Patent ID: 7372498

Claim:
An image pickup apparatus including an image pickup lens portion disposed on a camera body portion and an openable and closable shutter mechanism serving as a lens cover to protect said image pickup lens portion, comprising: said shutter mechanism comprising a drive mechanism including an output shaft rotated by a motor serving as a drive source through a deceleration mechanism; a cam plate engaged with said output shaft of said drive mechanism and rotated through a shaft mechanism coaxial with said output shaft; a shutter plate engaged with a cam groove of said cam plate and slid up and down vertically relative to said camera body portion to open and close the front surface of said image pickup lens portion; and a clutch mechanism provided in said drive mechanism to cut off a drive transmission system of said output shaft and said motor when external force stronger than predetermined external force is applied to said shutter plate which is being opened and closed; said clutch mechanism comprising: (a) an output gear in a casing and driven by said motor; (b) a first gear meshed with said output gear; (c) a first worm gear meshed with said first gear at a right angle thereto; (d) a second gear mounted on a shaft and meshed with said first worm gear at a right angle thereto; (e) a second worm gear mounted on said shaft; (f) a third gear mounted on a drive shaft rotatably mounted in said casing and a flange on an output shaft and meshed with said second worm gear; and (g) a clutch spring interposed between said third gear and said flange such that said third gear and said flange are engaged with each other in friction.