Patent ID: 7108114

Claim:
A clutch mechanism comprising an outer side rotating body including an outer side peripheral wall formed in a tubular form with arbitrary outer peripheral and inner peripheral forms; an intermediate rotating body including an intermediate peripheral wall disposed at an inner side of the outer side peripheral wall and formed in a tubular form with arbitrary outer peripheral and inner peripheral forms, an external diametric dimension of the intermediate peripheral wall being smaller than an internal diametric dimension of the outer side peripheral wall, and the intermediate rotating body being relatively rotatable about an axial center of the outer side rotating body wit respect to the outer side rotating body; an inner side rotating body provided at an inner side of the intermediate peripheral wall to be relatively rotatable about the axial center of the outer side rotating body with respect to both the outer side rotating body and the intermediate rotating body; a coupling member including a pawl disposed between the intermediate peripheral wall and one of the outer side peripheral wall and the inner side rotating body, the pawl of the coupling member, in accordance with a predetermined condition, mechanically coupling with a complementary-shaped surface of the one of the outer and inner rotating bodies with the intermediate peripheral wall and causing the one of the rotating bodies and the intermediate rotating body to rotate integrally, and releasing the mechanical coupling when the predetermined condition ceases to apply; and a torque limiter disposed between the intermediate peripheral wall and the other of the outer side peripheral wall and the inner side rotating body, the torque limiter integrally coupling the other of the outer and inner rotating bodies with the intermediate peripheral wall, and releasing the coupling of the other of the rotating bodies with the intermediate peripheral wall when a relative rotation force of at least a predetermined magnitude is generated at a time at which the intermediate peripheral wall acts to relatively rotate with respect to the other of the outer and inner rotating bodies.