Patent ID: 7051615

Claim:
An accelerator pedal apparatus comprising: a pedal arm having an accelerator pedal, said pedal arm being operable to move between a resting position and a maximum depressing position due to a force to be applied to said accelerator pedal; an arm return spring for applying an urging force to move said pedal arm toward said resting position; a detecting device for detecting a position of said pedal arm, and for generating an output signal based on the detected position of said pedal arm; a controller for controlling an opening amount of a throttle valve at an engine intake system based on the output signal received from said detecting device; and a friction force generating mechanism for generating a force against said pedal arm based on a position of said pedal arm, said friction force generating mechanism including: a sliding guide member; a first movable friction member arranged in said sliding guide member; a second movable friction member arranged in said sliding guide member; and a play load spring arranged in said sliding guide member, said play load spring being operable to generate an urging force less than a specified urging force, wherein said pedal arm, said first movable friction member, said second movable friction member, and said play load spring are arranged such that during movement of said pedal arm within a play range extending a specified distance from the resting position toward the maximum depressing position, said play load spring is compressed until said first movable friction member and said second movable friction member contact each other.