Floor cover for a passenger-conveying device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10513420-B2
Application number	US-201716343170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2017
Priority date	Oct 18, 2016
Publication date	Dec 24, 2019
Grant date	Dec 24, 2019

Abstract

This application relates to a floor cover of a passenger-conveying device such as an escalator or a moving walkway. The floor cover has a plurality of cover elements and at least one coupling element. The coupling element is positioned between a first cover element and a second cover element. The coupling element has a coupling region configured to couple the first cover element to the second cover element for loading in tension and for angling relative to each other. The coupling element also has a restoring region configured to cause a restoring force between the first cover element and the second cover element as soon as one of the cover elements is raised upward in deviation from a desired configuration. The restoring force is directed in such a way that the raised cover element is acted upon toward the desired configuration.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A floor covering for a passenger conveyor configured to cover an underfloor space, the floor covering comprising:
at least a first and a second planar cover element arranged one behind the other, each cover element comprising an upwardly directed tread surface and a first and second end face at opposite ends;
a coupling element, the coupling element being interposed between the first end face of the first cover element and the second end face of the second cover element, the coupling element comprising at least one coupling region that has a coupling pivot point, and the coupling region being designed to couple the first cover element to the second cover element such that the first cover element and the second cover element are interconnected so as to be subjectable to upward tensile loading and so as to be able to bend relative to one another about the coupling pivot point,
wherein at least one resilient restoring region is formed on the coupling element, which resilient restoring region is arranged vertically below the coupling pivot point between the first cover element and the second cover element in order to bring about a restoring force that acts on the adjacent end faces and is deflected by the coupling pivot point as soon as one of the cover elements is lifted upwards so as to deviate from its position in the desired configuration, the deflected restoring force being directed such that the lifted cover element is subjected to force towards its position in the desired configuration.

2. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is made with polymer material.

3. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is made with polypropylene.

4. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is integrally formed.

5. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is formed with a material having a Shore A hardness of more than 65 in the restoring region.

6. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the coupling element is formed with a material having a Shore A hardness of less than 65 in the coupling region.

7. The floor covering of claim 1 , wherein the floor covering further comprises a damping element interposed between the first end face of the first cover element and the second end face of the second cover element in a region in which the first and the second end face are minimally spaced from one another in the case of the desired configuration of the floor covering.

8. The floor covering of claim 7 , wherein the damping element is made with a material which has a greater hardness than a material with which the coupling element is formed in its restoring region.

9. The covering of claim 7 , wherein the damping element is made with polyamide.

10. The floor covering of claim 7 , wherein the damping element is attached to the coupling element.

11. The floor covering according of claim 7 , wherein the damping element is integral with the coupling element.

12. A passenger conveyor, comprising:
a conveyor unit for transporting persons along a travel path;
an underfloor space adjacent to the travel path; and
a floor covering configured to cover the underfloor space, wherein the floor covering comprises:
at least a first and a second planar cover element arranged one behind the other, each cover element comprising an upwardly directed tread surface and a first and second end face at opposite ends;
a coupling element, the coupling element being interposed between the first end face of the first cover element and the second end face of the second cover element, the coupling element comprising at least one coupling region that has a coupling pivot point, and the coupling region being designed to couple the first cover element to the second cover element such that the first cover element and the second cover element are interconnected so as to be subjectable to upward tensile loading and so as to be able to bend relative to one another about the coupling pivot point,
wherein at least one resilient restoring region is formed on the coupling element, which resilient restoring region is arranged vertically below the coupling pivot point between the first cover element and the second cover element in order to bring about a restoring force that acts on the adjacent end faces and is deflected by the coupling pivot point as soon as one of the cover elements is lifted upwards so as to deviate from its position in the desired configuration, the deflected restoring force being directed such that the lifted cover element is subjected to force towards its position in the desired configuration.

13. The passenger conveyor of claim 12 , wherein the coupling element is made with polymer material.

14. The passenger conveyor of claim 12 , wherein the coupling element is formed with a material having a Shore A hardness of more than 65 in the restoring region.

15. The passenger conveyor of claim 12 , wherein the coupling element is formed with a material having a Shore A hardness of less than 65 in the coupling region.

16. The passenger conveyor of claim 12 , wherein the floor covering further comprises a damping element interposed between the first end face of the first cover element and the second end face of the second cover element in a region in which the first and the second end face are minimally spaced from one another in the case of the desired configuration of the floor covering.

17. The passenger conveyor of claim 16 , wherein the damping element is made with a material which has a greater hardness than a material with which the coupling element is formed in its restoring region.

18. The passenger conveyor of claim 16 , wherein the damping element is attached to the coupling element.

19. The passenger conveyor of claim 16 , wherein the damping element is integral with the coupling element.

Assignees

• Inventio Ag

Inventors

• Kleewein Gerhard

Classifications

• B66B23/08 Primary

  Carrying surfaces · CPC title

• B66B23/00 Primary

  Component parts of escalators or moving walkways · CPC title

• B66B29/00

  Safety devices of escalators or moving walkways (walkways of variable speed type B66B21/12; handrails of variable speed type B66B23/26) · CPC title