K 67 978/8

PEOPLE CONVEYOR WITH BRUSH GUARD LIGHTING

People conveyor such as escalators and moving walkways are known and widely in use. In an escalator, for example a plurality of individual steps forms the end- less people transportation band for transporting passengers from a lower landing to a higher landing or vice versa. Walkways with no or only a slight inclination can have a transportation band made up of a plurality of individual pallets. Alternatively, the transportation band may be a continuous band made from a rubber-like, continuous material. Independent from the particular type of people conveyor a relatively small gap of merely a few millimeters exists between the moving transportation band and a stationary lateral structure.

In order to avoid clothing, shoes, etc. from being trapped in such gap, code regulations like the EN1 15 require a brush guard protruding from the lateral struc- ture over the lateral margin of the transportation band to cover the gap. The brush guard serves a dual function. On the one hand, the brush guard gives a clear indication to the user not to bring his clothing, limbs, etc. close to the gap. On the other hand, the brush guard pushes away any objects, limbs, etc. interfering therewith and additionally gives a tactile indication to the user who erro- neously gets in contact with the brush guard. Normally, a brush guard with a single row of brushes is used. However, in order to increase the safety double row brush guards are also in use. While double row brush guards are efficient for increasing the repellent force of the brush guard, the double row does not enhance the visibility of the brush guards. Despite brush guards being used, acci- dents may still occur.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial to increase the safety level of people conveyors and to provide a safety feature for people conveyors which can also be retrofitted into existing people conveyors.

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Exemplary embodiments of the invention include a people conveyor having a people transportation band, a stationary lateral structure laterally adjacent to the transportation band, a brush guard attached to the lateral structure and extending along the transportation band and over a lateral margin of the transportation band, and further including a brush guard illumination means extending together with a brush guard.

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Embodiments of the invention are described in greater detail below with reference to the Figures, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a people conveyor in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the people conveyor taken at 2-2 of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the encircled section of A in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the encircled section of B in Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the brush guard profile.

Figures 1 and 2 show a people conveyor 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Particularly, the people conveyor 2 of the Figures illustrates an escalator, but the invention can also be realized with a moving walkway, etc. The respective features as described with respect to the escalator can also be present with the illumination system in any other people conveyor.

The people conveyor 2 has an endless people transportation band 4 made up from a plurality of steps 6 which are arranged one next to the other. People conveyor 2 further includes a handrail arrangement 8 comprising an endless handrail 10 moving generally in parallel with the people transportation band 4. A balustrade 12, for example a glass balustrade, is arranged laterally to the transportation band 4 and supports the handrail 8. The balustrade 12 is supported at its lower end by a stationary lateral structure 14 which is laterally adjacent to the transportation band 4. A gap 5 (Fig. 3, 4) is provided between the movable trans- portation band 4 and the stationary lateral structure 14. A brush guard is attached to the lateral structure 14 and extends over a lateral margin 18 (Fig. 3, 4) of the transportation band 4.

As can be seen in Figures 3, 4, and 5, the brush guard 16 is formed from a plural- ity of brushes 20 which themselves are formed from a plurality of bristles each.

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The individual brushes are held together as it is conventional by a clamping element 23 and located within a channel 24 of a brush guard strip or profile 26

As can be seen in Figure 1 , the brush guard 16 extends from a lower landing 28 to an upper landing 30 and over the inclined portion 32 therebetween

An illumination means 34 is located within a further channel 36 of the brush guard profile 26 As can be seen by comparing Figures 3 and 4, channels 24 and 34 are more or less identically provided within the applicant's brush guard profile 26

In order to dissipate heat generated by the electric components within the brush guard illumination means 34, the brush guard profile 26 is preferably made of a material having a good thermal conductivity, for example a metal, etc Particularly extruded aluminium or aluminium alloy profiles can be used Preferably, the potting material 42 is also made from a thermally conductive material Preferably such potting material is in intimate contact with the material of the brush guard profile 26 in order to dissipate the heat as generated by the brush guard illumination means 34

The brush guard profile 26, the brush guard 16, and the brush guard illumination means 34 can be segmented, but can also be unitary along the complete length thereof A pre-fabricated brush guard profile segment with the brush guard brushes 20 and the brush guard illumination means 34 integrated therewith may have electrical connectors (not shown) provided at the longitudinal ends of the profile segment for electrically connecting individual profile segments with each other

In Figure 5 a single channel 44 is provided for housing the brush guard illumination means 34 and the individual brushes 20 of the brush guard The individual brushes 20 of the brush guard can be held in place by a clamping means and the individual light sources or LEDs 38 can be positioned offset from the clamping

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means and between individual clamping means so as to radiate through the gap between individual clamping means. Alternatively, a translucent clamping means or a translucent potting means for potting the individual brushes 20 into can be used which will allow the illumination means 34 to radiate therethrough. As it is conventional, the individual bristles can be made from an opaque material. Likewise, the individual bristles can be made from a translucent material. Translucent bristles may serve as optical fibers or wave guides for guiding the light from the illumination means 34 through the bristles and to the free ends 46 thereof. The translucent bristles may form an optical fiber brush guard.

Again, the LEDs 38 and printed circuit board 40 are potted together. In the embodiment as shown in Figure 5, the LEDs 38 and the printed circuit board 40 are potted into a U-shaped profile 48.

It is possible to individually or groupwise control the LEDs 38 in order to generate specific light effects, like on and off, coloured light, etc. It is preferred to use these effects in specific safety-relevant areas in order to attract the passengers' attention. It is particularly possible to have the illumination moving along the transportation band, for example with the same speed as that of the transportation band or with a speed in a specific relation to the speed of the transportation band or with a speed which corresponds to that of the passenger in case the passenger is walking on the transportation band. In order to provide this feature the illumination control can be connected with a device for determining the speed of the transportation band and/or of the endless handrail and/or of an individual passenger moving on the transportation band. It is also possible to have a passenger detection device which detects merely the presence of the passenger on the people conveyor.

The illumination effect is caused by sequentially illuminating individual illumination sources depending on the speed of the transportation band and/or the passenger. This moving light effect does not necessarily extend along the complete length of the illumination means 34 but can be limited to a particular portion thereof. It is also possible to have any other moving or not moving optical effect, for example change of intensity, of colour, on-off, etc., moving or not moving or

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with a particular rhythm for example as determined based on the speed of the transportation band or the background music. It is possible to flash the illumination means at the exit landing or entry landing whenever a step or pallet starts to move under the combplate or starts to emerge from the combplate thus giving the user a rhythm facilitating the transition from the moving pallet or step to the stationary landing and vice versa.

The illumination control device can effect illumination of individual illumination sources so that an ..illumination gap" travels along the illumination means to- gether with the transportation band and/or the passenger. The illumination gap can a be a dark gap, i.e. a portion of the individual light sources is shut off or dark. Such gap can move with the same speed as the transportation band, can also move with for example the double speed thereof or a fraction of that speed or any speed related to the speed of a particular passenger. Instead of an JIIu- mination gap" the opposite, i.e. an ..illumination spot", can travel along or with the transportation band. The people conveyor may further comprise a passenger detecting device which is connected to the illumination control and wherein the illumination control is adapted to effect illumination so that an illuminated portion or ..illuminated spot" of the illumination means will travel together with a passenger. The respective passenger detecting device extends along the length of the people conveyor for detecting the actual position of a passenger or the passengers on the step. Particularly in case with the detection of the passenger being performed only at the entrance, the illumination spot can have a length which is determined so as to extend forward from the passenger a distance which is larger than the average distance walked by a walking passenger on the people conveyor.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention, as described above, allow for the brush guard to be illuminated and thus increase the visibility of the brush guard so that the safety of the people conveyor can be increased. The illuminated brush guard improves the safety function of brush guards and provides numerous aesthetic options. The illumination means can be arranged so as to provide a plurality of spot lights for example at the free ends of the brushes of the brush guard remote from the stationary lateral structure. Alternatively, the illumination means can provide for a continuous lighting of the brush guard. The illumination means can extend along the complete length of the brush guard or only along a

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portion or a plurality of portions thereof. In case of illuminating only portions of the brush guard it is preferred to illuminate specific portions along the people transportation band, for example portions where the risk for entrapment is high or near the entry and exit landings.

The illumination means can provide a white lighting or a coloured lighting. It is possible to have changing colours as well as ..running" light. To this effect, the illuminating means can be connected to a control which controls the light and/or colour effects of the illumination means. A people conveyor illumination means which is adapted to generate such effects is disclosed in PCT/EP2006/004778 of the same applicant and which in incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

As explained above, illumination means can consist of a plurality of individual illumination sources. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are one possible choice of illu- mination sources. They have relatively low power consumption, do not produce substantial amounts of heat and have a relatively long lifetime. Moreover, LEDs are of small dimensions and allow the use of existing standard brush guard profiles, like single or double rows brush guard profile as strip for LED lighting with easy assembly possibilities without changing or replacement of original parts. Particularly, the LEDs offer the possibility to pot the individual illumination sources within a clear or translucent material, for example epoxy resin, etc. which can facilitate the manufacture thereof. The potting material can be of different colors or can be colorless. The potting material, particularly epoxy can provide IP55 electrical protection and is vandal resistant.

The illumination means is positioned in the vicinity of the brush guard so as to illuminate the brush guard and it is possible to position the illumination means within a channel. The channel can be above or below the brush guard. It is also possible to have two illumination means, one above and one below the brush guard.

It is also possible to position the brush guard and the illumination means within the same channel. Again, the illumination means can be placed above or below the brush guard or even between individual brushes of the brush guard. Particu- larly, the illumination means can be positioned behind the brush guard so that in use the light from the illumination means passes by the brushes. It is possible to

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use reflectors, lenses, or other light-guiding means to guide the light by the individual brushes of the brush guard.

It is possible that the brush guard comprises a plurality of light-guiding bristles which are located so as to guide light from the illumination means toward the free ends of the bristles. In this case, light-guiding means as mentioned above can be provided for guiding the light from the illumination means and the individual light sources, respectively, into the individual light-guiding bristles. In order to deflect light from the inside of the light-guiding bristles to the outside, at least a portion of the bristles can be frosted, etc. Accordingly, it is possible to treat the outer surface of the bristle, for example by edging, grinding, etc., or to provide impurities within the respective portion of the bristles which may also reflect the light out of the bristle. Providing illumination only at a portion of the bristles adjacent to the free ends thereof particularly attracts attention.

The people conveyor may further comprise a brush guard profile which is attached to the lateral structure, for example by fasteners, etc., and wherein the brush guard and the illumination means are integrated within the brush guard profile. Particularly, the brush guard profile may have one or two channels for housing the brush guard and/or the illumination means. Moreover, due to the arrangement It is particularly easy to retrofit a brush guard profile with illumination means to existing people conveyors.

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the

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invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

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