# US 12,005,894 B2 · Vehicle pre-collision detection and response device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,005,894 B2 - Document ID: US12005894B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/466,643 - Filed: 2021-09-03 - Published: 2021-12-23 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2019-03-06 - Assignees: Denso Corporation - Applicants: Denso Corporation - Inventors: Toru Takahashi; Kei Kamiya; Shogo Matsunaga - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005894B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/095: Predicting travel path or likelihood of collision - B60W 30/0956: {the prediction being responsive to traffic or environmental parameters} - B60T 7/22: initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle {, or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle} - G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08) - B60T 7/12: for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger {(limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00)} - B60T 2201/022: Collision avoidance systems - B60T 2201/024: Collision mitigation systems - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B60W 2552/53: Road markings, e.g. lane marker or crosswalk - B60W 2554/4041: Position - B60W 2554/4043: Lateral speed - B60W 2554/4044: Direction of movement, e.g. backwards - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93}) ## Abstract In a driving assistance device for performing a driving assistance process to avoid or mitigate a collision between an own vehicle, which is a vehicle carrying the driving assistance device, and an oncoming vehicle detected within a predefined region ahead of the own vehicle, an entry determiner is configured to determine whether one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter a lane in which the other one is present. An actuation controller is configured to, in response to the entry determiner determining that each one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is unlikely to enter the lane of the other, restrict actuation of the driving assistance process, and in response to the entry determiner determining that any one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter the lane of the other, not restrict actuation of the driving assistance process. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A driving assistance device for performing a driving assistance process to avoid or mitigate a collision between an own vehicle, which is a vehicle carrying the driving assistance device, and a vehicle detected within a predefined region ahead of the own vehicle, comprising: a non-transitory memory storing one or more computer programs; and a processor executing the one or more computer programs to: determine the vehicle traveling in an opposite direction from a direction of travel of the own vehicle as an oncoming vehicle; determine whether one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter a lane in which the other of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is present; in response to determining that each one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is unlikely to enter the lane of the other, restrict actuation of the driving assistance process by narrowing a lateral width of the predefined region ahead of the own vehicle, and in response to determining that any one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter the lane of the other, not restrict actuation of the driving assistance process by maintaining the lateral width of the predefined region ahead of the own vehicle; determine whether the oncoming vehicle has entered the predefined region; and control the own vehicle to mitigate collision between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle by actuating the driving assistance process based on the oncoming vehicle entering the predefined region. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the processor further executes the one or more computer programs to determine the vehicle traveling in the opposite direction from the direction of travel of the own vehicle in an oncoming lane adjacent to an own lane in which the own vehicle is traveling, as the oncoming vehicle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The driving assistance device according to claim 2, wherein the processor further executes the one or more computer programs to determine, in response to a lateral distance from one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to a lane line that demarcates a border between the own lane and the oncoming lane being decreasing and a rate of decrease of the lateral distance being greater than a predefined decrease rate threshold, that the one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter the lane in which the other of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is present. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The driving assistance device according to claim 1, wherein the processor further executes the one or more computer programs to calculate a relative speed of the oncoming vehicle to the own vehicle, and in response to the relative speed of the oncoming vehicle to the own vehicle being higher than a predefined threshold and in response to determining that one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter the lane in which the other of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is present, the processor further executes the one or more computer programs to not restrict actuation of the driving assistance process. ### Claim 5 A method for performing a driving assistance process to avoid or mitigate a collision between an own vehicle and a vehicle detected within a predefined region ahead of the own vehicle, the method comprising: determining the vehicle traveling in an opposite direction from a direction of travel of the own vehicle as an oncoming vehicle; determining whether one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter a lane in which the other of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is present; restricting actuation of the driving assistance process by narrowing a lateral width of the predefined region ahead of the own vehicle in response to determining that neither the own vehicle nor the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter the lane of the other; determining whether the oncoming vehicle has entered the predefined region; and controlling the own vehicle to mitigate collision between the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle by actuating the driving assistance process based on the oncoming vehicle entering the predefined region. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, further comprising determining the vehicle traveling in the opposite direction from the direction of travel of the own vehicle in an oncoming lane adjacent to an own lane in which the own vehicle is traveling, as the oncoming vehicle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, further comprising determining, in response to a lateral distance from one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle to a lane line that demarcates a border between the own lane and the oncoming lane being decreasing and a rate of decrease of the lateral distance being greater than a predefined decrease rate threshold, that the one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter the lane in which the other of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is present. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, further comprising: calculating a relative speed of the oncoming vehicle to the own vehicle; and in response to the relative speed of the oncoming vehicle to the own vehicle being higher than a predefined threshold and in response to determining that one of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is likely to enter the lane in which the other of the own vehicle and the oncoming vehicle is present, not restricting actuation of the driving assistance process.