railing of the passenger conveyor

Abstract

The present invention provides a railing for a passenger conveyor that can prevent light leakage from gaps between metal panels. [Solution] The railing of the passenger conveyor of the present invention comprises a railing panel 50 which includes a plate-shaped core material 51, an inner member 52, and an outer member 53. The inner member 52 is provided with a first inner projection 52b and a second inner projection 52c that project toward the outer member from one end and the other end in the step movement direction, and the outer member 53 is provided with a first outer projection 53b and a second outer projection 53c that project toward the inner member from one end and the other end in the step movement direction. The first outer projection 53b and the second outer projection 53c of the railing panel 50 adjacent to one side in the step movement direction are accommodated between the first inner projection 52b and the core material 51, and the second inner projection 52c and the first inner projection 52b of the railing panel 50 adjacent to the other side in the step movement direction are accommodated between the second outer projection 53c and the core material 51.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to handrails of passenger conveyors.

Background Art

[0002] In passenger conveyors such as escalators and moving walkways, handrails are provided at both ends in the width direction of the steps on which passengers board. These handrails are erected at the upper end of a truss, which is the body of the passenger conveyor, and guide a moving handrail that circulates in the same direction as the steps at the same speed.

[0003] Some handrails use a metal handrail panel made of a thin metal plate such as stainless steel for a panel attached between the truss and the moving handrail.

[0004] In the configuration of a passenger conveyor having a handrail structure with a metal handrail panel, a plurality of metal handrail panels are arranged side by side in the moving direction of the steps via support members (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, when metal handrail panels are arranged side by side in the moving direction of the steps, light leaks through the gaps formed between the handrail panels. Since the metal handrail panels block light, streak-like light appears from the gaps between the handrail panels, which may impair the design of the passenger conveyor.

[0007] Therefore, in view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a railing for a passenger conveyor that is equipped with metal railing panels and can prevent light leakage from the gaps between the panels. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The railing of a passenger conveyor according to this embodiment is a railing of a passenger conveyor comprising a plurality of railing panels arranged in the direction of movement of the step on both sides in the width direction of the step, wherein the railing panel comprises a plate-shaped core material, an inner member provided on the step side of the core material, and an outer member provided on the opposite side of the step of the core material, wherein the inner member comprises an inner covering portion that covers the step-side surface of the core material, a first inner projection portion that protrudes from one end of the inner covering portion in the direction of movement toward the outer member, and a second inner projection portion that protrudes from the other end of the inner covering portion in the direction of movement toward the outer member, and the outer member comprises the core material The structure comprises an outer covering portion that covers the surface on the side opposite the step, a first outer projection portion that protrudes toward the inner member from one end of the outer covering portion in the direction of movement, and a second outer projection portion that protrudes toward the inner member from the other end of the outer covering portion in the direction of movement. A first housing portion is provided between the first inner projection portion and the core material for housing the first outer projection portion and the second outer projection portion of the railing panel adjacent to one side in the direction of movement, and a second housing portion is provided between the second outer projection portion and the core material for housing the second inner projection portion and the first inner projection portion of the railing panel adjacent to the other side in the direction of movement. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram showing a passenger conveyor with a railing, according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Cross-sectional view AA in Figure 1 [Figure 3] Deconstructed perspective view of the railing panel [Figure 4] A top view of the railing panels, which are arranged in the direction of movement of the steps. [Figure 5] BB cross-section diagram in Figure 2 [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings may be exaggerated compared to the actual objects for illustrative purposes.

[0011] In this embodiment, the passenger conveyor 1 is described as an escalator installed at an incline across the upper and lower floors of a building, as illustrated in Figure 1, in which steps 3 move between the upper and lower floors. However, the present invention can also be applied to moving walkways in which the steps move horizontally. In the following description, the direction in which the steps 3 move along the longitudinal direction of the truss 2 may be referred to as the step movement direction.

[0012] (1) Passenger conveyor 1 The passenger conveyor 1 comprises a truss 2 installed in the building between the upper and lower floors, numerous steps 3 arranged in an endlessly connected manner along an elongated elliptical orbit within the truss 2, a pair of railings 4 erected on both sides of the steps 3, and an endlessly movable handrail 11 attached to the periphery of the railings 4. The passenger conveyor 1 moves the steps 3 and movable handrail 11 in a circular motion between the entrance / exit 30 on the upper floor and the entrance / exit 31 on the lower floor by a drive mechanism.

[0013] As shown in Figure 2, the railing 4 is provided on the upper side of the main frame member 2a that extends in the direction of step movement and constitutes the truss 2. As one of the members of this railing 4, a skirt guard panel 5 is provided close to the side end of the step 3. This skirt guard panel 5 is fixed by a fixing member of the truss. An inner ledge 6 is attached and fixed in connection with the upper end of this skirt guard panel 5.

[0014] The railing 4 comprises a plurality of railing panels 50 arranged in the direction of step movement, and support members 40 attached to and fixed to the main frame members 2a of the truss 2. The support members 40 function as panel holders that support the railing panels 50 and erect them on the truss.

[0015] At the upper end of the railing panel 50, a handrail rail 8 for slidably fitting and guiding the movable handrail 11 is attached. The handrail rail 8 is fixed to the upper end of the railing panel 50 by fitting the upper end of the railing panel 50 into a mounting recess 8a provided on its lower side.

[0016] (2) Railing panel 50 Next, the configuration of the railing panel 50 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 2, FIGS. 3 and FIGS. 4.

[0017] The railing panel 50 includes a plate-shaped core material 51, an inner member 52 provided on the inner surface 51a of the core material 51 facing the step 3 side, and an outer member 53 provided on the outer surface 51b of the core material 51 facing the opposite step side. The inner member 52 and the outer member 53 are fixed to the inner surface 51a and the outer surface 51b of the core material 51 by a known method such as an adhesive.

[0018] The core material 51 includes a base portion 51c and a reinforcing portion 51d. The base portion 51c is a material with a honeycomb structure and can be made of the same metal as the inner member 52 and the outer member 53, such as stainless steel or aluminum, or a resin. The reinforcing portion 51d is provided at a location supported by the support member 40 and a location where the handrail rail 8 is attached, and is composed of a solid material with higher rigidity than the honeycomb-structured base portion 51c.

[0019] The inner member 52 is a member formed by bending a metal plate such as stainless steel into a predetermined shape. The outer member 53 is a member formed by bending the same type of metal plate as the inner member 52 or another type of metal plate into a predetermined shape.

[0020] Specifically, the inner member 52 includes an inner covering portion 52a that covers the inner surface 51a of the core material 51, a first inner protrusion 52b provided at one end of the inner covering portion 52a in the step movement direction, and a second inner protrusion 52c provided at the other end of the inner covering portion 52a in the step movement direction.

[0021] The inner covering portion 52a is provided at least longer than the core material 51 in the step movement direction, and forms a flat plate shape larger than the core material 51 so as to cover the entire core material 51.

[0022] The first inner protruding portion 52b is formed by bending one end portion of the inner covering portion 52a in the step movement direction outward in the width direction of the step 3 so as to protrude from one end in the step movement direction of the inner covering portion 52a toward the outer member 53 side.

[0023] The first inner protruding portion 52b is disposed at a position separated from the end face 51e on one side of the core material 51 in the step movement direction toward one side in the step movement direction. A first accommodating portion 54 that opens to the anti-step side is formed by the first inner protruding portion 52b, the inner covering portion 52a, and the end face 51e of the core material 51.

[0024] The second inner protruding portion 52c is formed by bending the other end portion of the inner covering portion 52a in the step movement direction outward in the width direction of the step 3 so as to protrude from the other end in the step movement direction of the inner covering portion 52a toward the outer member 53 side. The second inner protruding portion 52c faces the end face 51f on the other end side of the core material 51 in the movement direction.

[0025] The second inner protruding portion 52c is disposed at a position separated from the end face 51f on the other end side of the core material 51 in the movement direction toward the other side in the step movement direction. The distance between the second inner protruding portion 52c and the end face 51f is smaller than the distance between the first inner protruding portion 52b and the end face 51e of the core material 51 (that is, the length of the first accommodating portion 54 in the step movement direction).

[0026] The outer member 53 includes an outer covering portion 53a that covers the outer surface 51b of the core material 51, a first outer protruding portion 53b provided at one end of the outer covering portion 53a in the step movement direction, and a second outer protruding portion 53c provided at the other end of the outer covering portion 53a in the step movement direction.

[0027] The outer covering portion 53a is provided at least longer than the core material 51 in the step movement direction, and forms a flat plate shape larger than the core material 51 so as to cover the entire core material 51.

[0028] The first outer projection 53b is formed by bending one end of the outer covering portion 53a in the direction of step movement toward the inside of the step 3, so that it protrudes toward the inner member 52 from one end of the outer covering portion 53a in the direction of step movement.

[0029] The first outer projection 53b faces the end face 51e on one side in the direction of movement of the core material 51, with a gap between them. The first outer projection 53b is housed in a first housing portion 54 formed between the first inner projection 52b of the inner member 52 and the end face 51e of the core material 51. Preferably, the first outer projection 53b is positioned closer to the end face 51e than the first inner projection 52b.

[0030] The second outer projection 53c is formed by bending the other end of the outer covering portion 53a in the direction of step movement toward the inside of the step 3 in the width direction, so that it protrudes toward the inner member 52 from the other end of the outer covering portion 53a in the direction of step movement.

[0031] The second outer projection 53c is positioned away from the end face 51f of the core material 51 on the other end in the step movement direction, and the second outer projection 53c, the outer covering portion 53a, and the end face 51f of the core material 51 form a second housing portion 55 that opens towards the step. The second inner projection 52c of the inner member 52 is housed in this second housing portion 55.

[0032] Furthermore, it is preferable that the amount of the first inner protrusion 52b and the second inner protrusion 52c protruding from the inner covering portion 52a toward the outer member 53 is more than half of the thickness of the core material 51 (the distance between the inner surface 51a and the outer surface 51b of the core material 51) and less than or equal to the thickness of the core material 51. Also, it is preferable that the amount of the first outer protrusion 53b and the second outer protrusion 53c protruding from the outer covering portion 53a toward the inner member 52 is the same as the amount of the first inner protrusion 52b and the second inner protrusion 52c described above.

[0033] The railing panels 50, composed of the core material 51, inner member 52, and outer member 53 as described above, are arranged in the direction of step movement. In this case, as shown in Figure 4, the second outer projection 53c of the railing panel 50 adjacent to one side in the direction of step movement is accommodated in the first housing section 54 of the railing panel 50, and the first inner projection 52b of the railing panel 50 is accommodated in the second housing section 55 of the railing panel 50 adjacent to one side in the direction of step movement. In addition, the first inner projection 52b of the railing panel 50 adjacent to the other side in the direction of step movement is accommodated in the second housing section 55 of the railing panel 50.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the railing panels 50 are provided side by side in the direction of step movement on both sides in the width direction of the step 3. Preferably, the inner member 52 of the railing panel 50 provided on one side in the width direction of the step 3 is the same shape as the outer member 53 of the railing panel 50 provided on the other side in the width direction of the step 3, and is provided at the same position in the direction of step movement.

[0035] Furthermore, it is preferable that the outer member 53 of the railing panel 50 provided on one side in the width direction of the step 3 has the same shape as the inner member 52 of the railing panel 50 provided on the other side in the width direction of the step 3, and is provided at the same position in the direction of step movement.

[0036] By providing railing panels 50 on both sides in the width direction of the step 3 in this way, the same railing panels 50 can be used on both sides in the width direction of the step 3, thereby reducing the number of parts.

[0037] (3) Support member 40 Next, the support members 40 that fix the railing panel 50 to the truss 2 will be explained, mainly with reference to Figures 2 and 5.

[0038] The support member 40 comprises a base 42 provided with a V-shaped groove 41, a wedge member 43 provided in the groove 41, and a backing plate 44.

[0039] One groove wall 41a of the groove section 41 (for example, the groove wall on the step 3 side) is an inclined surface that slopes toward the step 3 side, with the groove width increasing as it goes upwards. The other groove wall 41b of the groove section 41 rises perpendicular to the direction of step movement and forms a facing surface that is opposite to the railing panel 50.

[0040] Two backing plates 44 are placed in the groove 41 of the support member 40. The backing plates 44 are made of, for example, a resin molded body formed from a synthetic resin material into a plate shape. The lower end of the railing panel 50 is inserted into the groove 41 between these backing plates 44 via a shim plate 46.

[0041] The wedge member 43 is fitted between one groove wall 41a and one backing plate 44, which form an inclined surface. The base 42 is provided with an adjustment bolt 45 connected to the wedge member 43, and the wedge member 43 is pushed into or pulled out of the groove 41 by the rotation of the adjustment bolt 45.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5, the support members 40 are fixed to the ends of the railing panels 50 in the direction of step movement, which are arranged in a line along the step movement direction, and the railing panels 50 are placed on the truss 2.

[0043] Specifically, the backing plate 44 of the support member 40 is positioned to straddle the adjacent railing panel 50 in the direction of step movement, and a shim plate 46 is provided between the backing plate 44 and the railing panel 50. The shim plate 46 is provided to avoid the first housing portion 54 and the second housing portion 55 provided at the end of the railing panel 50 in the direction of step movement, and is provided to face the reinforcing portion 51d of the core material 51 via the inner member 52 and the outer member 53.

[0044] Furthermore, the wedge member 43, which is provided between the V-shaped groove 41 and the backing plate 44, is also positioned to straddle the adjacent railing panel 50 in the direction of step movement. The wedge member 43 has a recess 43a that is recessed toward the step 3 side at a position facing the first housing section 54 and the second housing section 55 via the inner member 52 of the railing panel 50. As a result, the wedge member 43 does not press against the portion of the inner member 52 that covers the step side of the first housing section 54 and the second housing section 55, but rather presses against the shim plates 46 provided on both sides of the first housing section 54 and the second housing section 55.

[0045] Reference numeral 47 in Figure 2 indicates a support member that supports the lower surface of the railing panel 50. The support member 47 is a resin molded body made of synthetic resin and is provided between the lower surface of the railing panel 50 and the bottom of the groove 41, supporting the railing panel 50 from below.

[0046] To attach the railing panels 50 to such a support member 40, first, the second outer projection 53c of the railing panel 50 adjacent to the railing panel 50 on one side in the step movement direction is inserted into the first housing portion 54 of the railing panel 50, and the first inner projection 52b of the railing panel 50 is inserted into the second housing portion 55 of the railing panel 50 adjacent to the railing panel 50 on one side in the step movement direction, so that the two railing panels 50 are aligned in the step movement direction.

[0047] Then, the lower ends of the two railing panels 50 are inserted between the wedge member 43 provided in the groove 41 of the base 42 and the groove wall 41b of the groove 41, sandwiched between the backing plate 44 and the shim plate 46, and the lower surfaces of the railing panels 50 are brought into contact with the receiving member 47 provided at the bottom of the groove 41.

[0048] In this configuration, the wedge member 43, the backing plate 44, and the shim plate 46 are positioned across the two railing panels 50 such that the recess 43a of the wedge member 43 coincides with the first housing portion 54 and the second housing portion 55 of the two railing panels 50 in the width direction of the step 3, and the shim plate 46 avoids the first housing portion 54 and the second housing portion 55.

[0049] Then, the adjustment bolt 45 is rotated to push the wedge member 43 towards the bottom of the groove 41, generating a pressing force from the wedge member 43, and clamping the two railing panels 50 between the wedge member 43 and the groove wall 41b of the groove 41.

[0050] (4) Effects According to this embodiment, the first outer projection 53b and the second outer projection 53c of the railing panel 50 are housed in the first housing 54, which is covered on the step side by the inner covering portion 52a, and the first inner projection 52b and the second inner projection 52c of the railing panel 50 are housed in the second housing 55, which is covered on the opposite side of the step by the outer covering portion 53a. As a result, there is no gap between adjacent railing panels 50 that penetrates from the step side to the opposite side of the step, and no light leaks out to the outside.

[0051] In this embodiment, the support member 40 clamps the railing panel 50 at a position that avoids the first housing portion 54 and the second housing portion 55. Therefore, even if the pressing force is increased, the railing panel 50 is less likely to deform or break, and the railing panel 50 can be firmly supported.

[0052] In this embodiment, a gap opening towards the step 3 is created between the first inner protrusion 52b and the second inner protrusion 52c of the inner member 52 of the railing panel 50 adjacent in the step movement direction. However, if the amount of protrusion of the first inner protrusion 52b and the second inner protrusion 52c is more than half the thickness of the core material 51, the core material 51 is less visible through the gap, and the aesthetic appearance is less likely to be compromised. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0053] 1...Passenger conveyor, 2...Truss, 2a...Main frame member, 3...Step, 4...Balustrade, 5...Skirt guard panel, 6...Inner ledge, 8...Handrail rail, 11...Movable handrail, 40...Support member, 41...Groove, 43...Wedge member, 43a...Recess, 44...Backing plate, 45...Adjustment bolt, 46...Shim plate, 47...Receiving member, 50...Balustrade panel, 51...Core material, 51e...End face, 51f...End face, 52...Inner member, 52a...Inner covering, 52b...First inner projection, 52c...Second inner projection, 53...Outer member, 53a...Outer covering, 53b...First outer projection, 53c...Second outer projection, 54...First storage section, 55...Second storage section

Claims

1. In a passenger conveyor railing, which is provided with multiple railing panels arranged in the direction of step movement on both sides in the width direction of the step, The railing panel comprises a plate-shaped core material, an inner member provided on the step side of the core material, and an outer member provided on the opposite side of the step of the core material. The inner member comprises an inner covering portion that covers the step-side surface of the core material, a first inner projection portion that protrudes toward the outer member from one end of the inner covering portion in the direction of movement, and a second inner projection portion that protrudes toward the outer member from the other end of the inner covering portion in the direction of movement. The outer member comprises an outer covering portion that covers the surface of the core material opposite the step, a first outer projection that protrudes toward the inner member from one end of the outer covering portion in the direction of movement, and a second outer projection that protrudes toward the inner member from the other end of the outer covering portion in the direction of movement. A first housing portion is provided between the first inner protrusion and the core material, which accommodates the first outer protrusion and the second outer protrusion of the railing panel adjacent to one side in the direction of movement. A railing for a passenger conveyor, wherein a second housing portion is provided between the second outer protrusion and the core material, housing the second inner protrusion and the first inner protrusion of the railing panel adjacent to it on the other side in the direction of movement.

2. The railing for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, further comprising a support member attached to the lower end of the railing panel, which clamps the railing panel and erects it on the truss at a position avoiding the first and second housing portions.

3. The inner member of the railing panel provided on one side in the width direction and the outer member of the railing panel provided on the other side in the width direction are of the same shape and are provided at the same position in the direction of movement. The railing for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the outer member of the railing panel provided on one side in the width direction and the inner member of the railing panel provided on the other side in the width direction are of the same shape and are provided at the same position in the direction of movement.

4. The railing for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the first inner protrusion and the second inner protrusion protruding from the inner covering portion toward the outer member is half or more of the thickness of the core material.

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