Patent ID: 7770442

Claim:
A tire receiving force sensing apparatus that senses a tire receiving force, which is applied to a tire of a vehicle connected to a vehicle body through a suspension device, the tire receiving force sensing apparatus comprising: a plurality of displacement measurement sensors, each of which is fixed to the vehicle body at a location adjacent to a corresponding one of a plurality of connections, each of which has an axis generally extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and connects between a corresponding support portion of the vehicle body and a corresponding portion of the suspension device in such a manner that the corresponding portion of the suspension device is pivotable relative to the corresponding support portion of the vehicle body about the axis of the connection and is not movable relative to the corresponding support portion of the vehicle body in a direction of the axis of the connection, wherein each of the plurality of connections is displaced relative to the corresponding displacement measurement sensor fixed to the vehicle body upon application of at least one of a brake force and a drive force to the tire, and wherein each of the plurality of displacement measurement sensors measures an amount of displacement of the corresponding one of the plurality of connections upon the application of the at least one of the brake force and the drive force to the tire; and means for computing a target tire receiving force component based on the amounts of displacement, which are measured with the plurality of displacement measurement sensors, respectively.