# US 12,179,659 B2 · Control device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,659 B2 - Document ID: US12179659B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/113,889 - Filed: 2023-02-24 - Published: 2023-09-21 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2022-03-16 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Masayuki Nakatsuka; Masatoshi Saito - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179659B2 ## CPC - B60Q 1/525: {automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data} - B60Q 1/085: {due to special conditions, e.g. adverse weather, type of road, badly illuminated road signs or potential dangers (B60Q1/10, B60Q1/12, B60Q1/1423 take precedence)} - B60Q 1/143: {combined with another condition, e.g. using vehicle recognition from camera images or activation of wipers} - B60Q 1/46: for giving flashing caution signals during drive, other than signalling change of direction, e.g. flashing the headlights {or hazard lights} - B60Q 2300/112: Vehicle speed - B60Q 2300/12: Steering parameters - B60Q 2300/134: Yaw - B60Q 2300/322: Road curvature - B60Q 2300/41: preceding vehicle - B60Q 2300/42: oncoming vehicle - B60Q 2300/45: Special conditions, e.g. pedestrians, road signs or potential dangers - B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL ## Abstract A control device for controlling a host vehicle including: a processing circuitry configured to, when another vehicle traveling in a opposite direction to the host vehicle and having a possibility to collide with the host vehicle is detected in front of the host vehicle, execute an out-of-vehicle notification using a headlight based on a distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle. When the distance is equal to or smaller than a first threshold and equal to or larger than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, the processing circuitry executes the out-of-vehicle notification, and when the distance is smaller than the second threshold, the processing circuitry does not execute the out-of-vehicle notification or executes the out-of-vehicle notification with a notification intensity lower than that when the distance is equal to or smaller than the first threshold and equal to or larger than the second threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A control device for controlling a vehicle that includes an external sensor configured to acquire surrounding information on a host vehicle and a headlight configured to illuminate ahead of the host vehicle, the control device comprising: a processing circuitry configured to, when another vehicle traveling in an opposite direction to the host vehicle and having a possibility to collide with the host vehicle is detected in front of the host vehicle based on the surrounding information acquired by the external sensor, execute an out-of-vehicle notification using the headlight based on a distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle, wherein when the another vehicle is detected in front of the host vehicle and a travel speed of the host vehicle is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the processing circuitry executes the out-of-vehicle notification based on the distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle, when the distance is equal to or smaller than a first threshold and equal to or larger than a second threshold that is smaller than the first threshold, the processing circuitry executes the out-of-vehicle notification, and when the distance is smaller than the second threshold, the processing circuitry does not execute the out-of-vehicle notification or executes the out-of-vehicle notification with a notification intensity lower than that when the distance is equal to or smaller than the first threshold and equal to or larger than the second threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the headlight is switchable between a first state and a second state in which the headlight is able to illuminate farther than in the first state, and the out-of-vehicle notification is headlight flashing in which the headlight is switched between the first state and the second state at a predetermined cycle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein the another vehicle is a vehicle that travels in the opposite direction to the host vehicle and at least a part of which is on a travel lane of the host vehicle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the another vehicle is detected in front of the host vehicle and a curvature of a road on which the host vehicle travels is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the processing circuitry executes the out-of-vehicle notification based on the distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the another vehicle is detected in front of the host vehicle and a travel speed of the another vehicle is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the processing circuitry executes the out-of-vehicle notification based on the distance between the host vehicle and the another vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined period has elapsed since the out-of-vehicle notification is started, the processing circuitry ends the out-of-vehicle notification. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The control device according to claim 3, wherein when the another vehicle leaves the travel lane of the host vehicle after the out-of-vehicle notification is started, the processing circuitry ends the out-of-vehicle notification. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The control device according to claim 5, wherein when the travel speed of the another vehicle gets smaller than the predetermined value after the out-of-vehicle notification is started, the processing circuitry ends the out-of-vehicle notification. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein when a steering amount or a steering torque of the host vehicle gets equal to or larger than a predetermined value after the out-of-vehicle notification is started, the processing circuitry ends the out-of-vehicle notification. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The control device according to claim 1, wherein when a change amount of a yaw angle of the host vehicle from a start of the out-of-vehicle notification gets equal to or larger than a predetermined value after the out-of-vehicle notification is started, the processing circuitry ends the out-of-vehicle notification.