Description

DEVICE FOR CLEANING ARMREST BELT CONVEYOR OF

ELECTRIC ESCALATOR

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a device for cleaning an armrest belt conveyor of an electric escalator, and more particularly, to a device for cleaning an armrest belt conveyor of an electric escalator, which is installed inside a parapet beneath a armrest belt conveyor, thereby preventing accidents which may occur when an escalator user's clothes or fingers are held between the armrest belt conveyor and the cleaning device, showing an excellent cleaning effect by easily removing foreign matters of fine or large particles, and simultaneously providing disinfection and cleaning effects by previously injecting a disinfectant cleaning liquid.

[2]

Background Art

[3] An escalator which is a kind of a conveyor is a device for continuously elevating people by driving a stairway by a driving power, and is called an automatic stairway. Such escalator includes a movable footing moved by a driving device, armrest belt conveyors arranged at the right and left of the movable footing and serving as a grip for passengers, and parapets arranged at the right and left of the movable footing for preventing a drop of the passengers and supporting the armrest belt conveyors. The escalator can carry the passengers by the movable footing and the armrest belt conveyors.

[4] At this time, if the armrest belt conveyors which are in direct contact with the passenger's hands is polluted, it may make the passenger's hands or clothes dirty. To solve the above problem, U.S. Patent, No 4,934,512 discloses a cleaning device provided with a container, which includes a spreader having an absorbent containing cleaning liquid and a cover, a scraper device, and a wiper. The container is installed at the outside of an inlet of the lower end of terminals formed at the right and left sides of the escalator. The absorbent coats the cleaning liquid on the surface of the armrest belt conveyor, the scraper scrapes the surface of the armrest belt conveyor, and then, the wiper completely wipes moisture.

[5] However, the conventional cleaning device of the armrest belt conveyor has several problems in that it is not beautiful and is inconvenient in movement since the container protrudes outwardly from the inlet, and in that a passenger's clothes or fingers may held between the container and the inlet.

[6] To solve the above problems, Korean Patent Publication No. 1999-27216 published

on April 15, 1999 discloses a device for cleaning the surface of a hand rail of a movable stairway, which includes a caterpillar hand rail rotating around a parapet fixed on a frame and inlets formed at the right and left sides of the stairway, comprising: a cylindrical body located inside the hand rail and having an opened upper portion and an elastically restoring force, a wiping member attached inside the body and wiping the surface of the hand rail, and a bracket fixed on the body by detachably mounting means and fixed on a frame. The cleaning device has an effect for brushing up foreign matters of large particles adhered on the outer surface and the right and left side surfaces of the hand rail (armrest belt) using a brush which is the wiping member, but cannot wipe out fine particles.

[7] Furthermore, Korean Utility Model Registration No. 331,931 published on July 27,

2004 discloses a sterilizing device for sterilizing and disinfecting an armrest belt conveyor by radiation of ultraviolet rays from an ultraviolet lamp. However, also the sterilizing device cannot provide a satisfactory cleaning effect since it cannot remove foreign matters adhered on the surface of the armrest belt conveyor.

[8]

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[9] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems occurring in the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for cleaning an armrest belt conveyor of an electric escalator, which is installed inside a parapet beneath a armrest belt conveyor, thereby preventing accidents which may occur when an escalator user's clothes or fingers are held between the armrest belt conveyor and the cleaning device, showing an excellent cleaning effect by easily removing foreign matters of fine or large particles, and simultaneously providing disinfection and cleaning effects by previously injecting a disinfectant cleaning liquid.

[10]

Technical Solution

[11] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a device for cleaning an armrest belt conveyor of an electric escalator, including: a hexahedral cleaning container located on rails arranged under the armrest belt conveyor and moved to the outside of a parapet and beneath the armrest belt conveyor; disinfectant cleaning means mounted at a side of the cleaning container and having an injection nozzle directly toward the surface of the armrest belt conveyor; and a wiping member located inside the cleaning container and contacting the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor while moving upwardly by an elevation member and rotating by a motor.

[12] The wiping member has both ends protruding outwardly, and is a fabric brush having side cleaning protrusions for cleaning both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor.

[13] The elevation member is a hydraulic jack elevating by hydraulic pressure.

[14] The disinfectant cleaning means includes: a disinfectant cleaning tank mounted far from the cleaning container and containing disinfectant cleaning liquid which is cleaning liquid including disinfectant liquid; a connection tube for connecting the disinfectant cleaning tank with the injection nozzle; and a pump for injecting the disinfectant cleaning liquid at a proper pressure by the injection nozzle through the connection tube.

[15] The disinfectant cleaning means includes a high-temperature steam generating device mounted at a long distance from the cleaning container for intermittently injecting high-temperature steam of 100- 140 ⁰ C through the injection nozzle.

[16]

Brief Description of the Drawings

[17] Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[18] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state where a cleaning container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is mounted beneath an armrest belt conveyor;

[19] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state where the cleaning container is seated beneath the armrest belt conveyor by rails;

[20] FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state where a wiping member of the cleaning container is moved upwardly by a hydraulic jack in contact with the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor and rotated by a motor;

[21] FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of FIG. 3;

[22] FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing a state where a fabric brush of the cleaning container is moved downwardly by the hydraulic jack and separated from the surface of the armrest belt conveyor; and

[23] FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of an example of disinfectant cleaning means according to the present invention.

[24]

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[25] A device for cleaning an armrest belt conveyor of an electric escalator includes: a cleaning container 30 mounted beneath a armrest belt conveyor 40 and easily coming and going beneath the armrest belt conveyor 40; disinfectant cleaning means 20

mounted on the cleaning container 30 for disinfecting and cleaning the armrest belt conveyor 40 by spraying disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 or high-temperature steam 29 onto the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor 40; and a wiping member 10 for wiping out the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 or high- temperature steam 29 and foreign matters stained on the armrest belt conveyor 40.

[26] The wiping member 10 is provided with a fabric brush 11 having side cleaning protrusions 12 and 12a protruding to the outside at both end portions thereof for cleaning sides of the armrest belt conveyor 40, so as to rapidly absorb and wipe moisture of the antiseptically cleaning liquid 25 or the high-temperature steam 29.

[27] It is preferable that an elevation member 14 is provided with a hydraulic jack 15 which is automatically moved upwardly and downwardly by hydraulic pressure, but it would be appreciated that the elevation member 14 may be manually driven by an operator's manipulation like a hydraulic jack of a vehicle.

[28] The disinfectant cleaning means 20 is mounted far from the cleaning container 30, and includes a disinfectant cleaning tank 23 containing the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 which is cleaning liquid including disinfection liquid, a connection tube 22 for connecting the disinfectant cleaning tank 23 with an injection nozzle 21, and a pump 24 for injecting the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 by the injection nozzle 21 through the connection tube 22 at a proper pressure. The disinfectant cleaning tank 23 is provided with water level sensors 26 mounted at the upper and lower portions of the inner surface thereof. When the water level sensors 26 detect a lack of the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25, it is preferable to maintain a proper water level by automatically inducing the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 if necessary, but the operator may fill the disinfectant cleaning tank 23 with the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 after seeing the lack of the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 through a display (not shown) mounted on the outside of the disinfectant cleaning tank 23.

[29] FIG. 1 is a side view showing a state where the cleaning container of the present invention is mounted beneath the armrest belt conveyor. The disinfectant cleaning tank 23 mounted far from the cleaning container 30 is filled with the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 containing the cleaning liquid including the disinfectant liquid. The cleaning container 30 is seated on rails 32 arranged outwardly from a parapet 50 under the armrest belt 40, and slidably moved outwardly from the parapet 50 by rollers 31 mounted on the bottom thereof. The operator confirms a state of the fabric brush 11 which is the wiping member 10, and exchanges it with a new one if the fabric brush 11 is dirty.

[30] FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state where the cleaning container is seated beneath the armrest belt by the rails. The operator who confirms the cleaning container 30 which is moved beneath the armrest belt 40 by the rollers 31 on the rails

32 turns on a switch 27 so as to operate the cleaning device.

[31] FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a state where the wiping member of the cleaning container is moved upwardly by the hydraulic jack in contact with the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor and rotated by a motor, and FIG. 4 is a front sectional view of FIG. 3. When the switch 27 is in an 'ON' state, the hydraulic jack 15 of the elevation member 14 is driven, so that the fabric brush 11 of the wiping member 10 is rotated at a speed of 50-300RPM and moved upwardly, and the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor are wiped in contact with the fabric brush 11. At this time, both side ends of the fabric brush 11 are respectively provided with side cleaning protrusions 12 and 12a protruding outwardly, so that also the both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor 40 are cleanly wiped.

[32] While the fabric brush 11 is in contact with the armrest belt 40, the injection nozzle

21 fixed at a side of the cleaning container 30 receives a proper pressure from the pump 24 through the connection tube 22 and injects the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 of the disinfectant cleaning tank 23 toward the outer surface and the both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor 40. At this time, it would be appreciated that the injection nozzle 21 may be set to stop the injection for 10 minutes after injecting for 30 minutes or to intermittently inject at 5 or 10 minutes intervals for 60 minutes by a control of a control device (not shown). The disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 injected onto the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor 40 removes foreign matters and germs stained on the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor 40.

[33] When the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25 contained in the disinfectant cleaning tank

23 injected through the injection nozzle 21 is a little left, the water level sensors 26 mounted at the lower and upper portions of the inner surface of the disinfectant cleaning tank 23 detect it and indicate it through an external display (not shown), so that the operator recognizes it and refills the disinfectant cleaning tank 23 with the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25. At this time, the injection nozzle 21 stops the injection of the disinfectant cleaning liquid 25.

[34] FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing another example of the disinfectant cleaning means according to the present invention. Besides the disinfectant cleaning means 20, it would be appreciated that a high-temperature steam generating device 28 mounted at a long distance from the cleaning container 30 generates high-temperature steam 29 of 100- 140 ⁰ C and the high-temperature steam 29 is intermittently injected through the injection nozzle 21, so that the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor 40 can be disinfected and cleaned.

[35] FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing a state where the fabric brush of the cleaning container is moved downwardly by the hydraulic jack and separated from the

outer surface of the armrest belt conveyor. The fabric brush 11 is moved downwardly by the hydraulic jack 15 and is in a standby condition after cleaning the outer surface and both side surfaces of the armrest belt conveyor 40 during the set time period. In the above condition, the operator pulls out the cleaning container 30 to the outside of the parapet 50 by the rollers 31 along the rails 32, and exchanges the polluted fabric brush 11 with a new one.

[36]

Industrial Applicability

[37] As described above, the present invention which is installed inside the parapet beneath the armrest belt conveyor prevents accidents which may occur when an escalator user's clothes or fingers are held between the armrest belt conveyor and the cleaning device, shows an excellent cleaning effect by easily removing foreign matters of fine or large particles, and simultaneously provides disinfection and cleaning effects by previously injecting the disinfectant cleaning liquid.

[38] While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.