Patent ID: 7051616

Claim:
An accelerator device, including: an accelerator arm including a tip part, a base part, and an accelerator pedal at the tip part; a support case internally holding and supporting the base part of the accelerator arm so that the base part is rotatable about a support shaft, the accelerator arm being supported to be rotatable together with the accelerator pedal between an initial position and a full open position in association with the rotation of the base part; a return spring for urging the accelerator arm to rotate in a returning direction to return the accelerator pedal to the initial position; an accelerator sensor for detecting a rotation amount of the accelerator arm as accelerator opening degree; a friction part provided in the support case and including a contacted surface; and a friction piece including a first end, a second end, and a contact surface provided between the first and second ends, the friction piece being attached at the first end to the base part of the accelerator arm while holding the contact surface in contact with the contacted surface so that friction is caused therebetween, the return spring being connected to the second end of the friction piece to press the contact surface against the contacted surface, wherein the contacted surface of the friction part is formed in an arcuate shape about the support shaft, the contact surface of the friction piece is formed in an arcuate shape with a diameter equal to that of the contacted surface of the friction part, and the friction piece is disposed so that the contact surface circumscribes the contacted surface, rotation of the accelerator arm causes the friction piece as well as the base part to rotate, thereby sliding the contact surface of the friction piece on the contacted surface of the friction part to produce pedal force hysteresis between a depressing side and a returning side of the accelerator pedal, the friction piece is provided in pairs on both side surfaces of the base part of the accelerator arm in its width direction, a slot is formed in each side surface of the base part, the slot being of an arcuate shape about the support shaft, each first end of the friction pieces is movably engaged in a corresponding one of the slots through a pin, the return spring is provided in pairs in correspondence with the friction pieces, and each second end of the friction pieces is connected to a corresponding one of the return springs.