JP2012035987A - Handrail guide apparatus of passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a handrail guide apparatus of a passenger conveyor which can avoid damage of a handrail and damage of a lateral movement regulating means while assuring lateral movement regulation of the handrail.SOLUTION: The handrail guide apparatus 21 guides a return route part 11b of the circumferentially moving handrail 11, and includes: a guiding rotating mechanism 23 which plunges inside the handrail and regulates lateral movement of the handrail; and protecting rotating mechanisms 25a, 25b which plunges inside the handrail and regulates movement of the handrail in a direction approaching the guiding rotating mechanism. Outer peripheral surfaces 45a, 45b of protecting rollers 43a, 43b, which are rotation outer peripheral parts of the protecting rotating mechanisms, face a bottom face 37a of an inside vacancy 37 of the handrail. An interval between the outer peripheral surfaces 45a, 45b of the protecting rollers 43a, 43b and the bottom face 37a of the handrail 11 is smaller than an interval between the guiding rotating mechanism 23 and the bottom face 37a of the handrail 11.

Description

  The present invention relates to a handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor.

  The passenger conveyor is configured to convey the occupant to a target place by moving a conveyance unit on which the occupant is placed, and includes, for example, an escalator and a moving sidewalk. Passenger conveyors are usually provided with handrails beside the transport section, and consideration is given so that a stable state can be easily maintained by the passenger being caught by the handrails during movement.

  The handrail is made up of an endless belt member, and has an outward path portion that travels in the same direction as the transport section above the balustrade, and a return path section that is hidden by the exterior panel below the balustrade and travels in the opposite direction to the transport section. Contains.

  As a structure for guiding the return path portion of the handrail, for example, there is a guide device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-211187. In this guide device, a guide roller and a support roller are prepared, the guide roller is disposed in an interior space of the handrail, and the support roller is disposed below the handrail. The handrail is supported from below by the guide roller so that a large movement of the handrail in the lateral direction is restricted, and the handrail is not drooped greatly by the support roller.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-211187

  In general, during the operation of the passenger conveyor, the movement of the return path portion of the handrail is assumed to move in the horizontal and downward directions, and the upward movement is not considered because the handrail has its own weight. Many. However, the handrail can be assumed to move upward depending on adjustment problems, external factors, and the like. In the guide device as described in the above publication, when the handrail moves upward, the inner surface of the handrail and the lower surface of the guide roller May contact the inner surface of the handrail or the guide roller.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and is capable of avoiding damage to the handrail and the lateral movement restricting means while ensuring the movement restriction in the lateral direction of the handrail. It aims at providing the handrail guide apparatus of a conveyor.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is a handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor that guides a return path portion of a handrail that moves around, and enters the inside of the handrail to regulate lateral movement of the handrail. A guide rotation mechanism and a protective rotation mechanism that enters the inside of the handrail and restricts the movement of the handrail in a direction approaching the guide rotation mechanism, and a rotation outer peripheral portion of the protection rotation mechanism It faces the bottom of the inner space, and the distance between the rotation outer periphery of the protective rotation mechanism and the bottom of the inner space of the handrail is smaller than the distance between the guide rotation mechanism and the bottom of the inner space.

  According to the handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor of the present invention, it is possible to avoid the damage of the handrail and the lateral movement restricting means while ensuring the restriction of the handrail in the lateral direction.

It is a figure which shows the side surface of the escalator which applies the handrail guide apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of one handrail guide apparatus from the side. It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line in FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the IV-IV line in FIG.

  Embodiments of a handrail guide device for passenger conveyors according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. In addition, there are various types of passenger conveyors that convey a passenger to a target place by using a movable conveyance unit. Hereinafter, an escalator will be described as an example.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a side surface of an escalator to which a handrail guide device according to the present embodiment is applied. The escalator 1 includes a main frame 3 that extends obliquely up and down, and a plurality of steps (not shown) connected endlessly are provided on the main frame as an occupant transport unit. The steps usually move around between the upper entrance / exit 5 and the lower entrance 7 by the driving force of a driving machine (not shown) provided in the main frame 3.

  On the left and right sides of the steps, balustrades 9 extending in the longitudinal direction of the main frame are erected. A handrail 11 is provided around each balustrade 9. The handrail 11 is an endless belt-like member, and is moved around the balustrade 9 by a handrail driving device 13 provided in the main frame 3. Further, the power of the handrail drive device 13 is transmitted from a drive machine 15 provided in the main frame 3.

  The handrail 11 can be divided into an outward path portion 11a, a return path portion 11b, and a pair of front and rear folded portions 11c. Note that these portions are not portions that can be physically recognized in the handrail 11 but portions that are recognized with respect to the position of each part of the movable handrail 11 from time to time. The forward path portion 11a is a portion that travels in synchronization with a step (not shown) on the upper side of the balustrade 9 and that travels in the same direction as the step proceeds. The return path portion 11b is a portion that is positioned on the opposite side of the forward path portion 11a with respect to the balustrade 9a, that is, the lower side of the balustrade 9 and that travels in the direction opposite to the direction in which the step proceeds. Further, as can be seen from the figure, the return path portion 11b is in the main frame or inside the exterior panel, and is usually hidden in a place where it cannot be visually recognized by the user or the surrounding people. The pair of front and rear folded portions 11c are between the forward path portion 11a and the return path portion 11b, and are portions that advance while bending so as to change the traveling direction to the opposite direction.

  A plurality of handrail guide devices 21 according to the present embodiment for guiding the return path portion 11b of the handrail 11 are further provided in the main frame 3 or inside the exterior panel. The plurality of handrail guide devices 21 are arranged side by side at substantially equal intervals along the return path portion 11b.

  The handrail guide device will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of one handrail guide device from the side. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken along lines III-III and IV-IV in FIG. 2, respectively. The handrail guide device 21 includes a guide rotation mechanism 23, protective rotation mechanisms 25 a and 25 b, and a support rotation mechanism 27.

  The guide rotation mechanism 23 is disposed on the upper side of the handrail 11 and is fixed to the main frame 3 via an attachment plate 29. The guide rotation mechanism 23 includes a shaft member 31 extending from the mounting plate 29 toward the handrail 11 and a guide roller 33 provided rotatably at the lower end of the shaft member 31 via a bearing. The guide rotation mechanism 23 enters the inside of the handrail 11 and regulates the movement of the handrail 11 in the lateral direction (Y direction in the figure). Here, the structure of the handrail 11 as an example will be described. The handrail 11 has a substantially C-shaped cross section when viewed in a cross section (FIGS. 3 and 4) having the traveling direction as a normal line. The portion 11b extends with its C-shaped opening 35 facing upward. The guide roller 33 of the guide rotation mechanism 23 enters the inside of the handrail 11 from the opening 35.

  More specifically, the opening 35 of the handrail 11 is formed by a pair of left and right opening defining portions 35a and 35a facing each other, and an outer peripheral surface 33a of the guide roller 33 which is a rotating outer peripheral portion of the guide rotating mechanism 23 is It faces these opening defining portions 35a and 35a. The rotation axis of the guide roller 33 extends so as to intersect with the bottom surface 37a of the space 37 inside the C-shape of the handrail 11, and in the example of this embodiment, in the lateral direction (Y direction in the figure). And a handrail thickness direction (A direction in the figure) perpendicular to both the front and rear direction (T direction in the figure). The lower side surface 33 b of the guide roller 33 is separated from the bottom surface 37 a of the space 37 of the handrail 11.

  The lateral diameter of the rotating outer peripheral portion of the guide rotating mechanism 23, that is, the diameter of the outer peripheral surface 33a of the guide roller 33 is smaller than the distance between the pair of opening defining portions 35a and 35a. Accordingly, a gap is formed between the guide roller 33 and at least one of the opening defining portions 35a, and depending on the state, between each of the pair of opening defining portions 35a and 35a and the guide roller 33, There is a gap in the gap.

  The protective rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b are located on the upper side of the handrail 11, and in this embodiment, a pair of front and rear is provided, and a pair of front and rear are provided side by side in the front-rear direction (T direction in the figure) of the handrail 11. ing. The guide rotation mechanism 23 is provided at a position sandwiched between the pair of protective rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b. The protective rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b are brackets 39a and 39b extending from the mounting plate 29 toward the handrail 11, shaft members 41a and 41b provided so as to protrude from the brackets 39a and 39b, and shaft members 41a and 41b, respectively. It includes protective rollers 43a and 43b that are rotatably provided at the lower end via a bearing. The protective rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b enter the inside of the handrail 11 and restrict the movement of the handrail 11 in the direction approaching the guide rotation mechanism 23 (A direction in the figure).

  As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the rotational outer peripheral portions of the protective rotating mechanisms 25 a and 25 b, that is, the outer peripheral surfaces 45 a and 45 b of the protective rollers 43 a and 43 b are connected to the bottom surface 37 a of the inner space 37 of the handrail 11. Facing and spaced apart. The rotation shaft cores of the protection rollers 43a and 43b extend so as to intersect a plane (that is, the paper surface of FIG. 2) including both the front-and-rear direction (T direction in the drawing) and the thickness direction (A direction in the drawing) of the handrail. In particular, in the example of the present embodiment, it extends so as to be orthogonal to both the front and rear direction (T direction in the drawing) of the handrail and the thickness direction (A direction in the drawing) of the handrail.

  The distance between the outer peripheral surfaces 45a and 45b of the protective rollers 43a and 43b, which are the rotating outer peripheral portions of the protective rotating mechanisms 25a and 25b, and the bottom surface 37a of the inner space 37 of the handrail 11 is determined by the guide rotating mechanism 23 (more specifically, guide The distance between the lower side surface of the roller 33 and the bottom surface 37 a of the inner space 37 of the handrail 11 is smaller. In other words, the protection rollers 43 a and 43 b of the protection rotation mechanisms 25 a and 25 b are closer to the bottom surface 37 a of the inner space 37 of the handrail 11 than the guide rollers 33 of the guide rotation mechanism 23.

  Further, the widths of the protective rotating mechanisms 25a and 25b (more specifically, the protective rollers 43a and 43b) are larger than the lateral diameter of the rotating outer peripheral portion of the guide rotating mechanism 23, that is, the diameter of the outer peripheral surface 33a of the guide roller 33. It is getting smaller.

  The support rotation mechanism 27 is provided on the lower side of the handrail 11, that is, is disposed on the opposite side of the guide rotation mechanism 23 with the handrail 11 interposed therebetween, and supports the outer surface 47 of the handrail 11 from below. .

  The support rotation mechanism 27 includes a shaft member 49 extending in the lateral direction from the mounting plate 29 and a support roller 51 provided rotatably at the tip of the shaft member 49 via a bearing. The outer peripheral surface 51 a of the support roller 51 faces the outer surface 47 on the lower side of the handrail 11. Particularly in the example of the present embodiment, the handrail 11 is supported by the support roller 51 such that the outer surface 47 is placed on the outer peripheral surface 51 a of the support roller 51.

  In the present embodiment, the guide rotation mechanism 23, the two protective rotation mechanisms 25 a and 25 b, and the support rotation mechanism 27 are centered on the guide rotation mechanism 23 and the support rotation mechanism 27 in the handrail traveling front-rear direction T. The layout is symmetrical.

  The operation of the handrail guide device for an escalator according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. During the operation of the escalator, the return path portion 11b of the handrail 11 is first supported from below by the support rotation mechanism 27, so that excessive downward movement (curvature) is restricted. Further, when the return path portion 11b of the handrail 11 moves in the lateral direction, the guide rotation mechanism 23 has entered the inside of the handrail 11 and thus comes into contact with the guide rotation mechanism 23. Movement is also restricted. Specifically, one of the opening defining portions 35 a and 35 a of the handrail 11 always comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 33 a of the guide roller 33, and the guide roller 33 is rotated by the travel of the handrail 11 while the handrail 11 Regulate lateral movement.

  Furthermore, the return path part of the handrail can be vibrated or waved due to adjustment problems or external factors, and it can be assumed that the handrail moves upward against its own weight. There is a risk that the inside of the handrail or the guide rotation mechanism may be damaged, or a large running resistance caused by the contact may propagate to the handrail drive system. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the protective rotating mechanisms 25a and 25b enter the inside of the handrail 11, and the rotation outer peripheral portions of the protective rotating mechanisms 25a and 25b and the bottom surface 37a of the space 37 of the handrail 11 facing the rotating outer peripheral portion. Is smaller than the distance between the guide rotation mechanism 23 and the bottom surface 37 a of the handrail 11, so that the handrail 11 that has moved upward contacts the protective rotation mechanisms 25 a and 25 b before the guide rotation mechanism 23. As a result, further movement of the handrail 11 is restricted, and contact between the handrail 11 and the guide rotation mechanism 23 is prevented. Specifically, the bottom surface 37a of the handrail 11 moved upward comes into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces 45a and 45b of the protection rollers 43a and 43b before the lower side surface 33b of the guide roller 33, and the protection rollers 43a and 43b. Prevents the handrail 11 from coming into contact with the guide roller 33 while being rotated by the travel of the handrail 11. In this way, in the present embodiment, the guide rotation mechanism 23 that restricts the lateral movement of the handrail 11 is provided, but the inside of the handrail 11 and the guide rotation mechanism 23 even if the handrail 11 moves upward. It is possible to prevent the handrail 11 from being damaged and the guide rotation mechanism (lateral movement restricting means) from being damaged. In addition, since the portions that come into contact with the handrail 11 are the outer peripheral surfaces 45a and 45b of the protective rollers 43a and 43b, which are the rotating outer peripheral portions of the protective rotating mechanisms 25a and 25b, a large running resistance is generated when the guide rotating mechanism 23 is protected. You do n’t have to.

  Further, when a protective rotation mechanism is provided to protect the guide rotation mechanism as described above, there is a concern that this time, there is a concern that the handrail is damaged due to the protective rotation mechanism provided at the corner. In the present embodiment, the widths of the protective rotating mechanisms 25a and 25b are smaller than the lateral diameter of the rotating outer peripheral portion of the guide rotating mechanism 23 (the diameter of the outer peripheral surface 33a of the guide roller 33). The mechanism 23 can be used to protect the protective rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b that function to protect themselves. In other words, when the handrail 11 moves in the lateral direction, the handrail 11 must always rotate around the guide rotation mechanism 23 (the guide roller 33) before coming into contact with the protection rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b (side surfaces of the protection rollers 43a and 43b). ), It is possible to avoid a portion of the protective rotating mechanism 25a, 25b that is not a rotating outer peripheral portion from contacting the handrail 11, and damage to the handrail 11 or the protective rotating mechanism 25a, 25b can be prevented. . In other words, the guide rotation mechanism 23 has two functions, that is, restriction of movement of the handrail 11 in the lateral direction and prevention of contact between the protection rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b provided to protect the handrail 11 and the handrail 11. Can do.

  In the present embodiment, the lateral diameter of the rotating outer peripheral portion of the guide rotating mechanism 23 (the diameter of the outer peripheral surface 33a of the guide roller 33) is smaller than the distance between the pair of opening defining portions 35a and 35a. The outer peripheral surface 33a of the guide roller 33 is disposed at a position facing the opening defining portions 35a and 35a. In other words, the guide roller 33 of the guide rotation mechanism 23 can be arranged so as not to go deep into the empty space 37 of the handrail 11. Therefore, when the guide roller 33 or the handrail 11 is inspected / replaced, one of the guide rollers 33 and the handrail 11 can be easily operated without easily interfering with each other, and the maintainability is greatly improved. In addition, even if a situation occurs such that the guide rotation mechanism 23 moves or vibrates upward with respect to the handrail 11, the downward surface 37b in the vicinity of the opening demarcating portions 35a and 35a of the handrail 11 There is no contact with the upper side surface 33c, and the damage prevention effect of the guide roller 33 and the handrail 11 is further enhanced.

  Further, in the handrail guide device according to the present embodiment, as a result of the configuration as described above, only a radial load is applied to all the rollers, and the rollers are rotatable when subjected to the radial loads. In addition, the wear of the contact portion of the roller and the handrail is reduced, and from a larger viewpoint, the life of each rotating mechanism including the roller and the handrail can be extended.

  Further, the guide rotation mechanism 23 is positioned so as to be sandwiched between a pair of protective rotation mechanisms 25a and 25b arranged in the front-rear direction of the handrail 11 in the traveling direction. For this reason, the guide rotation mechanism 23 is shaped to be located in a valley between two mountain-shaped portions protruding toward the handrail 11, thereby further preventing contact between the lower side surface of the handrail 11 and the guide rotation mechanism 23. It is more certain.

  Although the contents of the present invention have been specifically described with reference to the preferred embodiments, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art based on the basic technical idea and teachings of the present invention. It is self-explanatory.

  For example, the roller shown in the above embodiment is an example of a rotation mechanism, and the rotation mechanism of the present invention includes a movable portion that is driven by the moving handrail when a corresponding portion of the moving handrail comes into contact. However, the present invention is not limited to the form of a roller. In another example, the movable part driven by the handrail is provided so that a part of the surface is exposed and supported so that it can roll freely, or it can be rotated by an appropriate support means. An endless member or the like may be used, and, of course, a different structure may be used.

  Further, the number and position of the protection roller in the handrail guide device of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and therefore, the protection roller may be provided only on either the front or back of the guide roller, Further, only one protective roller or three or more protective rollers may be provided.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the escalator as an example, this invention is not limited to applying to an escalator, For example, it applies to passenger conveyors other than an escalator, such as a moving sidewalk. Is also possible.

  11 handrail, 11b return path portion, 21 handrail guide device, 23 guide rotation mechanism, 25a, 25b protective rotation mechanism, 27 support rotation mechanism, 33 guide roller, 33a outer peripheral surface, 35 opening, 35a, 35a opening defining portion, 37 void 37a, bottom surface, 43a, 43b protective roller, 45a, 45b outer peripheral surface, 51 support roller, 51a outer peripheral surface.

Claims (5)

A handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor that guides the return path of a handrail that moves around,
A guide rotation mechanism that enters the inside of the handrail and regulates lateral movement of the handrail;
A protective rotation mechanism that enters the inside of the handrail and regulates the movement of the handrail in a direction approaching the guide rotation mechanism;
The rotating outer periphery of the protective rotating mechanism faces the bottom of the inner space of the handrail,
A handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor, wherein an interval between a rotation outer peripheral portion of the protective rotation mechanism and a bottom portion of an inner space of the handrail is smaller than an interval between the guide rotation mechanism and a bottom portion of the inner space.   The handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1, wherein a width of the protective rotation mechanism is smaller than a lateral diameter of a rotation outer peripheral portion of the guide rotation mechanism. The lateral diameter of the rotating outer peripheral portion of the guide rotation mechanism is smaller than the interval between the pair of left and right opening defining portions in the handrail,
The handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a rotation outer peripheral portion of the guide rotation mechanism faces the pair of opening defining portions. The protective rotation mechanism is provided in a pair of front and rear along the traveling direction of the handrail,
The handrail guide device for a passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guide rotation mechanism is provided at a position sandwiched between the pair of protective rotation mechanisms.   The handrail of the passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a support rotation mechanism that is disposed on a side opposite to the guide rotation mechanism with the handrail interposed therebetween and supports an outer surface of the handrail from below. Guide device.

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