Comb plate for people mover

• US 20040035675A1
• Filed: 01/31/2003
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Otis Elevator Company (Otis Worldwide Corp.)
• Inventors: Mortiz, Andreas, Schops, Karl-Friedrich
• Granted Patent: US 6,976,571 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 198/325
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 29/06 Combplates

Abstract

A comb plate (2) for a people mover with a step belt, having a base plate and a number of teeth (4) applied to one side of it, arranged essentially parallel to one another, which mesh in use with grooves in a people mover, whereby the comb plate (2) has an upper side that is exposed and a lower side that is concealed in use, characterized by the fact that an electric tooth-break monitoring device (6) is provided.

Claims

1. A comb plate (2) for a people mover with a step belt, having a base plate and a number of teeth (4) arranged on it essentially parallel to one another, which mesh in use with grooves provided on the step belt of a people mover, wherein the comb plate (6) has a upper side that is exposed and a lower side that is concealed in use

characterized by the fact

that an electric tooth-break monitoring device (6) is provided.

2. A comb plate (2) according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the monitoring device (6) is constructed in such a way that when two adjacent teeth (4) are broken, a warning signal is generated.

3. A comb plate (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that the monitoring device (6) has at least one conducting path (8) on the lower side of the comb plate (2), which goes through at least one tooth (4) through its region that is susceptible to breakage.

4. A comb plate (2) according to claim 3, characterized by the fact that conducting paths (8) are provided for all teeth (4) of the comb plate (2).

5. A comb plate (2) according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by the fact that an evaluation circuit (10) is provided that is connected to at least one conducting path (8).

6. A comb plate (2) according to one of claims 3 though 5, characterized by the fact that a conducting-path rail (48) is provided, from which the at least one conducting path (8) branches, goes through the region of a tooth (4) that is in danger of breaking, and is connected to an evaluation circuit (10).

7. A comb plate (2) according to claim 6, characterized by they fact that conducting paths (8) of adjacent teeth (4) are connect to an OR gate (50) for each pair of teeth and the outputs of the OR gates (50) are connected to an AND gate (52).

8. A comb plate (2) according to one of claims 3 through 5, characterized by the fact that several conducting paths (8) are connected to a signal generator (14) that can generate a characteristic signal for each conducting path (8) and that the opposite ends of the conducting paths (8) are connect to an input of an evaluation circuit (10).

9. A comb plate (2) according to claim 7, characterized by the fact that the signal generator (14) is constructed in such a way that it gives only one signal to each conducting path (8).

10. A comb plate (2) according to one of claims 3 through 9, characterized by the fact that a conducting path (8) extends essentially through the entire length of a tooth (4).

11. A comb plate (2) according to one of claims 3 though 10, characterized by the fact that a conducting path (8) is glued to the comb plate (2).

12. A comb plate (2) according to claim 11, characterized by the fact that the conducting path (8) is glued onto the comb plate (2) with a flexible film (62).

13. A comb plate (2) according to claim 12, characterized by the fact that the film (62) is a PCB film.

14. A comb plate (2) according to one of claims 11 through 13, characterized by the fact that the electronic components of the evaluation circuit (10) are glued onto the comb plate (2) with the film (62).

15. A people mover with a step belt, characterized by the fact that it has a comb plate (2) according to one of the preceding claims.