Track system for an escalator or a moving walkway

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9944496-B2
Application number	US-201515307517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	Apr 30, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

An escalator with a step belt or a moving walkway with a plate belt has a first deflecting region and a second deflecting region, wherein the plate belt or the step belt is arranged to circulate between the first deflecting region and the second deflecting region. The escalator or the moving walkway includes at least one guide rail arranged between the deflecting regions for guidance of the step belt or the plate belt, as well as at least one support, which is arranged between the deflecting regions for supporting the at least one guide rail. The at least one support includes a plurality of plug parts that in an assembled state can be plugged together by plug connections to form a box-shaped support base body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An escalator including a step belt or a moving walkway including a plate belt, the belt being arranged to circulate between a first deflecting region and a second deflecting region, comprising:
at least one guide rail arranged between the first and second deflecting regions and guiding the belt; and
at least one support arranged between the deflecting regions and supporting the at least one guide rail, the at least one support including a plurality of plug parts plugged together by plug connections to form a box-shaped support base body, each of the plug connections having a tongue and a recess matched in shape, the recess formed in one of the plug parts and the tongue integrally formed on another of the plug parts, the tongue being plugged into the recess, and each of the plug connections is secured by a securing means providing a material couple or a mechanically positive couple.

2. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 wherein the plug parts are sheet-metal parts or plate parts.

3. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 wherein at least two of the plug connections are provided between two mutually adjacent ones of the plug parts joined together.

4. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 wherein the at least one support has at least one rail fastening region at which the at least one guide rail is fastened.

5. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 4 wherein hooks suspending the at least one guide rail are formed in the at least one rail fastening region.

6. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 5 including at least one transverse strut arranged between at least two of the supports orthogonally to a length direction of the escalator or moving walkway and connecting the at least two supports together, and the at least one guide rail is secured by the at least one transverse strut.

7. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 6 wherein the at least one guide rail has at least one passage guiding the at least one transverse strut.

8. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 wherein the at least one guide rail is C-shaped in cross-section and has two guide tracks for guide rollers of the belt.

9. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 wherein the at least one support has at least one fastening region for fastening components of the escalator or moving walkway, the at least one fastening region being one of:
a balustrade fastening region for fastening at least one balustrade part;
a handrail-guide fastening region for fastening a handrail guide;
a pedestal fastening region for fastening a skirt panel; and
a foot fastening region for fastening the at least one support to a load-bearing structure.

10. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 including at least one track module formed from at least two support structures and the at least one guide rail, each of the at least two support structures including two of the at least one support connected with a transverse strut, wherein the at least one guide rail is arranged in the at least one track module orthogonally to the transverse struts and is fastened to rail fastening regions of the at least two support structures, the at least one track module being arranged between the deflecting regions.

11. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 wherein the first deflecting region, the second deflecting region and at least one support are fastened to associated mounts, which mounts are arranged in distribution over a length of a load-bearing structure, and the at least one guide rail is fastened to the at least one support.

12. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 , wherein the material couple includes a member selected from the group consisting of a weld seam, a weld spot, an adhesive, a solder connection, and a plastics material layer applied by means of a dip method.

13. The escalator or moving walkway according to claim 1 , wherein the mechanically positive couple includes a deformation of the tongue selected from the group consisting of a crushing, an upsetting, a clinching point, and a bent-over strap formed at the tongue.

14. A method of producing and assembling at least one support of an escalator including a step belt or a moving walkway including a plate belt, the belt being arranged to circulate between a first deflecting region and a second deflecting region, the method comprising the steps of:
providing the escalator or the moving walkway including:
at least one guide rail arranged between the first and second deflecting regions and guiding the belt; and
at least one support arranged between the deflecting regions and supporting the at least one guide rail, the at least one support including a plurality of plug parts plugged together by plug connections to form a box-shaped support base body, each of the plug connections having a tongue and a recess matched in shape, the recess formed in one of the plug parts and the tongue integrally formed on another of the plug parts, the tongue being plugged into the recess, and each of the plug connections is secured by a securing means providing a material couple or a mechanically positive couple;

wherein the escalator or the moving walkway is formed by:
cutting the plug parts from a flat metal sheet or a plate and forming recesses and tongues of the plug connections cutting-out at the plug parts;
bending or shaping the plug parts;
plugging together the plug parts by the plug connections to form the box-shaped support base body; and
fastening at least one component to the support base body for completing the at least one support.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising providing the support base body with a surface treatment.

16. A method of modernizing an escalator or a moving walkway, wherein an existing escalator or an existing moving walkway is removed down to an empty framework and the escalator including a step belt or moving walkway including a plate belt, the belt being arranged to circulate between a first deflecting region and a second deflecting region, is installed, comprising the steps of:
providing the escalator or the moving walkway including:
at least one guide rail arranged between the first and second deflecting regions and guiding the belt; and
at least one support arranged between the deflecting regions and supporting the at least one guide rail, the at least one support including a plurality of plug parts plugged together by plug connections to form a box-shaped support base body, each of the plug connections having a tongue and a recess matched in shape, the recess formed in one of the plug parts and the tongue integrally formed on another of the plug parts, the tongue being plugged into the recess, and each of the plug connections is secured by a securing means providing a material couple or a mechanically positive couple;

wherein the escalator or the moving walkway is modernized by:
using the empty framework as load-bearing structure and providing mounts on the framework; and
fastening the first deflecting region, the second deflecting region and the at least one support in the empty framework by connecting the at least one support with at least one of the mounts.

Assignees

• Inventio Ag

Inventors

• Matheisl Michael
• Frim Norbert
• Illedits Thomas
• Hauer Uwe
• Schulz Robert
• Berger Michael
• Makovec Christoph

Classifications

• B66B23/14 Primary

  Guiding means for carrying surfaces · CPC title

• B66B23/00 Primary

  Component parts of escalators or moving walkways · CPC title

• B65G21/06

  constructed to facilitate rapid assembly or dismantling · CPC title

• B65G21/02

  consisting essentially of struts, ties, or like structural elements · CPC title

• B66B21/10

  Moving walkways · CPC title