Patent ID: 8727455

Claim:
A brake control apparatus for a vehicle having a regenerative braking system, comprising: a pump; a first brake circuit connecting a master cylinder that generates a brake fluid pressure by a brake operation of a driver and a wheel cylinder configured so that the brake fluid pressure acts on the wheel cylinder; a second brake circuit connecting the first brake circuit and an outlet side of the pump: a gate-out valve provided at a master cylinder side with respect to a connection point for the second brake circuit on the first brake circuit; a third brake circuit connecting a point on the first brake circuit at the master cylinder side with respect to the gate-out valve and an inlet side of the pump; an inflow valve provided at a wheel cylinder side with respect to the connection point for the second brake circuit on the first brake circuit: a fourth brake circuit connecting a point on the first brake circuit at the wheel cylinder side with respect to the inflow valve and the inlet side of the pump; an outflow valve provided on the fourth brake circuit; a reservoir provided on the fourth brake circuit at the inlet side of the pump with respect to the outflow valve and connecting to the third brake circuit; a fluid suction cylinder configured to receive a flow of the brake fluid; a branch oil passage branching off from a point between the connection point for the second brake circuit and the gate-out valve on the first brake circuit and connecting to the fluid suction cylinder; a switch valve provided on the branch oil passage; a regulation valve provided on the third brake circuit and configured to regulate an amount of the brake fluid that flows into the reservoir from the master cylinder; and a hydraulic pressure control unit configured to control the brake fluid pressure by operating the gate-out valve, the inflow valve, the outflow valve, the switch valve and the pump in accordance with a regenerative operation state of the regenerative braking system.