A load-sensor-equipped vehicle operating pedal device, comprising:
- an operating pedal mounted on a pedal support fixedly secured to a vehicle, to be pivotable about an axis of a support shaft and depressable by an operator;
- a reactive member receiving an operating force of the operating pedal and generating a reactive force corresponding to the operating force;
- at least one pivotably connecting section, interposed between the operating pedal and the reactive member, having a pair of component members pivotably connected relative to each other about a connecting pin, and transmitting the operating force through the connecting pin;
- and
- a load sensor electrically detecting the operating force;
- wherein
- the load sensor includes (i) a shaft member, (ii) an annular case member being disposed radially outside the shaft member to be relatively displaced in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the shaft member and radially surrounding the shaft member, (iii) a strain body disposed between the shaft member and the case member to straddle the shaft member and the case member, and (iv) strain detecting elements fixed to the strain body, wherein the reactive force causes the shaft member and the case member to relatively move in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the shaft member to deform the strain body such that the strain detecting elements detect a deformation of the strain body;
- the case member is fitted to a sensor-mounting hole formed in a sensor mounting member comprised of either one of the component members connected to each other via the connecting pin in the pivotably connecting section, and the shaft member is connected to the other one of the component members via the connecting pin;
- the case member has a plurality of mounting portions engaged with a plurality of load receiving portions formed in the sensor-mounting hole respectively, and is positionally disposed in the sensor-mounting member in a fixed posture;
- even when a direction of an input load F transmitted from the shaft member to the case member via the strain body relatively varies due to relatively pivotal movement of the pivotably connecting section in accordance with depression of the operating pedal, the plurality of load receiving portions always bear the input load F via the plurality of mounting portions;
- the plurality of mounting portions include a pair of flat mounting surfaces formed into a V-shaped profile on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft member with a predetermined apex angle α, and the plurality of load receiving portions include a pair of flat rest surfaces formed into a V-shaped profile in the sensor-mounting hole in conjunction with the flat mounting surfaces;
- and
- the case member is positioned in the fixed posture such that, with the pair of flat mounting surfaces being brought into surface contact with the pair of flat rest surfaces respectively, the pair of flat mounting surfaces are pressed against the pair of flat rest surfaces by the input load F.