Apparatus for opening and closing a door of a container apparatus of a vehicle

An apparatus for opening and closing a door of a container apparatus of a vehicle, the apparatus, comprising:

• a single knob, a shaft having an axial direction and an axis, a fixed member, a shaft biasing spring, an arm, and a cam,
• (a) the knob being disposed so as to oppose a first axial end of the shaft and being supported by the fixed member so as to be movable in the axial direction of the shaft relative to the fixed member, the knob including a first cam surface,
• (b) the shaft being supported by the fixed member so as to be movable in the axial direction of the shaft and rotatable about the axis of the shaft relative to the fixed member, the shaft having a first rotational position, a second rotational position and a third rotational position, the shaft having a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft and having a radially extending portion extending in the radial direction of the shaft, the shaft including a second cam surface and a third cam surface, the second cam surface being capable of slidably contacting the first cam surface of the knob,
• (c) the fixed member including a fourth cam surface capable of slidably contacting the third cam surface of the shaft,
• (d) the shaft biasing spring being disposed at a second axial end of the shaft, the shaft biasing spring biasing the shaft in a direction opposite a direction in which the knob pushes the shaft,
• (d-1) wherein the knob pushes the shaft so that the first cam surface of the knob being moved into slidable contact with the second cam surface of the shaft and the knob rotating the shaft from the first rotational position to the second rotational position,
• (d-2) when pushing of the shaft by the knob is released, the third cam surface of the shaft being pushed by the shaft biasing spring against the fourth cam surface of the fixed member and the shaft biasing spring further rotating the shaft from the second rotational position to the third rotational position,
• (d-3) the third rotational position being a first rotational position of a successive shaft rotation,
• (e) the arm having an arm rotational axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the shaft and being supported by the fixed member so as to be rotatable about the arm rotational axis, the arm including an opening side arm and a closing side arm,
• (e-1) when the shaft is positioned at one rotational position of the first rotational position and the third rotation position, the opening side arm being positioned at a position corresponding to the radially extending portion of the shaft in the axial direction of the shaft, and
• (e-2) when the shaft is positioned at the other rotational position of the first rotational position and the third rotation position, the closing side arm being positioned at a position corresponding to the radially extending portion of the shaft in the axial direction of the shaft,
• (e-3) when the shaft is positioned at said one rotational position and when the shaft is moved in the axial direction by being pushed by the knob, the opening side arm being pushed by the radially extending portion to rotate relative to the fixed member, and
• (e-4) when the shaft is positioned at the other rotational position and when the shaft is moved in the axial direction by being pushed by the knob, the closing side arm being pushed by the radially extending portion to rotate relative to the fixed member,
• (e-5) at least one of the opening side arm and the closing side arm having a cam driving protrusion formed therein, when the at least one of the opening side arm and the closing side arm is pushed by the shaft, the cam driving protrusion rotating together with the at least one of the opening side arm and the closing side arm and being moved into contact with the cam to drive the cam,
• (f) the cam having a cam rotational axis extending in parallel with the arm rotational axis, the cam being supported by the fixed member so as to be rotatable in opposite rotational directions about the cam rotational axis, the cam being operatively coupled to the door of the container apparatus such that rotation of the cam in the opposite rotational directions correspond to opening and closing of the door.