FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The object of the invention is a people mover as defined in the preamble of claim 1.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In prior-art escalator arrangements and travelator arrangements people are moved on consecutive conveyor elements, such as pallets or steps, which form a continuous moving track. The conveyor elements are usually connected to each other with a transmission chain, by pulling which they are moved. The chain can be connected to a conveyor element via, for instance, a pin connected to the center part of the conveyor element, which pin is mounted to rotate in relation to the frame of the conveyor element . The conveyor element track comprises an upper track section, i.e. a conveyor part, on which the passengers can stand or walk, and a lower track section, i.e. a return part, the conveyor elements of which return part move below the conveyor elements in the conveyor part and in the opposite direction in relation to them. Both ends of the conveyor comprise an arrangement for turning the direction of the conveyor elements and for moving the conveyor elements between the conveyor part and the return part . When moving a conveyor element between the conveyor part and the return part, it is guided to travel a curved trajectory until its direction of movement has turned to the desired direction. This is most generally done such that a diverting pulley turns the direction of movement of the transmission chain, to which chain each conveyor element is fixed, in which case the pallet undergoes a path of movement according to a circular curve of the direction of movement in the direction change area.

The centrifugal forces of a conveyor element are inversely comparable to its deflection radius, in which case a small radius results in great centrifugal forces in the area of direction change, which forces must be overcome so that the conveyor element can be guided on the desired curved trajectory. A problem in prior-art solutions has been that when moving from the upper track to the lower track the conveyor element exerts on the structures guiding and supporting it a force component, which may cause vibration or noise. Generally a transmission chain and its diverting pulley produce some of the forces needed for guiding and supporting a conveyor element. In addition to this, a conveyor element generally comprises a guide part, which moves to be guided by a guide rail part in some phase of the direction change, e.g. while it is on the curved trajectory or immediately afterwards after having turned onto a flat section. Problems have occurred in particular in situations, in which the guide roll of a conveyor element collides into contact with the guide rail part that guides it in connection with the direction change, because a large impulse is exerted on the guide roll and guide rail part, which impulse can speed up the wear of the parts hitting each other and can cause noise.

AIM OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks, among others, of prior-art solutions. More particularly the aim of the invention is to produce a more advanced people mover, preferably a travelator, escalator or corresponding. The aim of the invention is to achieve one or more of the following advantages, among others:

- A people mover is achieved, the conveyor element of which exerts smaller forces than before on the structures in the area of direction change, such as on the transmission chain and/or on the diverting pulley of the transmission chain, that guide and support the conveyor element .

- A people mover is achieved, in which the drawbacks of impacts and of changes in the support force between the conveyor element and the guide rail part guiding it can be reduced in the area of direction change of the conveyor element .

- A people mover is achieved, in which the noise produced is less than before.

- A people mover is achieved, with which oscillation/vibration caused by lifting a pallet can be damped.

- A people mover is achieved, the ride comfort of which is better than before.

- A people mover is achieved, the wear of the parts of which can be reduced and the service life of said parts improved.

- A people mover is achieved, the accuracy of manufacture required from which is lower than before .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The people mover according to the invention can be said to be characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims. Some inventive embodiments are also discussed in the descriptive section and the drawings of the present application. The inventive content of the application can also be defined differently than in the claims presented below. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of expressions or implicit sub-tasks or from the point of view of advantages or categories of advantages achieved. In this case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts . The features of the various embodiments can be applied within the framework of the basic inventive concept in conjunction with other embodiments .

According to the invention, the people mover, more particularly a travelator, escalator or corresponding, comprises a plurality of conveyor elements, such as pallets, steps or corresponding, for carrying and moving people, which conveyor elements are arranged one after the other and form an endless track, which track comprises an upper track section and a lower track section, and an area of direction change of the conveyor elements, when in which area a conveyor element is arranged to move between the upper track section and the lower track section, and a guide rail part in the area of direction change, which guide rail part is arranged to produce a support force, which guides the conveyor element, on the conveyor element travelling guided by the guide rail part. The aforementioned guide rail part is flexible in the area of direction change. The guide rail part is thus arranged/can be arranged to damp with its flexibility the impacts and/or changes in the support force between the conveyor element and the guide rail part . A flexible guide rail part also takes at least a part of the weight of the conveyor element to be supported by it and produces the support force needed for guiding, in which case the forces exerted on the other parts of the travelator performing these tasks are smaller than before.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide surface of the guide rail part comprises at least a section, which retracts from the effect of the force exerted against the guide surface section by the guide part. This retraction occurs preferably when the aforementioned force exerted on the guide surface increases, most preferably the guide surface retracts (at least with the guide part at the moment of moving into contact) still, however, continuing to produce support force on the guide part .

In one embodiment of the invention the guide rail part is flexible in a way that the guide rail part, more particularly the guide surface of the guide rail part, momentarily and reversibly changes its shape from the force of the guide part resting against the guide rail part. In this case at least the section PI of the guide surface of the guide rail part (if necessary, however, the guide surface SI as a whole) is such that owing to the yielding of the guide rail part it is able to retract from the force of the guide part that has moved into contact with it while at the same time, however, resisting the retraction of the guide surface .

In one embodiment of the invention the conveyor element comprises a guide part, preferably a wheel or a slide element, and in the area of the direction change the conveyor element is moved such that the guide part moves into contact with the guide surface of the flexible guide rail part. In one embodiment of the invention the guide surface of the flexible guide rail part permanently forms an essentially continuous guide surface together with the guide surface of the guide rail of the lower track.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide part slides and/or rotates following the guide surface of the guide rail part.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide rail part always returns to the same position between the supportings of consecutive conveyor elements.

In one embodiment of the invention at least one point (CI) of the guide surface section, which point the guide part hits while being in the area of direction change when it moves for the first time into contact with the flexible guide rail part, always has time to return to the same position before the next guide part hits the point.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide rail part is (apart from the elastic motion) essentially stationary.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide rail part supports and guides the guide part from outside the endless track travelled by the guide part.

In one embodiment of the invention the aforementioned guide rail part is arranged to produce an upwardly- directed force component on the guide part to guide and support the guide part, and that in the area of direction change the conveyor element is moved such that the guide part moves from a position I, in which the guide rail part does not exert an upwardly- directed support force on the guide part, to a position II, in which the guide rail part exerts an upwardly-directed support force on the guide part.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide surface of the guide rail of the lower track is an extension of the guide surface of the flexible guide rail part.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide surface of the guide rail part additionally comprises a section, which does not retract when the guide part rests against it.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide surface of the guide rail part is horizontal in the unflexed/recovered-from-flexing position and deviates from the horizontal in a yielded position.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide surface of the guide rail part is horizontal when the conveyor element moves into contact with the guide surface.

.In one embodiment of the invention the guide rail. part comprises a plate, the surface of which forms a guide surface (SI) for the guide part.

In one embodiment of the invention the aforementioned plate is of metal.

In one embodiment of the invention the part comprising the guide surface (SI) of a guide rail part (21) is of spring steel. Thus the part (17) in question behaves in a spring-like manner and its service life is long.

In one embodiment of the invention the yield of the guide rail part is achieved by bending of the plate, preferably on the same plane as the plane of rotation of the guide part in the direction change around the diverting pulley.

In one embodiment of the invention the plate is arranged to bend when the guide part hits against the plate. Bending of the plate softens the transfer event of the guide part to the support of the plate and produces yield. The plate is preferably of spring steel .

In one embodiment of the invention the resistance of the deformation of the guide rail part is non-linear, preferably increasing as the bending increases.

In one embodiment of the invention an elastic support element, preferably of elastomer, is on the opposite rear side of the guide surface of the plate. Thus the elastomer part can act as a shock absorber and at the same time produce a flexible support for the part comprising the guide surface. In one embodiment of the. invention .the., plate .is elongated and comprises a first end and a second end, and is permanently fixed at its first end to a stationary part of the people mover, such as e.g. to the frame of the people mover, and at its second end movably to a stationary part, such as e.g. to the frame of the people mover.

In one embodiment of the invention the plate is supported at its second end via a flexible means, preferably a spring (e.g. a spiral spring), to enable longitudinal movement of the plate .

In one embodiment of the invention it comprises a part comprising a guide surface, which part is of a first material, and a flexible support part supporting a part comprising a guide surface, which support part is of a second material, which part comprising a guide surface is preferably an essentially thin and flexible metal plate and which support part is essentially of elastomer, such as e.g. of rubber.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide part moves into contact with the flexible guide rail part, more particularly with the surface PI, in the final phase of the curved trajectory of the direction change, particularly when the direction of movement of the guide part is at most 10 degrees from the horizontal plane. Thus a soft move into contact can be achieved.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide part moves into contact with the flexible guide rail part, more particularly with the surface PI, in the final phase of the curved trajectory of the direction change, particularly when the direction of movement of the guide part is turned or has already turned (has passed the point in which the guide part moves directly downwards) . In this way an unnecessary change of the guidance grip between the guide rails can be avoided and a soft move into contact can be achieved. The part comprising a guide surface can thus also be formed to be simple.

In one embodiment of the invention the aforementioned guide part is a wheel supported by the conveyor element. The wheel can travel supported/guided by both the lower track and the aforementioned guide rail part of the area of direction change.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide rail of the lower track is essentially inflexible, and the guide surface of the guide rail of the lower track is an extension of the guide surface of the flexible guide rail part. A section that retracts from the effect of the force exerted against the guide surface by the conveyor element is thus not formed in the guide rail G2. When a certain type of flexibility is arranged only in the areas of direction change, the conveyor can be formed to be simple.

In one embodiment of the invention each conveyor element is arranged to take vertical support force from the guide rail, preferably at least from the guide rail of the lower track, via one or more wheel (s), the outer envelope of which wheel is of polymer. In this way yielding can be arranged on the inflexible lower track in a different way than in the area of direction change. An advantage is a simple and inexpensive solution, the noise problems of which are fewer .

In one embodiment of the invention the hardness of the polymer of the aforementioned outer envelope is at most 94 shore A. In this way a good noise . damping is achieved on the lower track.

In one embodiment of the invention the guide rail part comprises a plate, the surface of which forms a guide surface for the guide part, and that the yield of the guide rail part is achieved by the bending of the plate (from the force of the guide part resting against the guide rail part) . In this way a sufficiently great flexibility can be simply achieved at the point where the guide part hits at the contact moment. An advantage is also that a detrimental point of the seam caused between the flexible guide rail part and the subsequent guide rail can be avoided, in which point the guide rail surfaces are at different heights. Another advantage is that the plate is simple to form and its characteristics can be chosen to be those desired in terms of wear, and that it can be formed to be an easily replaceable part.

In one embodiment of the invention the aforementioned guide surface SI is a smooth surface.

In one embodiment of the invention the aforementioned plate is essentially incompressible. Thus the exact location of the surface can be simply adjusted. Likewise deformation of the part comprising a guide surface, more particularly a permanent change of its dimensions, over time can be easily predicted and arranged to be insignificant.

In one embodiment of the invention the aforementioned guide surface SI is of metal and that the guide surface of the lower track is of metal .

In one embodiment of the invention the people mover presented is a device, preferably a travelator,installed on top of an even surface, in which device the conveyor elements of the conveyor do not go below the floor surface surrounding the conveyor. The aforementioned elastic properties are in this case advantageous because there is no need to fit large additional noise insulation in an otherwise cramped structure, in which the source of the noise is close to the passengers .

LIST OF FIGURES

In the following, the invention will be described in detail by the aid of some examples of its embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, wherein Fig. 1 presents a three-dimensional view of the principle of a people mover according to the invention.

Fig. 2a presents a people mover according to Fig. 1 viewed from the side of the area of direction change . Fig. 2b presents a magnified detail of Fig. 2a.

Fig. 3a presents a side view of a flexible guide rail part shown in Figs. l-2b.

Fig. 3b presents a three-dimensional view of a flexible guide rail part shown in Figs. l-3a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 presents a people mover 1 according to the invention. The people mover 1 is a travelator, in which the conveyor elements, pallets 11 in the solution presented, that convey passengers are arranged to move supported on rolls 16 on guide rails. The pallets 11 are arranged successively close to each other to form an essentially continuous conveying surface (only some of the pallets are shown) and connected to the transmission chain or corresponding 2 with ^" coupling elements ^' 15, which transmission chain or corresponding 2 (e.g. a sprocket chain or a belt) is arranged to move the pallets 11 with the power transmitted from a motor 3. The transmission chain 2 is formed into an endless loop and passes around the turning elements 5 and 6, which are most preferably gear wheels, and when passing around which the chain turns the direction of travel of the pallet and at the same time moves the pallet between the upper track U and the lower track L, i.e. between the conveyor part and the return part. The people mover 1 also comprises guide rails Gl of the upper track and guide rails G2 of the lower track, following which guide rails the conveyor elements 11 are guided to pass supported, e.g. by guiding the guide part 16 (guide roll in the embodiment presented) of the conveyor element on the guide rail .

The people mover 1 also comprises a flexible guide rail part 21 in the area of direction change R, which guide rail part is arranged to soften with its flexibility the impacts and changes in the support force between the conveyor element and the guide rail part . Impacts and changes in the support force are caused by the change of direction procedure of the pallets in the area of direction change R. In addition, the supporting of the guide part in the area of direction change reduces the forces exerted on the turning elements 5 and the chain 2. Fig. 2a presents details of the area of direction change R of the people mover 1 of the Fig. 1. In the figure the pallet on the right-hand side is being moved from the upper track U to the lower track L such that the attitude of the pallet 11 remains the same during the change of direction. When the pallet in question is in the position presented, it is vertically supported on a transmission chain 2 and a diverting pulley 6 and the pallet is in position I. The placement of the pallet when it is in position II is marked with a dashed line, which placement is described in more detail in Fig. 2b.

In the area of direction change R the conveyor element 11 is moved such that the guide part 16, which in the embodiment presented is a wheel, moves into contact with the flexible guide rail part 21. The conveyor element 11 is moved in the area of direction change such that the guide part 16 moves from position I, in which the flexible guide rail part 21 does not exert an upwardly-directed support force on the guide part 16, to position II, in which the flexible guide rail part 21 exerts an upwardly-directed support force on the guide part 16. Enabled by the flexibility of the guide rail part, the section PI comprised in the guide surface SI of the guide rail part 21, to be supported by which section the conveyor element moves, retracts in this case from the force exerted against the guide surface section PI by the guide part 16 while at the same time, however, resisting the retraction of the guide surface and thus producing support force on the guide part. Fig. 2b presents the guide surface section PI of a guide rail surface in a retracted state immediately after the guide part and the surface section PI have moved into contact. The aforementioned retraction occurs most preferably when the force exerted against the guide surface section PI by the guide part 16 increases, more particularly at the moment when the guide part moves into contact with the guide surface section PI. The pallet has preferably time to move supported by/following the guide part for some distance before the yield reaches its extreme position. The guide rail part 21 is preferably flexible in a way that its guide surface SI changes --its shape momentarily -and .reversibly from the force of. the guide part resting against the guide rail part . At the latest when the guide part of the pallet is removed from the support of the guide surface section PI, the guide surface section PI returns to its initial position. Preferably the guide rail part always has time to return to the same position between the consecutive supportings of the conveyor elements. It is advantageous that at least the point CI of the guide surface section PI, which point the guide part 16 hits when it moves while being in the area of direction change for the first time into contact with the flexible guide rail part 21, more particularly with the surface PI, always has time to return to the same unflexed initial position before the next guide part hits the point CI . Fig. 3a presents a side view and Fig. 3b a three- dimensional view of a flexible guide rail part 21. The guide rail part 21 comprises a plate 17, the surface of which forms a guide surface SI for the guide part 16. The yield of the guide rail part 21 is achieved by bending of the plate 17, which bending occurs on the same plane as the plane of rotation of the guide part in the direction change around the diverting pulley 6 according to Figs. 2a-2b. The plate 17 is arranged to bend when the guide part 16 hits against the plate 17. In this case the plate bends such that both its surface that is against the guide part and the rear surface bend. The resistance of the deformation of the guide part 21 is preferably non-linear, preferably such that when the deformation increases the force resisting the deformation also increases. This can be affected by, among other things, the material selection of the plate 17, with the force of the spring 22 and/or by a rear support. On the opposite rear side of the guide surface SI of the plate there is. .preferably,- but..- not necessarily, . a reversibly flexible support element 23, which is preferably of elastomer. The support element can thus damp noise and equalize the force effect of the impacts/load acting on the plate 17. The plate 17 is elongated and comprises a first end and a second end. The first end is fixed via a support part 25 to the rear plate 24 of the guide rail part 21, and the second end via a flexible means 22 (spiral spring in the figure) to the rear plate to enable longitudinal movement of the plate during the yield. According to Fig. 2a the plate 17 can be fixed at its first end via the aforementioned rear plate 24 and via the support part 25 permanently to a stationary part of a people mover, such as to the frame of the people mover, and at its second end via a rear plate 24 movably to the frame of the people mover. When the fixing of one end is permanent and the fixing of the second end is movable, the movement caused by the yield of the plate produces movement only to the second end of- the plate, which end is not the end on the side of the guide rail G2 of the lower track. Fixing could alternatively be performed directly to the stationary part of the people mover, such as to the frame. The aforementioned movability can be movement of the second end in the longitudinal direction of the plate and/or in the normal direction of the plane of the plate. Because the fixing of the first end is permanent this movability does not occur at that end. To enable longitudinal movability of the plate, the plate is supported via a spring 22 on the rear plate 24, which spring exerts tension on the plate that is in the longitudinal direction of the plate. The plate 17 is also supported at its second end with a bolt 29 going through an elongated hole of the plate, which bolt limits the plate from rising up but allows the longitudinal movement of the plate. The part 23, for its- .part-,, enables, if .. necessary, the movement of - the second end in the normal direction of the plane of the plate (downwards in the figure) at the point of the bolt 29. The guide part comprises means 27 for fixing it to the travelator frame.

The people mover 1 presented comprises preferably similar guide arrangements (for the sake of clarity only the second guide rail G2 and the flexible guide rail part 21 are presented in the figure) on the opposite sides of the pallets. Each guide rail G2 of the lower track comprises a guide rail surface S2, following which and supported by which the conveyor elements 11 are guided to travel while being on the lower track section by guiding the guide part 16 of the conveyor element 11 on the surface S2. The guide rail G2 is rigid and its guide surface S2 does not change its shape from the force of the weight of the pallet. The guide surface S2 is an extension of the guide surface SI of the guide rail part 21. The guide surface SI of the flexible guide rail part 21 forms a permanently and essentially continuous (e.g. apart from the seams) guide surface with the guide surface S2 of the guide rail G2. The guide part 16 is able to move from the guidance of the flexible guide rail part 21 steplessly to the guidance of the guide rail G2 of the lower track. The guide surface SI comprises preferably a section P2 supported by the support part 25, which section does not retract when the guide part 16 rests against it, and which section P2 forms a transfer area between the flexible guide surface section PI and guide surface S2. The support part is preferably made of a material that is harder than the material of the part 23, but softer than the material of the part 24, the advantage of which is that when the guide part rests against the section PI (and bends the plate 17) , the part 25 gives slightly way and does not- -cause too -abrupt, a fold in the . plate at ..the point of the seam of the part 25 and 23 in the figure. The part 25 is preferably neither in a retracted state nor able to get into the retracted state when the guide part is at the point of the part, in which case the guide part 16 is able to move steplessly onto the guide rail G2. The part 25 can alternatively be of metal .

Generally speaking, the guide rail part 21 is, apart from the elastic motion, essentially stationary. For the sake of simplicity it is advantageous, but not necessary, that the guide surface SI of the guide rail part 21, more particularly the surface PI, is horizontal in the unflexed/recovered-from-flexing position and deviates from the horizontal in a yielded position. Particularly advantageous is that the guide surface SI of the guide rail part 16 is horizontal at the moment when the guide part moves into contact with the guide surface SI .

The flexible guide rail part 21 can be dimensioned to be able to partly or wholly restore its position into the unflexed (unloaded by the pallet) initial state soon after the impulse caused at the contact moment and possibly already before the pallet has been removed from the support of the flexible guide rail part .

The travelator 1 described in the application is preferably a travelator installed on top of a pitless floor, in which travelator the motor is above the floor level, preferably inside a handrail.

In the figures the guide rail part supports and guides the guide part from outside the endless track travelled by the guide part, but with corresponding arrangements, it can be installed ...to. support from, inside the track, e.g. at the end at which the pallets rise to the upper track, the flexible guide rail part could be installed to receive pallets moving to the upper track section.

The guide part moves preferably into contact with the flexible guide rail part, more particularly with the surface PI, only in the final phase of the curved trajectory of the direction change, particularly after the direction of movement of the guide part is turned or has already turned (passed the point at which the guide part moves directly downwards) . Most preferably the guide part moves into contact with the flexible guide rail part when the direction of movement of the guide part is at most 10 degrees from the horizontal plane .

It is obvious that the flexible part does not necessarily need to be horizontal. The flexible part could also comprise a curved guide surface part (on the right in the Fig. 2a) , which curved guide surface part the guide part 16 hits when it moves into contact with the guide rail part. In this case the curved guide surface part would curve to be essentially horizontal such that an at least essentially horizontal guide surface part is an extension of the curved part, the extension of which guide surface part is the guide surface part S2 of the guide rail G2. The guide part arrives preferably into contact with the flexible guide rail part such that the surface angle of the point CI is preferably at most 20, more preferably 10, even more preferably at most 5 degrees from the direction of movement of the guide part at the moment of striking.

-In. -the solution presented the guide rail of the - lower track is preferably essentially inflexible, in which case no section that retracts from the effect of the force exerted against the guide surface by the conveyor element is formed in the guide rail G2. When a specific type of flexibility of the guide rail is arranged only at the areas of direction change, the conveyor can be formed to be simple. In this case each conveyor element is arranged to take vertical support force from the guide rail, preferably at least from the guide rail of the lower track, via one or more wheel (s), the outer envelope of which wheel is of polymer, the hardness of which is at most 94 shore A. In this way good noise damping is achieved on the lower track. In this way yield can be arranged on the inflexible lower track in a different way than in the area of direction change. An advantage is a simple and inexpensive solution, the noise problems of which are fewer. Preferably both the aforementioned guide surface SI and the guide surface S2 of the lower track are metal surfaces. Thus both are wear resistant and there is no need to ascertain how the material of the wheel envelope behaves with a number of guide surfaces that behave in very different ways.

The solution presented is particularly well suited to travelators in which the conveyor element retains its attitude in the direction change.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, in which the invention is described using examples, but that many adaptations and different embodiments of the invention are possible within the framework of the inventive concept defined by the claims presented below. Thus it is obvious that the invention can be utilized in different people movers, such as ..travelators, - escalators, --moving ramps- and corresponding, in which case the conveyor element can be, for instance, a step. It is also obvious that the invention can also be utilized in solutions in which the conveyor element does not retain its attitude during a direction change. It is further obvious that the whole guide surface SI can be retractible from the force of the guide part. Furthermore it is obvious that the guide part can be formed without a rear support 23, e.g. such that behind the plate 17 producing yield is an air gap.