Plug door opening-closing device

A plug door opening-closing apparatus adapted for use with a vehicle having a vehicle, the vehicle front-rear direction and a vehicle width direction, the vehicle having a vehicle side wall extending in the vehicle front-rear direction and an entrance of the vehicle is formed in the vehicle side wall, the plug door opening-closing apparatus comprising:

• a door hanger configured for coupling to a door panel of the vehicle and for movement in the vehicle width direction;
• a movable guide which extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and on which the door hanger is movably coupled, wherein the movable guide is configured to guide movement of the door hanger in the vehicle front-rear direction;
• a guide support member that guides movement of the movable guide in the vehicle width direction;
• and
• an interlock mechanism mechanically connected to the movable guide;
• wherein the interlock mechanism includes a rotatable interlock shaft that has an axis and is arranged parallel to the movable guide, wherein the interlock mechanism is configured to, change a distance between the movable guide and the rotatable interlock shaft in the vehicle width direction to conform a movement amount of a first portion of the movable guide in the vehicle width direction to a movement amount of a second portion of the movable guide in the vehicle width direction,
• frames fixed to the vehicle;
• holders fixed to the frames;
• and
• ball bearings arranged in the holders,
• wherein both ends of the rotatable interlock shaft are coupled to and rotationally supported by the ball bearings in the holders,
• wherein the rotatable interlock shaft is configured to rotate about the axis of the rotatable interlock shaft concurrently with the movement of the movable guide and the door hanger in the vehicle width direction that causes a plugging operation or an unplugging operation of the door panel, wherein the plugging operation includes an operation in which the door panel is moved along the vehicle front-rear direction to cover the vehicle side wall entrance and then moved inwardly in the vehicle width direction such that an outer surface of the door panel is generally co-planar with an outer surface of the vehicle side wall, and wherein the unplugging operation includes an operation in which the door panel is moved outwardly in the vehicle width direction and then moved in the vehicle front-rear direction to uncover the vehicle side wall entrance,
• wherein the frames are separated, in the vehicle front-rear direction, by a distance corresponding to a width of the vehicle side wall entrance in the vehicle front-rear direction,
• wherein the rotatable interlock shaft is a single shaft having a length corresponding to the width of the vehicle side wall entrance in the vehicle front-rear direction and that bridges between the holders fixed to the frames that are separated, in the vehicle front-rear direction, by the distance corresponding to the width of the vehicle side wall entrance in the vehicle front-rear direction,
• wherein the rotatable interlock shaft extends in the vehicle front-rear direction, and wherein the interlock mechanism includes a plurality of link mechanisms that links the rotatable interlock shaft to the first portion and the second portion of the movable guide, and
• wherein each of the link mechanisms includes a first link, which is coupled to the rotatable interlock shaft and rotated integrally with the rotatable interlock shaft, and a second link, which is coupled to the movable guide, and wherein, in each of the link mechanisms, the first link and the second link form a revolute pair.