# US 12,179,744 B2 · Driving support device, driving support method, and storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,179,744 B2 - Document ID: US12179744B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/680,354 - Filed: 2022-02-25 - Published: 2022-10-06 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2021-03-30 - Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Makoto Aimura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12179744B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/09: Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 50/14: Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention - B60W 2050/143: {Alarm means} - B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera - B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar - B60W 2554/4029: Pedestrians - B60W 2554/4044: Direction of movement, e.g. backwards - B60W 2710/20: Steering systems - B60W 2720/10: Longitudinal speed - 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 ## Abstract A driving support device includes a detector configured to detect an obstacle in front of a host vehicle, and a processor configured to calculate the likelihood of collision between the obstacle and the host vehicle and to perform at least one of alarm control and travel control when the likelihood is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. When the obstacle has been detected between the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle with respect to the host vehicle, the processor brings forward the timing to start at least one of the alarm control and the travel control as compared to a case where the obstacle has not been detected between the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A driving support device comprising: a detector comprising at least one of a radar device and an LIDAR and an optical sensor and configured to detect an obstacle in front of a host vehicle; and a processor configured to calculate a likelihood of collision between the obstacle detected by the detector when surroundings of the host vehicle are dark and the host vehicle, and to perform at least one of alarm control and travel control when the likelihood is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, wherein the alarm control is a driving support that outputs an alarm to an occupant of the host vehicle, and the travel control is a driving support that controls at least one of speed and steering of the host vehicle, and when the obstacle has been detected in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle with respect to the host vehicle has been detected, the processor advances a timing to start at least one of the alarm control and the travel control as compared to a case where the obstacle has been detected in front of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle has not been detected. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, when the host vehicle has turned on headlights, the processor further advances the timing as compared to a case where the host vehicle has not turned on the headlights, or when an illuminance around the host vehicle is smaller than a predetermined illuminance, the processor further advances the timing as compared to a case where the illuminance around the host vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined illuminance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, when a reflection intensity of a first echo, which is an electromagnetic wave transmitted from the detector and reflected by the oncoming vehicle, is higher than a reflection intensity of a second echo that is the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the detector and reflected by the obstacle, the processor further advances the timing as compared to a case where the reflection intensity of the first echo is equal to or less than the reflection intensity of the second echo. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, when a micro-Doppler signal has been detected by the detector, the processor further advances the timing as compared to a case where the micro-Doppler signal has not been detected. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein, when headlights of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle have been turned on, the processor further advances the timing as compared to a case where the headlights of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle have not been turned on. ### Claim 6 A driving support method performed by a computer installed in a vehicle comprising a detector comprising at least one of a radar device and an LIDAR and an optical sensor and configured to detect an obstacle in front of a host vehicle, the driving support method comprising the steps of: calculating a likelihood of collision between the obstacle detected by the detector and the host vehicle when surroundings of the host vehicle are dark; performing at least one of alarm control and travel control when the likelihood is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the alarm control being a driving support that outputs an alarm to an occupant of the host vehicle, the travel control being a driving support that controls at least one of speed and steering of the host vehicle; and when the obstacle has been detected in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle with respect to the host vehicle has been detected, advancing a timing to start at least one of the alarm control and the travel control as compared to a case where the obstacle has been detected in front of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle has not been detected. ### Claim 7 A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program causing a computer, which is installed in a vehicle having a detector including at least one of a radar device and an LIDAR and an optical sensor and configured to detect an obstacle in front of a host vehicle, to perform: calculating a likelihood of collision between the obstacle detected by the detector and the host vehicle when surroundings of the host vehicle are dark; performing at least one of alarm control and travel control when the likelihood is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the alarm control being a driving support that outputs an alarm to an occupant of the host vehicle, the travel control being a driving support that controls at least one of speed and steering of the host vehicle; and when the obstacle has been detected in front of the host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle with respect to the host vehicle has been detected, advancing a timing to start at least one of the alarm control and the travel control as compared to a case where the obstacle has been detected in front of the host vehicle and the oncoming vehicle has not been detected.