Escalators and moving walkways

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9802791-B2
Application number	US-201414907314-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 4, 2014
Priority date	Jul 23, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

People movers, such as escalators and moving walkways, for instance, may comprise a support member belt comprised of a plurality of support members guided on rails. The support members may be, for example, steps of an escalator or pallets of a moving walkway. Each support member may be secured to a pair of drag rollers that runs on the rails, and each support member may include a roller spindle that is held rotationally conjointly in or on a body of the support member. Between the roller spindle and the body of the support member, there may be a plug-in connection by way of which the roller spindle is maintained against an undercut under bias of a latching device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A people mover comprising:
a support member belt comprising a plurality of support members guided on rails; and
at least two drag rollers mounted to at least one of the plurality of support members, wherein the at least two drag rollers travel along the rails,
wherein each of the at least two drag rollers comprises:
a roller spindle that is inserted into and coupled rotationally conjointly with a recess of a body of the at least one of the plurality of support members, the roller spindle comprising a ledge having a surface that faces the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members; and
a latching device disposed at an undercut and configured to couple the roller spindle to the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members, the latching device being biased to both retain the roller spindle at the undercut in a resilient latching connection and force the ledge of roller spindle to bear against the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members.

2. The people mover of claim 1 wherein the ledge contacts the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members as the roller spindle is inserted into the recess of the body, wherein the latching device causes the roller spindle to at least one of automatically snap in at the undercut or engage the undercut with a latching motion.

3. The people mover of claim 1 further comprising an adhesive connection between the roller spindle and the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members for coupling the roller spindle rotationally conjointly.

4. The people mover of claim 1 wherein the undercut is disposed on a surface of the body opposite a closer of the at least two drag rollers.

5. The people mover of claim 1 wherein the undercut comprises an encircling groove disposed in a bushing of the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members, wherein the roller spindle comprises a roller groove, wherein the latching device comprises a circular spring that engages the encircling groove of the bushing and the roller groove of the roller spindle.

6. The people mover of claim 5 wherein the circular spring is biased outwardly towards the rails, wherein the roller groove of the roller spindle is oversized relative to the circular spring when viewed from an axis extending longitudinally through the roller spindle.

7. The people mover of claim 5 wherein the roller groove has a depth equal to or greater than a radial height of the circular spring when viewed in a radial direction of the roller spindle.

8. The people mover of claim 5 wherein the undercut comprises a body effective area that faces away from a closer of the at least two drag rollers, wherein the circular spring comprises a convex side surface or an oblique side surface that bears against the body effective area of the undercut due to bias of the circular spring, wherein the circular spring is clamped between the body effective area of the undercut and an effective area of the roller groove, wherein the bias of the circular spring causes a ledge of the roller spindle to press against the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members.

9. The people mover of claim 5 further comprising an insertion bevel disposed along or adjacent to the roller spindle, wherein the insertion bevel is at least one-third of a radial height of the circular spring.

10. The people mover of claim 1 wherein the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members is formed from a light metal or a plastic.

11. The people mover of claim 1 wherein the roller spindle comprises an undercut against which the latching device acts.

12. A people mover comprising:
a support member belt comprising a plurality of support members guided on rails; and
at least two drag rollers mounted to at least one of the plurality of support members, wherein the at least two drag rollers travel along the rails,
wherein each of the at least two drag rollers comprises:
a roller spindle that is held rotationally conjointly in or on a body of the at least one of the plurality of support members, wherein a plug-in connection is used to secure the roller spindle to the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members, wherein the plug-in connection comprises a clamping connection, wherein bias from the clamping connection is used to maintain the roller spindle against an undercut.

13. The people mover of claim 12 wherein a clamping element used for the clamping connection is more flexible than the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members.

14. The people mover of claim 12 wherein a clamping element used for the clamping connection extends between and bears against the roller spindle and the body of the at least one of the plurality of support members.

Assignees

• Thyssenkrupp Elevator Ag

Inventors

• Ludwig Reiner
• Lindemeier Detlev

Classifications

• B66B23/10 Primary

  Carrying belts · CPC title

• B66B23/12 Primary

  Steps · CPC title