Patent ID: 8348352

Claim:
A brake control apparatus comprising: a master cylinder operated by a driver's brake operation; a brake operation sensing device to sense one of a stroke and a pedal force of a brake pedal, as a brake operation quantity; a master cylinder pressure sensor to sense a master cylinder pressure of the master cylinder; a brake booster to operate the master cylinder in accordance with the brake operation quantity sensed by the brake operation sensing device, to increase a wheel cylinder pressure of a wheel cylinder; a first control unit which is connected with the brake operation sensing device and which is configured to control the brake booster to increase the master cylinder pressure of the master cylinder in accordance with the brake operation quantity sensed by the brake operation sensing device in a normal state; a fluid pressure regulating hydraulic modulator between the master cylinder and the wheel cylinder, the fluid pressure regulating hydraulic modulator including a pressure source to increase the wheel cylinder pressure; a second control unit connected with the master cylinder pressure sensor and configured to control the fluid pressure regulating hydraulic modulator; and a communication line connecting the first control unit and the second control unit; wherein the first control unit includes a boost condition transmitting section to transmit, through the communication line, a backup request signal if a boost system formed by the brake booster and the first control unit is in an abnormal condition; and wherein the second control unit is configured to perform a backup control to increase the wheel cylinder pressure by sensing, as the brake operation quantity, the master cylinder pressure of the master cylinder with the master cylinder pressure sensor and by operating the fluid pressure regulating hydraulic modulator in accordance with the master cylinder pressure sensed with the master cylinder pressure sensor, in response to the backup request signal sent from the boost condition transmitting section.