Runner unit and interlocking opening / closing unit equipped with this runner unit

Abstract

To provide a runner unit capable of simply and quickly hanging a door panel by connecting a connection shaft and a runner only by operation on the door panel side in hanging work of the door panel, and an interlocking opening / closing unit provided with the runner unit.SOLUTION: A runner unit 6 includes a runner 8 having an insertion recessed part 24 and a receiving part 25 and guided along a guide rail 2, and a connection shaft 7 having an enlarged shaft part 12 received by the receiving part 25 and formed on a door panel 1 to project therefrom. Inserting the connection shaft 7 into the insertion recessed part 24 causes a holding body 20 to change into a release attitude, the enlarged shaft part 12 is displaced from the insertion recessed part 24 to the receiving part 25, the displaced enlarged shaft part 12 is received by the receiving part 25, the holding body 20 is changed into a regulation attitude, the connection shaft 7 is held in position by the holding body 20 in the regulation attitude in a state where the enlarged shaft part 12 is received by the receiving part 25, and the connection shaft 7 and the runner 8 are connected.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a runner unit for guiding a door panel along a guide rail installed above, and to an interlocking opening and closing unit equipped with the unit, and more particularly to a runner unit in which a connecting shaft protruding from the upper end of the door panel is detachably held by a runner that runs along the guide rail, and to an interlocking opening and closing unit equipped with the unit. [Background technology]

[0002] This type of runner unit is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1 (Title of Invention: Sliding Door). In Patent Document 1, the runner unit is composed of a door roller (runner) that moves along a rail and a connecting member (connecting shaft) that is fixed to the upper surface of a sliding door (door panel) and connected to the door roller. The door roller includes a rail engaging member equipped with a plurality of rollers and a sliding member that can slide relative to the rail engaging member in the direction of movement of the sliding door. The sliding member is provided with a roughly keyhole-shaped hole having a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion in a continuous manner, and the rail engaging member is provided with a through hole that penetrates vertically and is approximately the same diameter as the large diameter portion of the hole. The sliding member can reciprocate between a position where the small diameter portion of the hole overlaps with the through hole and a position where the large diameter portion of the hole overlaps with the through hole, and is normally biased toward the former position by a spring. The connecting member is provided with a flange portion at its upper end that is smaller than the large diameter portion and the through hole, but larger than the small diameter portion of the hole, and a shaft portion smaller than the small diameter portion of the hole is provided below the flange portion. Between the rail engaging member and the slide member, a locking mechanism consisting of a step and a protrusion that engages with the step is provided, which prevents relative movement between the slide member and the rail engaging member when the slide member is in a position where the small diameter portion of its hole overlaps with the through hole.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, when connecting the connecting member and the door roller, that is, when hanging the sliding door, first, the sliding member is pushed upward against the rail engaging member to release the locking mechanism, and the sliding member is slid against the spring to move to a position where the large diameter portion of the hole overlaps with the through hole. Next, while holding the moved sliding member, the sliding door is supported upright and the connecting member and the through hole of the rail engaging member are aligned, and then the sliding door is pushed upward toward the rail. When the holding of the sliding member is released while maintaining this pushed-up state of the sliding door, the sliding member returns to a position where the small diameter portion of the hole overlaps with the through hole due to the biasing force of the spring. Finally, when the pushed-up state of the sliding door is released, the flange portion is supported by the edge of the small diameter portion, and the connecting member and the door roller are connected. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-336368 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The door panel installation process described in Patent Document 1 requires maintaining the sliding member, whose locking mechanism has been released, in a sliding position against the spring while simultaneously pushing the sliding door upward toward the rail. However, the sliding door is too heavy to support with one hand, and it is not easy to hold the sliding member with one hand while pushing the sliding door upward with the other, making it difficult to perform the installation work alone. Even if the sliding door could be supported with one hand, the series of installation operations while supporting a heavy object with one hand tends to be unstable, making it impossible to ensure the safety of the work.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the problems associated with conventional runner units as described above, and aims to provide a runner unit that allows the door panel to be hung up easily and quickly by connecting the connecting shaft and runner simply by operating the door panel, and an interlocking opening and closing unit equipped with this runner unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a runner unit 6 that is disposed between a guide rail 2 extending laterally above the door panel 1 and the door panel 1, and guides the door panel 1 along the guide rail 2. The runner unit 6 includes a connecting shaft 7 that protrudes from the upper end of the door panel 1, and a runner 8 that can run along the guide rail 2 while detachably holding the connecting shaft 7. The connecting shaft 7 includes a base shaft portion 11 that extends upward from the top surface of the door panel 1, and an expanded shaft portion 12 that is provided at the upper end of the base shaft portion 11 and extends horizontally outward. The runner 8 includes a runner body 19 that holds the connecting shaft 7, and a retainer 20 that restricts displacement of the connecting shaft 7 held by the runner body 19. The runner body 19 has an insertion recess 24 formed upward from the bottom surface, into which the connecting shaft 7 is inserted from below, and a receiving portion 25 formed inside the insertion recess 24 as a recess facing left or right, that receives the expanded shaft portion 12 of the connecting shaft 7 from below. The retainer 20 is supported by the runner body 19 so as to be movable up and down between a lower restricting position, which restricts left-right displacement of the expansion section 12 between the insertion recess 24 and the receiving portion 25, and an upper released position, which allows left-right displacement of the expansion section 12 between the insertion recess 24 and the receiving portion 25, and is normally in the restricted position. When the connecting shaft 7 is inserted into the insertion recess 24, the retainer 20 changes its position from the restricting position to the released position, displacing the expansion section 12 from the insertion recess 24 to the receiving portion 25, and the displaced expansion section 12 is received by the receiving portion 25, thereby changing the position of the retainer 20 from the released position to the restricting position, and with the expansion section 12 received by the receiving portion 25, the connecting shaft 7 is held in position by the retainer 20, which has been changed to the restricting position, thereby connecting the connecting shaft 7 and the runner 8.

[0008] The holder 20 is supported so as to be able to swing up and down around a pivot axis 28 which is a horizontal axis, while crossing the insertion recess 24. A biasing member 29 is provided between the runner body 19 and the holder 20, which biases the holder 20 downward toward the restricted position.

[0009] A guide surface 30 is provided on the lower surface of the holder 20 facing the insertion recess 24, which contacts the expanding shaft portion 12 inserted into the insertion recess 24 and guides the connecting shaft 7 toward the receiving portion 25.

[0010] The holder 20 is provided with a holding surface 31 that contacts the expanding shaft portion 12, which is received by the receiving portion 25 in the restricted position, from the side. The holding surface 31 is provided continuously upward from the guide end of the guide surface 30.

[0011] The runner 8 is equipped with a release piece 32 that changes the posture of the holder 20 from a restricted position to a released position when pushed toward the runner body 19. The release piece 32 is integrally formed with the holder 20 and protrudes below the lower surface of the guide rail 2.

[0012] The lower surface of the expanding shaft portion 12, which is received by the receiving portion 25, is formed in a partially spherical shape with the center of the sphere located on the axis of the base shaft portion 11.

[0013] The present invention also relates to a linked opening and closing unit 60 that is configured to enable the linked opening and closing of the front door panel 1A, rear door panel 1B, and middle door panel 1C that are guided along the guide rail 2. The linked opening and closing unit 60 is characterized by comprising the above-mentioned runner units 6·6 that are provided between the guide rail 2 and the upper left and right sides of the middle door panel 1C, a runner holder 35 that is provided between the left and right runners 8·8 and connects both runners 8·8 so that they can run together, pulleys 27·27 that are provided on the runner bodies 19·19 of each runner 8·8 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis, a transmission body 57 that is wound in a loop around the left and right pulleys 27·27, and front and rear connecting pieces 58·58 that are provided on front and rear straight portions 57S·57S of the looped transmission body 57 and are connected to the front door panel 1A and the rear door panel 1B, respectively.

[0014] The runners 8 include a first runner 8A disposed at one left or right end of the runner holder 35 and a second runner 8B disposed at the other left or right end of the runner holder 35. The direction in which the receiving portion 25A (25) recessed within the insertion recess 24A (24) of the first runner 8A (8) is formed is the same as the direction in which the receiving portion 25B (25) recessed within the insertion recess 24B (24) of the second runner 8B (8) is formed. The distance (L1) between the axial centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7 and 7 is the same as the distance (L2) between the insertion recesses 24A (24) and 24B (24) formed in the first and second left runners 8A (8) and 8B (8) and the distance (L3) between the receiving portions 25A (25) and 25B (25).

[0015] Runners 8 of the same configuration are provided on the left and right sides of runner holder 35 in opposite orientations, and the receiving portions 25 formed as recesses inside the insertion recesses 24 of each runner 8 are set to be formed in opposite directions. When the distance between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7 is defined as L1, the distance between the insertion recesses 24 of the left and right runners 8 is defined as L2, and the distance between the receiving portions 25 of the left and right runners 8 is defined as L3, an extension / contraction structure 63 is provided that allows runners 8 to move toward or away from runner holder 35 at a receiving position where the distance L1 between the axes coincides with the distance L3, and at an insertion position where the distance L1 between the axes coincides with the distance L2.

[0016] The pulleys 27A (27) and 27B (27) of the runners 8A (8) and 8B (8) are disposed closer to the tip of the runner bodies 19A (19) and 19B (19) than the insertion recesses 24A (24) and 24B (24).

[0017] The diameter dimension (D1) of each pulley 27A(27) and 27B(27) in the portion around which the transmission body 57 is wrapped is formed to be larger than the maximum dimension of the expanded shaft portion 12 in a plan view. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] With the runner unit 6 of the present invention, the door panel 1 can be hung up using the following procedure. First, the door panel 1 is raised and the connecting shaft 7 is aligned with the insertion recess 24. Then, the door panel 1 is pushed up toward the runner 8, inserting the connecting shaft 7 into the insertion recess 24. Next, the door panel 1 is gently rocked left and right so that the expanding shaft portion 12 is displaced toward the receiving portion 25, connecting the connecting shaft 7 and the runner 8. Hanging of the door panel 1 can be completed using the above procedure. As described above, with the runner unit 6 of the present invention, there is no need to operate the door roller side (runner 8 side) as in the conventional method, and the hanging work can be easily and quickly performed by a single worker. Furthermore, the hanging work can be performed while the door panel 1 is firmly supported with both hands, making the hanging work safer.

[0019] The holder 20 is supported so as to be able to swing up and down around a pivot axis 28 which is a horizontal axis, while crossing the insertion recess 24. If a biasing member 29 is provided between the runner body 19 and the holder 20 to bias the holder 20 downward toward the restricted position, the holder 20 can be reliably held in the restricted position even if vibrations occur due to the movement of the runner 8 while the connecting shaft 7 and the runner 8 are connected. This prevents the holder 20 from unnecessarily releasing its hold on the connecting shaft 7 during the opening and closing operation of the door panel 1, and prevents the door panel 1 from falling off the runner 8.

[0020] If the lower surface of the holder 20 facing the insertion recess 24 is in contact with the expanded shaft portion 12 inserted into the insertion recess 24, and a guide surface 30 is provided to guide the connecting shaft 7 toward the receiving portion 25, then during the hanging operation of the door panel 1, the connecting shaft 7 guided by the guide surface 30 can be displaced toward the receiving portion 25 simply by pushing up the door panel 1. As a result, since there is no need to intentionally shake the door panel 1 from side to side during the hanging operation, the hanging operation of the door panel 1 can be performed with less effort and more quickly.

[0021] The holder 20 is equipped with a holding surface 31 that contacts the expanding shaft portion 12, which is received by the receiving portion 25 in the restricted position, from the side. If the holding surface 31 is provided continuously upward from the guide end of the guide surface 30, the connecting shaft 7, which is guided by the displacement of the guide surface 30, is displaced toward the receiving portion 25, and the holder 20 changes its position from the released position to the restricted position. At the same time, the side surface of the expanding shaft portion 12 comes into contact with the holding surface 31, so that the part of the expanding shaft portion 12 that comes into contact with the guide surface 30 can be smoothly transferred to the holding surface 31 during the lifting operation. Therefore, unnecessary rattling during the lifting operation can be eliminated, making the lifting operation of the door panel 1 smoother and preventing the operation from becoming unstable.

[0022] The runner 8 includes a release piece 32 that, when pushed toward the runner body 19, changes the position of the holder 20 from the restricted position to the released position. The release piece 32 can be integrally formed with the holder 20 and protrudes downward from the underside of the guide rail 2. This allows the holder 20 to be placed in the released position simply by pushing the release piece 32 protruding from the guide rail 2. This releases the connection shaft 7 from its position held by the holder 20, allowing the expansion shaft portion 12 to be removed through the mounting recess 24, separating the runner 8 from the connection shaft 7. This facilitates removal of the door panel 1. Furthermore, there is no need to provide a separate dedicated structure for changing the position of the holder 20. This avoids the need for a separate, complex structure for changing the position of the holder 20, thereby minimizing the complexity, size, and cost of the runner 8 and simplifying and miniaturizing the runner unit 6.

[0023] If the underside of the expansion shaft portion 12 that is received by the receiving portion 25 is formed in a partially spherical shape with the center of the sphere aligned with the axis of the base shaft portion 11, the shape of the underside of the expansion shaft portion 12 will remain constant even when the connecting shaft 7 rotates around its axis, so the connecting shaft 7 can be attached to the door panel 1 without having to worry about the position of the connecting shaft 7 around its axis relative to the door panel 1. Furthermore, even if the height adjustment structure of the door panel 1 is configured to change the hanging height by rotating the connecting shaft 7, the connecting shaft 7 and runner 8 can be connected without any problems.

[0024] Furthermore, according to the interlocking opening and closing unit 60 configured to include the above-mentioned runner units 6·6 as in the present invention, in an interlocking sliding door configured to include a plurality of door panels 1A·1B·1C and the interlocking opening and closing unit 60, it is necessary to hang up the plurality of door panels 1A·1B·1C, but since the middle door panel 1C can be hung up easily and quickly onto the interlocking opening and closing unit 60, the effort required for hanging up the interlocking sliding door can be saved.

[0025] The runners 8 include a first runner 8A arranged at one left or right end of the runner holder 35 and a second runner 8B arranged at the other left or right end of the runner holder 35. The direction in which the receiving portion 25A (25) recessed and formed inside the insertion recess 24A (24) of the first runner 8A (8) is formed is the same as the direction in which the receiving portion 25B (25) recessed and formed inside the insertion recess 24B (24) of the second runner 8B (8). It is preferable that the distance (L1) between the axial centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7, the distance (L2) between the insertion recesses 24A (24) and 24B (24) formed in the first and second left runners 8A (8) and 8B (8) and the distance (L3) between the receiving portions 25A (25) and 25B (25) are the same.

[0026] According to the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 configured as described above, the connecting shafts 7·7 can be connected to the first runner 8A and the second runner 8B without changing the relative distance between the first runner 8A and the second runner 8B connected by the runner holder 35.Therefore, when the interlocking opening / closing unit 60, in which the components other than the connecting shafts 7·7 are integrated, is assembled to the guide rail 2, the connecting shafts 7·7 can be connected to the first and second runners 8A·8B.

[0027] In addition, runners 8 of the same configuration are provided on the left and right sides of runner holder 35 in opposite positions, and the receiving portions 25 formed as recesses inside the insertion recesses 24 of each runner 8 are set to be formed in opposite directions.When the distance between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7 is defined as L1, the distance between the insertion recesses 24 of the left and right runners 8 is defined as L2, and the distance between the receiving portions 25 of the left and right runners 8 is defined as L3, an extension / contraction structure 63 can be provided to enable runners 8 to move away from or towards runner holder 35 at a receiving position where the distance between the axes L1 and the distance L3 coincide, and at an insertion position where the distance between the axes L1 and the distance L2 coincide.

[0028] According to the interlocking opening-closing unit 60 configured as described above, by making the runners 8 provided on the left and right sides of the runner holder 35 have the same configuration, there is no need to prepare two types of runners 8 with different configurations, which reduces the cost increase of the entire interlocking opening-closing unit 60. Furthermore, since the left and right runners 8 have the same configuration, there is no risk of mis-assembling the left and right runners 8 to the runner holder 35, which saves time and effort when assembling the interlocking opening-closing unit 60. In addition, the telescopic structure 63 allows the runners 8 to move closer or farther apart relative to the runner holder 35 between an insertion position where the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7·7 coincides with the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24·24 of the left and right runners 8·8, and a receiving position where the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7·7 coincides with the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25·25 of the left and right runners 8·8.This means that during the lifting operation, both connecting shafts 7·7 can be inserted into both insertion recesses 24·24 at the same time, and both connecting shafts 7·7 can be received by both receiving portions 25·25, allowing the runners 8 and connecting shafts 7 to be connected without any problems.

[0029] When the pulleys 27A (27) and 27B (27) of each runner 8A (8) and 8B (8) are arranged closer to the tip of each runner body 19A (19) and 19B (19) than the insertion recesses 24A (24) and 24B (24), each pulley 27A and 27B is positioned closer to the outside of the runner body 19A and 19B, so that each pulley 27A and 27B can be arranged close to the left and right ends of the interlocking opening and closing unit 60. This allows the connecting pieces 58 / 58 provided on the straight portions 57S / 57S of the transmission body 57 to be positioned closer to the end of the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 than when the pulleys 27A / 27B are positioned closer to the runner holder 35 of each runner body 19A / 19B than the insertion recesses 24A / 24B, and therefore reduces the overlap between the front door panel 1A and middle door panel 1C, and the rear door panel 1B and middle door panel 1C, which are adjacent to each other in the front and rear directions, by the amount that the connecting pieces 58 / 58 are closer to the end of the interlocking opening / closing unit 60.

[0030] If the diameter (D1) of each pulley 27A (27) and 27B (27) around which the power transmission body 57 is wound is larger than the maximum dimension of the expansion shaft portion 12 in a plan view, the spacing between the power transmission body 57 passing through the front and rear of the lower part of the insertion recesses 24A and 24B can be made larger than the maximum dimension of the expansion shaft portion 12. This prevents the expansion shaft portion 12 from contacting the power transmission body 57 when inserting the connecting shafts 7 into the insertion recesses 24A and 24B. Therefore, the work of hanging the middle door panel 1C can be performed quickly without worrying about the power transmission body 57. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the power transmission body 57 from being cut off due to contact between the expansion shaft portion 12 and the power transmission body 57. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 shows a first embodiment of a linked sliding door to which a linked opening / closing unit equipped with a runner unit of the present invention is applied, and is a vertical sectional front view of the main parts of the linked opening / closing unit. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the entire interlocking sliding door. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a runner disposed on the right side of the interlocking opening / closing unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a runner disposed on the left side of the interlocking opening / closing unit. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing the runner unit of the door panel arranged on the front side. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional front view showing a state in which the connecting shaft and the runner are separated in the interlocking opening / closing unit. [Figure 12]An explanatory diagram showing how to connect runner units, where (a) is a longitudinal front view and enlarged view showing the first stage of connection, and (b) is an enlarged view of the part corresponding to the enlarged view of (a) showing the second stage of connection. [Figure 13] An explanatory diagram showing a method for separating the runner unit. [Figure 14] This shows a second embodiment of a linked sliding door to which a linked opening / closing unit equipped with a runner unit of the present invention is applied, and is a vertical front view of the linked opening / closing unit with the runner unit separated. [Figure 15] This shows a third embodiment of a linked sliding door to which a linked opening / closing unit equipped with a runner unit of the present invention is applied, and is a partially cutaway front view of the linked opening / closing unit with the runner unit separated. [Figure 16] This shows a fourth embodiment of a linked sliding door to which a linked opening / closing unit equipped with a runner unit of the present invention is applied, and is a partially cutaway front view of the linked opening / closing unit with the runner unit separated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] (First Embodiment) Figures 1 to 13 show a first embodiment in which the runner unit according to the present invention and the interlocking opening / closing unit equipped with the unit are applied to an interlocking sliding door having three door panels 1 (1A, 1B, 1C) that open and close an entrance to a room or the like. In this embodiment, front, back, left, right, and up and down refer to the intersecting arrows shown in Figures 1 to 6 and the front, back, left, right, and up and down indications written near each arrow. In Figure 2, the interlocking sliding door in the closed state comprises a front door panel 1A (door panel 1) located on the front left side of the entrance, a rear door panel 1B (door panel 1) located on the rear right side of the entrance, and a middle door panel 1C (door panel 1) located between the front and rear door panels 1A and 1B. Each door panel 1A, 1B, and 1C is guided to open and close by a guide rail 2 that extends in the left-right direction and is installed on the upper frame of a gate-shaped opening frame provided at the entrance.

[0033] In Figure 4, the guide rail 2 comprises a front rail 2A that guides the opening and closing of the front door panel 1A, a rear rail 2B that guides the opening and closing of the rear door panel 1B, and a middle rail 2C that guides the opening and closing of the middle door panel 1C. Each rail 2A, 2B, and 2C has a C-shaped cross-section with a rail opening on the lower side, and the guide rail 2 is made of an aluminum strip in which adjacent front rails 2A and middle rail 2C, and rear rail and middle rail 2C are connected at the upper end and integrated. Each door panel 1A, 1B, and 1C is restricted from swaying in the front-rear direction by a sway-prevention structure provided between it and the floor surface. In Figure 4, the sway-prevention structure consists of sway-prevention rollers 3 provided on the floor surface and at the front and rear of the lower end of the middle door panel 1C, and sway-prevention grooves 4 guided by the sway-prevention rollers 3.

[0034] Each door panel 1A, 1B, and 1C is guided along the guide rail 2 by a runner unit 6. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the runner unit 6 is positioned between the upper left and right ends of each door panel 1A, 1B, and 1C and each rail 2A, 2B, and 2C, and comprises a connecting shaft 7 protruding from the upper end of each door panel 1A, 1B, and 1C, and a runner 8 that can move along each rail 2A, 2B, and 2C while detachably holding the connecting shaft 7.

[0035] As shown in Figure 11, the connecting shaft 7 comprises a base shaft portion 11, which is a round shaft extending upward from the upper surface of the door panel 1 (front door panel 1A, rear door panel 1B, middle door panel 1C), and an expanded shaft portion 12 provided at the upper end of the base shaft portion 11 and projecting horizontally outward. A male threaded portion 13 is formed on the lower half of the base shaft portion 11. The expanded shaft portion 12 is formed from a lower hemispherical spherical shaft, and the lower surface of the expanded shaft portion 12 is partially spherical, with the center of the sphere positioned on the axis of the base shaft portion 11. Nut bodies 14 having female threaded holes, such as threaded inserts, are embedded and fixed to the upper surface of the door panel 1 (1A, 1B, 1C). The connecting shaft 7 is temporarily fixed to the door panel 1 by screwing the male threaded portion 13 of the base shaft portion 11 into the nut bodies 14. In the temporarily fixed state, the connecting shaft 7 can be rotated around its axis to change the projection dimension from the upper surface of the door panel 1. Furthermore, even when the connecting shaft 7 is rotated around its axis, the shape of the lower surface of the expanding shaft portion 12, which is formed by a lower hemispherical spherical shaft, remains constant.

[0036] In Figure 11, etc., reference numeral 15 denotes a fixing nut. After adjusting the protruding dimension of the connecting shaft 7, the connecting shaft 7 can be permanently fixed to the door panel 1 by tightening the fixing nut 15 toward the nut body 14. By adjusting the protruding dimension of the connecting shaft 7 that protrudes from the door panel 1, the height at which the door panel 1 is hung relative to the guide rail 2, that is, the gap between the lower surface of the guide rail 2 and the upper surface of the door panel 1, can be adjusted. In this way, the nut body 14 is embedded and fixed in the upper surface of the door panel 1, and the connecting shaft 7 is screwed into the nut body 14. As a result, the connecting shaft 7 can be provided without processing the end grain surface (left and right sides) of the door panel 1, and the appearance of the door panel 1 can be made neat and tidy.

[0037] The following describes the general configuration of the runner 8. In Figure 1, the runner 8 comprises a runner body 19 that pivotally supports rollers 18 and is guided along the guide rails 2 (front rail 2A, rear rail 2B, middle rail 2C) by the rolling of the rollers 18, and a holder 20 for detachably holding the connecting shaft 7 in the runner body 19. The runner body 19 is formed by joining a pair of front and rear halves 23, each pivotally supported by a pair of left and right rollers 18-18 (see Figures 5 and 6), and has an insertion recess 24 formed upward from its lower surface into which the connecting shaft 7 is inserted from below, and a receiving part 25 formed recessed to the left or right inside the insertion recess 24 to receive the expanded shaft portion 12 of the connecting shaft 7 from below. The runners 8-8, which are arranged between the middle rail 2C and the left and right sides of the middle door panel 1C, are arranged below the runner body 19 and are equipped with pulleys 27 that are rotatably supported around a pulley shaft 26 which is a vertical axis.

[0038] The holder 20 is supported by the runner body 19 and can swing up and down around a pivot axis 28, which is a horizontal axis, between a lower restricting position (the position shown in Figure 1) that restricts the lateral displacement of the connecting shaft 7 relative to the runner body 19 and an upper release position (the position shown in Figure 12(a)) that allows lateral displacement of the connecting shaft 7 relative to the runner body 19. In the normal state, the holder 20 is held in the lower restricting position by the biasing force of a compression spring (biasing body) 29 provided between the runner body 19 and the holder 20.

[0039] In the restricted and released positions, the retainer 20 is positioned above the insertion recess 24 and the receiving portion 25, crossing the insertion recess 24 and the receiving portion 25. The lower surface of the retainer 20 facing the insertion recess 24 is provided with a guide surface 30 that contacts the expanding shaft portion 12 and guides the connecting shaft 7 toward the receiving portion 25 when the retainer 20 is in the released position. The retainer 20 also has a retaining surface 31 that contacts the expanding shaft portion 12, which is received by the receiving portion 25 in the restricted position, from the side. The retaining surface 31 is provided continuously upward from the guide end of the guide surface 30. The retainer 20 in the restricted position can change its position to the released position against the biasing force of the compression spring 29 using a release piece 32 provided on the retainer 20.

[0040] As shown in Figure 1, the left and right runners 8-8 that guide the middle door panel 1C are integrally connected to a runner holder 35 made of a hollow square pipe provided between the two runners 8-8, and the left and right runners 8-8 and the runner holder 35 are configured to move as a single unit. In Figure 1, reference numeral 36 denotes a rivet for fixing each runner 8-8 to the runner holder 35, and reference numeral 37 denotes a rivet hole for inserting the rivet 36.

[0041] The runners 8 that make up the runner unit 6 are divided into a first runner 8A and a second runner 8B, which share the same components but differ in some component shapes. The runners 8 arranged between the front rail 2A and the left and right sides of the front door panel 1A, the runners 8 arranged between the rear rail 2B and the left and right sides of the rear door panel 1B, and the runner 8 arranged between the middle rail 2C and the right side of the middle door panel 1C are all composed of the first runners 8A, while the runner 8 arranged between the middle rail 2C and the left side of the middle door panel 1C is composed of the second runner 8B. Next, the first runners 8A and the second runners 8B will be explained. To clarify the components of the first runners 8A and the second runners 8B, components with similar functions are distinguished by adding an "A" after the numeral symbol for those that make up the first runner 8A and a "B" after the numeral symbol for those that make up the second runner 8B.

[0042] In Fig. 1, the first runner 8A is disposed on the right end side (one of the left and right ends) of the runner holder 35. As shown in Fig. 5, the runner body 19A (19) of the first runner 8A includes a main body block 39A (39) in which an insertion recess 24A (24) and a receiving portion 25A (25) are formed, and a connecting block 40A (40) formed integrally with the left side of the main body block 39A, and in the pair of half bodies 23A·23A (23·23), the portion corresponding to the main body block 39A is divided into front and rear parts, and the portion corresponding to the connecting block 40A is divided into top and bottom parts. Half of the insertion recess 24A (24) and half of the receiving portion 25A (25) are recessed on the joint surface of the half-split body 23A corresponding to the main body block 39A, and half of the accommodating portion 41A (41) that accommodates the holder 20A (20) is recessed and communicates with half of the insertion recess 24A and half of the receiving portion 25A. The accommodating portion 41A is open on the top, bottom, and right surfaces of the runner body 19A, and a shaft hole 42A (42) for the holder 20A is recessed in the right end of the accommodating portion 41A.

[0043] A boss 43A (43) is provided on the lower surface of the right end of the rear half body 23A. In the first runner 8A arranged between the center rail 2C and the right side of the middle door panel 1C, a male thread formed on the pulley shaft 26A (26) is screwed into a female threaded hole formed as an upward recess in the boss 43A, and the pulley 27A (27) is journaled on the runner body 19A. The aforementioned rivet 36 is inserted into a connecting hole 44A (44) formed in the half body 23A corresponding to the connecting block 40A so as to penetrate vertically.

[0044] The holder 20A of the first runner 8A includes a first arm 47A (47) extending upward and to the left, a second arm 48A (48) extending leftward from the left end of the first arm 47A, a third arm 49A (49) extending downward from the left end of the second arm 48A, and a fourth arm 50A (50) extending leftward from the lower end of the third arm 49A. The swing shaft 28A (28) protrudes from the front and rear surfaces of the right end of the first arm 47A, and is journaled in the aforementioned shaft hole 42A, allowing the holder 20A to swing up and down within the storage section 41A. The depression spring 29A (29) that biases the holder 20A is disposed between the fourth arm 50A and the upper wall of the accommodation portion 41A, and downward swing of the holder 20A caused by the depression spring 29A is restricted by the second arm 48A being received by the lower wall of the accommodation portion 41A on the right side of the insertion recess 24A (see FIG. 11). In FIG. 5, the symbol 52A denotes a spring shaft that protrudes from the upper surface of the fourth arm 50 and prevents the depression spring 29 from shifting position.

[0045] The first runner 8A can be assembled by placing the retaining body 20A and the pressing spring 29A in the accommodation portion 41A of the rear half body 23A, placing the front half body 23A on top, and then fastening the two half bodies 23A together with fixing screws (not shown). As shown in Figures 7 and 8, when the first runner 8A is assembled, the insertion recess 24A is formed as a generally elliptical hole in bottom view, and the receiving portion 25A is formed recessed toward the left inside the insertion recess 24A. The lower surface of the receiving portion 25A is formed as a quarter-spherical concave spherical surface 53A (53) that matches the partial spherical surface on the lower surface of the expansion shaft portion 12, and a notch 54A (54) is formed in a portion of the concave spherical surface 53A near the insertion recess 24A (to the right) to avoid interference with the base shaft portion 11. The fourth arm 50A of the holder 20A of the assembled first runner 8A protrudes from the lower surface of the runner main body 19A.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, an upwardly recessed step 55A (55) is provided on the left underside of the second arm 48A of the holder 20A, and the right wall of the step 55A in the restricted position serves as a holding surface 31A (31) that contacts the expansion shaft portion 12 received by the receiving portion 25A and restricts the connecting shaft 7 from displacing toward the insertion recess 24A. In the restricted position, the holder 20A is arranged so that the right underside of the second arm 48A adjacent to the step 55A faces the insertion recess 24A, and the right underside of the second arm 48A facing the insertion recess 24A is held substantially horizontal (see FIG. 11). When the first runner 8A and the connecting shaft 7 are connected, the holder 20A is pushed upward by the connecting shaft 7 inserted into the insertion recess 24A, and its position is changed from the restricted position to the released position. At this time, because swing shaft 28A, which is the swing center of holder 20A, is disposed to the right of second arm 48A, when holder 20A is changed to the released position, the lower right surface of second arm 48A becomes a sloped surface that slopes upward to the left, with the left end higher than the right end (see FIG. 12(a)), and this sloped surface functions as guide surface 30A that guides connecting shaft 7 to move leftward along the sloped surface, i.e., from insertion recess 24A toward receiving portion 25A, which is recessed to the left. When connecting shaft 7 and first runner 8A are connected, swing shaft 28A of holder 20A and guide surface 30A are located at approximately the same height in the vertical direction.

[0047] In Fig. 1, the second runner 8B is disposed on the left end side (the other end side of the left and right) of the runner holder 35. As shown in Fig. 6, the runner body 19B (19) of the second runner 8B includes a main body block 39B (39) in which an insertion recess 24B (24) and a receiving portion 25B (25) are formed, and a connecting block 40B (40) formed integrally with the right side of the main body block 39B, and in the pair of half bodies 23B·23B (23·23), the portion corresponding to the main body block 39B is divided into front and rear parts, and the portion corresponding to the connecting block 40B is divided into top and bottom parts. Half of the insertion recess 24B (24) and half of the receiving portion 25B (25) are recessed on the joint surface of the half-split body 23B corresponding to the main body block 39B, and half of the accommodating portion 41B (41) that accommodates the holder 20B (20) is recessed and communicates with half of the insertion recess 24B and half of the receiving portion 25B. The accommodating portion 41B has openings on the top and bottom surfaces of the runner body 19B, and a shaft hole 42B (42) for the holder 20B is recessed in the right end of the accommodating portion 41B.

[0048] A boss 43B (43) is provided on the lower surface of the right end of the front half body 23B. In the second runner 8B arranged between the center rail 2C and the left side of the middle door panel 1C, a male thread formed on the pulley shaft 26B (26) is screwed into a female threaded hole formed as an upward recess in the boss 43B, and the pulley 27B (27) is journaled on the runner body 19B. The aforementioned rivet 36 is inserted into 44A (44) formed in a vertically penetrating shape in the half body 23B corresponding to the connecting block 40B.

[0049] The holder 20B of the second runner 8B includes a first arm 47B (47) extending downward and to the left, a second arm 48B (48) extending leftward from the left end of the first arm 47B, a third arm 49B (49) extending upward from the left end of the second arm 48B, and a fourth arm 50B (50) extending leftward from the upper end of the third arm 49B. The swing shaft 28B (28) protrudes from the front and rear surfaces of the right end of the first arm 47B, and is journaled in the aforementioned shaft hole 42B, allowing the holder 20B to swing up and down within the storage section 41B. The depression spring 29B (29) that biases the holder 20B is disposed between the second arm 48B and the upper wall of the accommodation portion 41B, and downward swing of the holder 20B caused by the depression spring 29B is restricted by the tip (left end) of the fourth arm 50B being received by the left wall surface of the accommodation portion 41B (see FIG. 11). In FIG. 6, the reference numeral 52B denotes a spring shaft that protrudes from the upper surface of the second arm 48B and prevents the depression spring 29B from shifting position.

[0050] The second runner 8B can be assembled by placing the retaining body 20B and the pressing spring 29B in the accommodation portion 41B of the rear half body 23B, placing the front half body 23B on top, and then fastening the two half bodies 23B together with fixing screws (not shown). As shown in Figures 7 and 9, when the second runner 8B is assembled, the insertion recess 24B is formed as a generally elliptical hole in bottom view, and the receiving portion 25B is formed recessed toward the left inside the insertion recess 24B. The lower surface of the receiving portion 25B is formed as a quadrant-shaped concave spherical surface 53B (53) that matches the partial spherical surface on the lower surface of the expansion shaft portion 12, and a notch 54B (54) is formed in a portion of the concave spherical surface 53B near the insertion recess 24B (to the right) to avoid interference with the base shaft portion 11. The second arm 48B of the holder 20B of the assembled second runner 8B projects from the lower surface of the runner main body 19B.

[0051] As shown in Figure 1, the lower left side of the fourth arm 50B of the holder 20B is provided with an upwardly recessed step 55B(55). In the restricted position, the right wall of the step 55B is a holding surface 31B(31) that contacts the expanding shaft portion 12 received by the receiving portion 25B and restricts the displacement of the connecting shaft 7 toward the insertion recess 24B. In the restricted position, the holder 20B is positioned so that the lower right side of the fourth arm 50B adjacent to the step 55B faces the insertion recess 24B. The lower right side of the fourth arm 50B facing the insertion recess 24B is held by an upward sloping surface where the right end is higher than the left end (see Figure 11). During the connection operation between the second runner 8B and the connecting shaft 7, the holder 20B is pushed upward by the connecting shaft 7 inserted into the insertion recess 24B, and its position changes from the restricted position to the released position. At this time, the pivot axis 28B, which is the pivot center of the holder 20B, is positioned to the right of the fourth arm 50B. Therefore, when the holder 20B changes its orientation to the released position, the lower right surface of the fourth arm 50B becomes an upward-sloping surface with the left end higher than the right end. This inclined surface functions as a guide surface 30B that guides the connecting shaft 7 in the leftward direction along the inclined surface, that is, towards the receiving portion 25B which is recessed to the left from the insertion recess 24B. When the connecting shaft 7 and the second runner 8B are connected, the pivot axis 28B of the holder 20B and the guide surface 30B are located at approximately the same height in the vertical direction.

[0052] The first runner 8A, which guides the middle door panel 1C, is connected to the runner holder 35 by inserting the connecting block 40A of the assembled first runner 8A into the right end of the runner holder 35 and fastening the two (connecting block 40A and runner holder 35) with rivets 36 through rivet holes 37 and connecting holes 44A. The second runner 8B, which guides the middle door panel 1C, is connected to the runner holder 35 by inserting the connecting block 40B of the assembled second runner 8B into the left end of the runner holder 35 and fastening the two (connecting block 40B and runner holder 35) with rivets 36 through rivet holes 37 and connecting holes 44B. In this way, the first runner 8A, the second runner 8B, and the runner holder 35 can be assembled together. Of these three integrated components (first runner 8A, second runner 8B, runner holder 35), a wire transmission body 57 is wound in a loop around the pulley 27A of the first runner 8A and the pulley 27B of the second runner 8B, as shown in Figure 7. A pair of front and rear connection pieces 58, 58 that are connected to the front and rear door panels 1A, 1B are attached to the wound transmission body 57.

[0053] The power transmission body 57 is formed into a loop shape with both ends fixed to one of the connecting pieces 58. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the connecting piece 58 is formed into an oval shape in a plan view, and a screw 59 for fixing the power transmission body 57 is provided near one end. The power transmission body 57 has a roughly middle portion wound around the screw 59 of the front connecting piece 58 (the connecting piece 58 connected to the front door panel 1A). The power transmission body 57 extending in two directions from the connecting piece 58 is wound around the pulleys 27A and 27B, respectively, and then both ends of the power transmission body 57 are fixed to the screw 59 of the rear connecting piece 58 (the connecting piece 58 connected to the rear door panel 1B). In this way, the power transmission body 57 is formed into a loop shape, and the connecting pieces 58 are respectively arranged on the front and rear straight portions 57S and 57S of the power transmission body 57 wound around the pulleys 27A and 27B.

[0054] As described above, the first runner 8A and the second runner 8B that make up a pair of left and right runner units 6 that guide the middle door panel 1C arranged between the front and rear door panels 1A and 1B are integrally formed with the runner holder 35, and by providing the integrated first runner 8A, second runner 8B and runner holder 35 with a pair of pulleys 27A and 27B, a transmission body 57 that is wound around both pulleys 27A and 27B, and a pair of connecting pieces 58 and 58, these integrated components are formed as a linked opening and closing unit 60 that links and opens and closes three (multiple) door panels 1A, 1B and 1C.

[0055] When the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 runs on the middle rail 2C, the bosses 43A and 43B of each runner body 19A and 19B are arranged in the rail opening portion of the middle rail 2C, and as shown in Figure 1, each pulley 27A and 27B, the transmission body 57 wound around both pulleys 27A and 27B, and the connecting pieces 58 and 58 attached to the transmission body 57 are arranged on the underside of the middle rail 2C and exposed to the outside of the guide rail 2.

[0056] 1, when the interlocking opening-closing unit 60 travels on the middle rail 2C, the fourth arm 50A of the holder 20A, which protrudes from the underside of the runner main body 19A, is configured to protrude downward from the rail opening in the middle rail 2C (guide rail 2). When the fourth arm 50A, which protrudes downward from the rail opening, is pushed upward toward the runner main body 19A, the holder 20A can be forcibly changed from the restricted position to the released position. This allows the connecting shaft 7 received by the receiving portion 25A to be displaced toward the insertion recess 24A, releasing the holding of the connecting shaft 7 by the first runner 8A. In this way, the fourth arm 50A of the holder 20A functions as a release piece 32A.

[0057] 1, when the interlocking opening-closing unit 60 travels on the middle rail 2C, the second arm 48B of the holder 20B, which protrudes from the underside of the runner main body 19B, is configured to protrude downward from the rail opening in the middle rail 2C (guide rail 2). When the second arm 48B, which protrudes downward from the rail opening, is pushed upward toward the runner main body 19B, the holder 20B can be forcibly changed from the restricted position to the released position. This allows the connecting shaft 7 received by the receiving portion 25B to be displaced toward the insertion recess 24B, releasing the holding of the connecting shaft 7 by the second runner 8B. In this way, the second arm 48B of the holder 20B functions as a release piece 32B.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 7 , the pulley 27A of the first runner 8A is disposed to the right (end side) of the runner body 19A relative to the insertion recess 24A, and the pulley 27B of the second runner 8B is disposed to the left (end side) of the runner body 19B relative to the insertion recess 24B. In this embodiment, the pulleys 27A and 27B are disposed so as to be located at the left and right ends of the interlocking opening and closing unit 60. Furthermore, the diameter D1 of each pulley 27A and 27B at the portion around which the power transmission body 57 is wound is larger than the maximum dimension of the expansion section 12 in a plan view. In other words, the distance in the front-to-rear direction between the front and rear straight portions 57S and 57S of the power transmission body 57 wound around the pulleys 27A and 27B is larger than the maximum dimension of the expansion section 12 in a plan view.

[0059] Because the first and second runners 8A and 8B are connected together by the runner holder 35, the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24A and 24B of the runners 8A and 8B is configured to match the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7 and 7. In addition, the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25A and 25B of the runners 8A and 8B is also configured to match the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7 and 7. In order to match the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7 and the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25A and 25B, as mentioned above, the receiving portions 25A and 25B of the first and second runners 8A and 8B are both recessed leftward. As a result, when connecting the runner units 6-6 in the middle door panel 1C, the connecting shafts 7-7 can be simultaneously inserted into the insertion recesses 24A-24B of the first and second runners 8A-8B, and the expanding shafts 12-12 can be simultaneously received by the receiving parts 25A-25B.

[0060] As shown in Figures 3 and 10, the runners 8 of the left and right runner units 6 arranged between the front door panel 1A and the front rail 2A, and between the rear door panel 1B and the rear rail 2B, are composed of first runners 8A without pulleys 27A. The first runner 8A arranged on the left side is attached to the front rail 2A and the rear rail 2B in an inverted state, and the two first runners 8A (8) are not connected and can run independently. The front connecting piece 58 of the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 is fixed with a fixing screw 61 to the boss 43A of the runner body 19A that constitutes the right runner unit 6 that guides the front door panel 1A, and is connected to the front door panel 1A via the first runner 8A. The rear connecting piece 58 of the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 is fixed with a fixing screw 61 to the boss 43A of the runner body 19A of the left runner unit 6 that guides the rear door panel 1B, and is connected to the door panel 1B via the first runner 8A.

[0061] The method of connecting the connecting shafts 7·7 and the runners 8·8 (8A·8B), that is, the method of hanging the door panels 1 (1A·1B·1C) onto the guide rails 2 (2A·2B·2C), will be explained with reference to Figures 11 and 12. When hanging the door panels onto the guide rails 2, the middle door panel 1C is hung first, followed by the front door panel 1A and the rear door panel 1B. It does not matter which of the front door panel 1A and the rear door panel 1B is hung first. Before the hanging operation, check that the connecting pieces 58·58 of the interlocking opening and closing unit 60 are connected to the first right runner 8A running inside the front rail 2A and the first left runner 8A running inside the rear rail 2B. If they are not connected, the front connecting piece 58 is fastened to the first runner 8A that constitutes the runner unit 6 on the right side of the front door panel 1A with a fixing screw 61, and similarly, the rear connecting piece 58 is fastened to the first runner 8A that constitutes the runner unit 6 on the left side of the rear door panel 1B with a fixing screw 61.

[0062] First, as shown in Figure 11, the middle door panel 1C is raised and the pair of left and right connecting shafts 7·7 are positioned directly below the insertion recesses 24A·24B of the first and second runners 8A·8B. At this time, the insertion recesses 24A·24B in the upper middle rail 2C and the connecting shafts 7·7 protruding from the top surface of the middle door panel 1C are easily visible even when the middle door panel 1C is being supported, making it easy to adjust the position of the middle door panel 1C. Next, when the middle door panel 1C is pushed up toward the guide rail 2, the connecting shafts 7·7 are inserted into the insertion recesses 24A·24B, and then the expansion shafts 12·12 come into contact with the guide surfaces 30A·30B of the holders 20A·20B in the restricted position, pushing up the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 along with the middle door panel 1C. It should be noted that the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 is only pushed up by the gap between the upper end of the roller 18 and the inner surface of the guide rail 2, and since this gap is small, it does not move appreciably.

[0063] When the middle door panel 1C is further pushed up, as shown in Figure 12(a), the rollers 18, 18 of both runners 8A, 8B are received by the upper wall of the middle rail 2C, and then the holders 20A, 20B change position from the restricting position to the upper released position, allowing the expansion shaft portions 12, 12 to displace from the insertion recesses 24A, 24B to the receiving portions 25A, 25B. At this time, the guide surfaces 30A, 30B of the holders 20A, 20B, which have been changed to the released position, switch to slopes that rise up to the left, and the middle door panel 1C being pushed up is displaced to the left along the guide surfaces 30A, 30B, which are slopes that rise up to the left (first stage).

[0064] As the middle door panel 1C moves leftward, it slides toward the receiving portions 25A and 25B, and the connecting shafts 7 and 7, with their expansion portions 12 and 12 displaced to the positions of the step portions 55A and 55B, move away from the guide surfaces 30A and 30B, and are received on the upper surfaces of the step portions 55A and 55B, as shown in Figure 12(b). The right side surfaces of the expansion portions 12 and 12 come into contact with the respective retaining surfaces 31A and 31B (second stage). Finally, when the pushing-up operation of the middle door panel 1C is released, the middle door panel 1C descends, and the retaining bodies 20A and 20B change position from the release position to the lower, restricting position. While maintaining contact between the retaining surfaces 31A and 31B and the expansion portions 12 and 12, the lower surfaces of the expansion portions 12 and 12 come into contact with the concave spherical surfaces 53A and 53B of the receiving portions 25A and 25B. As a result, the expansion shaft portions 12·12 are held in position by the receiving portions 25A·25B and the retaining surfaces 31A·31B, and the connecting shafts 7·7 are connected to the first and second runners 8A·8B, completing the hanging operation of the middle door panel 1C. Furthermore, when the undersides of the expansion shaft portions 12·12 come into direct contact with the concave spherical surfaces 53A·53B due to the left and right movement of the runners 8A·8B, the position of each retaining body 20A·20B changes from the released position to the lower restricted position at the same time as the contact, without the need to lower the middle door panel 1C, and the connecting shafts 7·7 are connected to the first and second runners 8A·8B.

[0065] The method for hanging the front door panel 1A and rear door panel 1B is basically the same as for the middle door panel 1C, and is a simple operation of simply pushing up the door panel 1 (1A / 1B) toward the guide rail 2. The movement during hanging is the same as that of the runner unit 6 on the right side of the middle door panel 1C. However, since the first runners 8A / 8A of the front door panel 1A and the first runners 8A / 8A of the rear door panel 1B are not connected to each other, the left and right runner units 6 / 6 can be connected simultaneously or individually.

[0066] When the door panels 1A, 1B, and 1C are lowered, the three door panels 1A, 1B, and 1C are configured as interlocking sliding doors by the interlocking opening and closing unit 60. When the front door panel 1A, which is in the closed position shown in Figure 2, is slid to the right, the middle door panel 1C can be opened together with the front door panel 1A. Conversely, when the front door panel 1A, which is in the open position, is slid to the left, the middle door panel 1C can be closed together with the front door panel 1A.

[0067] When performing maintenance on the interlocking opening / closing unit 60 or the runner 8, the door panels 1 (1A, 1B, 1C) are removed from the guide rails 2 (2A, 2B, 2C). When removing the door panels 1, the front door panel 1A and the rear door panel 1B are removed first, followed by the middle door panel 1C. It does not matter which of the front door panel 1A and the rear door panel 1B is removed first.

[0068] To remove the front door panel 1A, first separate one of the left and right runner units 6·6 of the front door panel 1A. For example, to disconnect the right runner unit 6 first, first insert a tool such as a screwdriver between the release piece 32A and the top surface of the front door panel 1A and push the release piece 32A upward. This releases the retention of the side of the expansion shaft portion 12 by the retaining surface 31A of the retaining body 20A, allowing the connecting shaft 7 to move toward the insertion recess 24A. At this time, if the side of the front door panel 1A to be removed is slightly lifted, the front door panel 1A will not suddenly fall.

[0069] Next, while holding up the release piece 32A, the front door panel 1A is slid to the right, causing the connecting shaft 7 to displace from the receiving portion 25A towards the insertion recess 24A. In this state, lowering the front door panel 1A allows the connecting shaft 7 to be removed from the insertion recess 24A, releasing the connection between the connecting shaft 7 and the first runner 8A, and separating the runner unit 6. On the left side of the runner unit 6, the orientation of the first runner 8A is reversed, so by holding up the release piece 32A and sliding the front door panel 1A to the left, the runner unit 6 can be separated, completing the removal of the front door panel 1A. The rear door panel 1B can be removed using the same procedure as the front door panel 1A.

[0070] When removing the middle door panel 1C, it is necessary to slide the middle door panel 1C relative to the interlocking opening / closing unit 60, just as with the front and rear door panels 1A and 1B. However, since the first and second runners 8A and 8B are connected by the runner holder 35, the displacement restriction of the connecting shafts 7 and 7 by the left and right retainers 20A and 20B must both be released before the middle door panel 1C can be slid relative to the interlocking opening / closing unit 60. Therefore, when working alone, first, insert a tool such as a screwdriver between the release piece 32A of the right runner unit 6 and the middle door panel 1C to push the release piece 32A upward, and then, in this state, insert a spacer between the release piece 32A and the middle door panel 1C to maintain the release position of the retainer 20A. Note that even if one of the retainers 20A is in the release position, the middle door panel 1C cannot slide relative to the interlocking opening / closing unit 60, so the middle door panel 1C will not fall suddenly.

[0071] Next, while supporting the middle door panel 1C, insert a tool such as a screwdriver between the release piece 32B of the left runner unit 6 and the middle door panel 1C to push the release piece 32B upward and change the position of the holder 20B to the release position. This releases the restriction on the displacement of the connecting shafts 7 and 7 by the left and right holders 20A and 20B, as shown in Figure 13, allowing the middle door panel 1C to slide to the right, releasing the connection between the connecting shaft 7 and the first runner 8A and the connecting shaft 7 and the second runner 8B, respectively, and separating the runner units 6 and 6. Because removal by one person requires additional effort, it is preferable to perform the removal of the middle door panel 1C with two people, as this allows for safer removal of the middle door panel 1C.

[0072] As described above, with the runner unit 6 of this embodiment, the door panel 1 (1A, 1B, 1C) can be hung up simply by raising the door panel 1 and aligning the connecting shaft 7 with the insertion recess 24, then pushing the door panel 1 up toward the runner 8. With the connecting shaft 7 inserted into the insertion recess 24, the door panel 1 can be connected to the connecting shaft 7 and the runner 8, and the door panel 1 can be hung up simply by operating the door panel 1 so that the expanding shaft portion 12 is displaced toward the receiving portion 25. Furthermore, since there is no need to operate the door roller side (runner 8 side) as in conventional hanging operations, even a single worker can perform the hanging operation by firmly supporting the door panel 1 with both hands. Therefore, with the runner unit 6 of this embodiment, the door panel 1 can be connected to the connecting shaft 7 and the runner 8 simply by operating the door panel 1, and the door panel 1 can be hung up easily and quickly. Furthermore, the entire process can be performed safely without any instability.

[0073] Since a biasing member 29 is provided between the runner main body 19 and the holder 20 to bias the holder 20 downward toward the restricted position, when the connecting shaft 7 and the runner 8 are connected, the holder 20 can be reliably held in the restricted position even if vibrations or the like occur due to the movement of the runner 8. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the door panel 1 from falling off the runner 8 due to the holder 20 unnecessarily releasing the positional holding of the connecting shaft 7 during the opening and closing operation of the door panel 1.

[0074] The shaft expansion part 12 inserted into the insertion recess 24 comes into contact with the underside of the holder 20 facing the insertion recess 24, and a guide surface 30 is provided to guide the connecting shaft 7 toward the receiving part 25, so that when hanging the door panel 1, the connecting shaft 7, which has been guided by the guide surface 30, can be displaced toward the receiving part 25 simply by pushing up the door panel 1. Therefore, the hanging work of the door panel 1 can be done more quickly and with less effort.

[0075] The retaining surface 31 of the retaining body 20 is provided continuously upward from the guiding end of the guide surface 30, so that when the connecting shaft 7, which is guided by the guide surface 30, is displaced toward the receiving portion 25 and the retaining body 20 changes its position from the release position to the restricting position, the side of the shaft expansion portion 12 can come into contact with the retaining surface 31. Therefore, the contact portion of the shaft expansion portion 12 during the hanging operation can be smoothly shifted from the guide surface 30 to the retaining surface 31, which eliminates unnecessary rattle during the hanging operation, smoothing the hanging operation of the door panel 1 and preventing the operation from becoming unstable.

[0076] The release piece 32 provided on the runner 8, which changes the position of the holder 20 from the restricted position to the released position, is formed integrally with the holder 20 and protrudes downward from the underside of the guide rail 2, so that the holder 20 can be put into the released position by a simple operation of simply pushing in the release piece 32 protruding from the guide rail 2. Therefore, the position of the connecting shaft 7 held by the holder 20 can be released, and the shaft expansion portion 12 can be removed through the mounting recess 24 to separate the runner 8 and the connecting shaft 7, facilitating the removal of the door panel 1. Furthermore, there is no need to provide a separate dedicated structure for changing the position of the holder 20, and the runner unit 6 can be simplified and made smaller without increasing the complexity, size, or cost of the runner 8.

[0077] The underside of the expansion shaft portion 12 that is received by the receiving portion 25 is formed in a partially spherical shape with the center of the sphere positioned on the axis of the base shaft portion 11, so even when the connecting shaft 7 rotates around its axis, the shape of the underside of the expansion shaft portion 12 remains constant, so the connecting shaft 7 can be installed on the door panel 1 without having to worry about the posture of the connecting shaft 7 around its axis relative to the door panel 1. Furthermore, even in an embodiment where the hanging height of the door panel 1 can be adjusted by rotating the connecting shaft 7, the connecting shaft 7 and runner 8 can be connected without any problems.

[0078] Furthermore, since the interlocking opening and closing unit 60 of this embodiment is configured to include the above-mentioned runner units 6-6, in an interlocking sliding door configured to include a plurality of door panels 1A-1B-1C and the interlocking opening and closing unit 60, the middle door panel 1C can be easily and quickly hung onto the interlocking opening and closing unit 60, thereby saving the effort of hanging the interlocking sliding door. Also, there is excellent safety in that the hanging work does not become unstable.

[0079] The direction in which the receiving portion 25A (25) recessed within the insertion recess 24A (24) of the first runner 8A (8) is formed is the same as the direction in which the receiving portion 25B (25) recessed within the insertion recess 24B (24) of the second runner 8B (8). Furthermore, the distance (L1) between the axial centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7, the distance (L2) between the insertion recesses 24A (24) and 24B (24) formed in the left and right first and second runners 8A (8) and 8B (8) and the distance (L3) between the receiving portions 25A (25) and 25B (25) are configured to match. Therefore, the connecting shafts 7, 7 can be connected to the first runner 8A and the second runner 8B without changing the relative distance between the first runner 8A and the second runner 8B, which are connected by the runner holder 35. Therefore, with the interlocking opening / closing unit 60, which has all its components except the connecting shafts 7 and 7 integrated, attached to the guide rail 2, the connecting shafts 7 and 7 can be connected to the first and second runners 8A and 8B.

[0080] Contrary to the configuration of this embodiment, if the receiving portions 25·25 were formed in opposite directions on the left and right runners 8·8 (both the left and right runners 8·8 were configured as first runners 8A or second runners 8B), then, relative to the distance L1 between the axis centers of the connecting shafts 7·7, only one of the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24·24 or the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25·25 would match the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7·7. Therefore, when the connecting shafts 7·7 and the runners 8·8 are connected, it is necessary to change the relative distance between the runners 8·8 connected by the runner holder 35. Specifically, when the connecting shafts 7·7 are inserted into the insertion recesses 24·24, the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24·24 must match the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7·7, and when the receiving portions 25·25 receive the shaft expansion portions 12·12, the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25·25 must match the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7·7. Furthermore, when the runner units 6·6 are connected, the relative distance between the left and right pulleys 27·27 changes, and as a result, the relative distance between the left and right pulleys 27·27 also changes, so the power transmission body 57 cannot be wrapped around the left and right pulleys 27·27.

[0081] Since the pulleys 27A(27) and 27B(27) of each runner 8A(8) and 8B(8) are arranged closer to the tip of each runner main body 19A(19) and 19B(19) than the insertion recesses 24A(24) and 24B(24), each pulley 27A and 27B can be arranged in close proximity to the left and right ends of the interlocking opening and closing unit 60. As a result, compared to when each pulley 27A and 27B is arranged closer to the runner holder 35 of each runner main body 19A and 19B than the insertion recesses 24A and 24B, the connecting pieces 58 and 58 provided on the straight portions 57S and 57S of the transmission body 57 can be arranged closer to the end of the interlocking opening and closing unit 60, and the overlap between the front door panel 1A and the middle door panel 1C, and the rear door panel 1B and the middle door panel 1C, which are adjacent in the front and rear directions, can be reduced by the amount that the connecting pieces 58 and 58 are closer to the end of the interlocking opening and closing unit 60.

[0082] The diameter (D1) of each pulley 27A (27) and 27B (27) at the portion around which the power transmission body 57 is wound is made larger than the maximum dimension of the expansion shaft portion 12 in a plan view. Therefore, the spacing between the power transmission body 57 passing through the front and rear of the lower portion of the insertion recesses 24A and 24B is made larger than the maximum dimension of the expansion shaft portion 12, preventing the power transmission body 57 from coming into contact with the expansion shaft portion 12 when the connecting shafts 7 are inserted into the insertion recesses 24A and 24B. Therefore, the work of hanging the middle door panel 1C can be performed quickly without worrying about the power transmission body 57. Furthermore, cutting of the power transmission body 57 due to contact between the expansion shaft portion 12 and the power transmission body 57 can be prevented.

[0083] Second Embodiment Figure 14 shows a second embodiment of the runner unit according to the present invention and an interlocking opening and closing unit including said unit. This embodiment is another embodiment of the interlocking opening and closing unit 60, which differs from the first embodiment in that both the left and right runners 8·8 in the interlocking opening and closing unit 60 are composed of first runners 8·8A·8A.

[0084] In the interlocking opening / closing unit 60, when the first runners 8A are provided on the left and right sides, the orientation of the receiving portions 25A relative to the insertion recesses 24A differs between the left and right first runners 8A. Therefore, when the distance L1 between the axial centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7 and the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25A formed on the left and right first runners 8A are aligned, the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24A formed on the left and right first runners 8A is greater than the distance L1. Therefore, when hoisting, the distance L2 must be aligned with the distance L1 between the axial centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7. In this embodiment, the first runner 8A constituting the right-side runner unit 6 is configured to be displaceable laterally relative to the runner holder 35. The first runner 8A constituting the left-side runner unit 6 may also be configured to be displaceable laterally relative to the runner holder 35.

[0085] Specifically, an extension / contraction structure 63 is provided that allows the first runner 8A on the right side of the runner holder 35 to be displaced between a receiving position where the axis-to-axis distance L1 and the distance L3 coincide, and an insertion position where the axis-to-axis distance L1 and the distance L2 coincide. The extension / contraction structure 63 is made up of the runner holder 35, a connecting block 40A of the runner body 19A that is inserted into the runner holder 35, a rivet 36 for fastening the first runner 8A to the runner holder 35, a spring seat 65 formed by bending inward the upper and lower walls of a square pipe that constitutes the runner holder 35, and a compression coil-type extrusion spring 66 that is provided between the spring seat 65 and the connecting block 40A and biases the first runner 8A inserted into the runner holder 35 in the direction of extrusion.

[0086] The rivet hole 37 on the right side of the runner holder 35 is formed as an elongated hole that is long from left to right, and the runner holder 35 can slide to the left or right by the amount that the rivet hole 37 can move. In the normal state, the first runner 8A is biased to the right by the extrusion spring 66, and the rivet 36 is received at the right end of the rivet hole 37, and the right first runner 8A is in the receiving position. In this state, the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25A-25A of the left and right first runners 8A-8A is the same as the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7-7, and the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24A-24A of the left and right first runners 8A-8A is greater than the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7-7.

[0087] When the right-side first runner 8A is moved to the left, or displaced closer to the runner holder 35, against the biasing force of the extrusion spring 66, from the receiving position, the right-side first runner 8A is displaced to the insertion position. In this state, the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24A-24A of the left and right first runners 8A-8A is reduced, and this distance L2 coincides with the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7-7. When the operating force that displaced the first runner 8A closer to the runner is released, the biasing force of the extrusion spring 66 causes the first runner 8A to return to the receiving position.

[0088] When suspending the middle door panel 1C, pushing the right-side first runner 8A against the biasing force of the push-out spring 66 allows the right-side first runner 8A to retract (proximity displacement) relative to the runner holder 35. When the right-side first runner 8A is retracted, the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7-7 can be made to match the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24A-24A formed on the left and right first runners 8A-8A. While maintaining the pushing operation of the first runners 8A, the middle door panel 1C is raised, and the pair of left and right connecting shafts 7-7 are positioned directly below the insertion recesses 24A-24A of each first runner 8A-8A. When the middle door panel 1C is pushed upward toward the guide rail 2, the connecting shafts 7-7 can be inserted into the insertion recesses 24A-24A of each first runner 8A-8A.

[0089] Furthermore, when the middle door panel 1C is pushed up and the holders 20A-20A are changed to the released position, the pushing operation of the first runner 8A is released. The biasing force of the push-out spring 66 widens the relative distance between the left and right first runners 8A-8A, causing the receiving parts 25A-25A to be displaced toward the expanding shaft parts 12-12, thus transitioning to the second stage of the lifting operation described earlier. Finally, when the pushing operation of the middle door panel 1C is released, as the middle door panel 1C descends, each holder 20A-20A changes position from the released position to the lower restricting position, and while the contact between the holding surfaces 31A-31A and the expanding shaft parts 12-12 is maintained, the lower surfaces of the expanding shaft parts 12-12 come into contact with the concave spherical surfaces 53A-53A of the receiving parts 25A-25A. As a result, the expansion shafts 12-12 are held in place by the receiving parts 25A-25A and the holding surfaces 31A-31A, and the connecting shafts 7-7 are connected to both first runners 8A-8A, completing the lifting operation of the middle door panel 1C. In addition, if the lower surface of the expansion shafts 12-12 comes into direct contact with the concave spherical surfaces 53A-53A due to the left-right movement of the runners 8A-8A, the holding bodies 20A-20B change their position from the released position to the lower restricting position simultaneously with the contact, without lowering the middle door panel 1C, and the connecting shafts 7-7 are connected to both first runners 8A-8A.

[0090] To remove the middle door panel 1C, simply change the positions of both retaining bodies 20A to the release position, and then push in the first runner 8A on the right side against the biasing force of the push-out spring 66. The other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment, so the same members are given the same reference numerals and their explanations will be omitted.

[0091] During the above suspension operation, the pair of first runners 8A-8A are operated in a direction that brings them closer together, so even if the transmission body 57 is wrapped around both pulleys 27A-27A, the pushing operation can be performed without any problems. However, care must be taken to prevent the transmission body 57 from falling off each pulley 27A-27A, and it is advisable to secure each pulley 27A and the transmission body 57 with adhesive tape or the like to prevent the transmission body 57 from falling off.

[0092] In this embodiment, first runners 8A·8A of the same configuration are provided on the left and right sides of the runner holder 35, so there is no need to prepare two types of runners 8 with different configurations, which helps to reduce the cost increase of the entire interlocking opening-closing unit 60. Furthermore, because the left and right runners 8·8 are configured with the first runners 8A, there is no risk of incorrectly assembling the left and right runners 8·8 to the runner holder 35, and the effort required to assembling the interlocking opening-closing unit 60 can be reduced. In addition, the telescopic structure 63 allows the runners 8 to move closer or farther apart relative to the runner holder 35 between an insertion position where the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7·7 coincides with the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24·24 of the left and right runners 8·8, and a receiving position where the distance L1 between the axis centers of the left and right connecting shafts 7·7 coincides with the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25·25 of the left and right runners 8·8.This means that during the lifting operation, both connecting shafts 7·7 can be inserted into both insertion recesses 24·24 at the same time, and both connecting shafts 7·7 can be received by both receiving portions 25·25 to connect the runners 8 and connecting shafts 7. In addition, the connecting shafts 7·7 can also be inserted into the insertion recesses 24A·24A of the first runners 8A·8A using a hanging method in which the connecting shaft 7 is first connected to one of the left or right first runners 8A, the remaining first runner 8A is retracted from the runner holder 35, and then the connecting shaft 7 is connected.

[0093] Conversely to the above, the left and right runners 8·8 in the interlocking opening and closing unit 60 can be configured as second runners 8B·8B, and either one, for example the second runner 8B constituting the right runner unit 6, can be pulled out (displaced apart) relative to the runner holder 35. In this case, the pair of first runners 8B·8B must be operated in a direction to increase the relative distance between them, and therefore cannot be pulled out while the transmission body 57 is wound around both pulleys 27A·27A, so the extra step of removing the transmission body 57 is required for the lifting operation.

[0094] (Third embodiment) Figure 15 shows a third embodiment of the runner unit and the interlocking opening and closing unit equipped with said unit according to the present invention. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the fixing method of the connecting shaft 7 provided on the door panel 1 (1A, 1B, 1C) is changed.

[0095] The connecting shaft 7 is configured as a connecting shaft unit 70, which includes a holder case 71 that is mounted and fixed in mounting recesses formed in the upper left and right corners of the door panel 1 (1A, 1B, 1C), and a shaft holder 72 that is detachably mounted on the holder case 71. The shaft holder 72 includes a base holder block 73, a lock pin 75 that engages with a lock recess 74 of the holder case 71, a release lever 76 for unlocking the lock pin 75, and an adjustment shaft 77 that is rotatably supported by the shaft holder 72.

[0096] The connecting shaft 7 is inserted downward from the upper surface of the shaft holder 72 so as to allow vertical movement but not relative rotation, and a height adjustment nut 78 is screwed onto the male threaded portion 13 of its base shaft portion 11. The holder block 73 is supported on the upper surface of the height adjustment nut 78 and suspended from the connecting shaft 7. When the shaft holder 72 is mounted on the holder case 71, the lock pin 75 engages with the lock recess 74, allowing the holder case 71 and the shaft holder 72 to be integrated, and by mounting the shaft holder 72 on the holder case 71, the connecting shaft 7 can be provided on the door panels 1A, 1B, and 1C.

[0097] A rotary transmission structure 79 consisting of a pair of bevel gears is provided between the adjustment shaft 77 and the height adjustment nut 78, which transmits the rotation of the adjustment shaft 77 to the height adjustment nut 78. When the adjustment shaft 77 is rotated, the screw-in position of the adjustment nut 78 relative to the male threaded portion 13 moves up and down. This allows the protrusion dimension of the connecting shaft 7 that protrudes upward from the holder block 73 to be changed, and thus the protrusion dimension of the connecting shaft 7 that protrudes from the door panel 1 can be adjusted.

[0098] (Fourth embodiment) Figure 16 shows a fourth embodiment of a runner unit according to the present invention and an interlocking opening / closing unit including said unit. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the left-side connecting shaft 7 (one of the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7) provided on the door panel 1C(1) is provided so as to be slidable in the left-right direction. The left-side connecting shaft 7 is threaded into a cylindrical nut body 14 having a flange wall 82 formed at the center of the top and bottom, and the nut body 14 is supported so as to be slidable in the left-right direction by a slide case 83 embedded and fixed in the door panel 1C. The slide case 83 is configured in a front and rear half split shape, and a support groove 84 is recessed into its inner surface to receive the flange wall 82 and slide and guide the nut body 14. Note that the connecting shaft 7 that can slide left and right may be on the right side.

[0099] After aligning the flange wall 82 and the support groove 84, the nut body 14 is sandwiched between the split slide case 83 and fixed to the fixing hole 85 recessed in the door panel 1C, so that the nut body 14 is attached to the door panel 1C in a state where it can slide left and right. By screwing the connecting shaft 7 with the fixing nut 15 threadedly engaged into the nut body 14 attached to the door panel 1C, the connecting shaft 7 is attached to the door panel 1C in a state where it can slide left and right.

[0100] In the first embodiment, the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7 was configured to match the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24A and 24B formed in the first and second runners 8A and 8B, and the distance L3 between the receiving portions 25A and 25B. Therefore, the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7 had to be inserted into the insertion recesses 24A and 24B simultaneously. Therefore, in this embodiment, the nut body 14 is slid left and right to change the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7. For example, the left connecting shaft 7 can be inserted into the insertion recess 24A and the receiving portion 25A receives the expansion shaft portion 12. Then, the right connecting shaft 7 can be inserted into the insertion recess 24B and the receiving portion 25B receives the expansion shaft portion 12, thereby suspending the door panel 1C. Conversely, the right connecting shaft 7 may be inserted first.

[0101] In this way, the connecting shafts 7, 7 are provided so that the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7 can be changed, so when hanging up the door panel 1C, there is no need to lift up the entire door panel 1C, and the hanging up work of the door panel 1C can be carried out by lifting up either the left or right side of the door panel 1C. However, if the distance L1 between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts 7, 7 is made to match the distance L2 between the insertion recesses 24A, 24B, it is also possible to lift up the entire door panel 1C and hang it up.

[0102] In addition to the above, the expansion shaft portion 12 does not have to be hemispherical, and may be formed in a circular sphere, an oval sphere, or a rectangular parallelepiped shape, as long as it has a larger diameter than the base shaft portion 11 in a plan view and can be received by the receiving portion 25. The base shaft portion 11 may be a shaft with a polygonal cross section. The runners 8 that make up the left and right runner units 6·6 of the front door panel 1A and the rear door panel 1B can also be composed of second runners 8B. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1 Door Panel 1A Front Door Panel 1B Rear door panel 1C Middle Door Panel 2 guide rails 6 Runner Units 7 Connecting shaft 8 Runners 8A First Runner 8B 2nd runner 11. Base part 12 Expanded shaft part 19 (19A / 19B) Runner body 20 Holder 24 (24A, 24B) Insertion recess 25(25A・25B) Reception part 27 (27A / 27B) Pulley 28. Oscillating axis 29. Biasing element (biasing spring) 30 Guide surface 31 Holding surface 32 Release piece 35 Runner Holder 57 Power Transmission Body 57S Straight section of transmission body 58 Connection piece 63 Telescopic structure L1 Distance between the shaft centers of the left and right connecting shafts L2: The distance between the insertion recesses formed on the first and second runners on the left and right L3: Distance between the receiving parts formed on the first and second runners on the left and right D1 Pulley diameter

Claims

1. A runner unit is disposed between a guide rail (2) extending left and right above the door panel (1) and guides the door panel (1) along the guide rail (2), The door panel (1) includes a connecting shaft (7) protruding from the upper end thereof, and a runner (8) that can run along the guide rail (2) while detachably holding the connecting shaft (7). The connecting shaft (7) has a base shaft portion (11) extending upward from the top surface of the door panel (1) and an expansion shaft portion (12) provided at the upper end of the base shaft portion (11) and extending outward in the horizontal direction; The runner (8) includes a runner body (19) that holds the connecting shaft (7) and a holder (20) that restricts displacement of the connecting shaft (7) held by the runner body (19), The runner body (19) has an insertion recess (24) formed upward from the underside, into which the connecting shaft (7) is inserted from below, and a receiving portion (25) formed recessed to the left or right inside the insertion recess (24) to receive the expanding portion (12) of the connecting shaft (7) from below, The retaining body (20) is supported by the runner body (19) so as to be movable up and down between a lower restricting position in which the expansion portion (12) is restricted from being displaced in the left-right direction between the insertion recess (24) and the receiving portion (25) and an upper releasing position in which the expansion portion (12) is permitted to be displaced in the left-right direction between the insertion recess (24) and the receiving portion (25), and is in the restricting position in the normal state. The runner unit is configured such that, by inserting the connecting shaft (7) into the insertion recess (24), the holder (20) changes its position from the restricting position to the releasing position, the shaft expansion section (12) is displaced from the insertion recess (24) to the receiving section (25), and the displaced shaft expansion section (12) is received by the receiving section (25), thereby changing the position of the holder (20) from the releasing position to the restricting position, and with the shaft expansion section (12) received by the receiving section (25), the connecting shaft (7) is held in position by the holder (20) which has been changed to the restricting position, thereby connecting the connecting shaft (7) and the runner (8).

2. The holding body (20) is supported so as to be able to swing up and down around a swing shaft (28) which is a horizontal shaft while crossing the insertion recess (24), 2. The runner unit according to claim 1, wherein a biasing member (29) is provided between the runner body (19) and the holder (20) to bias the holder (20) downward toward the regulated position.

3. A runner unit as described in claim 2, wherein a guide surface (30) is provided on the underside of the retaining body (20) facing the insertion recess (24), against which the expansion portion (12) inserted into the insertion recess (24) comes into contact, thereby guiding the connecting shaft (7) to be displaced toward the receiving portion (25).

4. The holding body (20) has a holding surface (31) that comes into contact laterally with the expanding shaft portion (12) received by the receiving portion (25) in the restricted position, 4. A runner unit according to claim 3, wherein the holding surface (31) is provided continuously upward from the guide end of the guide surface (30).

5. The runner (8) is provided with a release piece (32) that changes the position of the holding body (20) from a restricting position to a releasing position by being pushed toward the runner body (19), 5. A runner unit according to claim 1, wherein the release piece (32) is formed integrally with the holding body (20) and protrudes downward from the lower surface of the guide rail (2).

6. A runner unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the underside of the expansion portion (12) received by the receiving portion (25) is formed in a partially spherical shape with the center of the sphere aligned with the axis of the base shaft (11).

7. A linked opening and closing unit that allows a front door panel (1A), a rear door panel (1B), and a middle door panel (1C) guided along a guide rail (2) to be linked and opened and closed, A runner unit (6, 6) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, which is provided between the guide rail (2) and the upper left and right sides of the middle door panel (1C); a runner holder (35) provided between a pair of runners (8, 8) constituting the left and right runner units (6, 6) and connecting both runners (8, 8) so that they can run together; Pulleys (27, 27) are provided on the runner bodies (19, 19) of the left and right runners (8, 8) so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis; A transmission body (57) wound in a loop shape around the left and right pulleys (27, 27), This interlocking opening and closing unit is characterized by having front and rear connecting pieces (58, 58) that are provided on the front and rear straight portions (57S, 57S) of the transmission body (57) wound in a loop shape and are connected to the front door panel (1A) and the rear door panel (1B), respectively.

8. The runners (8) include a first runner (8A) arranged at one left or right end of the runner holder (35) and a second runner (8B) arranged at the other left or right end of the runner holder (35), the formation direction of the receiving portion (25A(25)) recessed and formed inside the insertion recess (24A(24)) of the first runner (8A(8)) and the formation direction of the receiving portion (25B(25)) recessed and formed inside the insertion recess (24B(24)) of the second runner (8B(8)) are set to the same direction; The interlocking opening and closing unit according to claim 7, wherein the distance (L1) between the axial centers of the left and right connecting shafts (7, 7) is configured to match the distance (L2) between the insertion recesses (24A (24) and 24B (24)) formed in the left and right first and second runners (8A (8) and 8B (8)) and the distance (L3) between the receiving portions (25A (25) and 25B (25)).

9. Runners (8) of the same configuration are provided on the left and right sides of the runner holder (35) in opposite positions, and the receiving portions (25) formed as recesses inside the insertion recesses (24) of each runner (8) are formed in opposite directions to each other. When the distance between the axes of the left and right connecting shafts (7, 7) is defined as (L1), the distance between the insertion recesses (24, 24) of the left and right runners (8, 8) is defined as (L2), and the distance between the receiving portions (25, 25) of the left and right runners (8, 8) is defined as (L3), 8. The interlocking opening and closing unit according to claim 7, wherein an extension and contraction structure (63) is provided at a receiving position where the center-to-center distance (L1) and the distance (L3) coincide, and at an insertion position where the center-to-center distance (L1) and the distance (L2) coincide, so that the runner (8) can be displaced away from or toward the runner holder (35).

10. A linked opening and closing unit as described in any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the pulleys (27A (27) and 27B (27)) provided on each runner (8A (8) and 8B (8)) are arranged closer to the tip of each runner body (19A (19) and 19B (19)) than the insertion recesses (24A (24) and 24B (24)).

11. The interlocking opening and closing unit according to claim 10, wherein the diameter dimension (D1) of each pulley (27A (27) and 27B (27)) at the portion around which the transmission body (57) is wound is formed larger than the maximum dimension of the expansion shaft portion (12) in a plan view.

Images