A driving mechanism for driving a moving handrail of an escalator and the like. The driving mechanism include driving rollers and guiding rollers which are disposed to confront with each other through the moving handrail interposed therebetween. The driving rollers are secured to a movable plate, while the guiding rollers are attached to fixed plates. The movable plate is adapted to be moved in the direction perpendicular to the moving handrail, while the fixed plates are firmly secured to a part of a truss frame which supports the escalator. The movable plate carries a sprocket by means of which the driving rollers are rotated to drive the moving handrail. The sprocket itself is adapted to be driven by a chain going therearound. The vertical component of the tensile force residing in the chain acts to press the driving rollers onto the moving handrail.
A passenger conveyor including body frame is formed of a main frame including upper and lower horizontal sections and an inclined section therebetween, and upper and lower auxiliary frames mounted on the upper and lower horizontal sections of the main frame, respectively. A front side of the upper auxiliary frame and the upper horizontal section forms a recessed portion, and a driving device for driving handrail is provided in the recessed portion so that the handrail driving device is positioned over the surface of the upper horizontal section and the width of the passenger conveyor is reduced without changing the height of the handrail driving device. The lower auxiliary frame and the inclined section of the main frame also form a recessed portion and a tension device is disposed in the recessed portion so as to be disposed over the main frame, whereby the passenger conveyor is reduced in width by 100-150 mm.
An escalator handrail is driven by a pair of angularly offset rollers. The angular offset of the rollers causes a wedging effect at the roller nip whereby the driving force imparted by the rollers to the handrail is increased.
The handrail of an escalator of other passenger conveyor is driven by traction rollers which engage the handrail and also directly engage links which are connected to and drive the steps or tread of the conveyor. The handrail is biased into engagement with the traction rollers, and moves at substantially precisely the same speed as the steps or tread due to the direct connection between the step or tread drive and the handrail drive.
Transportation apparatus, such as a moving walk or an escalator, having a continuous handrail driven about a closed loop by a handrail drive. The closed loop includes a longitudinal axis, or axes, which divide a load run on which passengers may grasp the handrail, and a return run. The transportation apparatus includes a drive unit which, in addition to driving the transportation apparatus, also drives the handrail drive via a drive chain or belt. The chain or belt is automatically tensioned, notwithstanding wear thereof, or longitudinal positional adjustment of the apparatus drive unit towards either end of the apparatus, by mounting the handrail drive unit such that it is free to move longitudinally, in either direction of the handrail, restrained only by the drive chain or belt.
An escalator handrail drive system includes a powered drive belt which engages the underneath surface of the handrail along the return path of travel of the latter. A series of pressure rollers engage the outer surface of the handrail to press the latter against the drive belt. The pressure rollers are all biased against the handrail by a single spring. The drive belt is pretensioned by an adjustable pretension spring assembly which can apply a fixed pretensioning force to the drive belt which will not substantially change irrespective of whether the handrail is being driven in the "up" direction or in the "down" direction on the escalator.
