Patent ID: 7007525

Claim:
An electric steering lock device for selectively locking a movable member which moves in response to a steering wheel, the device comprising: a motor; a rotary body which is selectively rotated in a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction and has a cam groove spirally extending around the central axis of said rotary body, wherein said cam groove includes an inside end portion provided radially inward in said rotary body and an outside end portion provided radially outward in said rotary body; a cam follower which moves along the radial direction of said rotary body when the location of said cam groove engaged with said cam follower shifts as said rotary body rotates with said cam follower engaged with said cam groove, wherein said cam follower moves in a direction toward the central axis of said rotary body when said rotary body rotates in the first direction, and said cam follower moves in a direction away from the central axis of said rotary body when said rotary body rotates in the second direction; a lock member which is coupled to said cam follower, moves between a position where it is engaged with said movable member to lock said movable member and a position where it is disengaged from said movable member to unlock said movable member in accordance with movement of said cam follower; wherein as said rotary body rotates in said first direction, said inside end portion of said cam groove permits said cam follower to be disengaged from said cam groove, and as said rotary body rotates in said second direction, said outside end portion of said cam groove permits said cam follower to be disengaged from said cam groove, thereby permitting rotation of said rotary body with said cam follower disengaged from said cam groove.