Drive system for a passenger transport installation

The invention relates to a drive system for transport means of a passenger transport installation, in particular an escalator or a moving walkway, wherein the transport means, in particular steps or pallets, are actively connected to pulling elements and the pulling elements can be moved in the transport direction by means of at least one electric motor provided with a gear train.

DE 25 41 397 discloses a drive unit which is arranged within a revolving step belt of escalators and is composed of an electric motor, a gear and a handrail drive, wherein the drive shaft of the gear simultaneously serves as main drive shaft of the step belt.

DE 35 26 905 C2 discloses a drive for escalators and moving walkways in the reversing area, which drive is arranged within the revolving step or pallet belt, comprising an electric motor, gears, step or pallet drive means and handrail drive means, as well as between the step or pallet drive shaft and the handrail drive shaft, wherein the exit gearwheel of the gear is provided in direct engagement with the step or pallet drive shaft gearwheel. At least one electric motor having a planet gear is provided as drive unit which is equal with respect to the center line and placed on a parallel axis with respect to the step or pallet drive shaft and the handrail drive shaft.

DE 24 21 729 C3 discloses a drive for excessively long escalators and moving walkways, comprising drive motors arranged in pairs, transmission gears, a main drive shaft, a clamping shaft and cardan shafts serving for the drive of the handrails.

It is the aim of the subject of invention to propose a drive system for excessively long escalators of any geometric shape, which has a simple structure and does not require any over-dimensioned drives.

This aim is achieved according to the invention in that the electric motor containing the gear train is positioned in one of the reversing areas of the transport means, that at least one further electric motor interacting with a gear train is arranged in the course of the transport path, and that at least some of the electric motors and gear trains are designed to have approximately the same power, wherein the one electric motor is provided for the reversal of the transport means and each further electric motor is exclusively provided for the linear motion of the transport means.

Advantageous embodiments of the drive system according to the invention are disclosed in the associated sub-claims.

According to another aspect of the invention, the gear train arranged in the reversing area is provided with chain star wheels which engage with the respective pulling elements formed as plate link chains and reverse the plate link chains including the transport means fastened thereto in the associated reversing area, wherein each further gear train interacts with chain wheels, the teeth of which engage with the plate link chain and drive the same one in an exclusively linear direction.
It is especially advantageous that the bushes of the plate link chains are adjacent to or roll along individual teeth of the chain wheel while only getting into line contact, outside the tooth ground of the respective chain wheel.

According to another aspect of the invention, the chain wheel interacts with a ring-shaped shoulder in the region of its teeth, which shoulder serves as supporting body for single plates of the plate link chain. This measure assures that the cylinder bushes/rolls of the plate link chain do not contact the tooth ground, but rather get adjacent to the teeth of the chain wheel always at the same spot for generating an only one-directional force component.

The entire drive for the passenger transport installation composed of electric motor, gear train and chain wheels is advantageously positioned between the plate link chains connected to the transport means.

The subject of invention is represented in the drawing by means of an exemplary embodiment and described as follows. Herein:

figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a device for the passenger transport;

figure 2 shows linear guidance’s of transport sections of a moving walkway;

figure 3 shows linear guidance’s of transport sections of an escalator;

figure 4 is a partial representation of the drive system according to the invention;

figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the guidance of the pulling element in the area of the chain wheel;
figure 6 is a partial representation of the chain wheel according to figure 5.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram which shows a device for the passenger transport 1 which is an escalator in this example. The passenger transport device can also be a moving walkway in so far as the legally prescribed angles of inclination are observed. A step belt 2' composed of a plurality of steps 2 (transport means) is only outlined. The different directions of transport (upwards, downwards) are outlined by means of arrows. A no further represented drive for the step belt 2' can be positioned in the entrance section 3 and/or exit section 4. In this example, the left lower part of figure 1 shall represent an entrance section 3 and the right upper part of figure 1 shall represent an exit section 4. A transport section 5 which is formed as spatial curve arc in this example extends between the lower entrance section 3 and the upper exit section 4. An excessively long and linear escalator or moving walkway which extends with a pre-determinable angle of inclination between the entrance section 3 and the exit section 4 is also conceivable. In this example, a curve arc shall be present, which comprises a pre-determinable radius R of for example 210 m. In this example, an arched substructure 6 which receives the transport section 5 is provided on the side of the building. As already stated, on certain conditions the transport section 5 can also be designed as a cantilever type. The transport section 5 itself is formed by a plurality of linear framing sections 7. Each framing section 7 can have bearings 8, by means of which it can be supported in an adjustable manner on the surface 9 of the substructure 6. As represented in figure 2, the respective framing section can also be curved or designed in any shape.

Figure 2 shows, in the form of lines, some technically realizable options to connect entrance or exit sections of a moving walkway to transport sections. In the case of moving walkways it has to be taken care that the legally prescribed angles of inclination are observed.

Figure 3 shows, in the form of lines, some technically realizable options to connect entrance or exit sections of an escalator to transport sections. Different convex and concave curve sections are used. The different radii are represented by arrows. As already explained, the radii can have different sizes. If required, curve-like transport sections can be combined with linear transport sections.

Figure 4 is a schematic diagram which shows a conventional device for the passenger transport 1', which is formed by an excessively long escalator in this example. All the components which are represented here can also be transferred to a passenger transport installation 1 according to figure 1. In the example according to figure 4, a first electric motor 24 including an outlined reducing gear 25 is positioned in the upper reversing area 23 of the device 1'. Herein, the constructional structure of the drive 24/25 can be analogue to DE 25 41 397.

In the lower area 26 of the device 1', an additional handrail drive 27 is provided in this example.

The device 1' can be used for covering any transport heights and/or transport distances, in that a further electric motor 28, 29, 30 including reducing gears 31, 32, 33 will be positioned between the here not represented plate link chains which form additional transport means. This arrangement permits to realize an extremely space-saving construction. It is not represented here that the electric motor 24 respectively the reducing gear 25 provided in the area 23 interacts with two reversing elements which are formed by chain star wheels and which reverse the moving direction of the plate link chains including the transport means. All the electric motors 24, 28, 29, 30 and reducing gears 25, 31-33 are dimensioned to have approximately the same power, wherein each electric motor 24, 28, 29, 30 is used for the motion of the transport means over a defined section a, b, c of the transport path A.

The other electric motors 28 through 30 respectively the associated reducing gears 31 through 33 interact with neither represented chain wheels which are in engagement with the plate link chains comprising cylinder bushes or rolls and which are exclusively responsible of the linear motion of the transport means respectively the plate link chains.

Figure 5 is a partial representation of one of the chain wheels 34 which interact with the other reducing gears 31, 32, 33 in the area of the transport path A. One can see the plate link chain 36 formed by a plurality of plates 35. Cylinder bushes 37/rolls, by means of which the plates 35 can be moved with respect to each other, are positioned in the end regions of the plates 35. The direction of motion of the chain wheel 34 is represented by an arrow. It is visible that the plate link chain 36 is exclusively moved in linear direction (arrow). The chain wheel 34 is provided with teeth 38 which engage with the clearance between plates 35 which are placed side by side.

During the transport of plate link chains, polygon effects or similar erratic motions often occur. In order to exclude this for the subject of invention, a special tooth shape is chosen, by means of which the application of force of the cylinder bush 37/roll on the tooth 38 is such that a right angle is formed. Thanks to this measure, multidirectional forces at the point of application 40 are avoided. Thus, only a line-wise contact occurs outside the tooth ground 39 in the point of application 40 between the tooth 38 and the bush 37/roll, such that only a one-directional application of force is realized at the respective point of application.

Analogue to the electric motor 24/reducing gear 26 arranged in the reversing area 23, the other drive units 28, 31, 29, 32 as well as 30, 33 which are provided in the area of the transport path A are positioned between the plate link chains 36.

Figure 6 is a partial representation of a cutout of the chain wheel 34 according to figure 5. One can see the teeth 38 as well as a ring which is formed as a separate shoulder 41 in this example and which is detachably connected to the chain wheel base 34' of the chain wheel 34 by means of screws 42, 43. Herein, the shoulder 41 carries a plastic body 44 on which rests a plate 35 of the plate link chain 36 represented in figure 5. This measure permits to obtain a defined distance between the cylinder bush 37/roll and the tooth ground 39 of the chain wheel 34.

List of reference numerals

1 device 43 screw
1' device 44 plastic body
2 step
2' step belt
3 entrance section
4 exit section
5 transport section A transport path
6 substructure R radius
7 framing section a defined section
8 bearing b defined section
9 surface c defined section
23 reversing area
24 first electric motor
25 reducing gear
26 lower area
27 handrail drive
28 electric motor
29 electric motor
30 electric motor
31 reducing gear
32 reducing gear
33 reducing gear
34 chain wheel
34' chain wheel base
35 plate
36 plate link chain
37 bush
38 tooth
39 tooth ground
40 point of application
41 ring-shaped shoulder
42 screw

Claims

1. A drive system for transport means of a passenger transport installation (1, 1'), in particular an escalator or a moving walkway, wherein the transport means (2'), in particular steps or pallets, are actively connected to pulling elements (36) and the pulling elements (36) can be moved in the transport direction by means of at least one electric motor (24) provided with a gear train (25), characterized in that the electric motor (24) containing the gear train (25) is positioned in one of the reversing areas (23) of the transport means (2'), that at least one further electric motor (28, 29, 30) interacting with a gear train (31, 32, 33) is arranged in the course of the transport path (A), and that at least some of the electric motors (28-30) and gear trains (31-33) are designed to have approximately the same power, wherein the one electric motor (24) is provided for the reversal of the transport means (2') and the further electric motor (28-30) is exclusively provided for the linear motion of the transport means (2').

2. A drive system according to claim 1, characterized in that the gear train (25) arranged in the reversing area (23) is provided with chain stan wheels which engage with the respective pulling element formed as plate link chains (36) and reverse the plate link chain (36) in the associated reversing area (23), and that the further gear train (31-33) interacts with chain wheels (34), the teeth (38) of which engage with the plate link chain (36) and drive the same one in an exclusively linear direction.

3. A drive system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bushes (37), respectively rolls of the plate link chains (36) are adjacent to or roll along individual teeth (38) of the chain wheel (34) while only getting into line contact, outside the tooth ground (39) of the chain wheel (34).

4. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 3, characterized in that the point of force application (40) of the cylinder bush (37)/rolls on the respective tooth (38) of the chain wheel (34) is realized such that only a one-directional force application component is generated at the respective tooth (38).

5. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 4, characterized in that the chain wheel (34) is provided with at least one shoulder (41) in the area of its teeth (38), which shoulder supports individual plates (35, 36) when the plate link chain (36) runs through the chain wheel (34).

6. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 5, characterized in that the shoulder (41) is an integral component of the chain wheel (34).

7. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 5, characterized in that the shoulder (41) is formed by a separate ring-shaped body which is detachably connected to the chain wheel (34).

8. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 7, characterized in that the shoulder (41) is at least partially made of synthetic material having a pre-determinable Shore hardness.

9. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 8, characterized in that the further electric motor (28-30) including gear train (31-33) is positioned between the plate link chains (36) connected to the transport means (2').

10. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 9, usable for excessively long escalators (1,1') and moving walkways.

11. A drive system according to one of the claims 1 through 10, usable for escalators (1) or moving walkways which are designed like a spatial curve arc.