A load sensing device comprise an inner member provided at a front part of a vehicle and a load sensor provided at a position before a front of the inner member, in addition to an outer member and a load transfer member. The outer member is provided at the front part of the vehicle so as to be located more frontward than the load sensor so that a space is formed between the outer member and the load sensor. The outer member is in charge of allowing the load sensor to sense, via the outer member, a load applied to a front of the vehicle. The load transfer member, made of a hard material, is disposed adjacently to the load sensor within the space between the outer member and the load sensor. The load sensor is allowed to move along the inner member in the back-and-forth direction of the vehicle.
In a bumper, a touch sensor and a load detection sensor detect a load applied to the bumper in the event of a head-on collision, when pressed by an absorber. The touch sensor and the load detection sensor are provided in front of reinforced portions of a front wall of a bumper reinforcement. The touch sensor is provided in front of the load detection sensor with a load transfer plate interposed the touch sensor and the load detection sensor. In addition, in the event of a head-on collision, deformation of the front wall is suppressed by the reinforced portions and the load is appropriately applied to the touch sensor and the load detection sensor, and the load is appropriately applied from the touch sensor to the load detection sensor. Thus, the detection performance of the touch sensor and the load detection sensor can be stabilized.
