Abstract: A drive system for a curved escalator which has a frame, a transport section including steps, return tracks and guide tracks, and a drive connected to the transport section. The drive system includes: chain wheels connectable to the drive; and chains engaging the chain wheels hingeable in lateral edge areas of the steps, the chains being disposed parallel to one another, each of the chains comprising interior and exterior brackets. The drive system further includes shaft sections disposed adjacent corresponding ones of the brackets and further being adapted to be disposed at respective edge areas of each step; rollers connected to respective ends of each of the shaft sections, each of the shaft sections projecting through a corresponding one of the rollers and being fixed, at a face end thereof, in a wall area of a corresponding one of the interior brackets which is adapted to face outer frame areas of the frame; and traction rollers placed at a distance from the rollers.

Abstract: A curved escalator in which the occurrence of an unacceptably wide gap between the steps or between the steps and the sidewalls is avoided by virtue of the fact that all the step sections have different arcs when viewed in the plan view but have constant arcs in each of these zones. The arcs in these zones are selected or calculated such that, in every position in these zones, the rotational speed of the inner and outer drive chains is the same. The arc corresponding to the zone which links the stair landing with the central zone is such that the overall angle covered over this zone is the same for the inner and the outer drive chain. Within this region, small angular discrepancies can occur between the drive chains, the gaps of between 1 and 6 mm thus produced being compensated for by bending of the step skirts.

Abstract: A circular escalator which compensates the different angle velocities of the inner and outer step edges in the transition and landing zones of the escalator to maintain the axis (29) of each step (21) exactly radial to the path of travel (1) so that dangerous gaps are not formed between the steps. The invention avoids such gaps by running driving chains (24) on the main track (25), and connecting the inner and outer edges of the steps (21) to the chains via rotatable connecting rods (23). Each step (21) is joined via a vertically rotatable connecting rod (23) to chain links of the driving chain (24). The main track (25) describes a different path to the step track (27) in the transition zone (1b) and in the landing zones (1c). The vertical distance between the main track (25) and the step track (27) is proportional to the cosine of the inclination of the path of travel (1), the path difference .DELTA.s on the main track and the length L of the connecting rod (23).