Patent ID: 7813859

Claim:
An automatic brake device, comprising: a braking-force application unit including a first brake unit that generates a first braking force on each wheel of a vehicle on the basis of a first actuating signal and that changes the first braking force to zero when output of the first actuating signal is stopped; a second brake unit for generating a second braking force on at least one of the wheels of the vehicle on the basis of a second actuating signal, and for, when output of the second actuating signal is stopped, maintaining the second braking force at a value of an active state based on the second actuating signal issued before the output of the second actuating signal was stopped; a starting preparation intention detecting unit that detects an operation input based on an intention of the driver to prepare for starting of the vehicle; an intended direction detecting unit that detects an intended movement direction in which the driver intends to move the vehicle; a movement direction detecting unit that detects an actual movement direction of the vehicle; a brake control unit that, when the second braking force applied by the second brake unit maintains the vehicle in a halted state, switches the braking force applied to the wheels from the second braking force to the first braking force based on the detection result of said operation input and outputs the first actuating signal and the second actuating signal such that the first braking force is applied in accordance with a relationship between the detected intended movement direction and the actual movement direction; an accelerator opening degree detecting unit for detecting an opening degree of an accelerator; a vehicle speed obtaining unit or an acceleration obtaining unit for detecting a vehicle speed or an acceleration, respectively; a target braking force decrease value determination unit for determining a target braking force decrease value based on the detected opening degree of the accelerator and the detected vehicle speed or the detected acceleration using a predetermined relationship between the opening degree of the accelerator and the vehicle speed or the acceleration and the target braking force decrease value.