Passenger transportation apparatus
AssigneeMitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsRiichi Ishikawa, Toshio Takase
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plurality of passenger cars are hung at equal intervals along an endless parallel chain and continuously travel in one direction between two horizontal platforms which are vertically spaced from each other and are maintained stationary with respect to the traveling of the cars. Guard plates are pivotably mounted to the outer wall surfaces of each car facing each the adjacent cars so that the plates can be rotated to fill the space between cars. Only when the cars horizontally travel along the platforms do the guard plates swivel to substantially hide spacings between the adjacent cars.
Claims5
An apparatus for transporting passengers between two vertically spaced positions, said apparatus comprising
- first and second horizontal track blocks vertically spaced from each other;
- a plurality of passenger car means rollable along said first and second track blocks for transporting passengers therein, said passenger car means having at least one open side;
- continuous drive chain means connected to said passenger car means and positioned horizontally above and vertically between both of said horizontal track blocks, said chain means being substantially rectangular in overall configuration, for moving said passenger car means connected thereto horizontally along and vertically between said first and second horizontal track blocks;
- motor means operatively connected to said chain drive means for continuously driving said chain drive means and said passenger car means connected thereto;
- first horizontal moving platform means adjacent and parallel to said first track block on the same side as said opening into said passenger car means on said first track block and movable in the same direction and at the same speed as said passenger car means on said track block for carrying passengers to and from said passenger car means;
- second horizontal moving platform means adjacent and parallel to said second track block on the same side as said opening into said passenger car means on said second track block and movable in the same direction and at the same speed as said passenger car means for carrying passengers to and from said passenger car means on said second track block;
- and
- rotatable side guard plate means connected to each of said passenger car means and rotatable toward the passenger car means adjacent thereto when said passenger car means are moved horizontally along said track blocks for closing the spacing between said moving passenger car means moving along said track blocks and rotatable toward the passenger car means to which it is connected when said passenger car means is moved vertically on said chain drive means between said first and second horizontal track blocks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.