EP3665115B1 - Handrail-drive system with drive elements integrated into the handrail - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a handrail drive system for an escalator or moving walkway. This has a handrail drive with drive elements and a band-shaped, circumferentially movable handrail.

The WO 200435451 A1 discloses a linear drive system for handrails with a multi-spline profile. An essential element of the drive system is a drive belt which has a toothed belt profile on its inside facing away from the handrail. On its outside facing the multi-wedge profile, the drive belt has a counter-profile corresponding to the multi-wedge profile. The drive power is transferred to the handrail by means of this counter profile. Disadvantages of this solution are considerable signs of wear on the wedge profile flanks and the need for pressure rollers that press the multi-wedge profile of the handrail against the multi-wedge profile of the drive belt. The use of the aforementioned handrail drive system requires a certain amount of installation space, which severely restricts the possible installation positions of the drive elements in the area of the circumferential handrail of the escalator or the moving walk. In the disclosure documents JP H07 267562 A and JP 2004 115267 A further possible configurations of handrails and handrail drives driving on the inside thereof are disclosed.

Among other things, there may be a need for a handrail drive system whose drive elements can be installed in almost any desired installation position within the escalator or moving walk.

Such a need can be met by a handrail drive system of an escalator or a moving walk, which has at least one handrail drive with drive elements and a band-shaped handrail that can be moved around the circumference. The handrail is delimited by an outer contour designed as a gripping surface and by an inner contour which leaves a cavity in the handrail, the cavity being open to the surroundings of the handrail. As a result, the handrail can be manufactured in a material-saving manner. The handrail drive system is preferably designed as a linear handrail drive system, that is, the handrail in the area the drive elements is essentially guided past them and the drive elements which are in direct contact with the handrail are arranged in one plane. The driving force can be transmitted from the drive elements to the handrail on two opposite side surfaces of the inner contour, with all other forces caused by the transmission of the driving force and acting on the side surfaces being mutually compensated by a complementary design of the side surfaces with the exception of the driving force.

According to one aspect of the invention, it is proposed that the handrail is made from a soft elastic elastomer material and has sliding elements made from a polymer material which is harder than the soft elastic elastomer material. The sliding elements are arranged in sections at discrete intervals along the longitudinal extension of the handrail, with guide elements and / or tooth profiles being formed on the sliding elements.

In relation to the present invention, a complementary configuration of the side surfaces is understood to mean a configuration that mutually compensates for all forces acting in the area of the driving force transmission on side surfaces, with the exception of the driving force, so that no additional components such as pressure rollers are required. The two complementary side surfaces are preferably configured mirror-symmetrically to one another. In the case of an operationally circumferentially arranged handrail, this can be, for example, side surfaces arranged in two parallel, vertical planes which mutually support the contact pressure between the handrail and the drive elements necessary to transmit the driving force.

Possible features and advantages of embodiments of the invention can be viewed, inter alia, as being based on the ideas and findings described below.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the handrail can have a U-shaped or C-shaped cross section along its length. Here, the two side surfaces on the two opposite sides of the inner contour of the two legs of the U-shaped or C-shaped Be arranged cross-section. It is also possible to have a central web formed in the inner contour and extending in the longitudinal direction of the handrail, on which the two side surfaces are formed. The side surfaces do not necessarily have to be flat surfaces. They can also be concave, convex or prism-shaped, provided they have the complementary design specified above.

In order to improve the traction between the drive elements and the circumferentially arranged handrail, a positive transmission of the driving force can also be provided. Therefore, tooth profiles to which the driving force can be transmitted are preferably formed on the two opposite sides of the inner contour.

As already mentioned, the inner contour is provided with sliding elements on which guide elements and / or tooth profiles are formed. In the operational state, the guide elements interact with handrail guide means, such as a handrail guide profile or guide rollers, which are stationarily arranged on a balustrade of the escalator or the moving walk. Here, the guide elements can, for example, be guide grooves matched to the handrail guide profile. For example, fabric inlays, sliding friction-reducing surface coatings or sliding elements, for example made of a suitable polymer material such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or POM (polyoxymethylene) or of a metal such as brass or bronze and the like, can be used as sliding elements. The guide elements are preferably combined with the sliding elements.

The handrail or handrail strap is usually made of a soft elastic elastomer material such as SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber), EPM (ethylene-propylene rubber), EPDM (ethylene-propylene-terpolymer rubber), NBR (acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber), which is constant over its length ) and the like, with tension members such as steel wire strands, carbon fibers or aramid fiber strands being embedded in the elastomer material for reinforcement.

However, it is also possible that the handrail is made of a soft elastic elastomer material and the sliding elements are made of a polymer material that is harder than the soft elastic elastomer material. The harder sliding elements are arranged in sections at discrete intervals along the longitudinal extension of the handrail and are preferably partially embedded in the elastomer material. The guide elements and / or tooth profiles are formed on the sliding elements. The handrail strap or handrail designed in this way has a spine-like structure so that it has alternating hard and soft elastic areas. As a result, the handrail can be bent without any problems and highly stressed areas such as sliding surfaces or guide grooves can be formed on the sliding elements.

In order to maintain the dimensional stability of the handrail also in the longitudinal extension, the sliding elements can be connected to the tension members embedded in the flexible elastomer material.

In order to drive the circumferentially arranged handrail, the drive elements of the handrail drive system can comprise at least one circumferentially movable toothed belt. The toothed belt can be in contact with the handrail in order to transmit the driving force to the handrail. The driving force can be transmitted in a purely force-fitting manner, but it is preferably mainly transmitted in a form-fitting manner, in that a tooth profile that is complementary to the toothed belt is formed on at least one of the two side surfaces of the inner contour. Since, as described above, the handrail is provided with sliding elements, the two side surfaces with the tooth profiles can also be formed on these.

However, the drive elements can also comprise at least one transmission gear which engages in a corresponding tooth profile of the side surfaces of the inner contour. A large number of arrangements of the drive elements are conceivable, for example pure toothed belt solutions, pure toothed wheel solutions and combinations of toothed wheels and toothed belts.

In one possible arrangement of the drive elements, the toothed belt can be in engagement with its first strand with the first opposite side of the inner contour and with its second strand it can be in engagement with the at least one transmission gear. This arrangement allows the direction of movement or rotation of the second strand to be implemented, so that the direction of rotation of the toothed belt is opposite to the Direction of rotation of the transmission gear is. As a result, the transmission gear can be in engagement with the second opposite side of the inner contour.

In a further possible arrangement of the drive elements, the toothed belt can be guided between at least two gears and be in operative connection with them, so that the two gears have opposite directions of rotation and the first of the two gears is in engagement with the first opposite side of the inner contour and the second of the two gears is in engagement with the second opposite side of the inner contour.

For carrying and guiding the circumferentially arranged handrail there is preferably at least one balustrade with a handrail guide means or handrail guide profile. At least some of the drive elements can be integrated in the handrail guide means.

The drive elements described above can be driven by an angular gear arranged in the handrail guide means and a motor and together form a handrail drive. Of course, it is also possible that several such handrail drives are used to drive a single handrail, the speeds of which must then be precisely coordinated with one another.

Furthermore, not all of the components of the handrail drive have to be arranged completely in the balustrade or in the handrail guide means. For example, the toothed belt can be guided by the handrail guide means through the balustrade, through a balustrade base connecting the balustrade to a supporting structure of the moving walk or the escalator, and around a drive wheel arranged in the supporting structure. The drive wheel can be driven by the step belt or by a motor arranged in the supporting structure.

The handrail drive system can be used in an escalator as well as in a moving walkway. These usually have two balustrades, which are arranged on both sides of a step band or pallet band and each have a circumferential handrail. Accordingly, per escalator or moving walk are at least provide two handrail drive systems.

The present invention has the particular advantage that the handrail drive system is very small and can therefore be installed at any point on the balustrade. The circumferential arrangement of the handrail means that there is a handrail forwards and a handrail return, whereby the user can hold on to the handrail in the area of the handrail forwards. As a result, very different tensile forces act on the handrail, depending on the section. Since the handrail drive system is not tied to the available installation space, it can be installed where the ideal installation location is due to the expected load. In the case of an escalator that connects a lower level of a building with an upper level of a building, the tensile forces in the upper level in the handrail flow are highest when the escalator conveys from the lower level to the upper level. The drive elements are therefore preferably arranged there.

It is pointed out that some of the possible features and advantages of the invention are described herein with reference to different embodiments. A person skilled in the art recognizes that the features can be combined, adapted or exchanged in a suitable manner in order to arrive at further embodiments of the invention. The scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims.

• Figur 1 zeigt schematisch die Seitenansicht einer Fahrtreppe mit einem Handlauf-Antriebsystem gemäss dem Stand der Technik.
• Figur 2 zeigt schematisch den vorhandenen Zugspannungsverlauf im Handlauf der in der Figur 1 dargestellten Fahrtreppe.
• Figur 3 zeigt schematisch den im Handlauf einer Fahrtreppe vorhandenen Zugspannungsverlauf, wenn der Handlaufantrieb des Handlauf-Antriebssystems an einer idealen Position angeordnet ist.
• Figur 4 zeigt ein erstes Ausführungsbeispiel einer Glasbalustrade einer Fahrtreppe oder eines Fahrsteiges mit einem Handlauf-Antriebssystem, dessen Handlaufantrieb gemäss der Figur 3 an einer idealen Position in unmittelbarer Nähe zum Handlauf in der Glasbalustrade angeordnet ist.
• Figur 5 zeigt in dreidimensionaler, größerer Ansicht Details des in der Figur 4 dargestellten Handlauf-Antriebssystems.
• Figur 6 zeigt ein zweites Ausführungsbeispiel einer Glasbalustrade einer Fahrtreppe oder eines Fahrsteiges mit einem Handlauf-Antriebssystem, dessen Antriebselemente gemäss der Figur 3 an einer idealen Position in unmittelbarer Nähe zum Handlauf in der Glasbalustrade angeordnet sind, wobei diese durch die Antriebsanordnung des Fahrsteiges oder der Fahrtreppe angetrieben werden.
• Figur 7 zeigt in geschnittenem Grundriss ein Teil der im Handlauf angeordneten Antriebselemente des in der Figur 6 dargestellten Handlauf-Antriebssystems.
• Figur 8 zeigt einen Ausschnitt des Querschnitts des in den Figuren 6 und 7 dargestellten Handlauf-Antriebssystems.
• Figur 9 zeigt in geschnittener Darstellung einen Abschnitt einer möglichen Ausgestaltung des Handlaufs mit Gleitelementen.
• Figur 10 zeigt den in der Figur 9 angegebenen Querschnitt des Handlaufs mit Gleitelementen.
• Figur 11 zeigt in geschnittener Darstellung einen Abschnitt einer weiteren möglichen Ausgestaltung eines Handlauf-Antriebssystems, wobei der Handlauf einen Mittelsteg aufweist, an dem die beiden Seitenflächen ausgebildet sind.
• Figur 12 zeigt den in der Figur 11 angegebenen Querschnitt des Handlauf-Antriebsystems.

Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the drawings nor the description are to be interpreted as restricting the invention.

• Figure 1 shows schematically the side view of an escalator with a handrail drive system according to the prior art.
• Figure 2 shows schematically the existing tensile stress curve in the handrail in FIG Figure 1 illustrated escalator.
• Figure 3 shows schematically the course of tensile stress present in the handrail of an escalator when the handrail drive of the handrail drive system is arranged in an ideal position.
• Figure 4 shows a first embodiment of a glass balustrade of an escalator or a moving walk with a handrail drive system, the handrail drive according to FIG Figure 3 is arranged in an ideal position in the immediate vicinity of the handrail in the glass balustrade.
• Figure 5 shows in three-dimensional, larger view details of the in the Figure 4 illustrated handrail drive system.
• Figure 6 shows a second embodiment of a glass balustrade of an escalator or a moving walk with a handrail drive system, the drive elements of which according to FIG Figure 3 are arranged in an ideal position in the immediate vicinity of the handrail in the glass balustrade, these being driven by the drive arrangement of the moving walkway or the escalator.
• Figure 7 shows a section of the drive elements arranged in the handrail of the in the Figure 6 illustrated handrail drive system.
• Figure 8 shows a section of the cross section of the in Figures 6 and 7 illustrated handrail drive system.
• Figure 9 shows a section of a possible embodiment of the handrail with sliding elements.
• Figure 10 shows the in the Figure 9 specified cross-section of the handrail with sliding elements.
• Figure 11 shows a section of a further possible embodiment of a handrail drive system, the handrail having a central web on which the two side surfaces are formed.
• Figure 12 shows the in the Figure 11 specified cross-section of the handrail drive system.

The figures are only schematic and not true to scale. In the various figures, the same reference symbols denote the same or equivalent features.

Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of an escalator 1 according to the prior art, with the aid of which people can be transported, for example, between two levels E1, E2. The escalator 1 has a load-bearing structure 2 in the form of a framework, which, for the sake of clarity, is only shown in its outlines. The supporting structure 2 accommodates components of the escalator 1 and supports them within a building. These components include, for example, balustrades 3 (only one is visible due to the side view) which have a handrail 5 arranged around the circumference. The balustrades 3 are connected to the supporting structure 2 via balustrade bases 4.

The escalator 1 also has two annularly closed, revolving conveyor chains 11, only one being visible due to the side view. The two conveyor chains 11 are composed of a large number of chain links. The two conveyor chains 11 can be shifted along a travel path 8 in travel directions. The conveyor chains 11 run parallel to one another and are spaced apart from one another in a direction transverse to the direction of travel. In the end areas adjacent to the levels E1, E2, the conveyor chains 11 are deflected by deflecting chain wheels 15, 16.

A plurality of step elements 9 in the form of steps are arranged between the two conveyor chains 11, these connecting the conveyor chains 11 to one another transversely to the travel path 8. With the aid of the conveyor chains 11, the tread elements 9 can be moved in the directions of travel along the travel path 8. The step elements 9 guided on the conveyor chains 11 form a step belt 10, in which the step elements 9 are arranged one behind the other along the travel path 8 and can be accessed by users in at least one conveyor area 19. The circumferential step belt 10 is guided by schematically illustrated guide rails 12 and supported against gravity. These guide rails 12 are arranged in a stationary manner in the supporting structure 2.

In order to be able to move the conveyor chains 11, the chain wheels 16 of the upper level E2 are connected to the drive arrangement 25. The drive assembly 25 is by means of a controller 24 (which in Figure 1 is only indicated very schematically) controlled. The revolving belt 10, together with the drive arrangement 25 and the deflection wheels 15, 16, form a conveying device for users and objects, the step elements 9 of which can be displaced relative to the load-bearing structure 2, which is fixedly anchored in the building.

The handrail 5 or the circumferential handrail belt 5 is driven via drive elements 6 which, for example, can be functionally connected to the drive arrangement 25 of the escalator 1. The handrail 5 and the drive elements 6 are essential parts of a handrail drive system 20. If the handrail drive system 20 has its own motor, it also includes a handrail control 23, which is integrated in the escalator control 24 in the present example. The correct tension of the handrail 5 is maintained by means of a handrail tensioning device 7, which is only shown schematically.

The Figure 2 shows schematically the tensile stress curve F of in the handrail 5 Figure 1 shown handrail drive system 20, wherein the tensile stress curve F is shown over the entire circumference of the handrail 5 and represents the tensile force acting in the longitudinal extension of the handrail 5. For the sake of clarity, only the handrail drive system 20 with its most essential parts, such as the handrail 5 and the drive elements 6 designed as a friction wheel 22 and guide rollers 21, is shown. The illustration of the tensile stress profile F relates to a travel path 8 conveying from the floor E1 to the floor E2 and to an average load on the handrail 5 by users holding onto it. It is evident here that in the handrail feed 14 the tensile force acting in the handrail 5 increases due to the frictional forces and the users holding on and is highest in the upper floor E2 up to the drive elements 6, while in the handrail return 18 it falls to the level of the pre-tensioning force. As long as there is no change in direction of the handrail, for example in the straight sections, a high tensile force and thus a high tensile stress are not a problem, since this is usually absorbed by one or more tension members of the handrail 5 (not shown). When changing direction, such as in the area of the upper balustrade deflection arch 13, the high tensile forces lead to high radial forces F _R , so that the handrail 5 in cooperation with handrail guide means (in the Figures 5 , 8th , 11 and 12 shown) the balustrade 3 is subject to high wear, especially at these points. If the direction of rotation of the handrail 5 is reversed, a somewhat different tensile stress curve F is to be expected, but this depends in particular on the frictional forces occurring between the handrail guide means and the guide elements of the handrail 5.

The Figure 3 shows schematically a handrail drive system 30 according to the invention with a handrail drive 37 having drive elements 36 and a handrail 35 matched to the drive elements 36. Furthermore, the tensile stress curve F present in the handrail 35 is shown, which, with the same travel path 8, clearly differs from the tensile stress curve F of Figure 2 differs because the drive elements 36 of the handrail drive system 30 are arranged in an ideal position. It can be clearly seen here that the tensile stresses are already reduced to the level of the tensile stress existing by the handrail tensioning device 7 before the balustrade deflection arch 13. This drastically reduces the wear on the handrail 35 and on the handrail guide means (not shown) and significantly reduces the service life of the handrail 35 and the energy consumption of the escalator during operation.

However, there is also a requirement for the aesthetics of the balustrade, in particular a glass balustrade such as is commonly used in escalators and moving walks for department stores and airports. As a result, only one handrail drive system 30 with drive elements 36 can be used which have significantly smaller dimensions than the drive elements 6 in FIG Figure 1 handrail drive system 20 shown.

The Figure 4 shows as a first embodiment of the invention a section of a glass balustrade 3 of an only partially shown escalator 1 or a moving walk 1 with a handrail drive system 30. Its handrail drive 37 with its drive elements 36 is according to FIG Figure 3 arranged in an ideal position in the immediate vicinity of the handrail 35 in the glass balustrade 3.

The Figure 5 shows in three-dimensional, larger view details of the in the Figure 4 illustrated handrail drive system 30. The handrail drive system 30 has a handrail drive 37 and a circumferential handrail 35, of which in the Figure 5 only one section is shown. The handrail drive 37 essentially comprises drive elements 36, a motor 38 and an angular gear 39. In order to better show the structure and the interaction of the handrail 35 with the drive elements 36, the handrail 35 is also shown partially transparent, but has been shown for reasons of clarity an illustration of embedded sliding elements and tension members is omitted.

The motor 38 and the angular gear 39 are integrated in the glass balustrade 3, their housings being fastened to a glass panel 40 of the glass balustrade 3 by means of corresponding flange attachments 41. The motor 38 is connected via electrical lines 54, for example, to the one in FIG Figure 1 shown handrail control 23 connected. Furthermore, the housings have connection points for handrail guide means 42, 43 or handrail guide profiles 42, 43. The drive elements 36 comprise a toothed belt 45, a belt gearwheel 46, transmission gearwheels 47, support gearwheels 48 and a belt tensioning wheel 49. The angular gear 39 has an output shaft 50 which is connected to the belt gearwheel 46. The toothed belt 45 is guided around the belt toothed wheel 46 and the belt tensioning wheel 49, which is arranged at a distance from the belt toothed wheel 46 and which keeps the toothed belt 45 tensioned by a tension spring 51. The support gears 48, four in the present exemplary embodiment, are arranged in a horizontal plane between the first strand 52 and the second strand 53 of the toothed belt 45. The transmission gears 47 are also arranged in the same plane, likewise four in the present exemplary embodiment. The transmission gears 47 are driven by the second strand 53 of the toothed belt 45, the direction of rotation of the toothed belt 45 being opposite to the direction of rotation of the transmission gears 47.

The handrail 35 is delimited by an outer contour 61 designed as a gripping surface and by an inner contour 62 which leaves a cavity 60 in the handrail 35. The cavity 60 is open to the surroundings of the handrail 35, so that it has a C-shaped cross section 70. Two side surfaces 63, 64 arranged opposite one another are present on the inner contour 62. The two side surfaces 63, 64 each have a tooth profile which extends in the longitudinal extension L of the handrail 35 and has the same tooth profile module as the toothed belt 45 and the transmission gears 47. Furthermore, guide elements 44 are formed on the inner contour 62, which are matched to the handrail guide means 42, 43.

The driving force is transmitted from the drive elements 36 to the handrail 35 on the two opposite side surfaces 63, 64 of the inner contour 62. To transmit the driving force, the toothed belt 45 is in engagement with its first run 52 with the first opposite side surface 63 of the inner contour 62 and the transmission gears 47 in engagement with the second opposite side surface 64.

By means of a complementary design of the side surfaces 63, 64, all other forces P1, P2, P3, P4 which are required and / or caused by the transmission of the driving force and acting between the side surfaces 63, 64 are mutually compensated. This means that a complementary configuration of the side surfaces 63, 64 is to be understood as a configuration which mutually compensates for all forces P1, P2, P3, P4 acting in the area of the driving force transmission on side surfaces 63, 64 with the exception of the driving force, so that no additional components such as the pressure rollers known in the prior art are required. The two complementary side surfaces 63, 64 are preferably designed mirror-symmetrically to one another. With a handrail 35 that is ready for operation, this can be, for example, in two parallel, vertical planes side surfaces 63, 64 that mutually generate the force P1, P2 or contact pressure necessary to transmit the driving force or, as in the present example, forces P1, P2 caused by tooth flanks , P3, P4. The cross-section 70 of the handrail 35 is preferably designed to be sufficiently deformation-resistant with respect to the forces P1, P2 acting on the side surfaces 63, 64, so that they do not spread the C-shaped cross-section 70.

The Figure 6 shows schematically a second embodiment of a glass balustrade 3 of an escalator 1 or a moving walkway with a handrail drive system 80, which corresponds to FIG Figure 3 is arranged at an ideal position. The handrail drive system 80 comprises a handrail 35 and drive elements 86 integrated in the glass balustrade 3, the handrail 35 being supported by the Figure 1 shown

Drive arrangement 25 of the moving walkway or escalator 1 is driven.

The Figure 7 shows the in the Figure 6 indicated section AA in an enlarged view with part of the arranged in the handrail 35 drive elements 86 of the Figure 6 handrail drive system 80 shown.

Figure 8 shows the in the Figure 6 specified section BB in an enlarged view of the in Figures 6 and 7 handrail drive system 80 shown.

Below are the Figures 6 to 8 are described together, whereby in these figures, too, for the sake of clarity, embedded sliding elements and tension members are not shown. Because the handrail 35 is driven by the drive arrangement 25, which is sketched with a broken line, there must be a mechanical connection between the drive elements 86 and the drive arrangement 25. Here, a toothed belt 85 of the drive elements 86 is arranged circumferentially between the drive arrangement 25 and further drive elements 86. So that the toothed belt 85 can be bent in different directions, its teeth are similar to a pearl necklace, designed to be rotationally symmetrical to the central longitudinal axis of the toothed belt 85. The further drive elements 86 comprise transmission gears 87 which are arranged in two rows 88, 89 in a horizontal plane in a handrail guide means 90 or handrail guide profile 90 of the glass balustrade 3. Since the toothed belt 85 is passed between the two rows 88, 89, the transmission gears 87 of the two rows have opposite directions of rotation. The transmission gears 87 transmit the driving force of the toothed belt 85 in a form-fitting manner to the two side surfaces 63, 64 of the handrail 35. The axles 94 of the transmission gears 87 are attached and guide elements 95 are formed on its upper side 93.

The Figures 9 and 10 show a section of a possible configuration of a handrail 105 with and its cross section. The handrail 105 or handrail strap is usually made of a soft elastic elastomer material 107, which is constant over its longitudinal extent L such as SBR (styrene butadiene rubber), EPM (ethylene propylene rubber), EPDM (ethylene propylene terpolymer rubber), NBR (acrylonitrile butadiene rubber) and the like, with tension members 108 such as steel wire strands for reinforcement , Carbon fibers or aramid fiber strands are embedded in the elastomer material 107.

Furthermore, sliding elements 106 are partially embedded in the elastomer material 107 of the handrail 105, which are harder than the soft elastic elastomer material 107. The sliding elements 106 can be made of a hard elastic polymer material or a non-ferrous metal, which have a low coefficient of friction to other materials such as steel. Such materials can be, for example, PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), POM (polyoxymethylene), brass or bronze and the like.

The harder sliding elements 106 are arranged in sections at discrete intervals along the longitudinal extension L of the handrail 105. The handrail 105 or handrail strap designed in this way has a spine-like structure, so that it has alternating hard and soft elastic areas over its longitudinal extent L. As a result, the handrail 105 can be bent without any problems and highly stressed areas such as sliding surfaces 113 and / or guide grooves can be formed on the sliding elements 106. In the present exemplary embodiment, the sliding elements 106 are provided with guide elements 109 designed as grooves. In the operational state, the guide elements 109 interact with handrail guide means, such as the one in FIG. 2, which are stationarily arranged on a balustrade 3 of the escalator 1 or the moving walk Figure 8 Handrail guide profile 90 shown. Furthermore, the two side surfaces 110, 111 provided for the transmission of driving force are also formed on the sliding elements 106. To ensure reliable power transmission, toothed profiles 112 or toothed profile sections 112 are formed on the side surfaces 110, 111 that are matched to the drive elements (not shown).

In order to maintain the dimensional stability of the handrail 105 also in its longitudinal extension L, the sliding elements 106 are firmly connected to the tension members 108 embedded in the flexible elastomer material 107.

The Figure 11 shows a section of a further possible embodiment of a handrail drive system 120, which comprises a handrail 125 and drive elements 126, in a sectional view. The Figure 12 shows the in the Figure 11 specified cross-section of the handrail drive system 120.

In the above-described embodiments of the Figures 4 to 12 the two side surfaces 63, 64, 110, 111 of the handrail 35, 105 are arranged on the two opposite sides of the inner contour 62 of the two legs of the U-shaped or C-shaped cross-section.

Like the embodiment of the Figures 11 and 12 shows, a handrail drive system 120 with a handrail 125 is also possible, the inner contour 122 of which has a central web 121 extending in the longitudinal extension L of the handrail 125, on which the two side surfaces 123, 124 on the two opposite sides of the central web 121, respectively the inner contour 122 are formed. The side surfaces 123, 124 do not necessarily have to be flat, vertical surfaces. They can also be concave, convex or prism-shaped, provided they have the complementary design specified above. Furthermore, tension members 128 are embedded in the elastomer material of the handrail 125 and guide elements 129 designed as grooves are arranged on the inner contour 122 in the longitudinal extent L of the handrail.

In order to improve the traction between the drive elements 126 of the handrail drive system 120 and the circumferentially arranged handrail 125, a form-fitting transmission of the driving force is provided so that tooth profiles 127 are formed on the two opposite sides of the inner contour 122, to which the driving force can be transmitted is.

The drive elements 126 include six transmission gears 131 which are arranged in pairs, the central web 121 being passed through between the individual gear pairs so that the teeth of the transmission gears 131 engage in the tooth profiles 127 of the handrail 125. The remaining components of the drive elements 126 such as the engine and transmission parts through which the Transmission gears 131 are driven, are combined with these as a handrail drive 130 housed in a drive housing 138 and are therefore not visible. Handrail guide means 132 and flange attachments 133 are formed on the drive housing 138. The drive housing 138 can be fastened to a glass panel 92 of the glass balustrade 3 with the flange attachments 133. This creates a solid base for the handrail guide means 132 on which the guide elements 129 of the handrail 125 are guided. The drive housing 138 can also have connection points 135 to handrail guide means (not shown) of the balustrade 3. The motor arranged in the drive housing 138 is connected, for example, to the motor in FIG Figure 1 shown handrail control 23 connected. Of course, the handrail control 23 can also be integrated in the drive housing 138.

Although the invention has been described by showing specific exemplary embodiments, it is obvious that numerous further design variants can be created with knowledge of the present invention, for example by combining the features of the individual exemplary embodiments with one another and / or exchanging individual functional units of the exemplary embodiments. For example, the one in the Figures 11 and 12 Handrail 125 shown also have sliding elements, as they are in the Figures 9 and 10 has handrail 105 shown, wherein the central web 121 is then formed either on the sliding elements or on the flexible elastomer material. For the sake of clarity, the Figures 1 to 4 and 6th A representation of signal transmission means, power supply lines and the like is largely dispensed with. However, these must inevitably be present so that the escalator 1 or the moving walk 1 with the handrail drive system 30, 80, 120 according to the invention can be used without interference. Accordingly, appropriately designed escalators 1 are encompassed by the scope of protection of the present claims.

Finally, it should be pointed out that terms such as “having”, “comprising”, etc. do not exclude any other elements or steps and that terms such as “a” or “an” do not exclude a plurality. Reference signs in the claims are not to be regarded as a restriction.

Claims (13)

1. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) of an escalator or a moving walkway, comprising:

   • a handrail drive (37, 130) with drive elements (36, 86, 126) and

   • a belt-form handrail (35, 125) which can be moved in a circulatory manner, wherein the handrail (35, 125) is delimited by an outer contour (61), which is configured in the form of a gripping surface, and by an inner contour (62, 122), which leaves a cavity (60) free in the handrail (35, 125), and wherein the cavity (60) is open toward the surroundings of the handrail (35, 125), wherein

   the driving force is transmitted from the drive elements (36, 86, 126) to the handrail (35, 125) on two mutually opposite side surfaces (63, 64, 110, 111, 123, 124) of the inner contour (62, 122), wherein, due to a complementary configuration of the side surfaces (63, 64, 110, 111, 123, 124), and with the exception of the driving force, all the other forces which are caused by the transmission of the driving force and act between the side surfaces (63, 64, 110, 111, 123, 124) compensate for one another, characterized in that the handrail (35, 125) is made of a soft-elastic elastomeric material (107) and has sliding elements (106) made of a polymer material which is harder than the soft-elastic elastomeric material (107), wherein, in sections, the sliding elements (106) are arranged at discrete distances along the longitudinal extension (L) of the handrail (35, 125), and guide elements (44, 109, 129) and/or tooth profiles (112, 127) are formed on the sliding elements (106).
2. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to claim 1, wherein the handrail (35, 125) has a U-shaped or C-shaped cross-section along its longitudinal extension (L).
3. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein tooth profiles (112, 127), to which the driving force can be transmitted in a force-locking and/or form-locking manner, are formed on the two mutually opposite side surfaces (63, 64, 110, 111, 123, 124) of the inner contour (62, 122).
4. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to one of the claims 1 to 3, wherein the handrail (35, 125) has tension-bearing elements (108, 128) embedded in the soft-elastic elastomeric material (107), and wherein the sliding elements (106) are connected to the tension-bearing elements (108, 128).
5. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the drive elements (36, 86, 126) comprise at least one toothed belt (45, 85) which can be moved in a circulatory manner.
6. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to one of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive elements (36, 86, 126) comprise at least one transmission gearwheel (47, 87, 131).
7. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to claim 6, wherein the toothed belt (45), with its first run (52), is in mesh with the first opposite side surface (63) of the inner contour (62, 122), and with its second run (53), it is in mesh with the at least one transmission gearwheel (47), wherein the circulation direction of the toothed belt (45) runs counter to the direction of rotation of the transmission gearwheel (47), and wherein the transmission gearwheel (47) is in mesh with the second opposite side surface (64) of the inner contour (62, 122).
8. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to claim 6, wherein the toothed belt (85) is guided between and in operative connection with at least two transmission gearwheels (87), and so the two transmission gearwheels (87) have an opposing direction of rotation, and the first of the two transmission gearwheels (87) is in mesh with the first opposite side surface (63) of the inner contour (62, 122), and the second of the two transmission gearwheels (87) is in mesh with the second opposite side surface (64) of the inner contour (62, 122).
9. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one balustrade (3) with a handrail guide means (42, 43, 90, 132) is present, and wherein at least part of the drive elements (36, 86, 126) is integrated in the handrail guide means (42, 43, 90, 132).
10. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to claim 9, wherein the toothed belt (85) is guided by the handrail guide means (42, 43, 90, 132) through the balustrade (3), through a balustrade base (4) which connects the balustrade (3) to a supporting structure (2) of the moving walkway or the escalator (1), and around a drive wheel arranged in the supporting structure (2).
11. Handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to claim 9, wherein the toothed belt (45) is driven by an angular gear (39) arranged in the handrail guide means (42, 43, 90, 132), and a motor (38).
12. Escalator (1) or moving walkway with at least one handrail-drive system (30, 80, 120) according to one of the claims 1 to 11.
13. Escalator (1) according to claim 12, wherein the escalator (1) connects a lower level (E1) of a structure to an upper level (E2) of the structure, wherein, due to the circulating arrangement of the handrail (35, 125), a handrail advance (14) and a handrail return (18) is present, and the drive elements (36, 86, 126) are arranged in the advance of the upper level.

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