Vehicle door opening and closing apparatus

1. A vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body having a door frame defining a door aperture;

a vehicle door;

a rail mounted on the vehicle body;

a roller unit mounted on the vehicle door and configured to move along the rail and allow the vehicle door to open and close in a sliding mode and a swing mode;

a center rail extending from an edge of the door aperture; and

a center roller unit including rollers configured to be guided along the center rail, a roller bracket having the rollers mounted thereon, a roller-side hinge element connected to the roller bracket, and a door-side hinge element rotatably connected to the roller-side hinge element, wherein the roller-side hinge element and the door-side hinge element are releasably connected, wherein the roller-side hinge element is configured to be releasably connected to the door frame by a grip unit.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the grip unit includes a housing fixed to the door frame, a first grip member pivotally mounted on the housing, and a second grip member pivotally mounted on the housing; and

the first grip member and the second grip member are spaced apart from each other and arranged to face each other.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein:

the first grip member is biased toward a center of the housing by a first biasing element; and

the second grip member is biased toward the center of the housing by a second biasing element.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the grip unit includes a housing fixed to the door frame, a first grip member slidably mounted on the housing, and a second grip member slidably mounted on the housing; and

the first grip member and the second grip member are spaced apart from each other and arranged to face each other.

5. The vehicle according to claim 4 , wherein:

the first grip member is biased toward a center of the housing by a first biasing element; and

the second grip member is biased toward the center of the housing by a second biasing element.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the grip unit includes a housing fixed to the door frame, a first grip member fixedly mounted on the housing, and a second grip member fixedly mounted on the housing;

the first grip member and the second grip member are spaced apart from each other and arranged to face each other; and

the first grip member and the second grip member elastically press the roller-side hinge element.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein:

the first grip member has a first closed cavity therein; and

the second grip member has a second closed cavity therein.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the roller-side hinge element and the door-side hinge element are releasably connected by a slide hinge;

the roller-side hinge element has a roller-side hinge hole;

the door-side hinge element has a door-side hinge hole aligned with the roller-side hinge hole; and

the slide hinge is configured to move along an axis of the roller-side hinge hole and an axis of the door-side hinge hole.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the slide hinge includes a base configured to move along the axis of the roller-side hinge hole and the axis of the door-side hinge hole, an extension portion extending from the base toward the door-side hinge element and the roller-side hinge element, and a hinge pin extending from the extension portion toward the axis of the roller-side hinge hole and the axis of the door-side hinge hole.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the hinge pin is releasably inserted into the roller-side hinge hole and the door-side hinge hole by a movement of the base.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10 , wherein the base is configured to be moved by a driving unit between a connection position in which the door-side hinge element and the roller-side hinge element are connected to each other and a release position in which the door-side hinge element and the roller-side hinge element are released from each other.

12. The vehicle according to claim 11 , wherein:

the driving unit includes a driving motor, a pinion coupled to a driving shaft of the driving motor, and rack teeth configured to mesh with the pinion; and

the rack teeth are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the base.

13. The vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein:

the grip unit includes a housing fixed to the door frame, a first grip member slidably mounted on the housing, and a second grip member slidably mounted on the housing; and

the first grip member and the second grip member are spaced apart from each other and arranged to face each other.

14. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein:

the roller-side hinge element has a hinge pin;

the door-side hinge element has a first recess configured to receive a first portion of the hinge pin;

the door-side hinge element includes a hinge lug configured to move along a circumference of the first recess;

the hinge lug has a second recess configured to receive a second portion of the hinge pin; and

the first recess and the second recess selectively define a closed hinge hole or an open hinge hole by a movement of the hinge lug.

15. The vehicle according to claim 14 , wherein the hinge lug is configured to move between a hold position in which the hinge lug holds the hinge pin and a release position in which the hinge lug allows the hinge pin to be released.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15 , wherein:

the first recess and the second recess define the closed hinge hole allowing the hinge pin to be held when the hinge lug is in the hold position; and

the first recess and the second recess define the open hinge hole allowing the hinge pin to be released when the hinge lug is in the release position.

17. A vehicle door opening and closing apparatus comprising:

a rail configured to be mounted on a vehicle body having a door frame defining a door aperture;

a roller unit configured to be mounted on the vehicle door, to move along the rail, and to allow the vehicle door to open and close in a sliding mode and a swing mode;

a center rail configured to extend from an edge of the door aperture; and

a center roller unit including:

rollers configured to be guided along the center rail and to be mounted on a roller bracket;

a roller-side hinge element configured to be connected to the roller bracket; and

a door-side hinge element configured to be rotatably connected to the roller-side hinge element,

wherein the roller-side hinge element and the door-side hinge element are configured to be releasably connected, and

wherein the roller-side hinge element is configured to be releasably connected to the door frame by a grip unit.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein:

the grip unit includes a housing configured to be fixed to the door frame, a first grip member configured to be pivotally mounted on the housing, and a second grip member configured to be pivotally mounted on the housing;

the first grip member and the second grip member are configured to be spaced apart from each other and arranged to face each other;

the first grip member is configured to be biased toward a center of the housing by a first biasing element; and

the second grip member is configured to be biased toward the center of the housing by a second biasing element.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein:

the grip unit includes a housing configured to be fixed to the door frame, a first grip member configured to be slidably mounted on the housing, and a second grip member configured to be slidably mounted on the housing;

the first grip member and the second grip member are configured to be spaced apart from each other and arranged to face each other;

the first grip member is configured to be biased toward a center of the housing by a first biasing element; and

the second grip member is configured to be biased toward the center of the housing by a second biasing element.

20. A vehicle door opening and closing apparatus comprising:

a rail configured to be mounted on a vehicle body having a door frame defining a door aperture;

a roller unit configured to be mounted on the vehicle door, to move along the rail, and to allow the vehicle door to open and close in a sliding mode and a swing mode;

a center rail configured to extend from an edge of the door aperture; and

a center roller unit including

rollers configured to be guided along the center rail and to be mounted on a roller bracket;

a roller-side hinge element configured to be connected to the roller bracket, the roller-side hinge element having a roller-side hinge hole; and

a door-side hinge element configured to be rotatably connected to the roller-side hinge element, the door-side hinge element having a door-side hinge hole configured to be aligned with the roller-side hinge hole;

wherein the roller-side hinge element and the door-side hinge element are configured to be releasably connected by a slide hinge; and

wherein the slide hinge is configured to move along an axis of the roller-side hinge hole and an axis of the door-side hinge hole.