HK1175765B - Truss construction for a passenger conveyor - Google Patents

Description

Truss construction for passenger conveyor

Technical Field

The invention relates to a truss construction for a passenger conveyor.

Background

The passenger conveyor is, for example, an escalator or a moving walkway. For example, escalators are passenger conveyors that typically transport passengers between landings at different levels of a building. Moving walkways are generally used for transporting passengers in a horizontal direction, which extends horizontally or is only slightly inclined.

Escalators or moving walkways typically include a truss construction, a handrail with a moving handrail, a tread plate, a drive system, and a step chain for engaging and propelling the tread plate. In escalators the tread plates have the form of steps, while in the case of moving walkways they have the form of pallets. The step chain travels in an endless loop between turnaround sections located at the upstream and downstream landings, respectively. The truss structure supports the other components of the conveyor and rests on the base. The truss construction includes truss sections on lateral sides of the tread plate and extends in the conveying direction. Each truss section has two end sections which each form a platform on a respective longitudinal side. The end sections of the same lateral side are connected by an intermediate section that is inclined or (in the case of a moving walkway) may also be horizontal. One of the platforms, which is usually the upper platform in the case of escalators for example, houses the drive system or machine of the passenger conveyor positioned between the trusses.

The drive system of an escalator or moving walkway typically includes a step chain, step chain drive pulleys (e.g., in the form of sprockets or gears), a shaft, and a drive motor. The step chain travels in a continuous closed loop, extending from one platform to another, and then back. The tread plates are attached to the step chain by step chain axles. The step chain axle also supports step chain rollers that are guided by rails fixed to the truss structure and thereby define the travel path of the step chain and tread plates. The drive motor drives a drive pulley which is in driving connection with the step chain, either directly or via another transmission.

In a common passenger conveyor, the truss construction includes a framework for supporting a plurality of rails arranged for guiding and supporting step rollers and step chain rollers mounted to a tread plate and/or links of a step chain of the passenger conveyor.

A section of such a conventional truss construction 1 is shown in fig. 1. The conventional truss construction 1 comprises two pairs of stringers 21, 22. On each side of the conveyor, a pair of longitudinal beams extends in the longitudinal conveying direction of the conveyor. Each pair of side members includes a side sill 21 and an upper side member 22, wherein the upper side member 22 is arranged above the side sill 21 and in parallel to the side sill 21. The lower and upper longitudinal beams 21, 22 of each pair of longitudinal beams are connected to each other by a number of substantially vertical beams 14 and substantially diagonal beams 24 forming a rigid framework on each lateral side of the conveyor in order to give the truss construction 1 the required rigidity and strength.

Cross plates 20 are mounted to at least some of the vertical beams 14. A cross bar 23 is fixed to the cross plate 20 to connect the two frames to each other.

A plurality of rails 18 for supporting the step chain rollers and/or tread plate rollers are mounted to and supported by the cross plate 20. The guide rails 18 are finished from high strength steel (e.g., annealed or spring steel) to achieve satisfactory running characteristics of the rolls.

Fig. 1 shows only sections of the stringers 21, 22, the rail 18 and some of the diagonal beams 24, respectively, so that the stringers 21, 22, the rail 18 and some of the diagonal beams 24 appear truncated in fig. 1. However, this is only due to the fact that fig. 1 shows a section of the truss construction 1, not the entire length.

The individual beams 14, 21, 22, 24, the cross plates 20 and the rails 18 are made of steel and joined together by a plurality of welded joints to form a so-called truss. The cross plate 20 and rails 18 are secured by adjustable mounts and secure the components to the truss.

Such a conventional truss construction 1 is complicated and expensive to assemble and maintain, as it comprises a large number of different elements which have to be manufactured and installed separately. Welding done in the factory requires knowledge and experience and involves complex equipment to achieve the required accuracy in mounting the guide rails, since typical tolerances for trusses are a few millimeters and typical tolerances for guide rails are a few tenths of a millimeter.

It is desirable to provide a truss construction for a conveyor that is easier to manufacture and install with sufficient accuracy and minimal adjustment required.

Disclosure of Invention

An exemplary embodiment of the invention provides a truss construction for a passenger conveyor, comprising at least one self-supporting element extending in a conveying direction of the passenger conveyor, wherein the self-supporting element is formed with at least one track portion for guiding a step roller or a step chain roller, and wherein the self-supporting element is a roller molding element.

The invention also provides a method of retrofitting a passenger conveyor comprising at least one track for supporting a step chain roller and/or a step roller of a tread plate, and a truss for supporting the track, wherein the method comprises the steps of removing the track from the truss and installing a truss construction according to an embodiment of the invention between the remaining parts of the truss.

The invention also provides a method of forming such a self-supporting element for a truss construction of a passenger conveyor, wherein the method comprises a roll moulding step.

Drawings

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective view a section of a conventional truss construction;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a section of an embodiment of a truss construction according to the invention;

fig. 3 shows a cross section of the embodiment shown in fig. 2.

Detailed Description

In the following, the longitudinal direction of the conveyor is understood to designate a conveying direction, the transverse direction of the conveyor is understood to designate a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction, and the perpendicular direction is understood to designate a direction substantially orthogonal to a plane spanned by the conveying direction and the transverse direction.

The truss construction 2 comprises an outer frame with vertical beams 14. Vertical beams 14 positioned one after the other in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor are arranged on both lateral sides of the conveyor. The outer frame has horizontal cross bars 23 extending in the transverse direction of the conveyor. Each cross bar 23 connects a pair of vertical beams 14, each such pair of vertical beams 14 being arranged on a different lateral side of the conveyor.

The truss construction 2 comprises at least one pair of self-supporting elements 4, 16. The pair of self-supporting elements comprises an upper self-supporting element 4 and a lower self-supporting element 16. Each self-supporting element 4,16 is mounted, for example by welding, to a respective vertical beam 14 on both sides of the conveyor.

In a particular installation, only one upper self-supporting element 4 and only one lower self-supporting element 16 may be provided on each lateral side of the conveyor. In other installations, a plurality of such upper and lower self-supporting elements 4,16 may be provided positioned one after the other in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor.

Each self-supporting element 4,16 extends in a longitudinal direction and in a vertical direction and is formed to comprise three track portions 6,8,9 for attachment to guide rollers 7a, 7b on tread plates 26, 27, respectively. The step chain rollers 7a are engaged by the step chains 5, one step chain 5 extending in the longitudinal direction on each lateral side of the conveyor.

The four self-supporting elements 4,16 shown in fig. 2 are roll-moulded elements, i.e. self-supporting elements 4,16, which are formed by applying a roll-moulding process to a suitable metal sheet.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, a pair of self-supporting elements 4,16 are mounted on each lateral side of the conveyor. The lower self-supporting element 16 is mounted upside down with respect to the respective upper self-supporting element 4, i.e. two self-supporting elements 4,16 on each side of the conveyor are mounted symmetrically with respect to a symmetry plane arranged intermediate the upper self-supporting element 4 and the lower self-supporting element 16 and extending in the conveying direction of the conveyor. Typically, the plane of symmetry will act as a separation plane separating the upper load section from the lower return section of the conveyor.

The second pair of self-supporting elements 4,16 arranged on opposite lateral sides of the conveyor is similar or identical to the first pair of self-supporting elements 4,16, and the second pair of self-supporting elements 4,16 is arranged symmetrically with respect to a vertical symmetry plane extending in the conveying direction of the conveyor and arranged in the middle of the first pair of self-supporting elements 4,16 and the second pair of self-supporting elements 4, 16.

The truss construction 2 thus comprises four self-supporting elements 4,16 in the section shown in fig. 2, which are mounted in different orientations relative to each other.

Each of the self-supporting elements 4,16 comprises a plurality of roller moulding structures comprising three track sections 6,8,9 extending in the longitudinal direction guiding and supporting the step chain rollers 7a and the step rollers 7b of the tread plates 26, 27. Specifically, the step chain rollers 7a engaged by the step chain 5 are guided by the first track portion 6, and the step rollers 7b are guided by the second track portion 8. The shaft 11 connects pairs of step chain rollers 7a, each step chain roller 7a of a respective pair being arranged on a different lateral side of the conveyor.

Two exemplary tread plates 26, 27 are shown in fig. 2. The rollers 7a, 7b of the upper tread plate 26 (i.e. the tread plate travelling over the conveyor load section) are guided by the track portions 6,8, respectively, of the upper self-supporting element 4. The tread plate 26 includes a tread section 26a and a riser section 26b, and the tread plate 26 is aligned such that the tread section 26a is horizontal and a passenger using the conveyor can stand on the tread section 26a while traveling on the load section.

The track portions 8,9 of the lower self-supporting element 16 form a return path for the lower tread plate 27, i.e. the tread plate travelling on the return section of the conveyor. The lower step plate 27 rotates relative to the upper step plate 26.

The self-supporting elements 4,16 also comprise bar-like structures formed by vertical bars 10 and diagonal bars 12, which structures are formed by cutting away some of the material used to form the metal sheets of the self-supporting elements 4,16 before or after the roll moulding process.

Fig. 3 shows a cross section of the truss construction 2 shown in fig. 2 along a plane orthogonal to the conveying direction of the conveyor.

The outer frame is formed by vertical beams 14 and a cross bar 23 connecting the two vertical beams 14. On each lateral side of the conveyor, a respective upper self-supporting element 4 is fixed to a vertical beam 14. The upper self-supporting element extends in the area above the cross bar 23.

A pair of lower self-supporting elements 16 are mounted to the vertical beams 14 in the area below the cross bar 23.

Each self-supporting element 4,16 comprises a beam-like roller moulding structure 13 having a substantially closed cross-section extending in the conveying direction of the conveyor in order to provide the required strength and rigidity of the respective self-supporting element 4, 16.

Each of the self-supporting elements 4,16 further comprises two roller moulding track portions 6,8 for conveying the rollers 7a, 7b of the upper tread plate 26 travelling over the conveyor load section. Such a tread plate 26 extends parallel to the two cross bars 23 between the upper self-supporting elements 4.

For the upper tread plate 26, the step chain rollers 7a are guided by the respective first track portions 6 of the upper self-supporting element 4, while the step rollers 7b are guided by the second track portions 8 of the upper self-supporting element 4. The orientation of the tread plates 26, 27 can be changed, i.e. the tread plates 26, 27 can be rotated about the axis of the two respective step rollers 7b by changing the vertical distance between the step chain roller 7a and the step roller 7 b.

In addition to the first track portion 6 and the second track portion 8, a third track portion 9 is also formed in the self-supporting element 4, 16. This third track portion 9 is not used when the self-supporting elements 4,16 are used as upper self-supporting elements 4 forming the load path of the conveyor.

The roller moulding track sections 6,8,9 shown in figure 3 have a rectangular profile. However, in alternative embodiments, the track portions 6,8,9 may have any profile suitable for guiding the rollers 7a, 7b and may be formed by roller molding.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the lower self-supporting element 16 is identical to the upper self-supporting element 4, but mounted upside down with respect thereto. In an alternative embodiment not shown in the figures, the lower self-supporting element 16 is different from the upper self-supporting element 4.

The second molded track portion 8 and the third molded track portion 9 form a return path of the tread plate 27, since the step chain rollers 7a are not guided by the first track portion 6 but by the third track portion 9, wherein the step chain rollers 7a are guided by the first track portion 6 on a load path formed in the upper part in fig. 3, and the third track portion 9 is arranged at a large vertical distance from the second track portion 8 as the first track portion 6. The step roller 7b continues on the return path guided by the second track portion 8.

As a result, the vertical distance between the step chain roller 7a and the step roller 7b increases, and the tread plate 27 conveyed along the return path is angled with respect to the upper tread plate 26 conveyed along the load path.

The exemplary embodiment as described above with reference to fig. 2 and 3 provides a truss construction for a passenger conveyor that can be manufactured and installed easily and at a lower cost, since it comprises only a small number of different elements that are easy to manufacture. The roll-moulded self-supporting bearing elements 4,16 combine the functions of rails, cross plates and vertical and diagonal beams of a conventional truss construction. Providing the described construction of combining the track sections with the truss requires less space and requires less material.

By applying roller moulding techniques it has proved feasible to manufacture the track sections of the self-supporting elements with a sufficiently high accuracy and the beam sections with sufficient rigidity in a single integral part so that the self-supporting elements as a whole have the required strength and rigidity to support the conveyor during use. Furthermore, according to the proposed structure, the track portion contributes to the stability and rigidity of the self-supporting element.

An important advantage of the truss construction according to the embodiments shown and described above is that it requires less space and can therefore be easily installed within existing escalator trusses. The old conveyor can be retrofitted without completely disassembling the old truss. This facilitates and speeds up the retrofitting of old passenger conveyors and greatly reduces the cost of this process.

The truss construction according to the above illustrated embodiment comprises at least one self-supporting element extending in the conveying direction of the passenger conveyor. The self-supporting element is formed with at least one track portion for guiding rollers of a tread plate and/or a drive member like a step chain, and in an exemplary embodiment the self-supporting element is a roller molding element. Such self-supporting elements may be formed from sheet metal workpieces subjected to a roll molding process.

By using such self-supporting elements, the truss construction can be manufactured and installed more easily and less material is required. Manufacturing the self-supporting element by roll molding facilitates manufacturing the self-supporting element with high accuracy and at low cost.

By forming one and the same plate-like piece with multiple roller moulding structures, a self-supporting element can be produced which at the same time provides the required strength and rigidity of the truss construction and the required accuracy of the rail sections. These advantages can be achieved without significant increase in cost, largely due to the easier installation of the truss construction.

In an embodiment, the self-supporting element comprises at least one roller moulding track portion extending in the conveying direction of the passenger conveyor. The roller-molded track portion can be easily and inexpensively manufactured with the high accuracy required to ensure smooth rolling of the roller in order to meet desired ride quality standards.

In an exemplary embodiment, a cut-out is formed in the self-supporting element. Specifically, the vertical shaft portion and the diagonal shaft portion extending in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction are formed by cutting away some of the sheet material. Removing material from the self-supporting element reduces its weight. In addition, the cut material can be recycled for further use.

In an exemplary embodiment, the self-supporting element comprises at least one roller molded beam structure extending in a conveying direction of the passenger conveyor. Such roll-molded beam sections improve the stability and rigidity of the self-supporting element.

In another embodiment, the roll-molded beam structure has a substantially closed cross-section. Such beam portions can be manufactured easily and at low cost by roll moulding and provide the required strength and rigidity to the self-supporting element.

In another embodiment, the truss construction comprises a plurality of vertical beams for supporting at least one self-supporting element. Self-supporting elements may be secured to at least some of the outer beams for support. By fixing the self-supporting element to the vertical beam, the self-supporting element can be easily supported on the base. When mounting the self-supporting element in a truss construction, only a limited number of joints have to be provided, for example by welding, bolting or screwing.

In an exemplary embodiment, the passenger conveyor is an escalator and the truss construction includes an inclined portion of the escalator. In another embodiment, the truss configuration further includes a transition region and/or a landing region of the passenger conveyor. When the truss construction comprises inclined sections, transition zones and/or platform zones, which are integrally formed from a small number of different elements, the conveyor can be manufactured and installed as easily as the inclined sections. This reduces the time required and the cost for manufacturing and installing the conveyor or escalator.

In the case where the truss construction is applied to a conveyor as a whole, the greatest cost-effectiveness can be achieved. In the case of an escalator, for example, a truss construction as set forth above includes a landing zone, at least one incline zone, and a transition zone.

In another embodiment, the truss construction may include a first pair of identical self-supporting elements. A first pair of identical self-supporting elements may be disposed in the load path of the conveyor. Using a pair of identical self-supporting elements reduces costs because only a single roll molding process needs to be performed to manufacture the self-supporting elements.

In another embodiment, the truss construction may include a second pair of self-supporting elements. The second pair of self-supporting elements may be disposed below the first pair of self-supporting elements to form a return path for the step plate. By using a second pair of self-supporting elements, the return path of the step plate can be conveniently and easily constructed at low cost.

In another embodiment, the second pair of self-supporting elements may be arranged symmetrically to the first pair of self-supporting elements with respect to a plane arranged parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor and separating the load path from the return path.

In another embodiment, the self-supporting elements of the second pair may be identical to the self-supporting elements of the first pair. Thus, the same form of self-supporting element can be used for the load path and the return path of the conveyor. This reduces the cost for manufacturing the self-supporting element, since only a single roll moulding process needs to be performed to manufacture the self-supporting element.

The invention also comprises a passenger conveyor comprising at least one self-supporting element which is a roller-moulding element and which extends in the conveying direction of the passenger conveyor and is formed with at least one track section for guiding rollers associated with a tread plate and/or a step chain. Such a passenger conveyor can be manufactured and installed easily, quickly and at low cost, since it comprises only a small number of elements which have to be manufactured and installed.

The invention also includes a method of retrofitting an existing passenger conveyor, wherein the existing passenger conveyor includes a track for supporting a step chain roller or step rollers of a tread plate, and a truss supporting the track. The method of retrofitting comprises the steps of removing the old escalator track, and installing a truss construction between the remaining parts of the truss, the truss construction comprising a self-supporting element formed with at least one track section for guiding the step chain rollers and/or step rollers of the tread plates and being a roller molding element.

By this retrofitting method, existing conveyor retrofitting can be easily and at low cost since the old truss construction does not need to be completely removed. Alternatively, parts of the old truss construction can be used to support new parts, in particular the new truss construction. This also saves time when retrofitting old conveyors.

In an embodiment of the method of retrofitting a conveyor, the step of removing the truss parts may comprise removing the horizontal and diagonal beams of the truss, but not the vertical beams of the truss. In this embodiment, the conveyor can be easily retrofitted, since the vertical beams, which are normally firmly fixed to the base, do not need to be removed but can be used to support a new conveyor truss.

The invention also comprises a method of forming a self-supporting element comprising the step of roller moulding, wherein the self-supporting element comprises at least one track portion for guiding the rollers of the step chain and/or tread plate. Specifically, the present invention includes the step of forming such a self-supporting element wherein the self-supporting element is formed by a single roll molding process. By using a roll moulding process, and in particular by using a single roll moulding process, the self-supporting element can be manufactured easily, quickly and at low cost with high accuracy.

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

Claims (20)

1. A truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor, comprising:

at least one self-supporting element (4,16) extending in the conveying direction of the passenger conveyor,

wherein the self-supporting element (4,16) is formed with at least one track portion (6,8,9) for guiding a step chain roller (7a) or a step roller (7b), and

wherein the self-supporting element (4,16) is a roll moulding element.

2. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the self-supporting element (4,16) comprises a plurality of moulded structures (6,8,9, 10, 12, 13).

3. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the self-supporting element (4,16) comprises at least one moulded track section (6,8,9) extending in the conveying direction of the passenger conveyor.

4. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least a part of the self-supporting elements (4,16) have cut-outs formed therein.

5. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the self-supporting element (4,16) comprises at least one roller moulded beam structure (13) extending in the conveying direction of the passenger conveyor.

6. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 5, wherein the roller-moulded beam structure (13) has a substantially closed cross-section.

7. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the truss construction (2) further comprises a plurality of vertical beams (14) for supporting the at least one self-supporting element (4, 16).

8. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 7, wherein the at least one self-supporting element (4,16) is fixed to at least a part of the plurality of vertical beams (14).

9. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passenger conveyor comprises an inclined portion and the truss construction (2) comprises an inclined portion of the passenger conveyor.

10. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the passenger conveyor comprises at least one of a transition region and a landing region, and wherein the truss construction (2) comprises at least one of a transition region and a landing region of the passenger conveyor.

11. Truss construction (2) of a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the truss construction (2) comprises a first pair of identical self-supporting elements (4) arranged symmetrically on a lateral side of the passenger conveyor with respect to a first plane extending parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor and perpendicularly.

12. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 11, wherein a second pair of self-supporting elements (16) is arranged below the first pair of self-supporting elements (4).

13. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second pair of self-supporting elements (16) is arranged symmetrically to the first pair of self-supporting elements (4) with respect to a second plane extending parallel to the conveying direction of the conveyor, the second plane being orthogonal to the first plane.

14. Truss construction (2) for a passenger conveyor as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the second pair of self-supporting elements (16) is identical to the first pair of self-supporting elements (4).

15. Passenger conveyor comprising a truss construction (2) according to any of the claims 1-14.

16. A method of retrofitting a passenger conveyor, the passenger conveyor comprising:

at least one rail (18) for supporting step chain rollers and/or step rollers of a tread plate, and

a truss supporting the at least one rail (18);

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

removing the at least one rail (18) from the truss, and

installing a truss construction (2) according to any of claims 1-15 between remaining parts of the truss.

17. The method of retrofitting a passenger conveyor of claim 16, wherein the removing step includes removing horizontal beams (22) and diagonal beams (24) from the truss.

18. The method of retrofitting a passenger conveyor of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the removing step does not include removing vertical beams (14) from the truss.

19. A method of forming a self-supporting element (4), the self-supporting element (4) being a truss-structured self-supporting element (4) for a passenger conveyor according to any one of claims 1-15, the method comprising a roll moulding step.

20. The method of forming a self-supporting element (4) according to claim 19, wherein the self-supporting element (4) is formed in a single roll molding process.