WO 2005\042362 PCT/FI2004/00644
1
CONVEYOR
The present invention relates to a pallet arrangement for a
5 travelator or equiment as defined in the preamble of claim
1.
Like escalators, travelators are conveying devices designed to
move people or goods. They differ from escalators e.g. in that.
10 they often work in a substantially horizontal position or in a
slightly inclined position relative to their direction of
motion so that successive steps, i.e. pallets, form a substan-
tially even and rectilinear track instead of stair-like steps
as in esacalators. Travelators are also referred to as moving
15 sidewalks and autowalks.
In prior-art travelators, autoramps and escalators, the pal-
lets are typically made from alumium or other suitable metal
or alloy pressure-molded as a single piece, A problem with
20 these constructions is that the pressure-molding tools appli-
cable for this purpose are very expensive. A further problem
is that separate expensive tools are needed for each step or
pallet type and for each width.
25 In addition, prior-art pallet construction have e.g.plastic
comb strips or equivalent used as decorative or warning ele-
ments. A problem with these solutions is that mounting the
combs strips is a difficult and time-consuming operation be-
cause in prior-art constructions they are generally fastened
30 by means of screws to the routed edges of the steps or pal-
lets.
Another known technique in prior-art pallet structures is to
illuminate the gap between steps or pallets from below to warn
35 about, the approaching end of the moving track of the travela-
tor. However, a problem is the narrow width of the aforesaid
gap, which in prior-art solutions is generally only about
three to six mm. Therefore, the warning light has a weak
attention-arousing effect, which is why the warning is easily


WO 2005\042362 PCT/FI2004/00644
2
overlooked.
The object of the present Invention is to overcome the above-
mentioned drawbacks and achieve an easily variable pallet
5 structure of economical cost for use in a travelator-,
autoramp, escalator or equivalent, a pallet structure that
will also allow safety-improving solutions and various visual
functions, such as the presentation of information or adver-
tisements, and that also allows fast and economical mainte-
10 nance of the pallets because the surfacing part is easily-
replaceable and additionally permits the replacement of worn
parts only, making it unnecessary to replace the entire pallet
due to wear of the surfacing. The pallet arrangement of the
invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the charac-
15 terization part of claim 1. Features of preferred embodiments
are presented in the other claims. The inventive content dis-
closed in the application can also be defined in other ways
than in done in the claims below. The inventive content may
also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the
20 invention is considered in the light of expressed or implicit
sub-tasks or in respect of advantages or sets of advantages
the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of
separate inventive concepts. An example of such objectives or
25 tasks is clarification of the production process and installa-
tion. The features of different embodiments of the invention
and those of the described applications of the invention can
be combined with the embodiments defined or they can replace
features of the embodiments as far as technically reasonable.
30
The advantages of the pallet arrangement of the invention
include low manufacturing costs and a surface structure con-
sisting of easily variable surfacing parts. Another advantage
is that user safety is improved, because the light effects
35 indicating the end of the moving track can be easily imple-
mented so that they will be more readily perceivable that in

WO 2005/042362 PCT/FI2004/0006-44
3
prior-art solutions and additionally the gaps between steps or
pallets can be sealed better than in prior-art solutions. A
further advantage is that the surface of the pallets can be
used better than, before as a displaying surface for notices or
5 advertisements. An advantage is also the fact that mainte-
nance of the equipment becomes easier and cheaper because
only the surfacing parts subject to wear need to be replaced.
An additional advantage is that the surfacing parts are fas-
tened to the body of the step or pallet by profile-locked
1O snap-on couplings or equivalent that can be easily released
and locked, allowing the joints to be easily uncoupled using
a suitable tool. An additional advantage are small invest-
ments on tools, and therefore the pallets cut to a suitable
length from extruded long profiles or their surfacing parts
15 can be easily and quickly replaced with a structure of some
other type or shape if desirable.
The pallet body being made from extruded profile or consisting
of some other suitable profile structure, in a preferred case
20 this profile shape is provided with fastening points both for
the mounting of wheels and for elements for the transmission
of the driving power needed to move the pallets. The wheel or
fastening element transmitting driving power, which is at-
tached to a chain or other means transmitting driving power to
25 the pallet, is preferably connected to a fastening point in
the pallet via a knuckle pin or equivalent. In the direction
of motion of the pallet, the fastening point for the transmis-
sion of driving power is located between the frontmost wheel
and the hindmost wheel, preferably at the same level with the
30 axles of the wheels. The body itself is preferably rigid
enough to receive all the strain caused by the load and the
movement of the pallet on its track. The knuckle pins or other
fastening means and the cover plates of the pallet may also
contribute towards increasing the rigidity of the body.
35
In the following, the invention will be described in detail

WO 2005/042362 PCT/FI2004/0006-44
4
with, reference to an embodiment example and the attached draw-
ings, wherein
Fig. 1 presents a pallet according to the invention in an
5 oblique top view, and
Fig. 2 presents a more detailed end view of the pallet of
the invention.
The pallet structure 1 of the invention comprises a pallet
10 body 2, which is preferably made by extruding a suitable
profile from aluminum or some other appropriate metal or
alloy. In the manufacture of the profile, a certain type of
profile is extruded in bars of a length well suited for manu-
facturer transportation or other purposes. From the these
15 profiled bars, parts of a length exactly appropriate for the
purpose are cut later during manufacture of the pallet. Thus,
the same profile can be easily used for pallets of different
widths, so the width of the moving track of the travelator
can be easily varied. Fastened to the pallet body 2 are
20 wheels 7 at each end of the pallet and likewise at at least
one end, preferably at either end a fastening element 8 by
means of which the pallet 1 is coupled to an endless cogged
belt or chain or an equivalent actuating device serving to
move the pallets.
25
A surface part extruded from plastic or corresponding mate-
rial and preferably consisting of one or more surface plates
3-5 of suitable width that also contain the required corruga-
tions in the direction of the track of motion of the pallets
30 is fastened onto the body 2 of the pallet 1 by means of e.g.
snap-on couplings or similar shape-locked couplings. Each
surface plate 3-5 is provided with snap-on coupling elements
or similar coupling elements 9 preferably placed in the lower
part or lower surface of the surface plates at suitable
35 points, e.g. at the ends and the middle part of the surface
plates, so that the surface plates remain firmly in place on

WO 2005/042362 PCT/FI2004/0006-44
5
the body 2 of the pallet and that the surface plates can be
easily pressed into position and likewise easily released
from the body by means of a tool appropriate for the purpose.
Correspondirigly, placed at suitable points substantially in
5 the upper part of the body 2 of the pallet are counterparts
10 corresponding to the above-mentioned coupling eletnents 9,
which can be fastened to the counterparts by a shape-locked
coupling.
10 The width of the surface plates 3-5 of the invention is pref-
erably so defined that, using a suitable number of surface
plates of the same width, it is possible to cover pallet
bodies of different widths, so the same parts can be used to
assemble pallets of different widths. The surface plates may
15 also differ in width from each other. Such surface plates of
a different width may be e.g. the surface plates placed, at
the edges of the pallet, which, may have a different structure
and/or coloring, or special patterning pieces whose pattern
is desired to be continuous without visible boundaries.
20
Fig. 1 presents a pallet 1 provided with surface plates 3 and
4 of different colors and also transparent or translucent
surface plates 5. Under these transparent or translucent
surface, plates 5, between the body 2 and the surface plate 5,
25 it is possible to place e.g. a notice, advertisement or other
element varying the appearance, printed on paper, plastic or
similar material, which can be illuminated from below or from
the side to produce different visual effects. The transparent
or translucent surface plates 5 are preferably placed in the
30 middle part of the pallet 1. By placing surface plates of
different colors at different positions in the widthwise
direction, of the pallet 1, it is possible to vary the appear-
ance of successive pallets, allowing the appearance of the
moving track of the travelator to be easily changed and given
35 a different look.

WO 2005/042362 PCT/FI2004/0006-44
6
The solution of the invention also allows the gap between
successive pallets 1 in the travelator to be made considera-
bly widest than in prior-art solutions, even as much as about
ten times wider depending-on the- surfacing solutions, so
5 that, when completely or partly transparent or translucent
surface plates are used, the transparent or translucent gap
thus formed can be illuminated from below to warn e,g, about
the danger posed by the approaching end of the moving track.
Because the attention-arousing effect of the warning light in
10 the wide gap thus formed is very good, passengers concen-
trated on studying the notices or advertisements or equiva-
lent can be effectively aroused to the danger caused by the
approaching end of the moving track. When plastic elements
are illuminated from the side, it also possible to produce
15 impressive illumination effects as the light is scattered
e.g. at the crests of the corrugations mentioned above.
When required, a suitable sealing surface or some other ap-
plicable sealing structure, such as a sealing lip, can also
20 be easily fastened to the extruded plastic surfacing part 3-
5, said sealing being designed to close the gap between suc-
cessive pallets l. The use of sealings improves the operating
safety, among other things, and prevents small objects from
falling down into the mechanical structures of the travela-
25 tor.
It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the in-
vention is not limited to the example described above, but
that it may be varied within the scope of the claims pre-
30 sented below. Thus, not all the above-mentioned elements need
necessarily be used on one pallet. A pallet may be provided
with e.g. only one kind of surface plates. Likewise, the
material and method of manufacture of the pallet body may
differ from the above description. For example, the pallet
35 body may consist of two or more sections coupled together, so
the length of the body in the direction of the pallet track

WO 2005/042362 PCT/FI2004/0006-44
7
is not limited to the conventionally or easily available
maximum size determined by the extrusion or other manufactur-
ing technique. In addition, the size, shape, structure and
material of the stufacing parts of the pallets may differ
5 from the above description. Thus, for example, the surfacing
part of the pallet may be made of a material other than plas-
tic. A good other material like this is aluminum or the like.

WO 2005/042362 PCT/FI2004/0006-44
8
C1AIMS
1. A pallet arrangement for a travelator or equivalent, in
which arrangement a pallet- (l) moving on wheels (7) forms a
5 part of a moving track, said pallet (1} consisting of at least
a pallet body (2) and a surface part, such that the pallet
body (2) ia a structure of predetermined sijze made, from a
profiled bar and that the body (2) is provided with one or
more surface plates (3-5) forming a wearing surface, charac-
10 terized that the body (2) is provided with wheels (7) mounted
at either end of it and with a fastening element (8) at at
least one end, preferably at either end, between the wheels
(7) mounted at the end of the pallet, for coupling the pallet
(1) to an endless cogged belt, chain or equivalent actuating
15 means.
2. A pallet arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in
that the body (2) of the pallet is a structure cut to a prede-
termined size from extruded aluminum or some other suitable
20 metal or alloy.
3. A pallet arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, character-
ized in that the body (2) of the pallet is composed of at
least two extruded pieces joined together and disposed one
25 after the other in the longitudinal direction of the travela-
tor.
4. A pallet arrangement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, charac-
terized in that the surface plates (3-5) forming a wearing
30 surface are surface plates of substantially equal size made by
extruding from plastic or a corresponding material.
5. A pallet arrangement according to any one of the preceding
claims, characterised in that the lower part of the surface
35 plates (3-5) is provided with coupling elements (9) and corre-
spondingly the upper part of the body (2) is provided with

WO 2005/042362 PCT/FI2004/0006-44
9
counterparts (10) to which the coupling elements (9) can be
fastened by a shape-locked coupling.
6. A pallet arrangement according to any one of the preceding
5 claims, characterised in that the surface plates (3, 4 and 5)
are of mutually different colors, and that some of the surface
plates are translucent or transparent.
7. A pallet arrangement according to any one of the preceding
10 claims, characterized in that a notice, advertisement or other
element (6) varying the appearance and printed on paper, plas-
tic or equivalent has been fitted between the translucent or
transparent surface plates (5) and the pallet body (2).
15 B. A pallet arrangement according to any one of the preceding
claims, characterized in that it comprises illumination equip-
ment provided under the translucent or transparent surface
plates (5) and fitted to illuminate from below the notice,
advertisement or other element (6) varying the appearance,
20 placed between ths surface plates (5) and the pallet body (2)-
9. A pallet arrangement according to any one of the preceding
claims, characterised in that the surface plates (3-5) are
provided with a sealing fastened to their edge to seal the gap
25 between successive pallets (1).
10. A pallet arrangement according to any one of the preceding
claims, characterized in that at least some of the surface
plates {3-5} are of aluminum or similar material in their
30 upper surface, preferably throughout their structure.

The invention relates to a pallct arrangement for a travelator or equivalent, in which arrangement a pallet (I) moving on wheels (7) form a part of a moving track, said pallet (1) consisting of at least 3 pallet body (2) and a surface part. The body (2) of the pallet is a structore cot to a predetermined size form a profiled bar and the body (3) is provided wjth one or more surface ptates (3-5) attached to ir to form a wearing surface.