Patent ID: 7607741

Claim:
An automatic brake system of a motor vehicle which has a brake pedal and a steering wheel installed therein, the system comprising: a first section that detects a relative connection between the vehicle and a preceding object ahead of the vehicle; a second section that, when actuated, produces a braking force applied to the vehicle, the braking force produced by the second section being isolated from a braking force produced by the brake pedal; a third section that, based on the relative connection detected by the first section, carries out a judgment as to whether or not a possible collision of the vehicle with the preceding object is avoidable by operation of at least one of the brake pedal and the steering wheel; and a fourth section that actuates and controls the second section in accordance with the judgment made by the third section, thereby to control the braking force applied to the vehicle, wherein the fourth section is configured to carry out: causing the second section to produce a first grade braking force when the third section judges that the possible collision would be avoidable by operation of the brake pedal and unavoidable by operation of the steering wheel and also when the third section judges that the possible collision would be avoidable by operation of the steering wheel and unavoidable by operation of the brake pedal; and causing the second section to produce a second grade braking force when the third section judges that the possible collision would be unavoidable by operation of the brake pedal and also by operation of the steering wheel, the second grade braking force being greater than the first grade braking force.