Handrail for passenger conveyor and method for manufacturing handrail for passenger conveyor

Abstract

A handrail (1) for a passenger conveyor according to the present disclosure comprises a pad (13) that is provided to a joint, and a cover elastomer (14) that covers the pad (13). The cover elastomer (14) covers the pad (13) so as to hide a portion of the handrail (1) that is visible as the external appearance of the handrail (1) in the state of being attached to the passenger conveyor. An adhesive material layer comprising an adhesive material (21) for the cover elastomer is formed between the pad (13) and the cover elastomer (14). A cover elastomer adhesive material-impregnated part (21A) impregnated with the cover elastomer adhesive material (21) is formed on the surface side of the pad (13) in contact with the cover elastomer (14).

Description

Handrail for passenger conveyor and method of manufacturing handrail for passenger conveyor

[0001] The present disclosure relates to handrails for passenger conveyors and methods of manufacturing handrails for passenger conveyors.

[0002] As described in Patent Document 1, conventional handrails for passenger conveyors are constructed in an endless manner by joining both ends of a long member made of elastomer. In order to ensure strength or protect the joints, handrails for passenger conveyors are generally manufactured with a patch provided at the joint.

[0003] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-150121

[0004] The joints of handrails for passenger conveyors are prone to separation due to repeated bending loads. For example, if separation occurs between the patch and the covering elastomer, the separated part may get caught in the drive mechanism, causing an emergency stop of the passenger conveyor, which could be detrimental to users.

[0005] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems. An object of the present disclosure is to suppress peeling between a cover elastomer and a patch cloth at a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor.

[0006] A handrail for a passenger conveyor according to the present disclosure is a handrail for a passenger conveyor comprising a patch cloth provided at a joint and a cover elastomer that covers the patch cloth, wherein the cover elastomer covers the patch cloth so as to hide the visible portion of the handrail when attached to the passenger conveyor, an adhesive layer made of an adhesive is formed between the patch cloth and the cover elastomer, and an adhesive-impregnated portion impregnated with the adhesive is formed on the surface of the patch cloth that comes into contact with the cover elastomer.A manufacturing method for a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to the present disclosure is a manufacturing method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor configured as described above.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress peeling between the cover elastomer and the patch cloth at the joint of the handrail for a passenger conveyor.

[0008] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an escalator, which is one type of passenger conveyor, according to Embodiment 1. It is an enlarged view showing the bending load that a handrail receives when the drive unit in FIG. 1 is a sheave drive type. It is an inner side view showing the state of a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1. It is a view showing the front side of a patch cloth provided at a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1. It is a view showing the back side of a patch cloth provided at a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1. It is an x-x' cross-sectional view in FIG. 4. It is a top view of a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1. It is a top view of a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1, which is an x-x' cross-sectional view in FIG. 8. It is a flowchart showing the flow of a manufacturing process for a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1. It is a diagram showing an example of a specific method for the impregnation process in Embodiment 1. It is a table showing evaluation results of the adhesive strength between the cover elastomer and the patch cloth at the joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1. It is a top view showing the configuration of a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to a modified example of Embodiment 1. It is an x-x' cross-sectional view in FIG. 13. 19 is a perspective view showing the location where the waste material cover elastomer has been obtained in a modified example of embodiment 1. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view showing the location where the waste material cover elastomer has been obtained in a modified example of embodiment 1. FIG. 21 is a top view of the joint of the handrail in embodiment 1, which serves as a comparative example. FIG. 22 is a ZZ' cross-sectional view in the range Y-Y' in FIG. 17. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the waste material cover elastomer in embodiment 2, which has been processed so that the end is slanted. FIG. 24 is a side view of the waste material cover elastomer shown in FIG. 19. FIG. 25 is a top view of the joint of the handrail in embodiment 2. FIG. 26 is a ZZ' cross-sectional view in the range Y-Y' in FIG.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the various drawings indicate the same or corresponding parts. In this disclosure, redundant explanations will be appropriately simplified or omitted. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below, and may include all combinations and modifications of the configurations disclosed in the following embodiments.

[0010] Embodiment 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an escalator 100, which is one type of passenger conveyor according to embodiment 1. A handrail 1 is attached to the escalator 100. The handrail 1 is driven by a drive unit 101. The shape and drive system of the drive unit 101 vary depending on the model of the passenger conveyor. Known drive systems include, for example, roller drive systems and sheave drive systems. However, the drive system of the passenger conveyor in this disclosure is not limited to these.

[0011] When the escalator 100 operates as an elevator, the handrail 1 is driven by the drive unit 101 and bends along the guide at the entrance and exit areas. In this manner, during normal use of a passenger conveyor such as the escalator 100, the handrail 1 is subjected to repeated bending loads.

[0012] 2 is an enlarged view showing the bending load that the handrail 1 receives when the drive unit 101 in FIG. 1 is a sheave drive system. The elements that make up the drive unit 101 in a sheave drive system are a sheave 110 and a guide roller 111. The handrail 1 is transported so as to follow the guide roller 111 as the sheave 110 rotates. At this time, the handrail 1 that is wrapped around the sheave 110 receives a bending load along the circumference of the sheave 110. Furthermore, before and after passing through the sheave 110, the handrail 1 receives a bending load in the opposite direction to the sheave 110. In other words, in a sheave drive system, the handrail 1 receives bending loads in both the inward and outward directions of the circumference of the sheave 110. For this reason, in a sheave drive system, the displacement of the bending load on the handrail 1 is large.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a side view of the inside of a joint of a handrail 1 for a passenger conveyor according to the first embodiment. The handrail 1 is manufactured endlessly by, for example, cutting an elastomer member formed by extrusion molding to a predetermined length and then joining the joint surfaces 11 at both ends so that they face each other. The joint surface 11 may be perpendicular to the handrail 1, have an angled cut surface that is oblique, or have a multi-stage structure with both right-angled and oblique portions. For example, before joining, both ends of the handrail 1 may be cut obliquely at the tabs 12 and perpendicularly at the main body 19, as shown in FIG. 3 . Each cut surface becomes the joint surface 11 through a joining press process.

[0014] Hereinafter, the structure of the joint obtained by joining the joining surfaces 11 will be described as a "joint 10" with a reference numeral. Note that the joining structure of the joint according to the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment of the joint 10 described below.

[0015] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the front side of the patch 13 provided at the joint 10 of the handrail 1 for a passenger conveyor according to embodiment 1. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the back side of the patch 13 provided at the joint 10 of the handrail 1 for a passenger conveyor according to embodiment 1. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line xx' in Fig. 4. Figs. 7 and 8 are top views of the joint 10 of the handrail 1 for a passenger conveyor according to embodiment 1. To explain the configuration of the joint 10, Fig. 7 shows the state without the cover elastomer 14, and Fig. 8 shows the state with the cover elastomer 14. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line xx' in Fig. 8.

[0016] As shown in the figures, the handrail 1 is composed of a main fabric 15, a tension member 16, and a main elastomer 19A made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The handrail 1 has ears 12 on both the left and right sides. In the illustrated example, the patch fabric 13 and cover elastomer 14 that make up the ears 12 at the joint 10 are configured symmetrically, but they may also be configured asymmetrically. In this embodiment, an example in which the ears 12 are configured symmetrically will be given, and only one side will be described in detail.

[0017] The shape of the patch cloth 13 may be any shape that is configured to straddle the joining surface 11. Examples of the shape of the patch cloth 13 include a quadrilateral shape with both sides tilted in the same direction as shown in FIG. 3 , or a fan shape with a base and a divergent portion. The tip of the quadrilateral or fan-shaped patch cloth 13 may have an acute-angled tip, or the acute-angled tip may be cut into an arc, or may have both of these shapes. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , a patch cloth 13 with an R-shaped end may be used. The shape of the patch cloth 13 is not limited to the example described in this embodiment.

[0018] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 9, in the width direction, padding cloth 13 is provided on the outside of main fabric 15 at selvage 12 that constitutes joint 10, following the shape of selvage 12. This makes it possible to eliminate or minimize the difference in level between padding cloth 13 and main fabric 15 when handrail 1 is attached to a passenger conveyor and in operation. This configuration has the effect of suppressing noise caused by contact between the passenger conveyor guide and handrail 1, and peeling of padding cloth 13.

[0019] As shown in the top view of Fig. 7, the pad cloth 13 is placed so as to straddle the joint surface 11 in the longitudinal direction. Covering the joint surface 11 with the pad cloth 13 ensures the strength of the joint 10 so that it can withstand the bending load when the passenger conveyor is in operation. Note that the material of the pad cloth 13 is preferably the same as that of the main body cloth 15, but may be a different material.

[0020] The configuration of the pad 13 will be described in more detail with reference to Figures 4, 5, 6, and 9. A main fabric adhesive 22 is provided on the back surface of the pad 13 to bond the pad 13 to the main fabric 15. An adhesive layer made of the main fabric adhesive 22 is formed between the pad 13 and the main fabric 15. In addition, a main fabric adhesive-impregnated portion 22A is formed on the back surface of the pad 13, where the main fabric adhesive 22 has been impregnated into the pad fabric 20.

[0021] The area where the adhesive layer made of main fabric adhesive 22 and the adhesive-impregnated portion 22A for the main fabric are formed need only cover the surface of the filler fabric 13 that contacts the main fabric 15. The area where the adhesive layer made of main fabric adhesive 22 and the adhesive-impregnated portion 22A for the main fabric are formed may or may not cover the main elastomer 19A.

[0022] A cover elastomer adhesive 21 is provided on the surface of the pad 13 to bond the pad 13 and the cover elastomer 14. An adhesive layer made of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 is formed between the pad 13 and the cover elastomer 14. In addition, a cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A is formed on the surface side of the pad 13, where the pad cloth 20 is impregnated with the cover elastomer adhesive 21.

[0023] In this embodiment, the cover elastomer 14 is bonded to the pad 13 by the cover elastomer adhesive 21. By bonding the cover elastomer 14 and the pad 13 with the cover elastomer adhesive 21, it is possible to prevent separation between the cover elastomer 14 and the pad 13 due to repeated bending loads that occur when the passenger conveyor is in operation. In addition, the formation of the cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A further improves the adhesive strength.

[0024] The cover elastomer 14, which is the member that covers the patch cloth 13, is configured with a width and length sufficient to cover the patch cloth 13 in order to protect the patch cloth 13 and to uniform the appearance of the handrail 1. At the joint 10, it is desirable that the material of the cover elastomer 14 be the same as the material of the main body elastomer 19A.

[0025] When the handrail 1 is attached to a passenger conveyor and in use, it turns over at the entrance / exit of the passenger conveyor. At this time, the ear 12 of the handrail 1 becomes the design surface visible to passengers. If the patch 13 provided at the joint 10 of the handrail 1 is exposed so as to be visible on the outside, the appearance will be uneven, impairing the design. Therefore, in this embodiment, the patch 13 provided on the part that becomes the design surface at the joint 10 is covered with a cover elastomer 14 so as to hide the visible part of the handrail 1, thereby making the appearance of the handrail 1 uniform.

[0026] The material of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 is preferably a material that has affinity with the cover elastomer 14 and the pad 13 and that melts as easily as or more easily than the cover elastomer 14. Possible materials for the cover elastomer adhesive 21 include, for example, an elastomer with the same components as the cover elastomer 14, an elastomer that melts more easily than the cover elastomer 14, a thermoplastic resin that contains the same main components as the cover elastomer 14 but has a lower melt viscosity than the cover elastomer 14, a thermoplastic resin whose flow starting point is lower than the main elastomer 19A, and a thermoplastic resin whose melt viscosity is lower than the cover elastomer 14 and has a lower flow starting point than the main elastomer 19A.

[0027] The width direction of the adhesive layer made of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 is preferably equal to or greater than the width of the portion where the patch cloth 13 and the cover elastomer 14 contact each other, and is less than the width of the cover elastomer 14. The length direction of the adhesive layer made of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 is preferably equal to or greater than the length of the portion where the patch cloth 13 and the cover elastomer 14 contact each other, and is less than the length of the cover elastomer 14. The thickness of the adhesive layer made of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 varies depending on the material, but is preferably between 0.0001 mm and 1 mm, for example. Some of the components of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 may diffuse from the interface between the cover elastomer 14 and the patch cloth 13.

[0028] Next, a description will be given of a manufacturing method of the handrail 1 for a passenger conveyor according to embodiment 1. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the manufacturing process of the handrail 1 for a passenger conveyor according to embodiment 1. Note that the flowchart in Fig. 10 shows only one example, and the manufacturing method according to the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

[0029] First, a continuous body is formed by extrusion molding, in which the tension member 16 and the main fabric 15 are integrated with the main elastomer 19A made of a thermoplastic elastomer (Step S1). The handrail 1 must be processed into an endless shape with the desired length depending on the floor height and model of the passenger conveyor, and therefore is composed of one or more joints 10 and non-jointed portions. The continuous body obtained by the extrusion molding process in Step S1 is then cut to the desired length in the cutting process (Step S2). A cut end processing process is carried out as a pre-processing step to join both ends of the continuous body cut in the cutting process in Step S2 (Step S3).

[0030] After the cut end processing step of step S3, an impregnation step is carried out (step S4) in which the cover elastomer adhesive 21 is impregnated into the patch cloth 20, which is the cloth material constituting the patch cloth 13. This forms the cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A. Note that in the impregnation step of step S4, the patch cloth 20 may be impregnated with the main body cloth adhesive 22 to form the main body cloth adhesive-impregnated portion 22A.

[0031] After the impregnation step of step S4, a patch placement step is carried out (step S5), in which patch cloths 13, with cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portions 21A formed, are placed so as to cover the joining surfaces 11, which are both ends of the continuum processed in step S3. After the patch placement step of step S5, a joining press step is carried out (step S6), in which a press equipped with a heating function is used to soften and press the elastomer, thereby joining the joining surfaces 11 within the press mold. Through this series of steps, an endless handrail 1 having the structure of the joint 10 shown in each figure is manufactured.

[0032] FIG. 11 shows a specific example of the impregnation process according to the first embodiment. First, a sheet-like cover elastomer adhesive 21, a patch cloth 20, and a main cloth adhesive 22 are prepared. By using the sheet-like cover elastomer adhesive 21, the fabric is prevented from being exposed to the outside of the handrail 1, and a cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A can be formed in which the fabric is not impregnated throughout its thickness. The thickness of the sheet-like cover elastomer adhesive 21 is, for example, approximately 0.2 mm to 1 mm. It is desirable to set the thickness of the sheet-like cover elastomer adhesive 21 so that the cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A forms but does not reach the back surface of the patch cloth 20.

[0033] In the present disclosure, the presence of body fabric adhesive 22 is not essential, but is preferred. Furthermore, the material of body fabric adhesive 22 may be the same as or different from the material of cover elastomer adhesive 21.

[0034] As shown in Figure 11, the cover elastomer adhesive 21, the patch fabric 20, and the main fabric adhesive 22 are placed in a layered state with the patch fabric 20 in the middle, and then placed into a heating and pressing device 200. The heating and pressing device 200 is equipped with an upper mold 201, a lower mold 202, a heater, and the like. The heating temperature of the heating and pressing device 200 is set to a temperature above the temperature at which the cover elastomer adhesive 21 begins to soften and below the temperature at which the cover elastomer adhesive 21 does not thermally decompose, for example, in the range of 100°C to 300°C. The pressure and heating time are set within any range that the heating and pressing device 200 can handle.

[0035] After treatment with the heating and pressing device 200, the patch cloth 13 is removed from the heating and pressing device 200 and cut into any shape to match the shape of the joint 10. This completes the impregnation process. Note that the impregnation process according to the present disclosure is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 11 as long as it is a process that obtains a patch cloth 13 impregnated with the cover elastomer adhesive 21. For example, the impregnation with the adhesive may be performed by using the force of a human hand while warming the cover elastomer adhesive 21 and the patch cloth 20 with a device such as an iron used to smooth out wrinkles in clothing.

[0036] Figure 12 is a table showing evaluation results of the adhesive strength between the cover elastomer 14 and the backing cloth 13 at the joint 10 of the handrail 1 for a passenger conveyor according to Embodiment 1. Under conditions A and B in Figure 12, the cover elastomer 14 and the backing cloth 13 are bonded together with the cover elastomer adhesive 21. Furthermore, under condition A, the joint 10 is formed by the backing cloth 13 having the cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A impregnated with the cover elastomer adhesive 21. Under condition C, the cover elastomer adhesive 21 is not used, and the backing cloth 20 is used as the backing cloth 13 as is, with the cover elastomer 14 arranged to cover the backing cloth 13, forming the joint 10.

[0037] In Figure 12, the initial adhesive strength for condition C is set to 1.0, and the adhesive strength ratio for each condition is shown. "Initial" refers to the state in which the manufactured handrail 1 is not attached to the passenger conveyor and no load is being applied to the joint 10. "After repeated bending test" refers to the state in which a specific model of passenger conveyor is assumed and a certain number of repeated bending loads are applied to the joint 10.

[0038] The adhesive strength between the cover elastomer 14 and the patch 13 is measured as follows: First, a slit is made in a portion of the cover elastomer 14 up to the patch 13 to create a gripping area for the tensile test. Then, a tensile test is performed using a tensile tester equipped with a load cell, with the gripping area of ​​the cover elastomer 14 being gripped so that the angle between the tensile portion and the joint 10 is approximately 90 degrees.

[0039] The test results will be explained with reference to Figure 12. The initial adhesive strength ratio for condition A was 4.7 times that of condition C, and for condition B it was 1.7 times that of condition C. This confirms that the initial adhesive strength increases with the adhesive, and that impregnation with the adhesive further increases the adhesive strength. After the repeated bending test, the adhesive strength was lower than the initial value under each condition. This confirms the tendency for the adhesive strength to decrease due to fatigue of the joint 10 caused by the repeated bending test. Comparing condition A and condition B after the repeated bending test, it can be confirmed that condition A maintained a higher adhesive strength.

[0040] These verification results confirm that the adhesive strength is improved by the presence of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 between the cover elastomer 14 and the pad 13. Furthermore, it can be confirmed that by impregnating the pad 13 with the cover elastomer adhesive 21 to form the cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A, the adhesive strength is higher than when there is no impregnation both initially and after repeated bending tests.

[0041] Moreover, Fig. 13 is a top view showing the configuration of a joint of a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to a modification of Embodiment 1. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line xx' in Fig. 13. In this modification, an offcut cover elastomer 18 is disposed in place of the cover elastomer 14.

[0042] The offcut cover elastomer 18 is installed on each of the left and right ears 12, similar to the cover elastomer 14. When using the offcut cover elastomer 18, a patch cloth 13 having a cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A made of the cover elastomer adhesive 21 is also used. This prevents the cover elastomer adhesive 21 from protruding onto the design surface of the ear 12, thereby preventing a loss of design quality. Similarly, it is desirable to use a patch cloth 13 having a main fabric adhesive-impregnated portion 22A made of the main fabric adhesive 22.

[0043] Figure 15 is a perspective view showing an area where the waste material cover elastomer 18 is obtained in a modified example of embodiment 1. Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view showing an area where the waste material cover elastomer is obtained in a modified example of embodiment 1. Note that the method for obtaining the waste material cover elastomer 18 is not limited to the following example described using Figures 15 and 16.

[0044] The remnant cover elastomer 18 is made by recovering elastomer from remnant handrail material 30, which is remnant material of the handrail 1, and reusing this recovered elastomer. The remnant handrail material 30 is remnant material generated when the continuous material molded in the extrusion molding process of step S1 shown in Figure 10 is cut to the required length in the cutting process of step S2, or surplus remnant material generated in the cut end processing process of step S3, or components that make up the handrail 1 that were actually attached to a passenger conveyor and that are collected on the market.

[0045] The scrap-removed surface 31 of the scrap handrail 30 after removing the scrap cover elastomer 18 shown in Figure 15 is the surface that corresponds to the horizontal surface of the folded-back portion of the main fabric 15, as shown in Figure 16. When removing the scrap cover elastomer 18 from the scrap handrail 30, it is desirable to remove the scrap cover elastomer 18 so that the surface that comes into contact with the cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A is free of the main fabric 15 and is smooth. This has the effect of preventing design defects such as sink marks at the joint 10 after joining, and has the effect of stabilizing the adhesive strength between the cover elastomer adhesive-impregnated portion 21A and the scrap cover elastomer 18.

[0046] Specific methods for obtaining the scrap cover elastomer 18 from the scrap handrail 30 include, for example, a method of obtaining the scrap cover elastomer 18 by applying a blade such as a cutter knife to the scrap removal surface 31 of the fixed scrap handrail 30 and cutting it, or a method of obtaining the scrap cover elastomer 18 by applying a blade such as a knife that has been heated to a degree that softens the scrap cover elastomer 18 to the scrap removal surface 31 of the fixed scrap handrail 30 and cutting it.

[0047] By using the scrap cover elastomer 18 as in this modified example, scrap handrails 30 that would previously have been discarded can be reused. This modified example achieves benefits such as reducing the amount of waste and saving resources in the manufacturing process by eliminating the need to prepare new materials for the cover elastomer 14. Generally, handrails 1 come in a wide variety of colors and surface conditions. By reusing scrap cover elastomer 18 obtained from scrap handrails 30, it is possible to stabilize the design of a wide variety of handrails 1 and reduce the costs required to manufacture a wide variety of handrails.

[0048] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and overlapping portions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0049] FIG. 17 is a top view of the joint 10 of the handrail 1 in the first embodiment, which serves as a comparative example. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the first embodiment, the handrail 1 operates while installed on a passenger conveyor such as an escalator 100. At this time, the handrail 1 is subjected to bending stress due to repeated bending at the entrance / exit, the sheave 110 of the drive unit 101, or the guide rollers 111. The joint 10 is particularly susceptible to stress compared to non-jointed portions. The interface 32 between the cover elastomer 14 and the main body elastomer 19A at the joint 10 is a location where bending stress tends to concentrate. When the passenger conveyor is operated for a long period of time, the interface 32 can become a starting point for cracks or peeling of the cover elastomer 14.

[0050] Figure 18 is a ZZ' cross-sectional view in the range YY' in Figure 17. In embodiment 1, the interface 32 between the cover elastomer 14 and the main elastomer 19A after the joining press is a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cover elastomer 14. The area of ​​the interface 32 is approximately the same as the area of ​​the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cover elastomer 14. This interface 32 has a relatively small area and is therefore susceptible to stress concentration due to bending.

[0051] Therefore, in this embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the area of ​​the interface 32 between the cover elastomer 14 and the main body elastomer 19A is increased to prevent the occurrence of cracks or peeling in the cover elastomer 14, which can shorten the lifespan of the handrail 1. This makes it possible to distribute stress on the interface 32 caused by bending.

[0052] In this embodiment, as a specific example, a case where the end of the cover elastomer 14 is beveled will be described. Figure 19 is a perspective view of the waste material cover elastomer 40 in embodiment 2, where the end has been beveled. Figure 20 is a side view of the waste material cover elastomer 40 shown in Figure 19. The waste material cover elastomer 40 with the beveled end has beveled end surface portions 41 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. In this embodiment, this waste material cover elastomer 40 is used instead of the cover elastomer 14.

[0053] The scrap cover elastomer 40 can be obtained, for example, from the scrap handrail 30, similar to the scrap cover elastomer 18 in embodiment 1. The scrap cover elastomer 40 can be obtained, for example, by removing a portion of the scrap handrail 30 with a cutter knife or hot knife so that the end surface becomes the beveled end surface portion 41, or by cutting the end of the scrap handrail 30 at an angle in advance with a cutter knife or power tool, and then directly processing and shaping the scrap handrail 30.

[0054] FIG. 21 is a top view of the joint 10 of the handrail 1 in the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is a ZZ' cross-sectional view of the YY' range in FIG. 21. In the joint 10 after joining press using the waste cover elastomer 40 with the slanted end surface 41, the area of ​​the interface 32 between the waste cover elastomer 40 and the main elastomer 19A is larger than the area of ​​the interface 32 in the comparative example shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 due to the slanted end of the waste cover elastomer 40. As a result, the bending stress experienced by the interface 32 is dispersed due to the increased area. This makes it possible to suppress cracks or peeling originating from the interface 32.

[0055] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which an offcut cover elastomer 40 having an obliquely processed end portion is used as a specific example, but other means may be used to increase the area of ​​the interface 32. For example, the area of ​​the interface 32 after the joining press may be increased by forming the end portion of the cover elastomer 14 into a zigzag structure. By configuring the cover elastomer 14 so that the area of ​​the end face in the longitudinal direction is larger than the area of ​​the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the effect of increasing the area of ​​the interface 32 can be obtained.

[0056] The handrail for a passenger conveyor and the method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to the present disclosure can be used for any passenger conveyor, such as an escalator, for example.

[0057] LIST OF SYMBOLS 1 Handrail, 10 Joint, 11 Joint surface, 12 Ear portion, 13 Patch cloth, 14 Cover elastomer, 15 Main body cloth, 16 Tensile body, 18 Scrap cover elastomer, 19 Main body portion, 19A Main body elastomer, 20 Patch cloth cloth, 21 Cover elastomer adhesive, 21A Cover elastomer adhesive impregnated portion, 22 Main body cloth adhesive, 22A Main body cloth adhesive impregnated portion, 30 Scrap handrail, 31 Scrap removal surface, 32 Interface, 40 Scrap cover elastomer, 41 Slanted end surface portion, 100 Escalator, 101 Drive unit, 110 Sheave, 111 Guide roller, 200 Heating and pressing device, 201 Upper mold, 202 Lower mold

Claims

1. A patch is provided at the joint, A cover elastomer that covers the aforementioned backing cloth, A handrail for a passenger conveyor, comprising: The cover elastomer covers the cloth so as to conceal the portion that is visible as part of the handrail when it is attached to the passenger conveyor. An adhesive layer made of adhesive is formed between the aforementioned backing cloth and the cover elastomer. A handrail for a passenger conveyor, characterized in that an adhesive-impregnated portion is formed on the side of the backing cloth that is in contact with the adhesive layer, wherein the adhesive is impregnated into the adhesive.

2. The handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Claim 1, characterized in that the adhesive layer and the adhesive-impregnated portion are in contact with each other.

3. The adhesive-impregnated portion is formed on the surface side of the patch, The handrail for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that there is a layer of backing cloth between the adhesive-impregnated portion and the back surface of the backing cloth.

4. The length of the adhesive layer in the width direction is greater than or equal to the width of the portion where the patch cloth and the cover elastomer are in contact, and less than or equal to the width of the cover elastomer. The handrail for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that the longitudinal length of the adhesive layer is greater than or equal to the longitudinal length of the portion in contact with the backing cloth and the cover elastomer, and less than or equal to the length of the cover elastomer.

5. The handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of the adhesive layer is 1 mm or less.

6. The handrail for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of the adhesive forming the adhesive layer is an elastomer having the same components as the cover elastomer.

7. The handrail for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of the adhesive forming the adhesive layer is an elastomer that melts more easily than the cover elastomer.

8. The material of the adhesive forming the adhesive layer is a thermoplastic resin that contains the same main components as the cover elastomer and has a melt viscosity lower than that of the cover elastomer, as described in Claim 1.

9. A method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor, characterized by having an impregnation step of impregnating the fabric material constituting the reinforcing cloth with the adhesive.

10. The method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Claim 9, characterized in that, in the impregnation step, the sheet-like adhesive, the fabric material constituting the backing cloth, and the main fabric adhesive for bonding the backing cloth to the main fabric are layered and heated and pressurized with the fabric material constituting the backing cloth in the middle.

11. A method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor, characterized by recovering elastomer from scraps of handrail material and using the recovered elastomer to construct the cover elastomer.

12. The method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to claim 11, characterized by having an impregnation step of impregnating the fabric material constituting the patch with the adhesive.

13. The method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to Claim 12, characterized in that, in the impregnation step, the sheet-like adhesive, the fabric material constituting the backing cloth, and the main fabric adhesive for bonding the backing cloth to the main fabric are layered and heated and pressurized with the fabric material constituting the backing cloth in the middle.

14. The handrail for a passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the cover elastomer is configured such that the area of ​​the end face in the longitudinal direction is greater than the area of ​​the cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

15. A method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor according to claim 14, A method for manufacturing a handrail for a passenger conveyor, characterized in that the cover elastomer is processed such that the area of ​​the end face in the longitudinal direction is larger than the area of ​​the cross-section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and then used in a joining press.