|
(11) | EP 0 749 933 A3 |
(12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
(54) | Dual-purpose escalator for wheelchair |
(57) A dual-purpose escalator for a wheelchair (4) including a plurality of steps (9)
linked in an endless form and a main-frame (1) having a running path for the steps.
The steps include a plurality of specialized steps (10, 11, 12) for loading a wheelchair
(4). The escalator further includes an activating apparatus (31) provided on the running
path for causing the specialized steps to alter a configuration thereof to a first
state for a wheelchair loading operation mode or to restore the configuration to a
second state for normal operation mode. Each of the specialized steps includes a toothed
rotor (14, 30). The activating apparatus includes an engagement member (13a, 31) for
engaging with the toothed rotor. Each of the toothed rotors is rotated by engaging
with the engagement member for causing one of the specialized steps to alter the configuration
to the first state when the steps are running in the running path in the wheelchair
loading operation mode, respectively. The engagement member includes a base (32) and
a plurality of pins (33) set in parallel on the base (32) at a specified pitch for
engaging with the toothed rotor (30). The pin (33a) engaging firstly with the toothed
rotor is set on the base (32) so as to be capable of relative displacement from the
toothed rotor (30). |