1
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
PASSENGER CONVEYER
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
5 The present invention relates to a passenger conveyer
such as an escalator and a moving walkway.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A passenger conveyer represented by an escalator, amoving
10 walkway and so on conveys passengers, etc. on footboards (also
referred to as "footsteps" for escalators). The passenger
conveyer primarily includes a frame included in a building
structure, two landing floors included in the frame, footboard
chains coupled in an endless manner and circularly moving between
15 the landing floors, footboards attached to the footboard chains,
rails (guide rails) attached to the frame, and balustrades
attached to the frame. The footboard chains include footboard
shafts, oppositely-arranged link plates, rotation shafts
coupling the oppositely-arranged linkplates, and front rollers
20 supported by the rotation shafts . The footboards are rotatably
attached to the footboard shafts of the footboard chains. The
rails are attached to the frame and guide the footboards along
a predetermined moving course. The balustrades include skirt
guards which are arranged on both lateral sides of the footboards
25 along a circulating-movement direction of the footboards. In
2
the case of the escalator, the two landing floors are provided
at upper and lower floors of the frame.
The footboards (footsteps) of the escalator include
cleats on which passengers ride, raisers forming
5 different-level portions of the respective footsteps, rollers
(front rollers and rear rollers) travelling on the rails,
brackets (particularly referred to as "triangular brackets"
for escalators) arranged near the lateral ends of the cleats
and risers and rotatably bearing the rollers, and resin guide
10 shoes attached to the brackets . The guide shoes are parts which
slidingly contact the surfaces of the skirt guards and regulate
the movements of the footsteps in a left and right direction
(a direction lateral to the circulating-movement direction).
On the other hand, the footboards of moving walkways do not
15 include raisers and are composed of cleats, rollers, brackets,
and guide shoes.
As the footboards of the passenger conveyer, two types
of footboards are known. One is footboards having cleats and
brackets (also including raisers for escalators) integrated
20 by aluminum die-casing. The other is footboards in which these
members are separately produced using stainless steels and
integrated using connection members such as bolts.
Fig. 1 is a side view of a footstep of a conventional
escalator which is produced by the aluminum die-casting. The
25 footstep 2 of the escalator includes a cleat 11, a raiser 12,
3
a triangular bracket 13, a footstep shaft 15, a bearing 23,
a rear shaft 17 attached to the footstep 2, a rear roller 16
attached to the rear shaft 17, and a guide shoe 18 . The footstep
2 is fixed by a bolt 24 to the bearing 23 that is rotatably
5 attached to the footstep shaft 15.
Fig. 2 is a front view of the footstep of the conventional
escalator, which is installed in the frame. In Fig. 2, a portion
of the footstep 2 in a left and right direction (a direction
lateral to the circulating-movement direction) is shown. In
10 Fig. 2, reference characters identical to those in Fig. 1
indicate the identical elements to those in Fig. 1.
As apparent from Fig. 2, the footstep shaft 15 to which
the footstep 2 is rotatably attached is attached to a footstep
chain 8. The footstep chain 8 supports a front roller 14 by
15 the rotation shaft. A guide rail 7a for the front roller 14
and a guide rail 7b for the rear roller 16 are attached to the
frame 6. The front roller 14 and the rear roller 16 rotatingly
travel on the guide rail 7a and the guide rail 7b, respectively,
whereby the footstep 2 travels on a predetermined course. The
20 guide shoe 18 which is provided at the footstep 2 slidingly
contact a skirt guard 5 which is provided at a predetermined
interval form the guide shoe 18, whereby the movement of the
guide shoe 18 in the left and right direction is regulated.
In the above-mentioned conventional art, the skirt guard
25 5 is generally formed of a thin steel plate having a thickness
4
ft
of about 1. 5-3mm, and easy to be deformed when an external force
in the left and right direction is applied to it. Therefore,
the skirt guard 5 is required to be provided with a reinforcement
member 5A at all the regions of a back of the portion
5 slidingly-contacting the guide shoe 18 and the neighborhood.
Thus, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the
passenger conveyer is increased.
Moreover, because the guide shoe 18 is provided directly
under the cleat 11 on which the passenger rides, there is a
10 problem that slidingly-contact noise, which is produced by
contact of the guide shoe 18 with the skirt guard 5, gives an
unpleasant feeling to the passengers. Moreover, the skirt
guard 5 is formed of the steel plate as described above, so
that there is a problem that a replacement cycle of the guide
15 shoe 18 is short because the guide shoe 18 is formed of a resin
which is softer than the steel plate.
Moreover, the skirt guards 5 are removed at the time of
maintenance of the passenger conveyer. At the time of mounting
the skirt guards again, if the skirt guards are poorly mounted,
20 difference in level is produced in joints between the skirt
guards 5. In such a case, there is a problem that the guide
shoes 18 strike the difference to produce striking noise and
abnormal abrasion.
To address such problems, for example, in a technology
25 descried in JP 2007-230673, the regulation of the left and right
5
m
direction movement of footsteps is not achieved by guide shoes
and skirt guards, but achieved by providing friction portions
at outward surfaces of rear rollers and causing the regulating
portions provided at guide rails and the friction portions to
5 slidingly contact with each other . However, in this technology,
because force produced by the left and right direction movement
of the footsteps is received by the rear rollers, strength and
rigidity around the brackets to which the rear rollers are
mounted are required to be improved, thus increasing the cost
10 of materials for the footsteps.
The present invention has been made in view of the situation
of the conventional art, and the object of the present invention
is to provide a passenger conveyer which can reduce
slidingly-contact noise and striking noise of the guide shoes
15 regulating the movement of the footboards in the left and right
direction (i.e., the direction lateral to the
circulating-movement direction) and which is inexpensive and
superior in durability and comfort.
20 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A passenger conveyer according to the present invention
includes a frame included in a building structure; two landing
floors included in the frame; footboard chains including a
plurality of opposing link plates, rotation shafts included
25 in the opposing link plates, rollers supported by the rotation
6
shafts, and footboard shafts included in the rotation shafts,
the footboard chains circularly moving between the landing
floors; footboards attached to one side of the footboard chains
by the footboard shafts; and guide rails attached to the frame,
5 wherein the guide rails include roller guiding surfaces on which
the rollers rotationally travel, and regulating portions
protruding perpendicularly from the roller guiding surfaces,
and wherein the footboard chains include guide shoes at positions
overlapping the footboard shafts and in an opposite side
10 direction of the footboard chains to a direction in which the
footboards are attached to the footboard chains, the guide shoes
including slidingly-contact surfaces facing the regulating
portions.
According to the present invention, it is possible to
15 provide a passenger conveyer which can reduce slidingly-contact
noise and striking noise of the guide shoes regulating the
movement of the footboards in the left and right direction (i.e.,
the direction lateral to the circulating-movement direction)
and which is inexpensive and superior in durability and comfort.
20
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a side view of a footstep of a conventional
escalator;
Fig. 2 is a front view of the footstep of the conventional
25 escalator, which is installed in a frame;
7
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an essential part of an
escalator according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a front view of a footstep of the escalator
according to the embodiment, which is installed in a frame;
5 Fig. 5 is a side view which shows a part of the escalator
according to the embodiment, showing footstep chains to which
guide shoes are attached;
Fig. 6 is a top plan view which shows the part of the
escalator according to the embodiment, viewed along an arrow
10 A in Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 A is a front view which shows the part of the escalator
according to the embodiment, viewed along an arrow B in Fig.
5; and
Fig. 7B is a view showing the guide shoes of the escalator
15 according to the embodiment, which are attached to the footstep
chains.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A passenger conveyer according to the present invention
20 includes an escalator and a moving walkway. Footsteps of the
escalator and footboards (pallets) of the moving walkway will
be collectively referred to as "footboards" in the following
explanation. That is, the "footboards" described hereinafter
include the footsteps of the escalator and the footboards
25 (pallets) of the moving walkway.
8
The passenger conveyer primarily includes a frame
included in a building structure, two landing floors included
in the frame, footboard chains coupled in an endless manner
and circularly moving between the landing floors, footboards
5 attached to the footboard chains, guide rails attached to the
frame, and balustrades attached to the frame.
The passenger conveyer according to the present invention
includes a frame included in a building structure; two landing
floors included in the frame; footboard chains including a
10 plurality of opposing link plates, rotation shafts included
in the opposing link plates, rollers supported by the rotation
shafts, and footboard shafts included in the rotation shafts,
the footboard chains circularly moving between the landing
floors; footboards attached to one side of the footboard chains
15 by the footboard shafts; and guide rails attached to the frame.
The guide rails include roller guiding surfaces on which the
rollers rotationally travel, and regulating portions
protruding perpendicularly from the roller guiding surfaces.
The footboard chains include guide shoes at positions
20 overlapping the footboard shafts and in an opposite side
direction of the footboard chains to a direction in which the
footboards are attached to the footboard chains, the guide shoes
including slidingly-contact surfaces facing the regulating
portions.
25 A passenger conveyer according to an embodiment of the
9
present invention will be explained hereinafter. While the
passenger conveyer includes an escalator and a moving walkway,
the escalator will be explained as an example of the passenger
conveyer in the following description. The moving walkway has
5 the same structure as the escalator has except for the shape
of the footboards . Therefore, the explanation of the following
embodiment can also be applied to the moving walkway. In the
following description, the footboards, the footboard chains,
and the footboard shafts of the passenger conveyer will be
0 referred to "footsteps", "footstep chains", and "footstep
shafts", respectively.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an essential part of the
escalator according to the embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in Fig. 3, the escalator according to the embodiment
5 includes landing floors 1 installed on a floor surface of each
floor of a building, a plurality of footsteps 2 attached to
footstep chains coupled in an endless manner and circularly
moving between one of the landing floors 1 at a lower floor
and one of the landing floors 1 at an upper floor, balustrades
0 3 arranged along the circulating-movement direction of the
footsteps 2 and on both sides of the footsteps 2, moving handrails
4 circularly moving in the same direction as the footsteps 2
along outer peripheries of the balustrades 3, and skirt guards
5 arranged at lower portions of the balustrades 3.
5 Fig. 4 is a front view of the footstep of the escalator
10
according to the embodiment, which is installed in the frame,
a view showing a mounting position of the guide shoes 18A. In
Fig. 4, a part of the footstep 2 in a left and right direction
(a direction lateral to the circulating-movement direction)
5 is shown. In Fig. 4, reference characters identical to those
in Fig. 3 indicate the identical elements, and the description
of the elements will be omitted.
A pair of left and right balustrades 3 (not shown in Fig.
4) and a pair of left and right skirt guards 5 are attached
10 to the frame 6. The frame 6 is bridged between the floor surf aces
of the lower floor and the upper floor and supports the entire
escalator. A pair of left and right guide rails 7a and a pair
of left and right guide rails 7b for guiding the footsteps 2
are attached to predetermined portions of the frame 6. The
15 footsteps 2 are attached between a pair of left and right footstep
chains 8. That is, the footsteps 2 are attached to one side
of each of the footstep chains 8 by footstep shafts 15.
The guide rails 7a guide front rollers 14, and the guide
rails 7b guide rear rollers 16. The footstep chains 8, the
20 details of which will be described later, include rotation shafts
(not shown in Fig. 4 and portions of the rotation shafts are
positioned in interiors of the footstep shafts 15 as described
later) and the front rollers 14, and support the front rollers
14 by the rotation shafts. The front rollers 14 and the rear
25 rollers 16 rotatingly travel on the guide rails 7a and the guide
11
rails 7b, respectively, whereby the footsteps 2 travel on a
predetermined course. The footstep shafts 15 are connected
to the footstep chains 8 . The footsteps 2 are rotatably attached
to the footstep shafts 15. The rear rollers 16 are attached
5 to the footsteps 2 by rear shafts 17.
In the following explanation, a direction away from the
footsteps 2 in a direction along the rotation shafts (in the
same direction as a direction along the footstep shafts 15)
shall be referred to "an outward direction". The direction
10 along the rotation shafts is the same direction as the left
and right direction of the footsteps 2, i.e., a direction lateral
to the circulating-movement direction of the footsteps 2. For
example, in Fig. 4, the left direction is the outward direction,
and in Figs. 6 and 7A described below, the right direction is
15 the outward direction.
The guide rails 7a, 7b have an L-shaped section vertical
to the extending directions thereof (the circulating-movement
direction of the footsteps 2) . The guide rails 7a include roller
guiding surfaces 26 on which the front rollers 14 rotatingly
20 travel, and regulating portions 21 protruding vertically from
the roller guiding surfaces 26. The regulating portions 21
are provided at positions outside the roller guiding surfaces
26 to form the L-shaped guide rails 7a. The regulating portions
21 are portions which regulate the movement of the footsteps
25 2 in the left and right direction (a direction lateral to the
12
circulating-movement direction) and are positioned outside the
front rollers 14.
In this embodiment, the guide shoes 18A are attached to
the outer side surfaces of the footstep chains 8. That is,
5 the guide shoes 18A are attached to the opposite side surfaces
of the footstep chains 8 to the direction in which the footsteps
2 are attached to the footboard chains 8. Moreover, the guide
shoes 18A are located away from the regulating portions 21 at
a predetermined interval so as to face the regulating portions
10 21 of the guide rails 7a between the footstep chains 8 and the
regulating portions 21. The surfaces of the guide shoes 18A
which are facing the regulating portions 21 are referred to
as slidingly-contact surfaces 18a. The slidingly-contact
surfaces 18a are the outermost surfaces of the guide shoes 18A.
15 When the footsteps 2 aremeanderedwith the circulatingmovement,
the slidingly-contact surfaces 18a of the guide shoes 18A
slidingly contacts the regulating portions 21 to thereby
regulate the movement of the footsteps 2 in the left and right
direction.
20 Like guide shoes conventionally used, the guide shoes
18A may be formed of low-friction materials. Examples of
materials used for the guide shoes 18A include polyacetal resin,
polytetrafluoroethylene resin, and so on.
The guide rail 7a is formed by connecting a plurality
25 of L-shaped members in the extending direction. After being
13
subjected to centering-adjustment in a factory, a pair of guide
rails 7a is smoothly finished by a grinder or the like in such
a manner that any difference in level is not produced at joints
of the respective guide rails 7a. Moreover, the guide rails
5 7a are not removed on the spot at the time of maintenance, and
the smooth joints are semipermanently maintained. Therefore,
even if the guide shoes 18A slidingly contact the regulating
portions 21 of the guide rails 7a, the guide shoes 18A do not
strike differences in level of the joints to produce striking
10 noise. In conventional passenger conveyers, such as shown in
Fig. 2, the skirt guards 5 are removed at the time of maintenance,
so that differences in level are produced at joints between
the skirt guards 5 and the guide shoes 18 may strike the
differences in level to produce striking noise and abnormal
15 abrasion. The passenger conveyer according to the embodiment
can prevent the occurrence of the striking noise and abnormal
abrasion.
Moreover, oil is periodically supplied to the footstep
chains 8 in order to prevent abrasion and obtain a good
20 lubrication, and the oil is also transmitted to the
slidingly-contact surfaces 18a of the guide shoes 18A.
Therefore, a friction coefficient between the
slidingly-contact surfaces 18a and the regulating portions 21
is reduced, and slidingly-contact noise and progress of the
25 abrasion can be suppressed.
14
Referring to Figs. 5, 6, 7A, and 7B, a concrete method
for mounting the guide shoes 18A will be explained. Fig. 5
is a side view showing a part of the escalator according to
the embodiment and showing the footstep chains to which the
5 guide shoes are attached. Fig. 6 is a top plane view showing
the part of the escalator according to the embodiment, viewed
along the arrow A in Fig. 5. Fig. 7A is a front view showing
the part of the escalator according to the embodiment, viewed
along the arrow B in Fig. 5. Fig. 7B is a view showing the
10 guide shoes of the escalator according to the embodiment, which
are attached to the footstep chains. Figs. 5 to 7B show a state
in which the footsteps 2 of the escalator according to the
embodiment are arranged in a row on an inclined portion. In
Figs. 5 to 7B, reference character s identical to those in Figs.
15 3 and 4 indicate the identical elements to those in Figs. 3
and 4 .
As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the footstep chains 8 include
a plurality of opposing link plates 8A coupled in an endless
manner, a plurality of rotation shafts 9, and a plurality of
20 front rollers 14, and circularly moves between landing floors
of the upper floor and the lower floor. The link plates 8A
are plate-shaped members, provided on both sides of the front
rollers 14 and facing one another across the front rollers 14.
The rotation shafts 9 are provided on both end portions of the
25 link plates 8A in the circulating-movement direction of the
15
link plates 8A, connecting respective two opposing link plates
8A and connecting link plates 8A adjacent to each other in the
circulating-movement direction. The front rollers 14 are
supported by corresponding rotation shafts 9.
5 One footstep shaft 15 is provided at one footstep 2 (refer
to Fig. 6) . A method for providing the footstep shaft 15 will
be explained. Among the rotation shafts 9, rotation shafts
9A which are located at frontmost positions in the respective
footsteps 2 in the circulating-movement direction of the
10 footsteps 2 extend toward the footsteps 2. The extending
portions of the rotation shafts 9A are covered by the footstep
shafts 15 whose interiors are hollow (refer to Fig. 7A).
Therefore, the footstep shaft 15 is provided at the rotation
shaft 9A every three to five of the link plates 8A in the
15 circulating-movement direction. In the embodiment shown in
Figs. 5 and 6, the footstep shaft 15 is provided at the rotation
shaft 9A every three of the link plates 8A in the
circulating-movement direction. The footstep shafts 15 may
be formed of hollow pipes or the like.
20 As shown in Fig. 7A, a through-hole 25 is provided at
a predetermined position in an outer peripheral surface of the
extending portion toward the footsteps 2 of the rotation shaft
9A, and another through-hole 25 is also provided at a
predetermined position of the footstep shaft 15. The footstep
25 shaft 15 and the rotation shaft 9A are connected by fitting
16
the rotation shaft 9A into the footstep shaft 15, making
alignment of the respective through-holes 25, and inserting
a split pin 19 or the like into the through-holes 25. The
footstep 2 is rotatably attached to the footstep shaft 15. The
5 footsteps 2 move along the guide rails 7a and 7b.
As shown in Fig. 7A, the rotation shaft 9A at which the
footstep shaft 15 is provided also extends from the footstep
chains 8 in a direction (outward direction) opposite to a
direction in which the footstep 2 is attached. At the extending
10 portion of the rotation shaft 9A, the guide shoe 18A is provided.
The guide shoe 18Ais fitted in the rotation shaft 9A and removablyfixed
by a retaining ring 10 or the like.
A surface of the guide shoe 18A which is the outermost
surface of the guide shoe 18A and facing the regulating portion
15 21 is the slidingly-contact surface 18a. The regulating
portion 21 of the guide rail 7a is positioned at a predetermined
interval from the slidingly-contact surface 18a outside the
slidingly-contact surface 18a of the guide shoe 18A. When the
footsteps 2 fixed to the footstep shafts 15 are meandered with
20 the circulating movement, the slidingly-contact surfaces 18a
of the guide shoes 18A slidingly contact the regulating portions
21, whereby the movement of the footsteps 2 in the left and
right direction is regulated. The guide shoes 18A are provided
at the positions overlapping the footstep shafts 15, so that
25 the movement of the footsteps 2 in the left and right direction
17
can be securely regulated as compared to a case where the guide
shoes 18A are provided at positions not overlapping the footstep
shafts 15.
The footstep shafts 15 are shafts included commonly in
5 the footstep chain 8 located on one side in a width direction
of the footsteps 2 and the footstep chain 8 located on the other
side, so that the triangular brackets 13 on the both sides of
a width direction of the footsteps 2 can share of the burden
of the force restricting the movement of the footsteps 2 in
10 the left and right direction, which is applied to the footstep
shafts 15. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the burden
applied to the triangular brackets 13 by the force restricting
the movement of the footsteps 2 in the left and right direction
as compared to a case where the guide shoes are provided at
15 the rear rollers 16 which are supported by different shafts
on one side and the other side of the width direction.
Incidentally, the slidingly-contact surfaces 18a of the
guide shoes 18A are located outward relative to the end surfaces
of portions of the guide shoes 18A which extend in the outward
20 direction from the footstep chains 8 of the rotation shafts
9A (a direction opposite to a direction in which the footsteps
2 are mounted). That is, the slidingly-contact surfaces 18a
of the guide shoes 18A protrude outward relative to the end
surfaces of the rotation shafts 9A in the outward direction,
25 and are positioned near the regulating portions 21. Therefore,
18
even if the slidingly-contact surfaces 18a abrade over time,
tip ends of the rotation shafts 9A do not contact the regulating
portions 21. The distance between the slidingly-contact
surfaces 18a and the outward end surfaces of the rotation shafts
5 9A in a direction along the rotation shafts 9A can be determined
according to materials, predetermined abrasion margins for the
guide shoes 18A, and so on.
In this embodiment, it is possible to easily determine
the attaching positions of the guide shoes 18A by fitting the
10 guide shoes 18A on the rotation shafts 9A from the outward
direction. Therefore, it is possible to reduce work time needed
for mounting the guide shoes 18A. Moreover, it is possible
to reduce a material cost and a processing cost because special
members for mounting the guide shoes 18A are not required.
15 A plurality of convex portions 20 (hatched portions in
Figs. 7A and 7B) is provided at an opposite surface of the guide
shoe 18A of the embodiment to the slidingly-contact surface
18a, that is, at a surface of the guide shoe 18A facing the
front roller 14 . In Figs . 7A and 7B, the guide shoe 18A includes
20 two convex portions 20. The link plate 8A of the footstep chain
8 is stuck between the convex portions 20, so that the guide
shoe 18A is engaged with an outer peripheral surface of the
link plate 8A.
With the guide shoe 18A sticking the link plate 8A by
25 the plurality of convex portions 20, when the slidingly-contact
19
surface 18a of the guide shoe 18A slidingly contacts the
regulating portion 21, the rotation of the guide shoe 18A can
be suppressed with the contact resistance between them.
Therefore, the contact surfaces of the guide shoe 18A with the
5 link plate 8A, the rotation shaft 9A, and the retaining ring
10 can be prevented from abrading over time, and the guide shoe
18A of the embodiment is superior in durability.
Moreover, the guide shoe 18A of the embodiment includes
a chamfer 22 at the outer peripheral portion of the
10 slidingly-contact surface 18a. Even if the slidingly-contact
surface 18a of the guide shoe 18A contacts the joint of the
regulating portion 21 of the guide rail 7a, an external force
applied to the guide shoe 18A can be decreased with the chamfer
22. It is possible to improve the durability of the guide shoe
15 18A by the chamfer 22 . The shape of the chamfer 22 may be either
curved or linear.
Incidentally, while the passenger conveyer according to
the present invention has been explained by citing the escalator
in the above-mentioned embodiment, the passenger conveyer
20 according to the present invention can also be applied to a
moving walkway. When the passenger conveyer according to the
present invention is applied to the moving walkway, the
explanation of the above-mentioned embodiment can be applied
to the moving walkway because the moving walkway has a similar
25 structure to the escalator except for the shape of the footsteps
20
2. Therefore, embodiments and drawings of the walkway are
omitted.
Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to
the above-mentioned embodiment and includes various
5 alternatives. The above-mentioned embodiment has been
explained in detail in order to explain the present invention
in clearly understandable way. The present invention is not
necessarily limited to embodiments that include all the
structures explained.

21
WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:
1. A passenger conveyer comprising:
a frame included in a building structure;
two landing floors included in the frame;
5 footboard chains including a plurality of opposing link
plates, rotation shafts included in the opposing link plates,
rollers supported by the rotation shafts, and footboard shafts
included in the rotation shafts, the footboard chains circularly
moving between the landing floors;
10 footboards attached to one side of the footboard chains
by the footboard shafts; and
guide rails attached to the frame;
wherein the guide rails include roller guiding surfaces
on which the rollers rotatingly travel, and regulating portions
15 protruding perpendicularly from the roller guiding surfaces,
and
wherein the footboard chains include guide shoes at
positions overlapping the footboard shafts and in an opposite
side direction of the footboard chains to a direction in which
20 the footboards are attached to the footboard chains, the guide
shoes including slidingly-contact surfaces facing the
regulating portions.
2. The passenger conveyer according to claim 1,
25 wherein the rotation shafts include portions extending
22
from the footboard chain in an opposite direction to the
direction in which the footboards are attached to the footboard
chains, and
wherein the guide shoes are included in the extending
5 portions of the rotation shafts.
3. The passenger conveyer according to claim 2,
wherein the slidingly-contact surfaces of the guide shoes
are located in an opposite side direction to the direction in
10 which the footboards are attached to the footboard chains,
relative to end surfaces of the extending portions of the
rotation shafts.
4. The passenger conveyer according to any one of claims
15 1 to 3,
wherein the guide shoes include a plurality of convex
portions on opposite surfaces of the guide shoes to the
slidingly-contact surfaces, and are engaged with the link plates
of the footboard chains by the convex portions.
20
5. The passenger conveyer according to any one of claims
1 to 4,
wherein the footboard shafts are shafts included commonly
in the footboard chain located on one side of a width direction
25 of the footboards and the footboard chain located on the other
23
side of the width direction of the footboards.
6. The passenger conveyer according to any one of claims
1 to 5,
5 wherein oil is supplied to the footboard chains.
7. The passenger conveyer according to any one of claims
1 to 6,
wherein the guide shoes include chamfers at outer
10 peripheral portions of the slidingly-contact surfaces.
8. A passenger conveyer, substantially as herein
described with reference to accompanying drawings and examples .