Acceleration and deceleration handrail driving device

An acceleration and deceleration handrail driving device in which a looped handrail is endlessly wound between an entrance side and an exit side so that the handrail is driven in a predetermined direction comprising:

• pulleys arranged on each of the entrance side and the exit side;
• a looped expansion link chain that is wound between the pulleys of the entrance side and the exit side and formed by connecting a plurality of expansion links, which are flexibly extendable and retractable within a predetermined range in a length direction;
• and
• a handrail belt member that is connected with the expansion link chain and continuously extendable and retractable in the length direction of the expansion link chain;
• wherein
• the expansion links of the expansion link chain have a first concavo-convex engagement member which is engageable and releasable with a second concavo-convex engagement member by approaching and separating to/from the second concavo-convex engagement member in a direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction,
• an acceleration and deceleration device is provided so as to accelerate and decelerate the expansion link chain along the length direction of the expansion link chain via the second concavo-convex engagement member,
• the acceleration and deceleration device has:
• a first track chain that is driven at a constant speed along a first track, which follows substantially same trajectory as the expansion link chain in a predetermined section of the expansion link chain while being spaced a constant distance from the expansion link chain;
• and
• a first pressing fitting that has the second concavo-convex engagement member at one end and is swingably attached to the first track chain at other end, and
• the first pressing fitting is swung in a predetermined direction within a predetermined angle range when the other end of the first pressing fitting is driven by the first track chain at the constant speed, and the second concavo-convex engagement member drives the expansion link chain via the first concavo-convex engagement member at a moving speed of the second concavo-convex engagement member from when the second concavo-convex engagement member is engaged with the first concavo-convex engagement member by following an arc trajectory to approach to the expansion link chain until the second concavo-convex engagement member is released from the expansion link chain by further following the arc trajectory to separate from the expansion link chain.