Otis Elevator Company

Klaus Seehausen

James A Rivera

Frank M Sansevero

John M Milton-Benoit

Andreas Stuffel

Bryan Robert Siewert

John P Wesson

Changsheng Guo

Willy Adrian

Fabio Paolo Bertolotti

Paul A Stucky

Dat T Nguyen

Bernward Engelke

Peter Borchers

Knuth Wallbaum

Mary Ann T Valk

Detlev Lindemeier

Matthias Steffen

Bernd David

Andre Picker

William S Weiss

A passenger conveyor handrail () has a gripping surface () with a generally circular cross-section. Disclosed examples include a toothed driven surface () that is adapted to be engaged by a toothed driving member () for propelling the handrail in a desired direction. Disclosed examples include having the generally circular cross-section extend along an entire length of the handrail () corresponding to the closed loop path followed by the handrail during operation of a corresponding passenger conveyor.

Passenger conveyor handrail having a gripping surface with a generally circular cross-section

A passenger conveyor handrail () includes a plurality of teeth () that interact with a toothed driving member (). In a disclosed example, a low friction material () is placed near an end of the teeth () on the handrail (). The low friction material () facilitates the teeth sliding along a guidance () but does not interfere with a desired engagement between the teeth() and corresponding teeth () on the driving member ().

Passenger conveyor handrail with sliding material on toothed driven surface

In a curved escalator which has a return step run which is below the passenger-bearing run, the reversal step chain sprockets are of different diameters, the outer step chain sprockets being larger than the inner step chain sprockets. Since the steps are all tied together by the inner and outer step chains, the two chains must engage the inner and outer reversal sprocket teeth as the steps reverse their direction of movement. This results in a tipping of the step axles and steps during the turnaround, whereby a problem relating to engagement between the step chain rollers attached to the step axles and the sprocket teeth can occur. In order to maximize area contact between the tipped step chain rollers and the horizontal sprocket teeth, the step chain rollers which engage the sprocket teeth are formed with an external base-to-base truncated conical profile. This ensures that 50% of the surface of each profile roller will fully engage the sprocket teeth on the reversal sprockets.

Step chain roller for curved escalator

The curved escalator has inner and outer step chains that are entrained on inner and outer sprockets which have different diameters, the outer sprocket having a larger diameter than the inner sprocket. The steps of the escalator reverse their direction of movement at the sprockets and pass from the passenger bearing run to a return run beneath the passenger bearing run. One of the sprocket sets is the power or driving set and the other is an idler set, which will be spring biased to maintain chain tension. In order to reverse the steps, they must tip or dip sideways because of the different sized sprockets. The dip zone of the roller tracks has an S curve to minimize noise and allow location of the track splice on the tensioned end of the escalator to be placed over the axis of rotation of the tensioned sprockets.

Curved escalator step chain turnaround zone

An escalator is provided with a curved path of travel from its entry to its exit landings. The path of travel of the escalator steps as seen in plan is a curve having a fixed center and a constant radius from landing to landing. In elevation, each landing portion will be disposed in vertically spaced horizontal planes, and there will be a medial constant slope ascending or descending portion. Interconnecting each landing portion with the constant slope portion will be entry and exit transitional curved portions of varying slope as seen in the elevational view. To enable the steps to traverse the curved path successfully, the effective length of the outer of the step chains is varied at different points along the path of travel of the escalator.

Curved escalator with fixed center constant radius path of travel

Growing community of inventors

Niedernwoehren, Germany

Klaus Seehausen