Abstract: A conveyor apparatus is provided that is free of a pulsing motion in the circulating chains so as to provide a comfortable ride quality on its steps. The conveyor apparatus includes a step guide rail, a plurality of steps, a step chain, and a chain driving mechanism for driving the step chain. The chain driving mechanism includes a rotating and driving unit, a driving sprocket which is rotated by a driving force given by the rotating and driving unit, and a circulating chain for giving a thrust to the step chain. The circulating chain has chain links and hinges that are to be connected to the adjacent chain links. The chain link includes a placing surface on which the step roller is placed, and pressing surfaces that are in contact with step rollers.

Abstract: In order to suppress speed irregularity of step rollers (5) in a passenger conveyor, a bent section (17) is formed in a step guide rail (3) and a restraining member (18) is provided upstream thereof, the shape of the height of the bent section (17) and the restraining member (18) is corrected beforehand by the amount of the compression of resilient members of the step rollers (5), which are formed with such resilient members around their shafts, by the compressive force acting between the bent section (17) and restraining member (18). Thus generation of speed irregularity of the steps (4) is suppressed and passenger comfort is improved. Also, by providing a recess (3aa) in the step guide rail (3), gripping of the step rollers (5) as they execute rolling movement along the undersurface of the restraining member (18) from below can be avoided, thereby preventing damage to the step rollers (5), restraining member (18) and step guide rail (3).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a toner which includes the steps of emulsifying a resin binder containing a polyester in an aqueous medium to prepare an emulsion of the resin binder and adding a water-soluble nitrogen-containing compound having a molecular weight of 350 or less to the emulsion obtained in the previous step to aggregate emulsified particles contained in the emulsion. According to the present invention, the shape of toner particles can be controlled simply for a short production time by using a resin binder containing a polyester and using substantially no organic solvent, and further a toner having a narrow and sharp particle size distribution can be produced.

Abstract: A process for preparing a toner for electrophotography comprising a resin binder and a colorant, including the steps of (1) forming primary particles containing the resin binder and the colorant in an aqueous medium in the presence of a nonionic surfactant; and (2) aggregating the primary particles, and unifying the aggregated particle; and a toner for electrophotography obtainable by the process defined above, containing a crystalline polyester in an amount of 60% by weight or more in the toner, wherein the toner has a volume-median particle size (D50) of from 1 to 7 ?m. The toner for electrophotography obtained by the present invention can be suitably used in, for example, development of a latent image formed in electrophotography, electrostatic recording method, electrostatic printing method, or the like.

Abstract: Provided is a passenger conveyor including a plurality of steps (2) having step rollers (6 and 7), a step chain (8) circulatingly moving in conjunction with each of the plurality of steps (2), guide rails (13a, 13b, 14a and 14b) provided in an intermediate portion of a truss and guiding the step rollers (6 and 7) of each step (2), and an intermediate driving device (12) provided in the intermediate portion of the truss and configured to transmit a driving force to the step chain (8). A step-attitude changing zone (Z) for changing the attitude of each step (2) on a return path side is provided on the traveling path of the steps (2) on the return path side.

Abstract: A mountainous or valley-shaped curved part 13 is provided in a part of a footstep guide rail 3 for guiding a movement of footstep rollers 5 linked by a footstep chain 7, the part being positioned in the vicinity of a drive sprocket 9. Consequently, owing to meshing of the footstep rollers 5 with the drive sprocket 9, an unevenness in velocity of the footstep rollers 5 is absorbed by the curved part 13, so that a moving velocity of the footstep rollers 5 moving on the downstream of the curved part 13 is maintained constantly, suppressing vibrating of the footsteps 4.

Abstract: A conveyor apparatus comprises step chains which couple a plurality of steps such that the steps, and driving units which drive the chains. Each of the driving units comprises a power unit comprising a motor, and a driving machine including pulleys and belts that reduce a rotation speed of the motor so as to meet a required reduction gear ratio and transfer the rotation speed to the chains, and a pair of right and left driving mechanisms that convert a rotary movement transferred from the machine of the power unit via an eccentric shaft into a movement of rocking units, and apply a propelling force to the chains via pin rollers provided at any one of sides of the rocking units and the chains and gears provided at the other side of the rocking units and the chains to engage with the rollers.

Abstract: An elevator door apparatus includes an engaging device which engages car doors with hall doors. The engaging device uses a spring unit to urge a movable vane provided in each of the car doors. While the doors are moving, engaging rollers supported by the hall doors are sandwiched between the movable vane and a fixed vane. Thus, the driving forces of the car doors are transmitted to the hall doors. When the hall doors reach a door stop position, the movable vane is moved away from the fixed vane. Thus, the car doors are disengaged from the hall doors. At this time, a direction in which the elastic force of the spring mechanism acts is switched. Consequently, the car doors and the hall doors are stably held so that the car doors remain disengaged from the hall doors.

Abstract: There is provided a conveyor apparatus free of pulsing motion in circulating chains to provide a comfortable ride quality on steps. A conveyor apparatus 1 includes a step guide rail 3, a plurality of steps 5, a step chain 4, and a chain driving mechanism 10 for driving the step chain 4. The chain driving mechanism 10 includes a rotating and driving unit 11, a driving sprocket 12 which is rotated by a driving force given by the rotating and driving unit 11, and circulating chain 13 for giving a thrust to the step chain 4. The circulating chain 13 has chain links 13a and hinges 13b to be connected to the adjacent chain links 13a. The chain link 13a includes a placing surface 13c on which the step roller 4b is placed, and pressing surfaces 13d and 13d that are in contact with step rollers 4b.

Abstract: A footstep guide rail (3) (rail body 3a) is arranged so that a level H of a horizontal surface is set at the position obtained by adding a designated offset ? to a tangential line L of a drive sprocket (9) and the footstep guide rail (3) is provided, at its one end on an introductory side of the drive sprocket (9), with a curved part (13). At a reference position closest to the drive sprocket (9), the horizontal surface of the footstep guide rail (3) is changed to the curved part (13). Consequently, it is possible to absorb velocity unevenness of one footstep roller approaching the drive sprocket (9).

Abstract: A footstep guide rail (3) (rail body 3a) is arranged so that a level H of a horizontal surface is set at the position obtained by adding a designated offset 6 to a tangential line L of a drive sprocket (9) and the footstep guide rail (3) is provided, at its one end on an introductory side of the drive sprocket (9), with a curved part (13). At a reference position closest to the drive sprocket (9), the horizontal surface of the footstep guide rail (3) is changed to the curved part (13). Consequently, it is possible to absorb velocity unevenness of one footstep roller approaching the drive sprocket (9).

Abstract: When, in order to suppress speed irregularity of the step rollers (5), a bent section (17) is formed in the step guide rail (3) and a restraining member (18) is provided upstream thereof, the shape of the height of the bent section (17) and the restraining member (18) is corrected beforehand by the amount of the compression of the resilient members of the step rollers (5), which are formed with such resilient members around their shafts, by the compressive force acting between the bent section (17) and restraining member (18). Thus generation of speed irregularity of the steps (4) is suppressed and passenger comfort is improved. Also, by providing a recess (3aa) in the step guide rail (3), gripping of the step rollers (5) as they execute rolling movement along the undersurface of the restraining member (18) from below can be avoided, thereby preventing damage to the step rollers (5), restraining member (18) and step guide rail (3).

Abstract: A needle 2 includes a plunger member 21 and a collar member 22, and is provided to be reciprocable from a latch position to a latch release position inside a stator 1. A first magnet coil 31 has sufficient electromagnetic power to put in a latch state the needle 2 which is in a latch release state on energization. A permanent magnet 4 has sufficient absorption power for absorbing a collar member 22 of the needle 2 put in the latch state by the electromagnetic power of the first magnet coil 31 and maintaining the latch state even when the first magnet coil 31 is in a non-energized state. A second magnet coil 32 can diminish magnetic fluxes of the permanent magnet 4 and change the needle 2 from the latch state to the latch release state on energization. Thus, energy efficiency is improved by varying how to energize the magnet coils according to the state of a load side.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a toner which includes the steps of emulsifying a resin binder containing a polyester in an aqueous medium to prepare an emulsion of the resin binder and adding a water-soluble nitrogen-containing compound having a molecular weight of 350 or less to the emulsion obtained in the previous step to aggregate emulsified particles contained in the emulsion. According to the present invention, the shape of toner particles can be controlled simply for a short production time by using a resin binder containing a polyester and using substantially no organic solvent, and further a toner having a narrow and sharp particle size distribution can be produced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a resin emulsion which includes the steps of (a) dispersing a resin containing acidic group in a basic aqueous medium at a temperature lower than a softening point of the resin; (b) neutralizing a dispersion obtained in the step (a) at a temperature not lower than a glass transition point of the resin and not higher than the softening point of the resin; and (c) adding an aqueous liquid to the dispersion neutralized in the step (b) at the temperature not lower than the glass transition point of the resin and not higher than the softening point of the resin to emulsify the resin in the aqueous medium. According to the present invention, the resin emulsion suitably usable for production of a toner for electrophotography can be efficiently produced without using an organic solvent and a special apparatus.

Abstract: Handrail drive belts (20A, 20B, 20C, 120A, 120B) are respectively driven in circulatory fashion within a railing (5) by drive force respectively extracted from step sprocket gears (2a, 2b) and a step chain. The handrail drive belts (20A, 20B, 20C, 120A, 120B) transmit drive force to a handrail belt (10, 110) by contacting the inner peripheral surface of the handrail belt (10, 110) at respectively different locations. In this way, the load on the handrail belt in a passenger conveyor of long travel is reduced.

Abstract: A mountainous or valley-shaped curved part 13 is provided in a part of a footstep guide rail 3 for guiding a movement of footstep rollers 5 linked by a footstep chain 7, the part being positioned in the vicinity of a drive sprocket 9. Consequently, owing to meshing of the footstep rollers 5 with the drive sprocket 9, an unevenness in velocity of the footstep rollers 5 is absorbed by the curved part 13, so that a moving velocity of the footstep rollers 5 moving on the downstream of the curved part 13 is maintained constantly, suppressing vibrating of the footsteps 4.

Abstract: An elevator door apparatus includes an engaging device which engages car doors with hall doors. The engaging device uses a spring unit to urge a movable vane provided in each of the car doors. While the doors are moving, engaging rollers supported by the hall doors are sandwiched between the movable vane and a fixed vane. Thus, the driving forces of the car doors are transmitted to the hall doors. When the hall doors reach a door stop position, the movable vane is moved away from the fixed vane. Thus, the car doors are disengaged from the hall doors. At this time, a direction in which the elastic force of the spring mechanism acts is switched. Consequently, the car doors and the hall doors are stably held so that the car doors remain disengaged from the hall doors.

Abstract: A conveyor apparatus comprises step chains which couple a plurality of steps such that the steps, and driving units which drive the chains. Each of the driving units comprises a power unit comprising a motor, and a driving machine including pulleys and belts that reduce a rotation speed of the motor so as to meet a required reduction gear ratio and transfer the rotation speed to the chains, and a pair of right and left driving mechanisms that convert a rotary movement transferred from the machine of the power unit via an eccentric shaft into a movement of rocking units, and apply a propelling force to the chains via pin rollers provided at any one of sides of the rocking units and the chains and gears provided at the other side of the rocking units and the chains to engage with the rollers.

Abstract: A mountainous or valley-shaped curved part 13 is provided in a part of a footstep guide rail 3 for guiding a movement of footstep rollers 5 linked by a footstep chain 7, the part being positioned in the vicinity of a drive sprocket 9. Consequently, owing to meshing of the footstep rollers 5 with the drive sprocket 9, an unevenness in velocity of the footstep rollers 5 is absorbed by the curved part 13, so that a moving velocity of the footstep rollers 5 moving on the downstream of the curved part 13 is maintained constantly, suppressing vibrating of the footsteps 4.