Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Abstract

A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium. The vehicle control device includes: a recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a driving control unit that controls the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle independently of the driver's operation; a mode determination unit that determines the vehicle's driving mode to be one of a plurality of driving modes, including a first driving mode and a second driving mode; and a determination unit that determines whether there are errors in map information and whether there are misidentifications of road dividing lines included in the surrounding conditions. If, while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and the surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines, and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance in the vehicle's direction of travel, the driving control unit sets a longer continuing travel distance in the second driving mode than if no preceding vehicle is recognized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method and a storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Technologies for changing the form of vehicle driving control are known. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-050086 discloses a technology for changing driving control based on lane markings to another type of driving control when it becomes difficult to continuously recognize lane markings on a road. Summary of the Invention

[0003] However, in conventional technologies, when the map information carried in the vehicle differs from the recognized external information, it is sometimes impossible to flexibly change the driving control.

[0004] The present invention has been completed in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its purposes is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can flexibly change driving control even when map information carried by the vehicle differs from recognized external information.

[0005] The vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium of the present invention employ the following structures.

[0006] (1): One embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle control device, wherein the vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a driving control unit that controls the steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information without relying on the operation of the driver of the vehicle; a mode determination unit that determines the driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode that is lighter than the first driving mode in terms of the task assigned to the driver, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and in the determined driving mode and a determination unit, which determines, based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, whether the map information has an error and whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line. If, during the period when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, the determination unit determines that the map information has an error and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and the recognition unit recognizes a leading vehicle within a first prescribed distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle, the driving control unit sets a longer continuing traveling distance in the second driving mode than in a case where the leading vehicle is not recognized.

[0007] (2): Based on the scheme of (1) above, the determination unit compares the map information with the surrounding conditions. If the map information is inconsistent with the surrounding conditions, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines based on whether the recognition unit can recognize the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle, the degree of parallelism of the road dividing lines on both sides, and at least one of the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle.

[0008] (3) Based on the above scheme (1) or (2), when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines, it determines whether the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included or only the road dividing lines on one side of the vehicle are not included.

[0009] (4): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (3), when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include only the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle, the determination unit determines whether the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle is misidentified, and when the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle is misidentified, the determination unit determines whether the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle deviates outward or inward based on the direction of travel of the vehicle.

[0010] (5): Based on the scheme of (4) above, when the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle is misidentified and the identification unit identifies a preceding vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, the determination unit determines whether the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle deviates outward or inward based on the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line and the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle.

[0011] (6): Based on any one of the above schemes (3) to (5), the determination unit determines whether the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle extends from the position of the vehicle to the front side of the leading vehicle when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing line on only one side of the vehicle and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

[0012] (7) Based on any one of the above schemes (1) to (6), the driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to the first continued distance when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides, and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's direction of travel.

[0013] (8): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (3), the driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to the second continued distance when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions do not only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle, and the determination unit determines that there is no misidentification of the road dividing line on the other side, and the identification unit identifies a preceding vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

[0014] (9): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (6), the driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to the second continued distance when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions do not only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle, and the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side is misidentified, and the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side extends from the position of the vehicle to the front side of the preceding vehicle, and the identification unit identifies the preceding vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0015] (10): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (6), the mode decision unit changes the second driving mode to the first driving mode when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions do not only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle, and the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side is misidentified, and the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side does not extend from the position of the vehicle to the front side of the preceding vehicle, and the identification unit identifies the preceding vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0016] (11): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (3), the mode determination unit changes the second driving mode to the first driving mode when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle, and the recognition unit recognizes a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

[0017] (12): Based on any one of the above schemes (1) to (11), the driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to a third continued distance when the determination unit determines that there is an error in the map information and that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides, and the identification unit does not identify a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

[0018] (13): Based on any one of the above schemes (1) to (12), the mode determination unit changes the second driving mode to the first driving mode when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and the recognition unit does not recognize a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

[0019] (14): Another embodiment of the vehicle control method of the present invention relates to a vehicle control method, wherein the vehicle control method causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; controlling the steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information without relying on the operation of the driver of the vehicle; determining the driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode that is lighter than the first driving mode in terms of the task assigned to the driver, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled, and in the When the task involved in the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode with heavier tasks; based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, it is determined whether the map information has errors, and it is determined whether the road dividing lines included in the surrounding conditions have been misidentified; when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, it is determined that there are errors in the map information and the surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines, and a leading vehicle is identified within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's travel direction, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode is set to be longer than when the leading vehicle is not identified.

[0020] (15): A storage medium according to another embodiment of the present invention relates to a storage medium storing a program, wherein the program causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying the surrounding conditions of a vehicle; controlling the steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and the map information without relying on the operation of the driver of the vehicle; determining the driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode that is lighter than the first driving mode in terms of the task assigned to the driver, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled, and in the When the task involved in the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode with heavier tasks; based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, it is determined whether the map information has errors, and whether the road dividing lines included in the surrounding conditions have been misidentified; and when it is determined that there are errors in the map information and the surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines during driving of the vehicle in the second driving mode, and a leading vehicle is identified within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's direction of travel, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode is set to be longer than when the leading vehicle is not identified.

[0021] According to (1) to (15), even when the map information carried in the vehicle is different from the recognized external information, the driving control can be flexibly changed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using the vehicle control device according to the embodiment.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a functional structure diagram of the first control unit and the second control unit.

[0024] Figure 3 1 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the driving mode and the control state and task of the host vehicle M.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which the operation of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment is executed.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which the determination unit determines that a road dividing line has been misrecognized.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a diagram for explaining a method in which the action plan generating unit sets the continued traveling distance in the driving mode of mode B when the recognizing unit recognizes a preceding vehicle.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a diagram for explaining a method in which the action plan generating unit sets the continued traveling distance in the driving mode of mode B when the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations executed by the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment.

[0030] Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations executed by the vehicle control device when the recognition unit fails to recognize a preceding vehicle within the first predetermined distance D1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] [Overall structure]

[0033] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle system 1 that utilizes a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle equipped with vehicle system 1 is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its driving source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or power discharged from a secondary battery or fuel cell.

[0034] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driver monitoring camera 70, a driving operating element 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are interconnected by multiple communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, and wireless communication networks. It should be noted that Figure 1 The structure shown is just an example, and part of the structure may be omitted or another structure may be added.

[0035] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle M) equipped with the vehicle system 1. To capture images of the front, the camera 10 is mounted on the upper portion of the windshield, behind the rearview mirror, or elsewhere. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the host vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0036] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves, such as millimeter waves, toward the periphery of the host vehicle M and detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by objects to detect at least the object's position (range and direction). The radar device 12 is mounted anywhere on the host vehicle M. The radar device 12 can also detect the position and velocity of an object using the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0037] LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves of a wavelength close to light) around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. LIDAR 14 detects the distance to an object based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser. LIDAR 14 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle M.

[0038] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 to identify the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition results to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 can output the detection results from the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 directly to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 can also be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0039] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles around the host vehicle M using, for example, a cellular network, Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station.

[0040] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle M and receives input operations from the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like.

[0041] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular velocity about a vertical axis, an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the host vehicle M, and the like.

[0042] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the vehicle M may also be determined or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, buttons, etc. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or entirely shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, refers to the first map information 54 to determine a route (hereinafter referred to as a route on the map) from the position of the vehicle M determined by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary position input) to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52. The first map information 54 is information that represents the shape of the road by, for example, links representing the road and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may also include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like.

[0043] The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 can also provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 can also be implemented as a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet computer held by the passenger. The navigation device 50 can also transmit the current location and destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0044] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, which stores second map information 62 in a storage device such as a HDD or flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into multiple blocks (e.g., every 100 meters in the vehicle's travel direction) and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the lane from the left in which the vehicle should travel.

[0045] When there is a branch point in the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for traveling to the branch destination.

[0046] The second map information 62 is higher-precision map information than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information about lane centers and lane boundaries. Furthermore, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic restriction information, address information (address, postal code), facility information, phone number information, and information about prohibited sections where Mode A or Mode B, described later, is prohibited. The second map information 62 can be updated at any time by communicating with other devices via the communication device 20.

[0047] The driver monitoring camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS. The driver monitoring camera 70 is mounted at any location within the vehicle M in a position and orientation capable of capturing an image of the head of an occupant (hereinafter referred to as the driver) seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle M from the front (the orientation for capturing the face). For example, the driver monitoring camera 70 is mounted above a display device located in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M.

[0048] The driving operating parts 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and other operating parts in addition to the steering wheel 82. A sensor that detects the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation is installed on the driving operating parts 80, and the detection results are output to the automatic driving control device 100, or part or all of the driving drive force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220. The steering wheel 82 is an example of an "operating part that receives steering operation." The operating part does not necessarily need to be annular, and can also be in the form of a special-shaped steering wheel, a joystick, a button, etc. A steering wheel grip sensor 84 is installed on the steering wheel 82. The steering wheel grip sensor 84 is implemented by an electrostatic capacitance sensor, etc., and will detect whether the driver is gripping (that is, contacting with force) the steering wheel 82 and output a signal to the automatic driving control device 100.

[0049] The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are each implemented by executing a program (software) on a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be implemented through the collaboration of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100 by attaching the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) to a drive device. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a “vehicle control device”, and the action plan generating unit 140 and the second control unit 160 are collectively an example of a “driving control unit”.

[0050] Figure 2 It is a functional structure diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, an identification unit 130, an action plan generation unit 140, and a mode determination unit 150. The first control unit 120 implements, for example, functions based on AT (Artificial Intelligence) and functions based on a pre-given model in parallel. For example, the function of "identifying intersections" can be achieved by "parallel execution of intersection recognition based on deep learning, etc., and recognition based on pre-given conditions (the presence of signals, road signs, etc. that can perform pattern matching), and scoring both parties for comprehensive evaluation." In this way, the reliability of autonomous driving is ensured.

[0051] The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, velocity, acceleration, and other states of objects in the vicinity of the vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate with a representative point (center of gravity, drive shaft center, etc.) of the vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object can be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or by an area. The "state" of the object can also include the acceleration, jerk, or "action state" of the object (for example, whether a lane change is being made or is about to be made).

[0052] Furthermore, the recognition unit 130 identifies, for example, the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 identifies the driving lane by comparing the pattern of road dividing lines obtained from the second map information 62 (e.g., an arrangement of solid and dashed lines) with the pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M identified based on the image captured by the camera 10. It should be noted that the recognition unit 130 is not limited to identifying road dividing lines, but may also identify road dividing lines and driving road boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, central medians, guardrails, etc., thereby identifying the driving lane. This recognition may also include the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results of the INS. Furthermore, the recognition unit 130 identifies stop signs, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road features.

[0053] When identifying the driving lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 130 may also recognize the deviation of the reference point of the vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed by the direction of travel of the vehicle M relative to the line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and posture of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 130 may also recognize the position of the reference point of the vehicle M relative to any side end of the driving lane (road dividing line or road boundary) as the relative position of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. The recognition unit 130 also includes a determination unit 132, but details of the determination unit 132 will be described later.

[0054] The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for the vehicle M to automatically (independent of the driver's operation) travel in the future, in a manner that allows the vehicle M to travel on the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61 and cope with the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M in principle. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is represented by a trajectory in which the locations (track points) that the vehicle M should arrive at are arranged in sequence. Track points are locations that the vehicle M should arrive at at predetermined driving distances (for example, a few meters) along the way. Different from this, target speeds and target accelerations at predetermined sampling times (for example, a few tenths of a second) are generated as part of the target trajectory. In addition, track points can also be positions that the vehicle M should arrive at at the sampling moment at predetermined sampling times. In this case, the information on the target speed and target acceleration is represented by the intervals between track points.

[0055] When generating a target trajectory, the action plan generator 140 can set an autonomous driving event. These events include constant speed driving, low-speed following, lane change, diverging, merging, and takeover. The action plan generator 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the activated event.

[0056] The mode determination unit 150 determines the driving mode of the host vehicle M to be one of a plurality of driving modes that assign different tasks to the driver. The mode determination unit 150 includes, for example, a driver state determination unit 152 and a mode change processing unit 154. Their individual functions will be described later.

[0057] Figure 3 It is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the driving mode and the control state and task of the vehicle M. Among the driving modes of the vehicle M, there are five modes, for example, mode A to mode E. With regard to the control state, that is, the degree of automation of the driving control of the vehicle M, mode A is the highest, followed by mode B, mode C, and mode D, which decrease in order, and mode E is the lowest. On the contrary, with regard to the tasks assigned to the driver, mode A is the lightest, followed by mode B, mode C, and mode D, which become heavy in order, and mode E is the heaviest. It should be noted that in modes D and E, the control state is not automatic driving, so the automatic driving control device 100 performs its duties before terminating the control involved in automatic driving and transferring to driving assistance or manual driving. The following is an example of the content of each driving mode.

[0058] In mode A, the vehicle is in an automatic driving state, and the driver is not required to monitor the front or hold the steering wheel 82 (steering wheel holding in the figure). However, even in mode A, the driver is required to be able to quickly switch to a manual driving posture according to the requirements from the system centered on the automatic driving control device 100. It should be noted that the automatic driving mentioned here means that the steering and acceleration and deceleration are controlled independently of the driver's operation. The front refers to the space in which the direction of travel of the vehicle M is visually confirmed through the windshield. Mode A is a driving mode that can be executed when the following conditions are met, such as the vehicle M is traveling at a speed below the upper limit speed (for example, about 50 [km / h]) on a motor vehicle-only road such as an expressway and there is a preceding vehicle to be followed. It is sometimes called TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot). When this condition is no longer met, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the vehicle M to mode B.

[0059] In mode B, a driving support state is provided, and the driver is assigned the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as front monitoring), but is not assigned the task of holding the steering wheel 82. Mode B is particularly executed in the case where the vehicle M is traveling at a speed higher than the upper limit speed at which the above-mentioned TJP is executed. In mode C, a driving support state is provided, and the driver is assigned the task of monitoring the front and the task of holding the steering wheel 82. Mode D is a driving mode that requires a certain degree of driving operation by the driver with respect to at least one of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle M. For example, in mode D, driving support such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) is provided. In mode E, a manual driving state is provided in which the steering and acceleration / deceleration both require driving operations by the driver. Both modes D and E naturally assign the driver the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M.

[0060] The automatic driving control device 100 (and the driving support device (not shown)) executes automatic lane changes according to the driving mode. Among the automatic lane changes, there are automatic lane changes based on system requirements (1) and automatic lane changes based on driver requirements (2). Among the automatic lane changes (1), there are automatic lane changes for overtaking when the speed of the preceding vehicle is lower than the speed of the vehicle by more than a reference, and automatic lane changes for traveling toward the destination (automatic lane changes caused by changing the recommended lane). Automatic lane change (2) means that when the conditions related to speed, positional relationship with surrounding vehicles, etc. are met, when the driver operates the direction indicator, the vehicle M is changed in the operating direction.

[0061] The automatic driving control device 100 does not execute either automatic lane change (1) or (2) in mode A. The automatic driving control device 100 executes either automatic lane change (1) or (2) in modes B and C. The driving support device (not shown) does not execute automatic lane change (1) but executes automatic lane change (2) in mode D. In mode E, neither automatic lane change (1) nor (2) is executed.

[0062] If the driver is not performing the task related to the determined driving mode (hereinafter referred to as the current driving mode), the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a driving mode with a heavier task.

[0063] For example, in mode A, if the driver's body posture is unable to switch to manual driving in response to a request from the system (for example, if he continues to look around outside the allowed area or detects a sign that driving will become difficult), the mode decision unit 150 uses the HMI30 to urge the driver to switch to manual driving. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought close to the shoulder of the road and gradually stops, thereby stopping the automatic driving. After stopping the automatic driving, the vehicle enters the state of mode D or E, and the vehicle M can be started by manual operation of the driver. The same applies to "stopping the automatic driving" below. In mode B, if the driver is not monitoring the front, the mode decision unit 150 uses the HMI30 to urge the driver to monitor the front. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought close to the shoulder of the road and gradually stops, thereby stopping the automatic driving. In mode C, when the driver does not monitor the situation ahead or does not hold the steering wheel 82, the mode determination unit 150 uses the HMI 30 to urge the driver to monitor the situation ahead and / or hold the steering wheel 82. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought closer to the roadside and gradually stops, thereby stopping the automatic driving.

[0064] The driver state determination unit 152 monitors the driver's state for the aforementioned mode change and determines whether the driver's state is appropriate for the task. For example, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes images captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 and performs posture estimation processing to determine whether the driver's body posture is not suitable for transitioning to manual driving in response to the system's request. Furthermore, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes images captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 and performs line of sight estimation processing to determine whether the driver is looking ahead.

[0065] The mode change processing unit 154 performs various processes for mode change. For example, the mode change processing unit 154 instructs the action plan generation unit 140 to generate a target trajectory for roadside stop, instructs a driving support device (not shown) to operate, or controls the HMI 30 to urge the driver to take action.

[0066] The second control unit 160 controls the driving force output device 200 , the braking device 210 , and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at a predetermined timing.

[0067] return Figure 2 The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires the information of the target track (track point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and causes the memory (not shown) to store the information. The speed control unit 164 controls the driving force output device 200 or the braking device 210 based on the speed element attached to the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the curvature of the target track stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is implemented, for example, by a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 performs a combination of feedforward control corresponding to the curvature of the road in front of the vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target track.

[0068] The driving force output device 200 outputs the driving force (torque) used to propel the vehicle to the drive wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, as well as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these components. The ECU controls the aforementioned components based on information input from the second control unit 160 or from the driving control element 80.

[0069] The braking device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a hydraulic cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operating element 80, so that a braking torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The braking device 210 may include a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by operating the brake pedal included in the driving operating element 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master hydraulic cylinder as a backup. It should be noted that the braking device 210 is not limited to the structure described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic braking device that controls the actuator according to information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit the hydraulic pressure of the master hydraulic cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder.

[0070] The steering system 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor applies force to, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steered wheels. The steering ECU drives the electric motor based on information input from the second control unit 160 or from the driving operating element 80 to change the direction of the steered wheels.

[0071] [action]

[0072] Next, the operation of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment will be described. The following description assumes that the driving mode of the host vehicle M is mode B. Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the operation of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment is executed. Figure 4 In the figure, the host vehicle M is traveling in lane L1, with a preceding vehicle M1 traveling ahead of the host vehicle M. While the host vehicle M is traveling in lane L1, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M, specifically attempting to identify the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M. AL represents the actual road dividing lines in lane L1, MT represents the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle M1, and RL represents the road dividing lines recognized by the camera 10.

[0073] The determination unit 132 determines whether there is an error in the second map information 62 based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 and the second map information 62. For example, if the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 indicate a lane, but the position of the host vehicle M shown in the second map information 62 indicates that the vehicle M has deviated from the lane, the determination unit 132 determines that there is an error in the second map information 62.

[0074] The determination unit 132 also determines whether the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 130 include road dividing lines. More specifically, the determination unit 132 compares the second map information 62 with the identified surrounding conditions. If the second map information 62 is inconsistent with the surrounding conditions, the determination unit 132 determines whether the identified surrounding conditions include road dividing lines based on whether the recognition unit 130 can identify the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle M and the degree of parallelism of the road dividing lines on both sides (i.e., whether the angle formed by the extension lines of the road dividing lines on both sides is below the threshold). The determination unit 132 further determines whether the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle M are not included, or only the road dividing lines on one side of the vehicle M are not included, if it is determined that the identified surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines. Figure 4, the determination unit 132 determines that the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 do not include a road dividing line, and that the road dividing line is not included only on one side of the vehicle M (hereinafter, "the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 do not include a road dividing line" may be referred to as "missing"). In other words, "does not include a road dividing line" means that the camera 10 cannot obtain information about the road dividing line.

[0075] The determination unit 132 may also determine whether the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 130 include a road dividing line based on the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 when the road dividing line information is inconsistent with the surrounding conditions and the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 within the first specified distance D1 on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle M. More specifically, for example, the determination unit 132 may also determine that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line when the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 130 do not include a line parallel to the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1. Figure 4 In this case, a road dividing line RL parallel to the travel trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 exists on the right side of the host vehicle M, but no road dividing line parallel to the travel trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 exists on the left side of the host vehicle M. Therefore, the determination unit 132 can determine that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line.

[0076] If the determination unit 132 determines that the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 130 do not include only the road dividing line on one side of the host vehicle M, it determines whether the road dividing line RL on the other side of the host vehicle M has been misidentified. More specifically, the determination unit 132 determines whether the road dividing line RL on the other side has been misidentified based on, for example, the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line RL on the other side and the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1. The determination unit 132 further determines whether, if the road dividing line RL on the other side has been misidentified, the road dividing line RL on the other side has deviated outward or inward relative to the travel direction of the host vehicle M. The determination unit 132 can determine whether the road dividing line RL on the other side has deviated outward or inward based on, for example, the angle between the road dividing line RL on the other side and the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1.

[0077] Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the determination unit 132 determines that a road dividing line RL has been misrecognized. Figure 5In the example, the determination unit 132 determines that the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 do not include only the road dividing line on the left side of the host vehicle M. The determination unit 132 then determines whether the road dividing line RL on the other side of the host vehicle M, that is, the road dividing line RL on the right side of the host vehicle M, has been misrecognized. The determination unit 132 compares the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 with the road dividing line RL on the right side, thereby determining that the road dividing line RL on the right side has been misrecognized and that the road dividing line RL on the right side has been erroneously extended outward.

[0078] The determination unit 132 further determines whether the road dividing line RL on the other side of the host vehicle M extends from the position of the host vehicle M to the front side of the front vehicle M1 when it is determined that the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 do not include only the road dividing line on one side of the host vehicle M and the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 within the first predetermined distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. For example, Figure 5 In the case where the road dividing line RL on the right side of the host vehicle M extends beyond the front end of the preceding vehicle M1. Therefore, the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing line RL on the right side of the host vehicle M extends from the position of the host vehicle M to the front side of the preceding vehicle M1. On the other hand, if the road dividing line RL on the right side of the host vehicle M does not reach the front end of the preceding vehicle M1, the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing line RL on the right side of the host vehicle M does not extend from the position of the host vehicle M to the front side of the preceding vehicle M1.

[0079] [Setting of the continued driving distance]

[0080] When the determination unit 132 determines that the second map information 62 contains an error and does not include the surrounding conditions of the road dividing line while the vehicle M is traveling in the driving mode of mode B, the action plan generation unit 140 determines the continued driving distance of the vehicle M in the driving mode of mode B based on the recognition result of the recognition unit 130 and the determination result of the determination unit 132, and generates a target trajectory corresponding to the continued driving distance. At this time, in particular, when the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 within the first prescribed distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B to be longer than when the recognition unit 130 does not recognize the preceding vehicle M1. Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 6 , to explain the method of setting the continuing driving distance in the driving mode of mode B.

[0081] Figure 6 This is a diagram for explaining a method in which the action plan generating unit 140 sets the continued traveling distance in the driving mode of mode B when the recognizing unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 .

[0082] like Figure 6 As shown, when the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 , the method of setting the continued traveling distance is classified into five patterns according to the result of determination by the determination unit 132 .

[0083] [Style (a)]

[0084] exist Figure 6 In style (a), the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B to the first continued distance when the determination unit 132 determines that there is an error in the second map information 62 and that the surrounding conditions include the road dividing lines RL on both sides, and the identification unit 130 identifies the preceding vehicle M1 within the first prescribed distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle M. The first continued distance is the maximum value for which the continued driving distance is set, for example, hundreds of meters to thousands of meters. This is because the action plan generation unit 140 can generate the target track based on both the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 and the road dividing lines RL on both sides, thereby ensuring redundancy. It should be noted that, if Figure 6 As shown in the pattern (a), at least one of the road dividing lines RL recognized by the recognition unit 130 (in Figure 6 In the example, the road dividing line on the right side of the host vehicle M may be shorter, extending only to the front of the preceding vehicle M1. However, even in this case, the action plan generation unit 140 can generate a target trajectory based on the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1. Therefore, the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B is set as the first continued distance.

[0085] [Style (b)]

[0086] exist Figure 6 In the style (b), the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B to the second continued distance when the determination unit 132 determines that there is an error in the second map information 62 and that the surrounding conditions do not include only the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle M, and the determination unit 132 determines that there is no misrecognition of the road dividing line RL on the other side, and the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 within the first prescribed distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle M. The second continued distance is a value smaller than the first continued distance, for example, several hundred meters. Figure 6 When compared with the pattern (a), the action plan generation unit 140 can use the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 when generating the target trajectory, but the road dividing line can only be used on one side, so the continued driving distance in the driving mode of pattern B is set to a smaller value. Figure 6 As shown in the style (b), the road dividing line RL on the other side that is not lost (in Figure 6The road dividing line (in the figure, which is the road dividing line on the left side of the host vehicle M) may be shorter, extending only to the front of the preceding vehicle M1. However, even in this case, the action plan generation unit 140 can generate a target trajectory based on the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1. Therefore, the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B is set as the second continued distance.

[0087] [Style (c)]

[0088] exist Figure 6 In scenario (c), the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B to the second continued distance if the determination unit 132 determines that the second map information 62 contains an error, that the surrounding conditions do not include only the road dividing line on one side of the host vehicle M, that the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing line RL on the other side has been misidentified, that the road dividing line RL on the other side extends from the position of the host vehicle M to the front side of the preceding vehicle M1, and that the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 within the first predetermined distance D1 in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M. Here, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B to the second continued distance regardless of whether the road dividing line RL on the other side mistakenly extends outward or inward. This is because, in either case, the action plan generation unit 140 can utilize the driving trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 and the road dividing line RL with sufficient length to ensure a certain degree of redundancy when generating the target trajectory.

[0089] [Style (d)]

[0090] exist Figure 6 In style (d), the mode decision unit 150 ends the driving mode of mode B when the determination unit 132 determines that there is an error in the second map information 62 and that the surrounding conditions do not only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle M, and the determination unit 132 determines that there is a misidentification of the road dividing line RL on the other side, and the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing line RL on the other side does not extend from the position of the vehicle M to the front side of the preceding vehicle M1, and the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 within the first prescribed distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle M. Specifically, for example, the mode decision unit 150 changes the driving mode of mode B to mode C or a driving mode that arranges a heavier task. This is because, in Figure 6 In the case of the pattern (c), the action plan generating unit 140 can generate the target trajectory by using the driving track MT of the preceding vehicle M1 and the road dividing line RL with a sufficient length. Figure 6 In the pattern (d), the action plan generation unit 140 must rely on the travel trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 when generating the target trajectory, and redundancy cannot be ensured.

[0091] [Style(e)]

[0092] exist Figure 6 In the style (e), the mode decision unit 150 ends the driving mode of mode B when the determination unit 132 determines that there is an error in the second map information 62 and that the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines RL on both sides of the host vehicle M, and the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle M1 within the first predetermined distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. Specifically, for example, the mode decision unit 150 changes the driving mode of mode B to mode C or a driving mode that arranges a heavier task. This is because, unlike Figure 6 Similarly, in the case of the pattern (d), the action plan generation unit 140 must rely on the travel trajectory MT of the preceding vehicle M1 when generating the target trajectory, and redundancy cannot be ensured.

[0093] It should be noted that in any of the above-described embodiments, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory in which the host vehicle M follows the preceding vehicle M1, and the second control unit 160 causes the host vehicle M to travel along the generated target trajectory. In this case, if the determination unit 132 determines that only one road dividing line on the host vehicle M is lost, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory in which the host vehicle M follows the preceding vehicle M1 based on the remaining road dividing line RL.

[0094] More specifically, the action plan generating unit 140 generates a target trajectory in which the host vehicle M follows the preceding vehicle M1 along the other road dividing line RL that has not been lost.

[0095] Figure 7 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which the action plan generating unit 140 sets the continuous travel distance in the driving mode of mode B when the identifying unit 130 does not identify the preceding vehicle M1. Figure 7 As shown, when the recognition unit 130 does not recognize the preceding vehicle M1 , the method of setting the continued traveling distance is classified into two types according to the result of determination by the determination unit 132 .

[0096] exist Figure 7In pattern (f), if the determination unit 132 determines that the second map information 62 contains an error, that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines RL on both sides, and that the recognition unit 130 has not recognized the preceding vehicle M1 within the first predetermined distance D1 in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode B to a third continued distance. The third continued distance is a value smaller than the first and second continued distances, for example, tens to hundreds of meters. By continuing driving in the driving mode B for a predetermined distance before changing the driving mode, provided that the road dividing lines are not lost, the host vehicle M can reduce discomfort to the occupants of the host vehicle M caused by abrupt changes in driving mode.

[0097] exist Figure 7 In pattern (g), the mode decision unit 150 terminates the driving mode of Mode B if the determination unit 132 determines that the second map information 62 contains an error, the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and the recognition unit 130 does not recognize the preceding vehicle M1 within the first predetermined distance D1 on the traveling direction of the host vehicle M. Specifically, for example, the mode decision unit 150 changes the driving mode of Mode B to Mode C or a driving mode that assigns a more demanding task. In this case, more specifically, if the surrounding conditions are determined to not include a road dividing line on at least one side, the mode decision unit 150 changes the driving mode of Mode B.

[0098] [Flow of Action]

[0099] Next, refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , to illustrate the flow of actions performed by the vehicle control device of this embodiment. Figure 8 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations executed by the vehicle control device of this embodiment. The processing in this flowchart is executed in a predetermined control cycle while the host vehicle M is traveling in the driving mode of mode B.

[0100] First, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M (step S100). Next, the determination unit 132 determines whether there is an error in the second map information 62 based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 (step S101). If it is determined that there is no error in the second map information 62, the vehicle control device ends the processing of this flowchart. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is an error in the second map information 62, then the determination unit 132 determines whether the recognition unit 130 has recognized a preceding vehicle M1 within a first prescribed distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M (step S102). If it is determined that the recognition unit 130 has not recognized a preceding vehicle M1 within the first prescribed distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the determination unit 132 causes the processing to proceed to step S200 described later.

[0101] If the recognition unit 130 determines that the preceding vehicle M1 has been identified within the first predetermined distance D1 on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle M, the determination unit 132 then determines whether the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include the road dividing lines RL on both sides of the host vehicle M (step S103). If the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 are determined to include the road dividing lines RL on both sides of the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the mode B driving mode as the first continued distance (step S104).

[0102] If the recognition unit 130 does not determine that the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include the road dividing lines RL on both sides of the vehicle M, the determination unit 132 then determines whether the road dividing line not included in the surrounding conditions is only on one side (step S105). If the road dividing line not included in the surrounding conditions is not only on one side, that is, if the road dividing lines on both sides are not included in the surrounding conditions, the mode determination unit 150 ends the driving mode of mode B (step S106).

[0103] If it is determined that only one road dividing line is lost, the determination unit 132 then determines whether the recognized road dividing line RL is misidentified (step S107). If it is determined that the recognized road dividing line RL is not misidentified, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the mode B driving mode as the second continued distance (step S108).

[0104] If the recognized road dividing line RL is determined to be misidentified, the determination unit 132 then determines whether the recognized road dividing line RL extends from the position of the host vehicle M to the front of the preceding vehicle M1 (step S109). If the recognized road dividing line RL is determined to extend from the position of the host vehicle M to the front of the preceding vehicle M1, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the Mode B driving mode to the second continued distance. If the recognized road dividing line RL is determined not to extend from the position of the host vehicle M to the front of the preceding vehicle M1, the mode determination unit 150 terminates the Mode B driving mode. This concludes the processing in this flowchart.

[0105] Next, refer to Figure 9 , a flow of operations executed by the vehicle control device when the recognition unit 130 fails to recognize the preceding vehicle M1 within the first predetermined distance D1 will be described. Figure 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations performed by the vehicle control device when the recognition unit 130 does not recognize the preceding vehicle M1 within the first predetermined distance D1. Figure 8 Executed when the judgment is "No" in step S102.

[0106] The determination unit 132 determines whether the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle M (step S200). If the recognition unit 130 determines that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the Mode B driving mode to the third continued distance (step S201). On the other hand, if the recognition unit 130 does not determine that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 terminates the Mode B driving mode (step S202). This concludes the processing in this flowchart.

[0107] According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, while the host vehicle M is traveling in mode B, if the determination unit 132 determines that the second map information 62 contains an error, that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and that the recognition unit 130 recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance D1 in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M, the driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in mode B to be longer than when the preceding vehicle D1 is not recognized. Thus, even when the map information on board the vehicle differs from the recognized external information, the driving control unit can flexibly change.

[0108] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0109] A vehicle control device is configured to include:

[0110] a storage device storing a program; and

[0111] Hardware processor,

[0112] The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device to perform the following processing:

[0113] Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle;

[0114] controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of the operation of the driver of the vehicle;

[0115] determining a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, controlling at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode, and changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task associated with the determined driving mode is heavier if the driver does not perform the task;

[0116] determining whether the map information has an error based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, and determining whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line;

[0117] When the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, and when the recognition unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first prescribed distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, the continued traveling distance in the second driving mode is set to be longer than when the leading vehicle is not identified.

[0118] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein a portion of the plurality of driving modes including at least the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and to change the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver; as well as a determination unit that determines whether the map information has an error based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, and determines whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line, The driving control unit sets a further travel distance in the second driving mode to be longer than a case where the preceding vehicle is not recognized, if the determination unit determines that the map information contains an error and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and if the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the side of the vehicle's traveling direction while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode. The determination unit compares the map information with the surrounding conditions. If the map information is inconsistent with the surrounding conditions, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines based on whether the recognition unit can recognize the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle, the degree of parallelism of the road dividing lines on both sides, and at least one of the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to the first continued distance when the determination unit determines that there is an error in the map information and that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides, and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

3. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein a portion of the plurality of driving modes including at least the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and to change the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver; as well as a determination unit that determines whether the map information has an error based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, and determines whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line, The driving control unit sets a further travel distance in the second driving mode to be longer than a case where the preceding vehicle is not recognized, if the determination unit determines that the map information contains an error and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and if the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the side of the vehicle's traveling direction while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode. When the determination unit determines that the surrounding condition does not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding condition does not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or does not include the road dividing line on only one side of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein: When it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing line on only one side of the vehicle, the determination unit determines whether there is a misidentification of the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle. When it is determined that there is a misidentification of the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle, the determination unit determines whether the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle deviates outward or inward based on the direction of travel of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein: When the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle is misidentified and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, the determination unit determines whether the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle deviates outward or inward based on the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line and the driving trajectory of the leading vehicle.

6. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: The determination unit determines whether the road dividing line on the other side of the vehicle extends from the position of the vehicle to the front side of the leading vehicle when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing line on only one side of the vehicle and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first prescribed distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: The driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to the first continued distance when the determination unit determines that there is an error in the map information and that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides, and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein: The driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to the second continued distance when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and the surrounding conditions do not only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle, and the determination unit determines that there is no misidentification of the road dividing line on the other side, and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

9. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein: The driving control unit sets the continuing driving distance in the second driving mode to the second continuing distance when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing line on only one side of the vehicle, and the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side is misidentified, and the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side extends from the position of the vehicle to the front side of the leading vehicle, and the identification unit identifies the leading vehicle within a first prescribed distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein: The mode decision unit changes the second driving mode to the first driving mode when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous, that the surrounding conditions do not include only the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle, and that the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side is misidentified, and that the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on the other side does not extend from the position of the vehicle to the front side of the leading vehicle, and the recognition unit recognizes the leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

11. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein: The mode decision unit changes the second driving mode to the first driving mode when the determination unit determines that the map information contains an error and that the surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle, and the recognition unit recognizes a leading vehicle within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

12. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein a portion of the plurality of driving modes including at least the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and to change the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver; as well as a determination unit that determines whether the map information has an error based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, and determines whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line, The driving control unit sets a further travel distance in the second driving mode to be longer than a case where the preceding vehicle is not recognized, if the determination unit determines that the map information contains an error and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and if the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the side of the vehicle's traveling direction while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode. The driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to the first continued distance when the determination unit determines that there is an error in the map information and that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides, and the identification unit identifies a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

13. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein a portion of the plurality of driving modes including at least the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and to change the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver; as well as a determination unit that determines whether the map information has an error based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, and determines whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line, The driving control unit sets a further travel distance in the second driving mode to be longer than a case where the preceding vehicle is not recognized, if the determination unit determines that the map information contains an error and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and if the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the side of the vehicle's traveling direction while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode. The driving control unit sets the continued driving distance in the second driving mode to a third continued distance when the determination unit determines that the map information is erroneous and that the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines on both sides, and the identification unit does not identify a leading vehicle within a first prescribed distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

14. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein a portion of the plurality of driving modes including at least the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and to change the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver; as well as a determination unit that determines whether the map information has an error based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, and determines whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line, The driving control unit sets a further travel distance in the second driving mode to be longer than a case where the preceding vehicle is not recognized, if the determination unit determines that the map information contains an error and that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and if the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the side of the vehicle's traveling direction while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode. The mode decision unit changes the second driving mode to the first driving mode when the determination unit determines that the map information contains an error, that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and that the recognition unit does not recognize a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

15. A vehicle control method, wherein: The vehicle control method causes the computer to perform the following processing: Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of the operation of the driver of the vehicle; determining a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, controlling at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode, and changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task associated with the determined driving mode is heavier if the driver does not perform the task; Based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, determining whether the map information has errors, and determining whether road dividing lines included in the surrounding conditions have been misidentified; When it is determined that the map information contains an error and the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, and a preceding vehicle is identified within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode to be longer than when the preceding vehicle is not identified; as well as The map information is compared with the surrounding conditions. If the map information is inconsistent with the surrounding conditions, whether the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines is determined based on whether the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle can be identified, the degree of parallelism of the road dividing lines on both sides, and at least one of the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle.

16. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes the computer to perform the following processing: Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; determining whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line based on the surrounding conditions and map information; controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; determining a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, controlling at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode, and changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task associated with the determined driving mode is heavier if the driver does not perform the task; Based on the surrounding conditions and the map information, determining whether the map information has errors, and determining whether road dividing lines included in the surrounding conditions have been misidentified; When it is determined that the map information contains an error and the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, and a preceding vehicle is identified within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode to be longer than when the preceding vehicle is not identified; as well as The map information is compared with the surrounding conditions. If the map information is inconsistent with the surrounding conditions, whether the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines is determined based on whether the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle can be identified, the degree of parallelism of the road dividing lines on both sides, and at least one of the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle.

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