GB2264686A

GB2264686A - Variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walkway

Info

Publication number: GB2264686A
Application number: GB9301930A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Tatsuhiko Takahashi; Chuichi Saito; Kazutoshi Takeda; Kazuhira Ojima; Hisao Chiba; Hirofumi Utsunomiya
Original assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Current assignee: Hitachi Ltd
Priority date: 1992-03-02
Filing date: 1993-02-01
Publication date: 1993-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 2013-02-01
Also published as: HK11496A; JPH05246672A; GB9301930D0; CN1076910A; TW213437B; JP2928676B2; GB2264686B; CN1055668C

Abstract

An object of this invention is to provide a variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walkway in which the speed of movement of pallets (3) is changeable. The speed of movement of the plurality of pallets (3) is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion of the walkway, a rotary member for driving the pallet (3) being mounted on the pallet (3). A Power transmission mechanism (20) in contact with the rotary member to transmit power is provided to extend between the entrance portion and the exit portion. There is provided a device (28) for changing the position of contact between the rotary member and the power transmission mechanism (20) in a direction of movement of the pallets (3). <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a pallet-type passenger moving walk such as a moving walk and an escalator, and more particularly to a variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the type in which the speed of movement of pallets is changed between an entrance and an exit.

In a conventional variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 50-43686, all of pallets are interconnected by an associated link mechanism, and the distance between the adjacent pallets is made smaller at an exit portion, and is made larger at an intermediate portion, thereby changing the speed of movement of the pallets.

In the above prior art, any consideration has not been given to a simplified construction of the pallet-type passenger moving walk, and there has been encountered a problem that the overall construction of the apparatus is complicated.

One object of the invention is to provide a variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of pallets can be changed with a simple construction.

The invention provides in one aspect a variablespeed pallet-type passenger moving walk wherein the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion; a rotary member for driving the pallet is mounted on the pallet; a power transmission mechanism in contact with the rotary member to transmit a power is provided to extend between the entrance portion and the exit portion; and there is provided means for changing the position of contact between the rotary member and the power transmission mechanism in a direction of movement of the pallets.

In the above construction, the power transmitting position is changed in a radial direction of the rotary member, and therefore the speed of movement of each pallet can be changed by changing the rotational speed of the rotary member.

The term moving walk is used herein to include moving pavements and escalators Fig. 1 is a partly-broken, perspective view of a moving walk showing one example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic side-elevational view of the moving walk showing one example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the prevent invention; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional, frontelevational view of the moving walk showing one example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention; Fig. 4 is a view of an important portion of a pallet shown in fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view of an important portion of the pallet shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the pallets of the moving walk showing one example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention;; Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional, sideelevational view taken along line VII-VII in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a schematic vertical crosssectional, side-elevational view showing a drive mechanism for a moving handrail of the variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention; Fig. 9 is a schematic vertical crosssectional, side-elevational view showing an operating condition of the drive mechanism for the moving handrail of Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional, frontelevational view of a pallet of a moving walk showing another example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention; Fig. 11 is a plan view showing an arrangement of power transmission mechanisms of a moving walk showing a further example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention;; Fig. 12 is an enlarged side-elevational view of a portion of the power transmission mechanisms of Fig. 11; Fig. 13 is a vertical cross-sectional, frontelevational view of a pallet of a moving walk showing a further example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention; and Fig. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional, frontelevational view of a pallet of a moving walk showing a further example of variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk of the present invention.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of a moving walk shown in Figs.

1 to 9. The moving walk includes a plurality of pallets 3 moving on a pair of left and right guide rails 2A and 2B fixedly mounted on a frame 1, and handrails 4 provided along the direction of movement of the pallets 3.

The plurality of pallets 3 are arranged in an endless manner so that passengers can get on an advance side of these pallets whereas a return side moves beneath the advance side to be returned to the initial position. As shown in Figs. 3, 6 and 7, the pallet 3 broadly comprises a pallet frame 5, and a main cleat 6 mounted horizontally on a top surface 5U of the pallet frame 5. The main cleat 6 is formed by continuously bending a thin steel sheet (e.g. a thin stainless steel sheet) into a corrugated shape, and the pallet is fixedly mounted on the pallet frame 5 in such a manner that the direction of extending of ridges of the corrugation coincides with the direction of movement of the pallets.Side cleats 7A and 7B are provided adjacent respectively to the opposite ends of the corrugation of the main cleat 6, and front and rear cleats 8A and 8B each having generally the same crosssection as that of the main cleat 6 are provided adjacent respectively to the opposite ends of the main cleat 6 in the direction of the movement of the pallet, these cleats being fixedly mounted on the pallet frame.

5. The side cleats 7A and 7B and the front and rear cleats 8A and 8B have a color (for example, yellow which has the effect of arousing the attention) different from the color of the main cleat 6, and are molded, for example, of a synthetic resin material.

The main cleat 6 may be provided by molding an aluminum alloy material into a corrugated shape.

A rotation shaft 9 extends through the pallet frame 5 via bearings 9B in the direction of the width of the pallet 3, and front wheels 10A and lOB are fixed to the opposite ends of this shaft, respectively. Rear wheels llA and llB are rotatably supported on the pallet frame 5, and are spaced from the front wheels 10A and 10B in the direction of movement. The front wheels 10A and 10B, as well as the rear wheels llA and llB, roll on the guide rails 2A and 2B, respectively. there is no component part which interconnects the adjacent pallets 3, and each pallet 3 can be move freely.

As shown in Fig. 3, a power conversion mechanism for changing the direction of a transmitted drive force, as well as a speed conversion mechanism for changing the speed of the transmitted drive force, is provided on an intermediate portion of the rotation shaft 9. Specifically referring to this power conversion mechanism and this speed conversion mechanism, a spline hub 12, having at its outer periphery an engagement portion defined by a number of grooves or projections extending in the axial direction, is fixedly mounted on the intermediate portion of the rotation shaft 9, and a rotary member 13 is engaged with the engagement portion of the spline hub 12 so as to move only in the axial direction. The rotary member 13 comprises a pair of rotary elements 13A and 13B having respective inclined surfaces 13a and 13b at their opposed surfaces. Spring seats 14A and 14B are fixedly mounted on the rotation shaft 9, and are spaced a predetermined distance from the outer sides of the pair of rotary elements 13A and 13B, respectively. A push spring 15A is provided between the spring seat 14A and the rotary element 13A, and a push spring 15B is provided between the spring seat 14B and the rotary element 13B, thereby urging the pair of rotary elements 13A and 13B toward each other. When the pair of rotary elements 13A and 13B are disposed in contact with each other, a V-shaped groove is defined by the inclined surfaces 13a and 13b.

As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, a number of elongate members 16 are pivotally connected at their one ends by respective pins 17 to the rear end of the pallet 3 in the direction of movement thereof, and similarly a closure plate 18 is provided beneath the elongate members 16, and is connected to the rear end through the pins 17. The other end portions of the elongate members 16 and the closure plate 18 are withdrawably inserted in the rearwardly-adjacent pallet 3 in the direction of movement. Namely, the elongate members 16 are withdrawably inserted respectively in spaces 6H formed by the corrugation of the main cleat 6 and the top surface 5U of the pallet frame 5. The closure plate 18 is withdrawably inserted in guide grooves 19A and 19B provided beneath the top surface 5U of the pallet frame 5.

Next, a power transmission mechanism for moving the pallets 3 of the above construction will now be described. As shown in Fig. 2, a power transmission member 20 in an endless form is provided beneath the advance side of the row of the pallets 3 along the entire length thereof. The power transmission member 20 comprises friction members 21 of a trapezoidal crosssection each having inclined surfaces 21a and 21b similar to the inclined surfaces 13a and 13b of the pair of rotary elements 13A and 13B, and a chain 22 interconnecting connection portions 21c extending respectively from the bottoms of the trapezoidal friction members 21. The power transmission member 20 is extended between and around a drive pulley 23 and a driven pulley 24 supported on the frame 1, and the advance side of this power transmission member is disposed in opposed relation to the advance side of the pallets 3.The drive pulley 23 has a sprocket 25A provided coaxially therewith, and a rotational force of an electric motor 26 is transmitted to this drive pulley via a drive chain 25B. The driven pulley 24 is supported on a support bed 24S so as to be movable in a chain tensioning direction to absorb an elongation of the chain 22, and this driven pulley is normally urged in a tensioning direction by a resilient member 27. The power transmission member 20 is guided by a guide rail 28 so that it can be opposed to the advance side of the pallets 3, and that the friction members 21 can be disposed in agreement with the V-shaped groove defined by the pair of rotary elements 13A and 13B. The guide rail 28 is fixedly mounted on the frame 1 so as to guide the movement of the chain 22.The height of this guide rail at entrance and exit portions where the passengers get on and off the moving walk is different from the height of the intermediate portion of the moving walk. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, this guide rail has a rising gradient or inclination angle S in the direction of movement in the vicinity of the entrance portion, and is maintained at the height of the upper portion of the above gradient at the intermediate portion, and has a falling gradient or inclination angle S in the vicinity of the exit portion. The height of the guide rail 28 is thus changed.By changing the height of the guide rail 28 in this manner, the guided power transmission member 20 is also displaced upward and downward with respect to the direction of movement, and as a result the position of contact of the friction members 21 with the V-shaped groove defined by the pair of rotary elements 13A and 13B is changed. In other words, the position of transmission of the power to the pallets 3, or the position of reception of the power, is changed in accordance with the movement of the pallets 3.

Next, the guiding and driving of the moving handrails 4 will now be described. The moving handrail 4 has a C-shaped cross-section, and is guided by a guide member 29G (see Fig. 1), mounted on the upper end portion of a balustrade-constituting member 29, to move therealong. As shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the handrail 4 comprises a plurality of handrail elements 30, and gapclosing members 31 (e.g. bellows) for absorbing a change in the gap between the adjacent handrail elements 30 to close this gap. Each handrail element 30 includes a tongue 32 extending downwardly from the central portion of the inner surface thereof, a plurality of holes 33 which are elongate in the direction of movement and are juxtaposed along the C-shaped cross-section, and positioning bars 34 withdrawably inserted in the holes 33 in the adjacent handrail element 30.

The tongue 32 rotatably supports a pair of vertically-spaced guide rollers 35A and 35B gripping a guide rail 36 fixedly secured to the frame 1. The tongue 32 pivotally supports one ends of first and second links 37A and 37B of the same length at the same position. The other ends of the two links 37A and 37B are pivotally connected to drive pieces 38. The first link 37A is pivotally connected, together with the second link 37B on the adjacent tongue 32, to the drive piece 38 at the same position, so that these links are continuously arranged in a zigzag fashion as a whole.

The drive piece 38 rotatably supports a pair of vertically-spaced guide rollers 39A and 39B gripping a guide rail 40 fixedly mounted on the frame 1. The position of fixing of the guide rail 40 is so changed that the spacing H1, H2 between the two guide rails 36 and 40 comes smaller progressively in the direction of movement in the vicinity of the entrance portion, and is kept small at the intermediate portion, and becomes larger progressively in the vicinity of the exit portion, as described above for the change in the height of the guide rail 28 of the chain 22.

The drive piece 38 has a spacer 41 which has such a length that when the spacing between the two guide rails 36 and 40 is the largest, this spacer comes into contact with the adjacent drive piece 38. An elastic member 42 made of rubber or the like is mounted on the distal end of the spacer 41, and provides a cushioning effect when the spacer comes into contact with the adjacent drive piece 38. A projection 43 is formed on the spacer 41. As shown in Fig. 2, the projections 43 are engaged with handrail drive devices 44A and 44B, provided respectively in opposite end portions of the balustrade-constituting member 29, to drive the moving handrail 4. Each of the handrail drive devices 44A and 44B comprises an electric motor 45, a rotating chain 46 for transmitting the power of this motor 45, and a sprocket 47 which is rotated by this chain 46 and has teeth engageable with the projections 43.

The operation of the moving walk of the above construction will now be described.

First, when the pallets 3 are at an accelerating region A having a rising gradient as shown in Fig. 2, the friction members 21 of the power transmission member 20 are in contact with an outer portion of the V-shaped groove defined by the rotary elements 13A and 13B, as shown in Fig. 3. In this condition, when the friction members 21 are driven in a direction reverse to the direction of movement of the pallets, that is, in one direction from the exit side toward the entrance side, the rotary elements 13A and 13B in contact with the friction members begin to be rotated by the frictional force. Therefore, the rotary elements 13A and 13B serve as a power conversion mechanism for converting the above drive force, exerted in the above one direction, into a rotational force.By the rotation of the rotary elements 13A and 13B, the front wheels 10A and 10B are driven, so that the pallet 3 runs. Since the power transmission member 20 is guided by the guide rail 28 into the rising gradient, the friction members 21 forcibly spread the V-shaped groove against the push springs 15A and 15B urging the rotary elements 13A and 13B as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and therefore are forced into a radially-inward portion of the V-shaped groove.As a result, the position of contact of the friction member 21 with the rotary elements 13A and 13B (that is, the position of transmission of the power) is changed from the radiallyoutward side toward the radially-inward side, and therefore the speed of rotation of the rotary elements 13A and 13B becomes higher progressively relative to the friction members 21 driven at a constant speed, so that the speed of travel of the pallets 3 also becomes higher.Therefore, the inclined surfaces 13a and 13b, defining the V-shaped groove, constitutes a rotational speed conversion mechanism for changing the rotational speed of the front wheels 10A and 10B, a moving-speed conversion mechanism for changing the speed of movement of the pallets, and a drive speed conversion mechanism for changing the drive speed transmitted from the power transmission member 20. The running speed of the pallet 3 becomes higher at the accelerating region A, and with a high speed condition the pallet 3 runs at a high speed region B at the intermediate portion, and then enters a deceleration region C in the vicinity of the exit portion.At this deceleration region C, the friction member 21, held in contact with the inner portion of the V-shaped groove defined by the rotary elements 13A and 13B, gradually shifts toward the outer side of the Vshaped groove as shown in Figs. 5, 4 and 3, thereby gradually reducing the rotational speed of the front wheels 10A and 10B.

As described above, the pallet 3 is gradually accelerated, in the vicinity of the entrance portion, from a speed which is safe for the passengers to get on the moving walk, and is maintained at the accelerated maximum speed at the intermediate portion, and is decelerated, in the vicinity of the exit portion, from the maximum speed to a speed which is safe for the passengers to get off the moving walk. Therefore, there can be obtained the variable-speed moving walk in which the speed of movement of the pallets is the maximum at the intermediate portion of the moving walk.

Furthermore, since the pallets 3 can be driven at variable speeds by the simple power transmission mechanism, provided over the entire length in the direction of movement of the pallets 3, and the speed conversion mechanism provided on the pallet 3, the variable-speed moving walk of a simple construction can be obtained without the use of a complicated link mechanism.

At the accelerating region A and the decelerating region B, the pallets 3 are different in speed from one another, so that a gap is formed between the adjacent pallets 3; however, a number of withdrawably-received elongate members 16 are disposed at this gap, and therefore even if the passenger walks on the pallets, there is no risk that he would fall in between the pallets. A gap is formed between the adjacent elongate members 16, and therefore the interior of the frame 1 can be viewed through these gaps. The closure plate 18 conceals it from a view, and closes, together with the elongate members 16, the gap between the pallets 3.

On the other hand, as described above for the driving of the pallets 3, the moving handrail 4 is driven correspondently with the speeds at the acceleration region A, the high-speed region B and the deceleration region C. For effecting this speed control, the spacing between the two guide rails 36 and 40 is changed to change the angle e11 o 2 between the first link 37A and the second link 37B, thereby changing the gap between the handrail elements 30 from a small value L1 to a large value L2. More specifically, when the spacing between the guide rails 36 and 40 is the large distance H1, the angle between the first link 37A and the second link 37B is small as at e1, and at this time the gap between the handrail elements 30 is the distance L1, in which condition the gap-closing member 31 is most contracted.In contrast, when the spacing between the guide rails 36 and 40 is the small distance H2, the angle between the first link 37A and the second link 37B is large as at 02 and at this time the gap between the handrail elements 30 is the largest distance L21 in which condition the gap-closing member is most expanded. By thus changing the gap between the handrail elements 30, the speed of movement of the handrail elements 30 is changed. Naturally, the spacing between the two guide rails 36 and 40 is gradually changed to ensure that an abrupt speed change will not occur.

If the speed of movement of the handrail elements 30 is not in synchronism with the speed of movement of the pallets 3, this would lead to a serious accident in which the passengers fall. Therefore, although not shown, there is provided a synchronizing device for synchronizing the speed of movement of the handrail elements 30 with the speed of movement of the pallets 3.

Although the moving handrail 4 is driven by the use of the links, the handrail elements 30 may have the same drive construction as that of the pallets 3 so as to be driven by a similar power transmission mechanism.

In the above embodiment, the single power transmission mechanism is arranged over the entire length in the direction of movement of the pallets, and Figs. 10 to 12 show another embodiment in which pallets are moved by a plurality of power transmission mechanisms. Namely, a plurality of disks 48A to 48E are mounted on a rotation shaft 9 for front wheels 10A and lOB of each pallet 3, and a plurality of power transmission mechanisms 49A, 50A, 51A, 52A, 53, 52B, 51B, 50B and 49B are mounted on a frame 1 disposed in opposed relation to the disks. With respect to the plurality of power transmission mechanisms, the power transmission mechanisms 49A and 49B for transmitting a movement speed which is safe for passengers to get on and off a moving walk are provided at an entrance portion and an exit portion, respectively, and then the power transmission mechanisms 50A, 51A and 52A which are set to sequentially increase the movement speed as compared with the power transmission mechanisms 49A and 49B are provided at a pallet accelerating region.

Further, the power transmission mechanisms 52B, 51B and 50B which are set to sequentially decrease the movement speed are provided at a pallet decelerating region, and the power transmission mechanism 53 which continues to transmit the maximum movement speed is provided a region between the accelerating and decelerating regions. As shown in Fig. 12, for example, the power transmission mechanisms 52A, 53 and 52B disposed adjacent to one another are arranged in such a manner that they have partial overlap in the direction of movement of the pallets, thereby ensuring that the power can be always transmitted to the pallets.Each of the power transmission mechanisms comprises a power transmission member 54 in the form of an endless construction, and a pair of rotatable pulleys 55A and 55B around which the power transmission member 54 is wound and by which the power transmission member 54 is moved. One of the pair of pulleys 55A and 55B serves as the drive pulley for moving the power transmission member 54. Reference numerals 56 and 57 denote pulleys around which the power transmission members 54 of the adjoining power transmission mechanisms 52A and 52B extend, respectively.

The manner of moving the pallets 3 in the above construction will now be described. At the time of starting the operation, all of the power transmission mechanisms are driven, so that the power transmission members 54 are moved at their respective predetermined speeds. In this condition, the pallets 3 located at the entrance portion is disposed in opposed relation to the power transmission mechanism 49A, and at this time the disk 48E is in contact with the power transmission member 54 of the power transmission mechanism 49A, and therefore is rotated by the frictional force. By this rotational force, the front wheels lOA and lOB are rotated through the rotation shaft 9 to roll on guide rails 2A and 2B, thereby moving the pallet 3.Then, when the pallet 3 reaches the power transmission mechanism 50A, the disk 48D of the pallet 3 is brought into contact with the power transmission member 54 of the power transmission mechanism 50A, and then after the pallet is moved the overlapping distance Z, the disk 48E is disengaged from the power transmission member 54 of the power transmission mechanism 49A. Within the overlapping distance, the powers are transmitted respectively from the power transmission members 54 of the power transmission mechanisms 49A and 50A to the two disks 48E and 48D at different speeds, and the speed difference at this time can be absorbed by a slip between each of the disks 48E and 48D and the power transmission member 54.In this manner, the pallet 3 is accelerated, receiving the powers from the plurality of power transmission mechanisms which are set to sequentially increase the movement speed. The pallet moves at the maximum speed at the region of the power transmission mechanism 53, and then the pallet is decelerated, receiving the powers from the power transmission mechanisms which are set to sequentially decrease the movement speed in contrast with the above case, so that the movement speed is brought to the speed generally the same as the speed at the entrance portion.

In the above embodiment, also, the speed of movement of the pallet 3 can be increased and decreased with the simple mechanisms.

Fig. 13 shows a further embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, a rotary member 58 having a tapered surface at its outer periphery is mounted on a rotation shaft 9 of a pallet 3, and a power transmission member 60 of a power transmission mechanism is disposed in opposed relation to the tapered surface 59. The power transmission member 60 is provided over the entire length, and the speed of transmission of the power is constant. Therefore, in order to change the speed of rotation of the rotary member 58, the power transmission member 60 is moved to a position indicated in a broken line by a guide rail (not shown) which guides the power of the power transmission member 60, thereby changing the position of contact between the power transmission member 60 and the tapered surface 59 at pallet accelerating and decelerating regions.In the above construction, at entrance and exit portions where the passengers get on and off the moving walk, the power transmission member 60 is in contact with the outer peripheral side of the tapered surface 59 of the rotary member 58, so that the rotational speed of front wheels 10A and lOB is low. As the position of contact shifts toward the radially-inward side of the tapered surface 59, the rotational speed of the front wheels 1OA and lOB gradually increases. The speed of movement of the pallet 3 is changed in this manner.

Incidentally, in each of the above embodiments, although the transmission force is transmitted between the power transmission member of the power transmission mechanism and the rotary member of the pallet by the frictional force, the transmission force may be transmitted by an engaging force, instead of using the friction transmission. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 14, a power transmission member 61 of a power transmission mechanism is in the form of a chainlike member such as a chain, and sprockets 62A to 62D for engaging this power transmission member are mounted on a rotation shaft 9 of a pallet 3. The diameters of the sprockets 62A to 62D are different from one another, and the power transmission member 61 is sequentially engaged with the sprockets 62A to 62D, thereby changing the speed of movement of the pallet 3.In Figs. 10 to 12, the same can be achieved when the power transmission member 54 is in the form of a chain-like member, and also when the disks 48A to 48E are replaced by sprockets. Further, the power transmission member may be a member with a number of teeth formed by recesses and projections like a timing belt, in which case gears for engagement with these teeth are mounted on the rotation shaft, thereby transmitting the power.

By thus effecting the transmission of the power from the power transmission mechanism to the pallet by means of the engagement transmission, instead of using the friction transmission, the power can be positively transmitted.

Although the above embodiments are directed to the horizontally-disposed moving walks having no step at the advance side of the pallets, the present invention can be applied to an inclined moving walk, and can also be applied to an escalator in which steps are formed at pallets at an advance side. Namely, as compared with the moving walk, the pallets of an escalator travel at an inclined portion, and these pallets can be moved by the mechanisms described in the above embodiments, and when the movement speed is increased to widen the gap between the adjacent pallets, a riser provided at the rear end of the pallet is inclined, and its length in the direction of the height is variable, thereby closing the gap between the adjacent pallets. Alternatively, a closure member may be provided instead of the riser.

In the above embodiments, although one power transmission mechanism is used per power conversion mechanism (or the rotational speed conversion mechanism or the movement speed conversion mechanism) disposed in opposed relation thereto, a plurality of such power transmission mechanisms and a plurality of such power conversion mechanisms (or the rotational speed conversion mechanisms or the movement speed conversion mechanisms) may be used as one set, thereby obtaining the variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk.

Claims

1. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk wherein the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized in that a rotary member for driving said pallet is mounted on said pallet; a power transmission mechanism in contact with said rotary member to transmit a power is provided to extend between said entrance portion and said exit portion; and there is provided means for changing the position of contact between said rotary member and said power transmission mechanism in a direction of movement of said pallets.

2. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for changing the position of contact between said rotary member and said power transmission mechanism is means for changing the height of said power transmission mechanism in the direction of movement of said pallets.

3. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said rotary member is a wheel-supporting shaft of said pallet.

4. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said rotary member is mounted on a wheel-supporting shaft of said pallet.

5. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3 and 4, characterized in that said rotary member has an inclined surface extending from an inner diameter portion to an outer diameter portion, said power transmission mechanism being in contact with said inclined surface.

6. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 1, characterized in that said rotary member comprises two opposed members which can change a gap therebetween, a V-shaped groove being defined by said opposed two member, and becoming wider from its inner diameter portion toward its outer diameter portion, and said power transmission mechanism comprises an endless power transmission member in contact with an open side of said V-shaped groove, and said means for changing the position of contact of said power transmission means with said rotary member being a guide rail for guiding said power transmission member.

7. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized in that each of said plurality of pallets has means for imparting a selfrunning force to said pallet.

8. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized in that a power transmission mechanism for imparting a drive force to said pallets is provided to extend between said entrance portion and said exit portion; and there is provided means for changing the drive speed transmitted to said pallet.

9. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of a plurality ofpallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized in that a power transmission mechanism for transmitting a drive force to said pallets is provided to extend between said entrance portion and said exit portion; and means for converting the direction of said transmitted drive force is provided on said pallet.

10. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 9, wherein the drive force of said power transmission mechanism is force acting in one direction from one of said entrance portion and said exit portion toward the other, and said means for converting the direction of said drive force is means for converting the force, acting in the one direction, into a rotational force.

11. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized in that there is provided means for imparting a self-running force to one of front wheels and rear wheels mounted on said pallet and spaced a predetermined distance from each other.

12. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized in that a power transmission mechanism for transmitting a drive force to said pallets is provided to extend between said entrance portion and said exit portion; there is provided a power conversion mechanism for converting said drive force, transmitted to said pallet, into a rotational force to rotate wheels; and there is provided a rotational speed conversion mechanism for changing the speed of rotation of said wheels.

13. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 12, characterized in that said rotational speed conversion mechanism is provided between said wheels and said power transmission mechanism.

14. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized by the provision of a plurality of power transmission mechanisms for transmitting a drive force to said pallets; a power conversion mechanism mounted on said pallet in opposed relation to said plurality of power transmission mechanisms; and power selection means for selectively transmitting the power, applied from said plurality of power transmission mechanisms, to said power conversion mechanism to change the speed of movement-of said pallet.

15. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 14, characterized in that said power selection means is a mechanism for changing the position of opposition of said power conversion mechanism relative to said plurality of said power transmission mechanisms.

16. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 14, characterized in that a plurality of said power conversion mechanisms are provided on said pallet in opposed relation to said plurality of power transmission mechanisms, regions of transmission of the powers from said plurality of power transmission mechanism to the corresponding power conversion mechanisms opposed thereto being changed in the direction of movement of said pallets from one power conversion mechanism to another.

17. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 14, characterized in that said plurality of power transmission mechanisms are so constructed as to transmit the power to said power conversion mechanism, opposed thereto, at different speeds.

18. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 14, characterized in that said plurality of power transmission mechanisms are so constructed as to transmit the power to said power conversion mechanism, opposed thereto, at the same speed, and said plurality of power conversion mechanisms are so constructed as to output their respective pallet moving speeds different from one another.

19. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 14, characterized in that the transmission of the power between said power transmission mechanism and said power conversion mechanism is a friction transmission.

20. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk according to claim 14 characterized in that the transmission of the power between said power transmission mechanism and said power conversion mechanism is a transmission due to an engagement between a chain-like member and teeth.

21. A variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which the speed of movement of a plurality of pallets is changed between an entrance portion and an exit portion, characterized in that a first power transmission mechanism for transmitting a power to said pallets is provided beneath an advance path'of said pallets over an entire length thereof; means for changing the speed of movement of said pallet is provided on said pallet or said first power transmission means; a second power transmission mechanism for transmitting a power to a moving handrail provided along the direction of movement of said pallets is provided within a balustrade member which guides said moving handrail; means for changing the speed of movement of said moving handrail is provided on said moving handrail or said second power transmission mechanism; and there is provided means for synchronizing the speed of movement of said pallets with the speed of movement of said moving handrail.

22. A pallet for a variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk characterized by the provision of a power conversion mechanism for converting a drive force, applied from the exterior, into a rotational force.

23. A pallet for a variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk characterized by the provision of a drive speed conversion mechanism for changing a drive speed applied from the exterior.

24. A pallet for a variable-speed pallet-type passenger moving walk in which said pallet has a number of cleats elongate in a direction of movement of said pallet, characterized in that a hollow portion is formed in said cleat; members are provided respectively in said hollow portions; when the spacing between the adjacent pallets becomes large, said members are withdrawn to extend between the adjacent pallets; and when the spacing between the adjacent pallets becomes narrow, said members are received in said hollow portions, respectively.

25. A moving walk substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 1-9, Fig.

10, Figs. 11 and 12, Fig. 13 or Fig. 14 of the accompanying drawings.

26. A pallet for a moving walk substantially as hereby described with reference to and as shown in Figs. 1 - 9, Fig. 10, Figs. 11 and 12, Fig. 13 or Fig. 14 of the accompanying drawings.