Self-propelled handrail

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled handrail which reduces the physical burden when ascending and descending stairs, assists stable movement, can be installed in a space-saving manner and at low cost, and can be used even on curved stairs, and a method for manufacturing the same. [Solution] A self-propelled handrail equipped with a rail and a motor that extends in the direction of movement of a person, and a handrail body that is attached to the rail and runs on the rail using the motor, the rail comprises an aluminum frame 1 with a groove extending in the longitudinal direction, and a flexible type rack gear fitted into the groove, the rack gear is provided on the opposite side of the person in the horizontal direction with respect to the central axis of the rail, the main body of the motor is provided above the rail integrally with the handrail body, and the output shaft of the motor extends in the direction of gravity and is provided with a gear that meshes with the rack gear.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-propelled handrail that reduces the physical burden on pedestrians and assists them in moving steadily when moving along stairs or passageways. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, elevators and motorized lifts have been used in homes and facilities as a means to reduce the physical strain of going up and down stairs, but these devices cost hundreds of thousands of yen and require a lot of space to install, so they are not something that can be easily installed.

[0003] Motorized lifts for stairs, developed for people with disabilities, allow people to automatically ascend and descend stairs by sitting on the attached chair. However, for able-bodied people with sound legs, the chair is more than enough to reduce the physical burden and assist in stable movement, and the chair itself is expensive to install and takes up space on the stairs.

[0004] As a means for reducing the physical burden on able-bodied people when ascending and descending stairs, for example, there is the rail-type handrail lift described in Patent Document 1, which allows able-bodied people to reduce the physical burden by holding onto the handrail when ascending and descending stairs. These require less installation space than the motorized lift platform described above. However, because the motor is installed at a high position and a rope is fixed to the handrail to pull it, there are drawbacks in that it is time-consuming and expensive to install the motor separately, and it cannot be easily used on curved stairs.

[0005] The automatic handrail moving machine described in Patent Document 2 is also a rail-type handrail lift, but because the handrail is a belt-type, a structure for sliding the belt on the rail side is required, which makes the rail structure complicated. This device also has the disadvantage that it cannot be easily used on curved stairs.

[0006] There are devices that use spring force to assist people or heavy objects in ascending and descending stairs, such as the device described in Patent Document 3. However, as mentioned above, not only are they difficult to use on curved stairs, but they also have the disadvantage that when descending the stairs, the handrail must be slid to apply spring force.

[0007] In the stair climbing assistance system described in Patent Document 4, the wire rope 7 is required for the worm motor 5 to move the hanging ring fixing part 8, making it difficult to move the hanging ring fixing part 8 in a curved line.

[0008] In the staircase ascending / descending assist device described in Patent Document 5, if it is configured as shown in FIG. 3, the dimension in the left-right direction becomes large, making it difficult to install it in a space-saving manner.

[0009] In the stair climbing assistance device described in Patent Document 6, the electric motor 4 is not integrally formed with the auxiliary bar 3, and a feed screw 2b is required to move the auxiliary bar 3, making it difficult to move the auxiliary bar 3 in a curved manner. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3102530 [Patent Document 2] JP 2010-95384 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2013-40543 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2000-351557 A [Patent Document 5] JP 2016-163622 A [Patent Document 6] JP 2005-192836 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a self-propelled handrail and a method for manufacturing the same, which solves these problems, can be installed inexpensively and in a space-saving manner, and can be easily used on curved stairs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] A self-propelled handrail having a rail extending along the direction of movement of a person and a motor, the rail having an aluminum frame having a groove extending in the longitudinal direction and a flexible rack gear fitted into the groove, the rack gear being provided on the opposite side of the person with respect to the central axis of the rail in the horizontal direction, the motor body being provided on the upper side of the rail integrally with the handrail body, the motor output shaft extending in the direction of gravity and provided with a gear meshing with the rack gear. The rail preferably has an aluminum frame having a groove extending in the longitudinal direction and a flexible rack gear fitted into the groove. The handrail preferably has a handle suspended from the handrail body. The aluminum frame is further curved by bending. Effect of the Invention

[0013] This invention provides a self-propelled handrail that can be installed in a small space and can be easily used on curved stairs, and the introduction cost can be cheaper than that of elevators or motorized lifts. In addition, by placing the motor on the upper side, the horizontal dimension can be reduced, making it possible to install it in a smaller space, and not only does it make it easier to move the handrail body in a curved manner, but it also allows the rail support to be attached from the bottom, and by installing the support pole connecting the rail support from the ground, it is possible to support the rail in a cheap and stable manner even when it is difficult to fix it to a wall. Furthermore, by placing the rack gear on the opposite side to the person, the rack gear is not exposed to the person's side, which not only improves the appearance, but also works advantageously to prevent accidents in which fingers, etc. are carelessly put inside the gear. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of an example of self-propelled handrail installation [Diagram 2] Front view of self-propelled handrail [Diagram 3] Top view of self-propelled handrail [Figure 4] Side view of self-propelled handrail [Diagram 5] Schematic diagram of curved rail [Figure 6] Self-propelled handrail sequence circuit DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] The following description will be made with reference to Figures 1 to 6. A self-propelled handrail is equipped with a handrail body integrated with a motor that runs on the rail using the rail as a guide. The rail extends in the direction of movement of people, and rail supports for attaching the rail are connected to posts and installed on the floor or ground, or posts can be extended from walls or the like placed next to stairs, slopes, or passageways and connected to the rail supports. Figure 1 shows a rail attached to the side of stairs, etc., and the handrail body.

[0016] The rail is composed of an aluminum frame 1, a rack gear 2, a limit switch actuation bolt 3, and a rail support 14. The handrail body is composed of an electromagnetic brake geared motor 4, a gear 7 attached to the electromagnetic brake geared motor 4 and meshing with the rack gear 2, a total of 16 roller followers 8 for guiding the flat surface of the aluminum frame 1 that functions as a rail and assisting the operation of the handrail body, a limit switch 6 that is actuated and stopped by the limit switch actuation bolt 3 on the rail side, a handle 9, an actuation switch 11, a stop switch 10, a selection switch 12 for selecting forward and backward movement of the handrail body, a hook 13 for hanging luggage, and a control box 5 that stores electrical components such as relays. Electricity may be supplied from an outlet or from a battery installed in the handrail body. The self-propelled handrail according to this embodiment is inexpensive and has a simple structure. As shown in FIG. 1, a person holds the handle 9 suspended from the handrail body and hangs luggage on the hook 13 to climb the stairs, thereby reducing physical burden and assisting stable movement. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be used by a person holding the handrail body. In this case, the stop switch 10, the operation switch 11, the selection switch 12, and the hook 13 may be provided on the handrail body.

[0017] When a person goes up the stairs, they hang their luggage on hook 13, grip handle 9, select the upward direction with selection switch 12, and press operation switch 11. This activates geared motor 4 with electromagnetic brake, and as gear 7 rotates it engages with rack gear 2, moving the handrail in the upward direction of the stairs. Geared motor 4 with electromagnetic brake is decelerated by the built-in gear head, and it is preferable to set the movement speed to about 0.5 to 1.0 m / s.

[0018] The electrical circuit uses a relay and a limit switch 6, and as shown in FIG. 6, movement up and down the stairs is performed by a self-holding circuit.

[0019] Because the handrail itself pulls the person's hand as they move, the physical strain on them when going up and down the stairs is reduced and they do not have to carry luggage.

[0020] When stopping the handrail body in the middle of the stairs, pressing the stop switch 10 will activate the emergency stop and stop the handrail. While stopped, the stopped position will be maintained by the electromagnetic brake of the electromagnetic brake-equipped geared motor 4. The stopped handrail body can be restarted by pressing the operation switch 11.

[0021] When the handrail body reaches the top of the stairs, the limit switch operating bolt 3 activates the limit switch 6 on the upward side, and it stops automatically.

[0022] When going down the stairs, do the reverse of what you did going up.

[0023] When installing a curved staircase with a bent rail, it is cost-effective to use a pre-bent standard aluminum frame 1 from the manufacturer, but it is also acceptable to use a frame that has been bent into a curved shape using a bender or similar tool. It is preferable to use a flexible rack gear 2 that is fitted into a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the aluminum frame 1. When the handrail body moves along a curve, in the case of a rail with a curved radius of 300 mm as shown in Figure 5, a gap of 2.68 mm is created between the gears on the body side and the rail side compared to when the rail moves in a straight line. Therefore, when installing a curved rail, the gap can be avoided by anticipating the gap and positioning the flat part of the aluminum frame 1 and the rack gear 2 2.68 mm away from each other compared to when the rail moves in a straight line.

[0024] In recent years, land prices have risen in urban areas, and the demand for three-story houses is increasing to make use of small plots of land. When building a three-story house, many people would like to install an elevator to reduce the physical strain of going up and down the stairs, but the installation costs of several million yen and the installation space of about two tatami mats on each floor make it difficult to install, and many people have given up on the idea. On the other hand, self-propelled handrails are installed on the side of the stairs, and with at least one handrail unit, the physical strain of going up and down the stairs can be reduced in a space-saving and inexpensive way. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 1 Aluminum frame 2 Rack Gear 3 Limit switch operating bolt 4 Geared motor with electromagnetic brake 5 Control Box 6 Limit Switches 7 Gear 8 Roller Follower 9 Handle 10. Stop Switch 11 Operation switch 12 Selection switch 13. Hook 14 Rail support

Claims

[Claim 1] A handrail body includes a rail extending along the direction of movement of a person and a motor, the handrail body is attached to the rail and travels on the rail by the motor, The rail includes an aluminum frame having a groove extending in a longitudinal direction, and a flexible rack gear fitted into the groove, The rack gear is provided on the opposite side of the person with respect to the central axis of the rail in the horizontal direction, The main body of the motor is provided on the upper side of the rail integrally with the handrail main body, A self-propelled handrail in which the output shaft of the motor extends in the direction of gravity and is provided with a gear that meshes with the rack gear.

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