Abstract:
An example set of palettes for transportation systems for transporting passengers and/or goods may include a pulling palette that pulls a pulled palette. The pulled and pulling palettes may articulate relative to one another about an axis substantially perpendicular to a direction of displacement of a continuous belt formed by such sets of palettes. The set of palettes may have a support surface for supporting passengers and/or goods, as well as a functional surface opposite the support surface. The functional surface may include a balance having a first end articulated to the functional surface according to an axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of displacement and a second end opposite the first end that has a one or more coupling devices that form a coupling joint between one or more devices that pull the pulling palette along a trajectory followed by the continuous belt.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a set of pallets for a transportation system used to transport passengers/goods and more specifically, to pallets for systems with low speed stretches, located in a boarding/disembarking area, a high speed stretch located in a middle area and transition speed stretches, located between the boarding/disembarking area and the middle area. 
         [0002]    The invention may thus be used in mechanical walkways of the variety used in airports, stations and, in general, all those large buildings in which users must travel more or less lengthy stretches or those hoping to facilitate this kind of displacement. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    It is common to come across mechanical walkways of the variety mentioned above, wherein various stretches that operate at different speeds are defined, in such a way that, according to the direction in which the same is operating, a first boarding area is established in the walkway, which moves slowly, alongside an acceleration area, an intermediate maximum speed area, a deceleration area and a slow speed disembarking area. 
         [0004]    Various Solutions exist to achieve variable speed required in the acceleration and deceleration areas, including that proposed in ES2289955. Document U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,959 reveals an acceleration walkway, in which each palette, in addition to overlapping the previous palette, is provided with a pair of wheels. These wheels have a horizontal rotation axis and are not capable of adapting to a curved stretch when necessary, for example in order to carry out a horizontal turn. The way the set operates is therefore unsuitable. 
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The present invention proposes a set of palettes for a transportation system, where the palette pulling elements operate more simply than in the state of the art closest to the invention.  Rather than resorting to various pulling elements, which are highly mechanically complex, to provide stretches with different speed profiles, i.e. low speed in the boarding and disembarkment areas, high speed in the central area and corresponding transition areas between the high and low speed areas, a radically different design has been chosen. 
         [0006]    This arrangement facilitates greater modularity upon making it possible to choose and replace any of the system components more flexibly, given that each speed area in the system is treated as a sub-set. 
         [0007]    Another advantage of the transportation system that incorporates the set of palettes of the present invention is that, since more traditional components than those used in the closest state of the art are used, it is much less complicated to manufacture, thereby meaning both the initial cost of the system and the cost of replacing any of the components thereof is considerably lower. 
         [0008]    This greater mechanical simplicity also means that the system components last longer; they undergo much less wear, which results in said components having a longer useful life, which in turn means the system will operate for longer between rest periods used for maintenance and makes it more reliable. 
         [0009]    The invention relates to a set of palettes for a transportation system used to move passengers/goods, like that defined in the set of claims, i.e. a set of palettes for a transportation system used to move passengers and/or goods, formed by a continuous movable belt, based on said sets of palettes. Each set has a support surface, designed to support the passengers and/or goods and has a variable transportation length between a boarding and disembarking point. 
         [0010]    This transportation length is variable. The set of pallets has a pulled palette, which is pulled by a pulling palette, both palettes being articulated to one another according to an axis perpendicular to a displacement direction D of the belt. 
         [0011]    In addition, the palettes have a functional surface opposite to the support surface, which has a balance, which in turn has a first end articulated to the functional surface according to a horizontal axis and a second end opposite to the first end, which has first coupling means. 
         [0012]    These first coupling means are designed to articulate according to a horizontal axis to  second coupling means connected to the pulling means of the continuous belt, so that the pulling palettes are pulled by the pulling means, thus pulling said belt of pallets in the direction of displacement D. 
         [0013]    The second coupling means are connected to the pulling means by means of a guide cart designed to travel in a direction defined by a pulling guide parallel to the direction of displacement running along the length of the belt trajectory. 
         [0014]    According to specific embodiments of the invention, this guide cart has at least one internal pulley wheel with a vertical rotation axis, designed to go around an internal face of the pulling guide and, at least one external pulley wheel with a vertical rotation axis designed to go around an external face of the pulling guide. 
         [0015]    Furthermore, the balance may have articulations on its ends, designed to rotate relative to axes parallel to a middle longitudinal plane of the belt, it being possible for these rotational axes to be perpendicular to the support surface. 
         [0016]    According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the pulling palette may have a first pair of bogies, arranged one at each side of said pulling palette, in a frontal area of the same and, a second pair of bogies, also arranged one at each side of the pulling palette but in this case, in a rear area of the same. 
         [0017]    These bogies are designed to travel in directions defined by support tracks, which run along the length of the belt trajectory. 
         [0018]    The pairs of bogies may be located on planes at varying distances from a surface of the palette. 
         [0019]    According to specific embodiments of the invention, the second coupling means have an articulation with a chain link designed to be rotated relative to a vertical axis, at a level lower to the support surface. 
         [0020]    In this regard, the chain link may be bent and have a first pair of chain pulley wheels with a vertical rotation axis, on a first end of the bent link, designed to go around a first chain guide and a second pair of chain pulley wheels with a vertical rotation axis, on a second end of the bent link,  designed to go around a second chain guide. 
         [0021]    In addition, the pulling palette specifically has a plurality of grooves, whilst the pulled palette has a plurality of first teeth, designed to be coupled into these grooves in the pulling palette ( 100 ), located in the adjacent palette set, thus guiding a sliding movement between the pulling palette and the pulled palette in said adjacent palette set ( 100 ,  101 ). 
         [0022]    According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the pulling means have a linear motor aligned with the direction of displacement D. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0023]    Below is a very brief description of a series of drawings, which facilitate better understanding of the invention and expressly relate to an embodiment thereof, presented as a non-limiting example of the same. 
           [0024]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view showing the set of the invention. 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a side view of the set of the invention. 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the set of the invention. 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a detailed view showing a bogie of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    One embodiment of the invention relates to an set of palettes  100 ,  101  for a transportation system used to transport passengers/goods, formed by a continuous belt that can travel based on said sets of palettes  100 ,  101 , where each set has a support surface  160 , designed to support passengers/goods and to have a variable transportation length between a boarding and disembarking point. Variable transportation length refers to the fact that the length of the set of palettes  100 ,  101  may vary between a minimum length, where there is a maximum overlap between sets and a maximum length, where there is a minimum overlap between sets. In the transportation system trajectory, there is a low speed stretch, located in a boarding/disembarking area of the continuous belt, a high speed stretch, located in a middle area of the continuous belt and a transition  speed stretch, located between the boarding/disembarking area and the middle area of the continuous belt. The maximum overlap or minimum length is used in the low speed stretch, i.e. in the boarding/disembarking stretch, whilst the minimum overlap or maximum length is used in the high speed stretch, i.e. the middle area of the continuous belt. In the transition speed stretch located between the boarding/disembarking area and the middle area, an intermediate overlap is used, thus meaning the transportation length is also intermediate. 
         [0029]    Each set is formed by a pulled palette  101 , which is pulled by a pulling palette  100 , both palettes  100 ,  101  being articulated to one another according to an axis perpendicular to a displacement direction D of the belt. 
         [0030]    Furthermore, the palettes  100 ,  101  comprise a functional surface opposite to the support surface  160 , which has a balance  13 , which in turn has a first end articulated to the functional surface according to an axis perpendicular to the direction of displacement D and a second end opposite to the first end, which has first coupling means  130 , in order to couple pulling means  200  of the continuous belt and the pulling palette  100  together. 
         [0031]    The first coupling means  130  are designed to interact with second coupling means  230  of the pulling means  200  of the continuous belt, so that the pulling palettes  100  are pulled by the pulling means  200  by means of a coupling join between the first coupling means  130  and the second coupling means  230  and to pull said belt of palettes  100 ,  101  in the direction of displacement D. 
         [0032]    The pulling means  200  furthermore have a linear motor aligned with the direction of displacement D. 
         [0033]    As regards other characteristics of the invention: 
         [0034]    According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the balance  13  comprises a guide cart  13 ′ on the second end, designed to travel in a direction defined by a pulling guide  13 A,  13 B, parallel to the direction of displacement D, which runs along the length of the belt trajectory. 
         [0035]    Furthermore, the guide cart  13 ′ may have at least one inner pulley wheel  13 A″, which has a vertical rotation axis designed to go around an internal face of the pulling guide  13 A and at least  one external pulley wheel  13 A′, which has a vertical rotation axis designed to go around an external face of the pulling guide ( 13 A). 
         [0036]    The balance  13  specifically has an arm designed to travel on a plane perpendicular to the support surface  160 , this plane perpendicular to the support surface  160  preferably being arranged on a middle longitudinal plane, parallel to the direction of displacement D. 
         [0037]    According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pulling palette  100  has a first pair of bogies  110 , one at each side of the pulling palette  100 , arranged in a frontal area of said pulling palette  100  and a second pair of bogies  111 , one at each side of the pulling palette  100 , arranged in a rear area of said pulling palette  100 . 
         [0038]    These bogies are designed to travel in directions defined by support tracks  115  parallel to the direction of displacement D, which run along the length of the belt trajectory. The first pair of bogies  110  and the second pair of bogies  11  are particularly located on planes at varying distances from the palette surface  100  and the first pair of bogies  110  preferably defines a first width that coincides with the width of the pulling palette  100 , whilst the second pair of bogies  111  defines a second width, which is wider than that of the pulling palette  100 . 
         [0039]    According to a particular embodiment of the invention, each pair of bogies  110 ,  111  has a pair of vertical pulley wheels  112  with a horizontal rotation axis, designed to go around support tracks  115  parallel to the direction of displacement D, which run along the length of the belt trajectory. The tracks  115  are designed to support the weight of the continuous belt. 
         [0040]    Each pair of bogies  110 ,  111  may have a pair of horizontal pulley wheels  113  with a vertical rotation axis, designed to go around a number of side guides  115 ′. The side guides  115 ′ and the tracks  115  define the plan trajectory of the continuous belt. In addition, the pulley wheels  112 ,  113 , which are both vertical and horizontal, pertaining to the bogies, may be placed in positions symmetrical to a middle longitudinal plane of the belt. 
         [0041]    The balance  13  preferably has a chain link  13 C on its second end, designed to travel on a plane parallel to the support surface  160 , at a level lower than said support surface  160 . 
         [0042]    This chain link  13 C is bent and has a first pair of chain pulley wheels  13 C 1 , which have a  vertical rotation axis, on a first end of the bent chain, designed to go around a first chain guide  13 C′ and a second pair of chain pulley wheels  13 C 2 , which have a vertical rotation axis, on a second end of the bent chain, designed to go around a second chain guide  13 C″. 
         [0043]    According to a specific embodiment of the invention, the pulling palette ( 100 ) comprises a plurality of grooves and the pulled palette ( 101 ) comprises a plurality of teeth designed to be coupled with the first teeth and to guide a sliding movement between the pulling palette ( 100 ) and the pulled palette ( 101 ). 
         [0044]    A palette selected from the pulling palette  100 , the pulled palette  101  and combinations thereof preferably comprises inserts to indicate a demarcation between the palettes to a user. Having described the invention clearly, it must be noted that the details of the specific embodiments described above may be amended, provided that these amendments do not alter the fundamental principle and essence of the invention.