portion 15a of the handrail belt 15 passing through the inside of the cover 51 with a gap therebetween in the vertical direction. The heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 are provided side by side in the left-right direction below the gripping portion 15a (see FIG. 2) and are provided alternately along the front-rear direction (see FIG. 3), so that both the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 are provided in a staggered manner when viewed from above. The sterilization device 53 sterilizes the gripping portion 15a of the handrail belt 15 by irradiating it with ultraviolet light.

[0035] (3) Electrical configuration of passenger conveyor 1 The electrical configuration of the passenger conveyor 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

[0036] The control unit 16 is connected to the motor of the drive unit 6, and is also connected to a heating unit 52, a sterilization unit 53, a first temperature detection unit 57, and a second temperature detection unit 58 provided in the processing device 50.

[0037] The control unit 16 controls the operation of the passenger conveyor 1 by controlling the rotation / stop, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the motor of the drive device 6. In addition, the control unit 16 receives a signal related to the internal temperature of the cover 51 detected by the first temperature detection unit 57 and a signal related to the external temperature of the cover 51 (the temperature of the atmosphere in which the passenger conveyor 1 is installed) detected by the second temperature detection unit 58, and controls the operations of the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 based on the input signals and the operating state of the drive device 6.

[0038] (4) Operation of the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 Next, the operations of the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 will be described.

[0039] When the motor of the drive device 6 rotates and the passenger conveyor 1 performs an ascending or descending operation, the control unit 16 acquires the temperature of the atmosphere in which the passenger conveyor 1 is installed, detected by the second temperature detection unit 58.

[0040] If the acquired temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature (for example, equal to or higher than 10° C.), the control unit 16 stops the heating device 52 and operates the sterilization device 53 to sterilize the handrail belt 15 passing inside the cover 51. If the acquired temperature is less than a predetermined temperature (for example, less than 10°C), the control unit 16 operates the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 to heat and sterilize the handrail belt 15 passing through the inside of the cover 51. At that time, the control unit 16 adjusts the output of the heating device 52 so that the internal temperature of the cover 51 detected by the first temperature detection unit 57 becomes a predetermined temperature. The internal temperature of the cover 51 when the heating device 52 is operating can be set to any temperature. The number of heating devices 52 arranged in the front-rear direction is determined so that the handrail belt 15 made of rubber or urethane can be heated to the above temperature when the handrail belt 15 runs at a normal speed (20 to 30 m / min). In addition, the heated handrail belt 15 needs to have a temperature that is lowered to a level that passengers do not feel is too hot when they grab it immediately after it exits the inlets 23, 24. If the handrail belt 15 is heated to 120°C or higher under the condition that the temperature is lowered to such a level immediately after it exits the inlets 23, 24, a sterilization effect by heating can also be obtained. The ultraviolet light output from the sterilization device 53 is irradiated directly onto the gripping portion 15a of the traveling handrail belt 15, and is also reflected by the inner surface of the cover 51 and irradiated onto the side portion 15b and the folded portion 15c of the handrail belt 15, sterilizing bacteria and viruses adhering to the surface of the handrail belt 15 passing through the inside of the cover 51. In other words, the handrail belt 15 traveling on the return journey is alternately heated by the heating device 52 and sterilized by the sterilization device 53 inside the cover 51.

[0041] (5) Effects In the passenger conveyor 1 of this embodiment, the handrail belt 15 moving on the return journey can be heated and sterilized by the heating device 52 and sterilization device 53 provided in the processing device 50, so when the temperature of the atmosphere in which the passenger conveyor 1 is installed is low, such as in winter, the handrail belt 15 can be heated to an appropriate temperature that makes it easy for passengers to grasp while suppressing the growth of bacteria and viruses. This reduces the resistance felt by passengers when holding onto the handrail, making it easier for passengers to grasp the handrail.

[0042] In the passenger conveyor 1 of this embodiment, a cover 51 is provided to cover the gripping portion 15a, side portion 15b, and folded portion 15c of the handrail belt 15 traveling on the return path, so that the handrail belt 15 heated by the heating device 52 does not cool down easily.

[0043] In this embodiment, when the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 are provided on the cover 51, the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 can be attached to the desired position by fixing the cover 51 to the truss 2 via the mounting member 54, making the installation work easy. Moreover, since the heating device 52 and the sterilization device 53 heat and sterilize the handrail belt 15 inside the cover 51, infrared rays emitted from the heating device 52 and ultraviolet rays emitted from the sterilization device 53 are less likely to leak outside the cover 51, and the handrail belt 15 can be heated and sterilized efficiently.

[0044] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, this embodiment is presented as an example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1... passenger conveyor, 2... truss, 12... handrail belt sprocket, 13... balustrade, 14A... handrail rail on outward side, 14B... handrail rail on return side, 15... belt, 15a... gripping portion, 15b... side portion, 15c... turn-up portion, 16... control portion, 25... skirt portion, 30... step, 50... processing device, 51... cover, 52... heating device, 53... sterilization device, 54... mounting member, 57... first temperature detection portion, 58... second temperature detection portion

Claims

1. A passenger conveyor comprising: a plurality of steps which circulate within a truss; a pair of handrails provided on both sides of the steps; a handrail belt which circulates above the handrails on an outbound route and below the handrails on a return route in synchronization with the circulatory movement of the steps; a heating device which heats the handrail belt which travels on the return route; and a sterilization device which sterilizes the handrail belt which travels on the return route.

2. 2. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the heating device is provided inside a cover that covers a lower surface, a side surface and an upper surface of the handrail belt moving on the return path, and heats the handrail belt.

3. The passenger conveyor according to claim 2 , wherein the sterilization device is also provided inside the cover, and sterilizes the handrail belt inside the cover.

4. The step has a horizontal section where the step moves horizontally, and an intermediate inclined section where the step moves linearly at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the horizontal direction, 2. The passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the heating device is provided at the intermediate inclined portion and heats the handrail belt that moves linearly at a predetermined inclination angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

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