Escalator Handrail Cover with Adjustable Positioning Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Escalators and moving walks pose safety hazards due to moving handrails that can cause passengers to lose balance or suffer injuries when contacting them inadvertently, especially at landings and newel end caps.
Innovation Solution
A handrail cover member with a stable, non-moving cover section that attaches to static components of the escalator, featuring adjustable positioning mechanisms to secure it to the balustrade without damaging it, ensuring safe transition and reduced retrofitting complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a moving handrail is provided on the escalator, then passengers can steady themselves during movement, but passengers may lose balance or suffer injuries when inadvertently contacting the handrail at landings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the dangerous moving handrail section and replaces it with a static cover member at the newel end cap area. This removes the harmful moving part from the zone where passengers are most vulnerable (at landings), while preserving the handrail's safety function in the moving section where it is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The static cover member acts as an intermediary element between the moving handrail and the stationary newel end cap. It provides a safe, non-moving surface that prevents direct contact between passengers and the potentially harmful moving handrail at the landing area.
2Reliability
If a handrail cover member is installed to enhance safety, then passenger safety is improved, but installation complexity and potential damage to balustrade increase
Solution Approach 1:
The handrail cover member is designed as a segmented, modular component that can be independently installed. The cover member comprises separate elements (cover section, attachment section, positioning mechanism) that can be assembled and installed separately, reducing installation complexity and avoiding damage to the original balustrade structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The positioning mechanism is pre-configured with adjustment capabilities that allow the cover member to be positioned and secured without requiring complex installation procedures or damaging the balustrade. The attachment section is designed beforehand to interface with the balustrade in a non-invasive manner.
Data Source
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AI summary
Transport device, especially escalator or moving walk, for conveying passengers between a first landing area and a second landing area in a conveying direction (P1,P2), with a skirt member and a balustrade (5), the balustrade comprising a lower and an upper side, the skirt member and the balustrade extending between the first landing area and the second landing area, the skirt member being adapted to secure the balustrade by engagement with its lower side, further comprising an endless moving handrail (4) forming a loop, a first section (4a) of which moves along the upper side of the balustrade in conveying direction (P1,P2),and a second section (4b) of which moves within the skirt member (3) in a direction opposed to the conveying direction, wherein two turnaround sections (4c) are provided between the first and the second sections (4a, 4b) in the vicinity of the first landing area and of the second landing area respectively, wherein at least one of the turnaround sections (4c) is provided with a cover member (6) adapted to render at least a part of the turnaround section (4c) of handrail (4) inaccessible to passengers, the cover member (6) comprising a positioning mechanism configured and adapted to position the cover member relative to the balustrade (5) in an adjustable manner.