GB2299316A

GB2299316A - Low profile moving walkway

Info

Publication number: GB2299316A
Application number: GB9506153A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Warren Steward Lister
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-03-25
Filing date: 1995-03-25
Publication date: 1996-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 2015-03-25
Also published as: GB9506153D0; GB2299316B

Abstract

A moving walkway comprises an arrangement which reverses the direction of movement floor platens 4 and moves them between upper and lower tracks while maintaining the platens horizontal throughout. Each platen is moved by chains 6 fitted with pivoting drive pins 8, around end sprockets 7 and is maintained horizontal by guides 15. The shallow height of the passenger carrying surface above the surrounding floor level, being twice the platen depth plus the depth of the tracks and working clearances, allows the walkway or escalator to be installed entirely on top of the surrounding floor.

Description

LOW PROFILE MOVING WAI;RWAY This invention relates to moving walkways, which term includes moving staircases commonly know as escalators and horizontal and shallow angle moving walkways, commonly known as travelators.

Escalators are known that are moving staircases to carry people between different floor levels. Travelators are known that are moving continuous surfaces that carry people horizontally or on shallow inclines.

Moving walkways are known which incorporate continuously moving rigid steps known as platens attached to continuous drive belts or chains, which invert by passing round end rollers or wheels mounted horizontally. Travelators are known in which the load carrying surface is a continuous belt made of a flexible material such as rubber, stretched between end rollers at either end of the run.

A major disadvantage of known moving walkways is the necessity to provide pits below the surrounding floor levels at each end of the travel to accommodate the necessarily large diameter end rollers, so preventing the installation of moving walkways by placing them on top of existing floors. The construction of pits into existing airport and public concourse floors is both costly and disruptive and pit mounted moving walkways cannot easily be relocated or extended.

The present invention aims at eliminating the aforementioned drawbacks and accordingly provides a means of reducing the end roller diameter of escalators and travelators sufficiently to permit them to be installed on top of the existing floors rendering floor pits unnecessary.

This is achieved by maintaining the platens horizontal throughout their reversal of direction at each end of the run, so that the platens do not turn over.

The change of direction of the platens at the end of the run is therefore effectively a shuffle movement which allows the depth of the end mechanisms to be greatly reduced.

In one embodiment of the invention each platen is fitted with two drive pins which are extended link pins of two drive chains. The platen is free to rotate on the pins and is supported on four support wheels which run on fixed track surfaces. At the end of the run the chains pass round drive sprockets which are driven by a motor. The drive chains are made to run in unison by means of a cross shaft drive.

On reaching the end of the run sprockets, each platen leaves the upper track and moves downwards between the drive sprockets while being kept horizontal by its leading support wheels running in curved guides, and by the drive pins. On reaching the other track the platen resume horizontal motion in the reverse direction, with its wheels running on a lower level of fixed track surfaces.

The vertical distance between the platens moving in opposite directions is reduced to a reasonable running clearance, by selection of the appropriate diameter of drive sprocket. The height between the passenger carrying surface and the bottom of the mechanism is thus reduced to twice the platen thickness with their tracks and working clearances.

A more complete understanding of the invention will be had from the following description which is given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which : Figure 1/3 is a part sectional side elevation of known escalator and travelator end mechanisms.

Figure 2/3 is a part sectional side elevation view of one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3/3 is a part sectional plan view of one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1/3 there is shown one end of a known moving walkway in which the platens 1 on which the passengers travel reach the end of the run and pass under a stepping of plate and then move round large diameter drum or wheels drive 2. The platens invert and travel back along the run inverted. A similar arrangement at the other end of the escalator turns the platens over again.

The floor pit 3 is commonly lm or more in depth.

Referring to Figures 2/3 and 3/3 there is one end of a moving walkway incorporating the present invention, in elevation and in plan.

The passenger carrying platens 4 pass under a stepping off plate 5 at the end of the run. A pair of drive chains 6 pass round drive sprockets 7 which are mounted on stub axles so that there is no obstruction between them. The chain is connected to each platen by means of extended chain link pins 8 which engage in freely rotating bearings in the sides of the platens.

The drive sprockets are linked by means of a second pair of sprockets 9 fixed onto a common shaft 10 mounted under the stepping off plate and driven by similar drive chains 11, so that the drive chains move in unison.

Each platen is fitted with four support wheels, which run on a pair of upper tracks 12 and a pair of lower tracks 13. The chains drive the platens along the tracks. The platens are otherwise independent of each other. As each platen passes under the stepping off plate its leading wheels 14 run off the end of the upper tracks and continue unsupported while being maintained horizontal by the drive pins and the trailing wheels on the upper tracks. The leading wheels move horizontally to enter a pair of guides 15, before the trailing wheels 16 leave the upper tracks.

As the chain pins move round the drive sprockets each platen in turn moves with them and passes down between the drive sprockets while remaining horizontal. The guides take the leading wheels through a similar semi-circular path as that taken by the chain pins passing round the sprockets. Each platen then travels horizontally back along the run on the lower tracks.

At the opposite set of the run an exactly similar arrangement raises the platens back onto the top tracks.

The total depth of the travelator is that of two thicknesses of the platen, plus the depth of the tracks and a working clearance and is shallow enough to allow the complete moving walkway to be placed on an existing floor with short shallow ramps at either end of the run for pedestrians approaching and leaving the travelator.

Pits below the floor level to accommodate the mechanisms are thus rendered unnecessary by this invention.

Claims

1 A moving walkway for carrying pedestrians or any goods or materials, comprising platens mounted on wheels which move horizontally along tracks and are attached by horizontally pivoting pins attached in turn to continuous chains, belts, cables or cords moving in unison, and provided with a means of reversing the direction of travel of the platens at each end of the run while maintaining them horizontal at all times, whereby the overall distance between ground level and the walkway level is the thickness of two platens with their respective tracks and working clearances.

2 A moving walkway as claimed in claim 1 in which the ends of the run are horizontal and the intermediary section is inclined longitudinally.

3 A moving walkway as claimed in claims 1 and 2 in which the inclined section forms an escalator, with the platens remaining as horizontal steps while moving on the incline.

4 A moving walkway as claimed in claims 1, 2 and 3 in which the direction of movement of the platens is reversible.

Amendments to the claims have been filed as follows 1 A moving walkway or conveyor in which: - the load is carried by load bearing platens each supported separately on wheels running on horizontal tracks and driven by horizontal pivoting pins fixed to the platen sides to continuous chains, moving around end sprockets rotating in unison on axles mounted in a fixed frame, and in which:: the platens always remain horizontal and transfer sequentially between the upper and the lower track at each the end of the walkway, and in which the means of transferring the platens between the tracks are fixed guides without moving parts, which guide the leading wheels of each platen through a vertically orientated semicircular path similar to the path described by the pivot pins as they pass round the sprockets or wheels, whereby the platen is kept horizontal by the pins and the trailing wheels in the tracks at one level until the leading wheels have entered the guides and subsequently by the pins and the leading wheels until the leading wheels have entered the other track, and in which: - there are no gaps in the trackways, and in which: - the direction of travel is reversible, and in which:: - the overall height ofthe walkway level is the achievable minimum necessary to accommodate the combined thicknesses of two platens with their respective tracks and working clearances.

2 A moving walkway or conveyor as claimed in claim 1 in which the ends of the run are horizontal and the intermediary section is inclined longitudinally.

3 A moving walkway or conveyor as claimed in claims 1 and 2 in which the inclined section forms an escalator, with the platens remaining as horizontal steps while moving on the incline.

4 A moving walkway or conveyor as claimed in claims 1, 2, and 3 in which the chains and sprockets are replaced by belts, cables or cords and wheels.

5 A moving walkway or conveyor as claimed in claims 1, 2, 3 and 4 in which the guides are lined with resilient material such as brushes which reduce noise and/or clean the running wheels during motion..