Vehicle control device, storage medium, and vehicle control method

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a vehicle control device, a storage medium, and a vehicle control method. A vehicle control device is provided that can ensure the driving safety of a vehicle under automatic control even when a predetermined terrain is recognized. The vehicle control device includes: a terrain recognition unit that recognizes a predetermined terrain as a lane merging terrain based on map information; a movement prohibition section setting unit that, when the terrain recognition unit recognizes a lane merging terrain in a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, sets a position between a vanishing position of a dividing line and a position at a first reference distance from the vanishing position of the dividing line in the vehicle's traveling direction, which is the sum of a first distance and a second distance, as a movement prohibition section where movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control is prohibited; and a driving lane planning unit that generates a driving lane plan indicating the driving lane in which the vehicle travels in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the vehicle's current position, the navigation route, and the map information, and selects a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes in the movement prohibition section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device, a storage medium storing a computer program for vehicle control, and a vehicle control method. Background Art

[0002] An automatic control system mounted on a vehicle generates a navigation route of the vehicle based on the current position of the vehicle, the destination position of the vehicle, and a navigation map. The automatic control system uses map information to estimate the current position of the vehicle and controls the vehicle to travel along the navigation route.

[0003] The automatic control system controls the vehicle to move between lanes according to the navigation route or the surrounding conditions. When the vehicle moves between lanes, the automatic control system drives the vehicle so as to maintain a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined distance from other vehicles.

[0004] For example, a lane change support device has been proposed. For each lane existing on a road, the lane change support device associates a plurality of restriction levels with different reasons for lane change restrictions in advance with the lanes, and controls the lane change of the vehicle with reference to the lane change restriction level in the navigation route of the vehicle (see Patent Document 1). The lane change support device controls the lane change of the vehicle so as not to recommend a lane change in a terrain where roads merge.

[0005] Prior Art Documents

[0006] Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018-197758 Summary of the Invention

[0008] The number of lanes on a road sometimes decreases or increases. For example, the number of a plurality of lanes adjacent to one side of the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling sometimes decreases. In addition, when a branch road having a plurality of lanes branches from the driving road, the number of adjacent lanes adjacent to the driving lane on the branch road side sometimes increases.

[0009] In a terrain where the number of adjacent lanes adjacent to the driving lane decreases or increases, when the automatic control system moves the vehicle to an adjacent lane, it is impossible to maintain a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined distance between other vehicles and the own vehicle, and there is a possibility that the safety of the vehicle cannot be ensured.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle control device that can ensure the driving safety of a vehicle under automatic control even in a terrain where it is recognized that there is a possibility that a distance equal to or greater than a predetermined distance cannot be maintained between other vehicles and the vehicle when moving between lanes by automatic control.

[0011] According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided. The vehicle control device includes: a terrain recognition unit that, based on map information, recognizes a terrain as a lane merging terrain, the terrain having a first lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line and a first lane demarcation line, a second lane demarcated by the shared lane demarcation line and a second lane demarcation line, a third lane demarcated between the second lane demarcation line and the second lane, and a fourth lane that extends in the traveling direction of the vehicle where the first lane and the second lane merge starting from a demarcation line disappearance position where the shared lane demarcation line disappears and is demarcated by the first lane demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line. In this terrain, a first distance between an extended demarcation line formed by hypothetically extending the shared lane demarcation line in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the demarcation line disappearance position and the first lane demarcation line and a second distance between the extended demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line decrease in the traveling direction of the vehicle; a movement prohibition section that, when a lane merging terrain is recognized by the terrain recognition unit within a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, sets a movement prohibition section between the demarcation line disappearance position and a position where the sum of the first distance and the second distance from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a first reference distance, where movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control is prohibited; and a traveling lane planning section that generates a traveling lane plan indicating the traveling lane of the vehicle in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selects a traveling lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes within the movement prohibition section.

[0012] In addition, in this vehicle control device, it preferably includes: a lane change planning section that plans movement between lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information; and a control transfer section that, when movement between lanes of the vehicle within the movement prohibition section has been planned by the lane change planning section, sets a control transfer request section between the demarcation line disappearance position and a position where the sum of the first distance and the second distance from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a second reference distance that is equal to or less than the first reference distance, where the driver is requested to transfer the driving of the vehicle from automatic control to manual control.

[0013] In addition, in this vehicle control device, it preferably includes: a lane change planning section that plans movement between lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information; and a manual lane change predetermined section that, when movement between lanes of the vehicle within the movement prohibition section has been planned by the lane change planning section, sets a manual lane change predetermined section between the demarcation line disappearance position and a position that is advanced by a third distance from the demarcation line disappearance position, where the driver is requested to perform movement between lanes by manual control.

[0014] Furthermore, in the vehicle control device, it is preferable that the terrain recognition unit notifies the recognized length of the lane merging terrain to the movement prohibition section setting unit, and the movement prohibition section setting unit does not set a movement prohibition section when the recognized length of the lane merging terrain is equal to or greater than a distance threshold that is longer than the first reference distance.

[0015] According to another embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided. The vehicle control device includes: a terrain recognition unit that, based on map information, recognizes as a lane branching terrain a terrain that has a first lane and a second lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line, and in which a branch road having a third lane connected to the first lane and a fourth lane adjacent to the third lane extends from the branch start position of the shared lane demarcation line and the fourth lane and the second lane are demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line that extends beyond the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle; a movement prohibition section setting unit that, when the terrain recognition unit recognizes a lane branching terrain within a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, sets a movement prohibition section between the branch start position and a position at a first distance from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle, which prohibits movement between the lanes of the vehicle by automatic control; and a traveling lane planning unit that generates a traveling lane plan indicating the traveling lane in which the vehicle travels within a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selects a traveling lane in such a way that the vehicle does not change lanes within the movement prohibition section.

[0016] In addition, in the vehicle control device, it is preferable to include: a lane change planning unit that plans movement between the lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information; and a control transfer section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned movement between the lanes of the vehicle within the movement prohibition section, sets a control transfer request section between the branch start position and a position at a second distance that is equal to or greater than the first distance from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle, which requests the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle from automatic control to manual control.

[0017] In addition, in the vehicle control device, it is preferable to include: a lane change planning unit that plans movement between the lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information; and a manual lane change predetermined section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned movement between the lanes of the vehicle within the movement prohibition section, sets a manual lane change predetermined section between the branch start position and a position that is advanced by a third distance from the branch start position, which requests the driver to change lanes manually.

[0018] Furthermore, in this vehicle control device, it is preferable that the terrain recognition unit notifies the recognized length of the lane merging terrain to the movement prohibition section setting unit, and the movement prohibition section setting unit does not set a movement prohibition section when the recognized length of the lane merging terrain is equal to or greater than a distance threshold that is longer than the first distance.

[0019] In addition, according to another embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided. This vehicle control device includes: a terrain recognition unit that, based on map information, recognizes a lane merging terrain between a first lane, a second lane adjacent to the first lane, and a third lane adjacent to the second lane, between a first position where the width of the second lane starts to decrease and a second position where the second lane disappears and the first lane and the third lane start to be adjacent; a movement prohibition section setting unit that, when the terrain recognition unit recognizes a lane merging terrain within a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, sets a movement prohibition section between the first position and a position advanced by the first distance from the second position to prohibit the vehicle from moving between lanes by automatic control; and a driving lane planning unit that generates a driving lane plan indicating the driving lane in which the vehicle travels within a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selects a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes within the movement prohibition section.

[0020] In addition, in this vehicle control device, it is preferable to include: a lane change planning unit that plans the movement of the vehicle between lanes based on the surrounding environment information; and a control transfer section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned the movement of the vehicle between lanes within the movement prohibition section, sets a control transfer request section between the first position and a position advanced by a second distance that is equal to or less than the first distance from the second position to request the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle from automatic control to manual control.

[0021] In addition, in this vehicle control device, it is preferable to include: a lane change planning unit that plans the movement of the vehicle between lanes based on the surrounding environment information; and a manual lane change predetermined section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned the movement of the vehicle between lanes within the movement prohibition section, sets a manual lane change predetermined section between the first position and a position advanced by the third distance from the first position to request the driver to move between lanes by manual control.

[0022] Furthermore, in this vehicle control device, it is preferable that the terrain recognition unit notifies the recognized length of the lane merging terrain to the movement prohibition section setting unit, and the movement prohibition section setting unit does not set a movement prohibition section when the recognized length of the lane merging terrain is equal to or greater than a distance threshold that is longer than the first distance.

[0023] Furthermore, according to other embodiments, there is provided a non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program for vehicle control. The computer program for vehicle control causes a processor to execute: based on map information, identify the following terrain as a lane merging terrain. The terrain has a first lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line and a first lane demarcation line, a second lane demarcated by the shared lane demarcation line and a second lane demarcation line, a third lane demarcated between the second lane demarcation line and the second lane, and a fourth lane that extends in the traveling direction of the vehicle where the first lane and the second lane merge starting from a demarcation line disappearance position where the shared lane demarcation line disappears and is demarcated by the first lane demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line. In this terrain, the first distance between the extended demarcation line formed by hypothetically extending the shared lane demarcation line in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the demarcation line disappearance position and the first lane demarcation line and the second distance between the extended demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line decrease in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When a lane merging terrain is recognized in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, set the area between the demarcation line disappearance position and the position where the sum of the first distance and the second distance from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a first reference distance as a movement prohibited section where movement between lanes of the vehicle through automatic control is prohibited. Based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, generate a driving lane plan representing the driving lane in which the vehicle travels in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, and select a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes in the movement prohibited section.

[0024] Furthermore, according to other embodiments, there is provided a non-transitory storage medium storing a computer program for vehicle control. The computer program for vehicle control causes a processor to execute: based on map information, identify the following terrain as a lane branching terrain. The terrain has a first lane and a second lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line. In this terrain, a branch road having a third lane connected to the first lane and a fourth lane adjacent to the third lane extends from a branch start position of the shared lane demarcation line, and the fourth lane and the second lane are demarcated by the shared lane demarcation line that extends beyond the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When a lane branching terrain is recognized in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, set the area between the branch start position and the position at a first distance from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle as a movement prohibited section where movement between lanes of the vehicle through automatic control is prohibited. Based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, generate a driving lane plan representing the driving lane in which the vehicle travels in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, and select a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes in the movement prohibited section.

[0025] Furthermore, according to other embodiments, a non-transitory storage medium storing a vehicle control computer program is provided. The vehicle control computer program causes a processor to execute: based on map information, identifying a terrain where a first lane, a second lane adjacent to the first lane, and a third lane adjacent to the second lane are present, and identifying the terrain between a first position where the width of the second lane starts to decrease and a second position where the second lane disappears and the first lane and the third lane start to be adjacent as a lane merging terrain; when a lane merging terrain is recognized within a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, setting a movement prohibition section between the first position and a position that is ahead of the second position by a first distance as a section where movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control is prohibited; generating a driving lane plan indicating the driving lane in which the vehicle travels in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selecting a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes within the movement prohibition section.

[0026] Furthermore, according to other embodiments, a vehicle control method is provided. In this vehicle control method, a vehicle control device executes: based on map information, identifying a terrain where a first lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line and a first lane demarcation line, a second lane demarcated by the shared lane demarcation line and a second lane demarcation line, a third lane demarcated between the second lane demarcation line and the second lane, and a fourth lane that extends in the traveling direction of the vehicle with the first lane and the second lane converging from a demarcation line disappearance position where the shared lane demarcation line disappears and is demarcated by the first lane demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line are present; in this terrain, the first distance between an extended demarcation line obtained by hypothetically extending the shared lane demarcation line in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the demarcation line disappearance position and the first lane demarcation line and the second distance between the extended demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line decrease in the traveling direction of the vehicle; when a lane merging terrain is recognized within a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, setting a movement prohibition section between the demarcation line disappearance position and a position where the sum of the first distance and the second distance from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a first reference distance as a section where movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control is prohibited; generating a driving lane plan indicating the driving lane in which the vehicle travels in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selecting a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes within the movement prohibition section.

[0027] Furthermore, according to other embodiments, a vehicle control method is provided. In this vehicle control method, a vehicle control device performs: based on map information, identifying a terrain as a lane branching terrain, the terrain having a first lane and a second lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line, in this terrain, a branch road having a third lane connected to the first lane and a fourth lane adjacent to the third lane extends from a branch start position of the shared lane demarcation line and the fourth lane and the second lane are demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line that extends beyond the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When a lane branching terrain is recognized within a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, setting a movement prohibition section between the branch start position and a position at a first distance from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle as a section where movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control is prohibited, and generating a driving lane plan representing the driving lane in which the vehicle travels in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selecting a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes within the movement prohibition section.

[0028] Furthermore, according to other embodiments, a vehicle control method is provided. In this vehicle control method, a vehicle control device performs: based on map information, identifying a terrain having a first lane, a second lane adjacent to the first lane, and a third lane adjacent to the second lane, between a first position where the width of the second lane starts to decrease and a second position where the second lane disappears and the first lane and the third lane start to be adjacent as a lane merging terrain. When a lane merging terrain is recognized within a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, setting a movement prohibition section between the first position and a position at a first distance ahead from the second position as a section where movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control is prohibited, and generating a driving lane plan representing the driving lane in which the vehicle travels in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selecting a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes within the movement prohibition section.

[0029] When the vehicle control device according to the present disclosure recognizes a terrain where there is a possibility that a predetermined distance or more interval cannot be maintained between the vehicle and other vehicles during movement between lanes by automatic control, the vehicle is prohibited from moving from the driving lane by automatic control, so that the driving safety of the vehicle under automatic control can be ensured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment.

[0031] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment.

[0032] Figure 3 It is an example of an operation flowchart related to vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment.

[0033] Figure 4 It is an example of an operation flowchart related to vehicle control processing in the case of generating a lane change in a prohibited moving section.

[0034] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment.

[0035] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control system according to the second embodiment.

[0036] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example of vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system according to the second embodiment.

[0037] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control system according to the third embodiment.

[0038] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing an example of vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system according to the third embodiment.

[0039] (Symbol Explanation)

[0040] 1: Vehicle control system; 2: Camera; 3: Position measurement information receiver; 4: Navigation device; 5: User interface; 5a: Display device; 10: Vehicle; 11: Map information storage device; 12: Position estimation device; 13: Object detection device; 14: Travel lane planning device; 15: Driving plan device; 16: Vehicle control device; 17: In-vehicle network; 21: Communication interface; 22: Memory; 23: Processor; 231: Terrain recognition unit; 232: Prohibited moving section setting unit; 233: Travel lane planning unit; 234: Lane change planning unit; 235: Control transfer section setting unit. Detailed Embodiment

[0041] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control system 1 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 1 , an outline of the operation related to vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system 1 disclosed in this specification will be described.

[0042] Vehicle 10 travels on lane 53 of road 50 which has lanes 51, 52, and 53. Lane 51 is demarcated by lane demarcation lines A1 and A2, lane 52 is demarcated by lane demarcation lines A2 and A3, and lane 53 is demarcated by lane demarcation lines A3 and A4. The navigation route R generated by vehicle control system 1 indicates that vehicle 10 moves straight ahead on road 50.

[0043] Vehicle control system 1 identifies a predetermined lane merging terrain G1 within the nearest driving section of navigation route R based on map information. In lane merging terrain G1, lanes 51 and 52 demarcated by lane demarcation line A2 which is a shared lane demarcation line converge at demarcation line disappearance position 55 where lane demarcation line A2 disappears and become lane 54 extending in the traveling direction of vehicle 10. In lane merging terrain G1, the distance L1 between extended demarcation line A5 formed by hypothetically extending lane demarcation line A2 from demarcation line disappearance position 55 in the traveling direction of vehicle 10 and lane demarcation line A1 and the distance L2 between extended demarcation line A5 and lane demarcation line A3 decrease in the traveling direction of vehicle 10.

[0044] In lane merging terrain G1, the widths of lanes 51 and 52 decrease in the same manner in front of demarcation line disappearance position 55, so it is not clear which of lanes 51 and 52 becomes the main body for lane 54 to extend. Therefore, it is considered that the driver of another vehicle traveling on lane 51 or lane 52 travels on lane 54 in the same way as if moving straight ahead as it was on lanes 51 and 52 before.

[0045] In lane merging terrain G1, there is a possibility that the driver of another vehicle traveling on lane 51 or lane 52 does not pay sufficient attention to vehicle 10 moving from lane 53 to lane 54. In particular, it is considered that the possibility is high for the driver of another vehicle traveling on lane 51. Therefore, when vehicle 10 attempts to move from lane 53 to lane 54 while maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles through automatic control in lane merging terrain G1, there is a possibility that a safe distance cannot be ensured between vehicle 10 and other vehicles.

[0046] Therefore, vehicle control system 1 sets the area between demarcation line disappearance position 55 and position R12 where the sum of distance L1 and distance L2 from demarcation line disappearance position 55 in the traveling direction of vehicle 10 is the first reference distance L3 as movement prohibition section R1 where the movement of vehicle 10 between lanes is prohibited through automatic control.

[0047] The vehicle control system 1 generates a driving lane plan representing the driving lane in which the vehicle 10 travels in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R based on the current position P1 of the vehicle 10, the navigation route R, and the map information. Here, the vehicle control system 1 selects the driving lane in such a manner that the vehicle 10 does not move between lanes in the movement prohibited section R1 of the lane merging terrain G1.

[0048] Thus, when the vehicle control system 1 recognizes a lane merging terrain G1 where there is a possibility that a predetermined distance or more of a gap cannot be maintained between another vehicle and the vehicle 10 during lane change by automatic control, the vehicle control system 1 prohibits the vehicle 10 from moving from the driving lane by automatic control, so that the driving safety of the vehicle 10 under automatic control can be ensured.

[0049] Figure 2 It is a schematic configuration diagram of the vehicle 10 equipped with the vehicle control system 1. The vehicle 10 includes a camera 2, a positioning information receiver 3, a navigation device 4, a user interface (UI) 5, a map information storage device 11, a position estimation device 12, an object detection device 13, a driving lane plan device 14, a driving plan device 15, a vehicle control device 16, and the like. Furthermore, the vehicle 10 may also have a distance measurement sensor (not shown), such as a LiDAR sensor, for measuring the distance to an object around the vehicle 10.

[0050] The camera 2, the positioning information receiver 3, the navigation device 4, the UI 5, the map information storage device 11, the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, the driving lane plan device 14, the driving plan device 15, and the vehicle control device 16 are communicably connected via an in-vehicle network 17 conforming to a standard such as Controller Area Network.

[0051] The camera 2 is an example of an imaging unit provided in the vehicle 10. The camera 2 is mounted on the vehicle 10 so as to face the front of the vehicle 10. The camera 2 captures a camera image representing the environment of a predetermined area in front of the vehicle 10, for example, at a predetermined cycle. In the camera image, road features such as a road included in a predetermined area in front of the vehicle 10 and lane demarcation lines on the road surface can be represented. The camera 2 includes a two-dimensional detector formed by an array of photoelectric conversion elements sensitive to visible light, such as a CCD or a C-MOS, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be imaged on the two-dimensional detector.

[0052] Whenever the camera 2 captures a camera image, it outputs the camera image and the camera image capture time at which the camera image was captured to the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, etc. via the in-vehicle network 17. The camera image is used in the position estimation device 12 for processing to estimate the position of the vehicle 10. In addition, the camera image is used in the object detection device 13 for processing to detect other objects around the vehicle 10.

[0053] The positioning information receiver 3 outputs positioning information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10. For example, the positioning information receiver 3 can be set as a GNSS receiver. Whenever the positioning information receiver 3 acquires the positioning information at a predetermined reception cycle, it outputs the positioning information and the positioning information acquisition time at which the positioning information was acquired to the navigation device 4, the map information storage device 11, etc.

[0054] The navigation device 4 generates a navigation route R from the current position of the vehicle 10 to the destination position based on the navigation map information, the destination position of the vehicle 10 input from the UI 5, and the positioning information indicating the current position of the vehicle 10 input from the positioning information receiver 3. The navigation route R includes information related to positions such as right turns, left turns, merges, branches, etc. The navigation device 4 newly generates the navigation route R of the vehicle 10 when a new destination position is set or the current position of the vehicle 10 deviates from the navigation route R, etc. Whenever the navigation device 4 generates the navigation route R, it outputs the navigation route R to the position estimation device 12, the driving lane planning device 14, etc. via the in-vehicle network 17.

[0055] The UI 5 is an example of a notification unit. The UI 5 is controlled by the navigation device 4, the vehicle control device 16, etc., and notifies the driver of the driving information of the vehicle 10, a control transfer request for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control, a request for changing lanes by manual control, etc. In addition, the UI 5 generates an operation signal corresponding to the operation of the driver on the vehicle 10. The driving information of the vehicle 10 includes information related to the current and future paths of the vehicle such as the current position of the vehicle and the navigation route. The UI 5 has a display device 5a such as a liquid crystal display or a touch panel for displaying the driving information, etc. In addition, the UI 5 may also have an audio output device (not shown) for notifying the driver of the driving information, etc. In addition, in the UI 5, as an input device for inputting operation information from the driver to the vehicle 10, for example, it has a touch panel or an operation button. As the operation information, for example, the destination position, the waypoint, the vehicle speed, the consent of the control transfer request, and other control information of the vehicle 10 can be cited. The UI 5 outputs the input operation information to the navigation device 4, the vehicle control device 16, etc. via the in-vehicle network 17.

[0056] The map information storage device 11 stores wide-area map information including a relatively wide range (for example, a range of 10 to 30 km square) of the current position of the vehicle 10. This map information has three-dimensional information of the road surface, information indicating road features such as lane demarcation lines on the road, the types and positions of structures, and high-precision map information including the legal speed of the road. The driving lane planning device 1 can identify terrains such as the above-mentioned lane merging terrain G1 based on this map information. In addition, the map information can also be associated with the positions of terrains such as the above-mentioned lane merging terrain G1 and include identification information for identifying the terrain.

[0057] The map information storage device 11 receives wide-area map information from an external server via a base station through wireless communication via a wireless communication device (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10 according to the current position of the vehicle 10 and stores it in the storage device. Whenever the map information storage device 11 inputs positioning information from the positioning information receiver 3, it refers to the stored wide-area map information and outputs map information of a relatively narrow area (for example, a range of 100 m to 10 km square) including the current position represented by the positioning information to the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, the vehicle control device 16, etc. via the in-vehicle network 17.

[0058] The position estimation device 12 estimates the position of the vehicle 10 at the time of taking the camera image based on the road features around the vehicle 10 represented in the camera image. For example, the position estimation device 12 compares the lane demarcation lines identified in the camera image with the lane demarcation lines represented in the map information input from the map information storage device 11 to obtain the estimated position and estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10 at the time of taking the camera image. In addition, the position estimation device 12 estimates the driving lane on the road where the vehicle 10 is located based on the lane demarcation lines represented in the map information, the estimated position and estimated azimuth angle of the vehicle 10. Whenever the position estimation device 12 obtains the estimated position, estimated azimuth angle, and driving lane of the vehicle 10 at the time of taking the camera image, it outputs this information to the object detection device 13, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, the vehicle control device 16, etc.

[0059] The object detection device 13 detects other objects around the vehicle 10 and their types (such as vehicles) based on the camera image and the like. Among the other objects, there are other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10. The object detection device 13 tracks the detected other objects and obtains the trajectories of the other objects. The object detection device 13 determines the driving lanes on which the other objects are traveling based on the lane division lines indicated in the map information and the positions of the other objects. The object detection device 13 outputs object detection information including information indicating the types of the detected other objects, information indicating their positions, and information indicating the driving lanes to the driving lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, and the like.

[0060] At the driving lane plan generation time set at a predetermined cycle, the driving lane planning device 14 selects a lane within the road on which the vehicle 10 travels based on the map information, the navigation route R and the surrounding environment information, and the current position of the vehicle 10 in the nearest driving section (for example, 10 km) selected from the navigation route R, and generates a driving lane plan indicating the predetermined driving lane on which the vehicle 10 travels. The driving lane planning device 14 generates a driving lane plan, for example, in such a manner that the vehicle 10 travels on a lane other than the overtaking lane. In addition, the driving lane planning device 14 selects a driving lane in such a manner that the vehicle 10 does not move between lanes in the movement prohibited section R1 of the lane merging terrain G1. Whenever the driving lane planning device 14 generates a driving lane plan, it outputs the driving lane plan to the driving plan device 15. The driving lane planning device 14 is an example of a vehicle control device.

[0061] In addition, the driving lane planning device 14 determines whether a lane change is necessary in the nearest driving section selected from the navigation route R, based on the driving lane plan, map information, navigation route R, and the current position of the vehicle 10, and generates a lane change plan according to the determination result. Specifically, the driving lane planning device 14 determines whether a lane change is necessary to move to the lane towards the destination position of the vehicle 10 based on the navigation route R and the current position of the vehicle 10. It determines whether there is an entry (merging) from the driving road on which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling to another road as the merging destination, and whether the vehicle 10 exits (branches) from the driving road to another road as the branching destination. In the case of merging and branching, the vehicle moves from the lane of the driving road to the lane of another road, so a lane change is performed. The driving lane planning device 14 may also utilize the surrounding environment information or vehicle state information in the determination of whether a lane change is necessary. The surrounding environment information includes the positions and speeds of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10. The vehicle state information includes the current position of the vehicle 10, vehicle speed, acceleration, and traveling direction. Furthermore, the driving lane planning device 14 may also generate a lane change plan according to the driver's request for movement between lanes. When the driving lane planning device 14 has generated a lane change plan, it outputs the driving lane plan with the lane change plan added to it to the driving plan device 15.

[0062] In addition, the driving lane planning device 14 identifies the lane merging terrain. In addition, for the lane merging terrain, the driving lane planning device 14 sets the position between the position where the demarcation line disappears and the position where the sum of the distance L1 and the distance L2 in the traveling direction towards the vehicle 10 from the position where the demarcation line disappears is the first reference distance L3 as the movement prohibited section where the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes by automatic control is prohibited. In the case where the driving lane planning device 14 has planned the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes in the movement prohibited section according to the driver's request or surrounding environment information, etc., it sets the position between the position where the demarcation line disappears and the position where the sum of the distance L1 and the distance L2 in the traveling direction towards the vehicle 10 from the position where the demarcation line disappears is the second reference distance below the first reference distance L3 as the control transfer request section for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control. Furthermore, the driving lane planning device 14 sets the position between the position where the demarcation line disappears and the position at a predetermined distance ahead from the position where the demarcation line disappears as the manual lane change predetermined section for requesting the driver to perform the movement between lanes by manual control. For this purpose, the driving lane planning device 14 includes a communication interface (IF) 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 are connected via a signal line 24. The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the driving lane planning device 14 to the in-vehicle network 17.

[0063] All or part of the functions of the driving lane planning device 14 are, for example, functional modules implemented by a computer program operating on the processor 23. The processor 23 has a terrain recognition unit 231, a movement prohibition section setting unit 232, a driving lane planning unit 233, a lane change planning unit 234, a control transfer section setting unit 235, and a manual lane change scheduled section setting unit 236. Alternatively, the functional modules of the processor 23 may be dedicated arithmetic circuits provided in the processor 23. The processor 23 has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Unit) and its peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may also have other arithmetic circuits such as a logical operation unit, a numerical operation unit, or a graphics processing unit. The memory 22 is an example of a storage unit and has, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. Further, the memory 22 stores the computer programs of applications used in the information processing executed by the processor 23 and various data. The driving lane planning unit 233 generates the above-described driving lane plan, and the lane change planning unit 234 generates the above-described lane change plan. Details of other operations in the driving lane planning device 14 will be described later.

[0064] At the driving plan generation time set at a predetermined cycle, the driving plan device 15 executes driving plan processing for generating a driving plan indicating a predetermined travel trajectory of the vehicle 10 until a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) later, based on the driving lane plan, the map information, the current position of the vehicle 10, the surrounding environment information, and the vehicle state information. The driving plan is represented as a set of the target position of the vehicle 10 and the target vehicle speed at that target position at each moment from the current moment until a predetermined time later. The cycle for generating the driving plan is preferably shorter than the cycle for generating the driving lane plan. The driving plan device 15 generates the driving plan in such a manner that a predetermined distance or more can be maintained between the vehicle 10 and other vehicles. When the driving lane plan includes a lane change for moving between the lanes of the vehicle 10 and a predetermined distance or more cannot be ensured between the vehicle 10 and other vehicles, the driving plan device 15 generates the driving plan in such a manner that the vehicle 10 stops. Each time the driving plan device 15 generates a driving plan, it outputs the driving plan to the vehicle control device 16.

[0065] When the vehicle control device 16 drives the vehicle 10 through automatic control, it controls each part of the vehicle 10 based on the current position, vehicle speed, yaw rate of the vehicle 10, and the driving plan generated by the driving plan device 15. For example, the vehicle control device 16 calculates the steering angle, acceleration, and angular acceleration of the vehicle 10 according to the driving plan, vehicle speed, and yaw rate of the vehicle 10, and sets the steering amount, acceleration opening, or braking amount so as to be the steering angle, acceleration, and angular acceleration. Then, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set steering amount to an actuator (not shown) that controls the steering wheel of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 17. In addition, the vehicle control device 16 calculates the fuel injection amount according to the set acceleration opening, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the fuel injection amount to a driving device (not shown) such as the engine of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 17. Alternatively, the vehicle control device 16 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set braking amount to a brake (not shown) of the vehicle 10 via the in-vehicle network 17. In addition, when the vehicle control device 16 drives the vehicle 10 through manual control, it controls the steering wheel, driving device, or brake according to the steering amount, acceleration opening, or braking amount based on the driver's operation.

[0066] In Figure 2 , it is described that the map information storage device 11, the position estimation device 12, the object detection device 13, the driving lane planning device 14, the driving plan device 15, and the vehicle control device 16 are independent devices, but all or part of these devices may also be configured as one device.

[0067] Figure 3 is an example of an operation flowchart related to vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system 1 of the first embodiment. Referring to Figure 3 , the vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system 1 will be described below. The driving lane planning device 14 performs terrain recognition processing according to the operation flowchart shown in Figure 3 at the terrain recognition moment with a predetermined period. The period for performing the terrain recognition processing is preferably shorter than the period for generating the driving lane plan.

[0068] First, the terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information and determines whether there is a lane merging terrain G1 (step S101), which is an example of a predetermined terrain, in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R. When there is no lane merging terrain G1 (step S101 - "no"), the terrain recognition unit 231 waits until the next terrain recognition moment and then performs the processing of step S101. On the other hand, when there is a lane merging terrain G1 (step S101 - "yes"), the terrain recognition unit 231 determines whether the length of the lane merging terrain G1 is equal to or greater than the distance threshold (step S102).

[0069] When the length of the lane merging terrain G1 is less than the distance threshold (step S102 - "No"), the movement prohibition section 232 sets the section line disappearance position 55 and the position R12 between which the sum of the distance L1 from the section line disappearance position 55 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 and the distance L2 is the first reference distance L3 as the movement prohibition section R1 that prohibits the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes by automatic control (step S103), and ends the series of processes.

[0070] On the other hand, when the length of the lane merging terrain G1 is equal to or greater than the distance threshold (step S102 - "Yes"), the series of processes ends.

[0071] Hereinafter, according to Figure 1 the example of Figure 3 the processing of the driving lane planning device 14 in the action flow chart shown is described. The terrain recognition section 231 determines whether there is a lane merging terrain in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R with reference to the map information stored in the map information storage device 11 for each terrain recognition time.

[0072] The terrain recognition section 231 refers to the map information and determines whether there is a terrain having a first lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line and a first lane demarcation line, a second lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line and a second lane demarcation line, a third lane demarcated between the second lane demarcation line and the second lane, and a fourth lane having a demarcation line disappearance position where the shared lane demarcation line disappears and where the first lane and the second lane merge and extend in the traveling direction of the vehicle from the demarcation line disappearance position and are demarcated by the first lane demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line, and the first distance between the extended demarcation line obtained by hypothetically extending the shared lane demarcation line from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the first lane demarcation line and the second distance between the extended demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line decrease in the traveling direction of the vehicle. When it is determined that there is such a terrain, the terrain recognition section 231 recognizes the lane merging terrain G1 from the terrains included in the map information.

[0073] The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information and determines that there is a lane confluence terrain G1. The lane confluence terrain G1 has a lane 51 demarcated by a lane demarcation line A2 and a lane demarcation line A1 which are the shared lane demarcation lines, a lane 52 demarcated by the lane demarcation line A2 and a lane demarcation line A3, a lane 53 demarcated between the lane demarcation line A3 and the lane 52, and a lane 54 which merges the lane 51 and the lane 52 starting from a demarcation line disappearance position 55 where the lane demarcation line A2 disappears, extends in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10, and is demarcated by the lane demarcation line A1 and the lane demarcation line A3. Moreover, in the lane confluence terrain G1, the distance L1 between the extended demarcation line A5 formed by hypothetically extending the lane demarcation line A2 from the demarcation line disappearance position 55 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 and the lane demarcation line A1 and the distance L2 between the extended demarcation line A5 and the lane demarcation line A3 decrease in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10.

[0074] In addition, the terrain recognition unit 231 may also refer to the map information to determine whether there is a lane confluence terrain G1 identified by predetermined identification information in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R.

[0075] Furthermore, the terrain recognition unit 231 may also use an identifier that has been learned in a manner to identify the lane confluence terrain G1 to identify the lane confluence terrain G1 in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R according to the map information.

[0076] In Figure 1 In the example shown, the start position G11 of the lane confluence terrain G1 coincides with the demarcation line disappearance position 55 in the extending direction of the road 50. In addition, the end position G12 of the lane confluence terrain G1 coincides with the start position where the sum of the distance L1 and the distance L2 becomes constant in the extending direction of the road 50. Moreover, the sum of the distance L1 and the distance L2 becoming constant includes that the sum of the distance L1 and the distance L2 varies within a predetermined value. The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information to obtain the length of the lane confluence terrain G1. The length of the lane confluence terrain G1 is, for example, the length along the center line of the road 50 between the start position G11 and the end position G12. The terrain recognition unit 231 notifies the moving prohibition section setting unit 232 of the length of the identified lane confluence terrain G1.

[0077] The movement prohibition section 232 sets the area between the position 55 where the demarcation line disappears and the position R12 where the sum of the distance L1 and the distance L2 from the position 55 where the demarcation line disappears in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 is the first reference distance L3 as the movement prohibition area R1 that prohibits the vehicle 10 from moving between lanes through automatic control. The start position R11 of the movement prohibition area R1 coincides with the position 55 where the demarcation line disappears in the extending direction of the road 50. The movement prohibition area R1 is the area between the start position R11 and the end position R12 in the lane merging terrain G1. The traveling direction of the vehicle 10 coincides with the extending direction of the road 50.

[0078] The first reference distance L3 preferably corresponds to the position where the width of the lane 54 is reduced to the extent of one lane. It is considered that the driver of another vehicle traveling on the lane 51 or the lane 52 will pay sufficient attention to the vehicle 10 moving from the lane 53 to the lane 54 when the width of the lane 54 is reduced to the extent of one lane. As the first reference distance L3, for example, it can be set in the range of 1.0 to 1.5 times the width of the lane 51 or the lane 52.

[0079] In addition, when the length of the lane merging terrain G1 is less than a predetermined distance, the movement prohibition section 232 may also set the movement prohibition area R1 for the entire lane merging terrain G1.

[0080] In the movement prohibition area R1, the vehicle 10 is prohibited from moving from the lane 53 to the lane 54 through automatic control. In addition, in the movement prohibition area R1, the vehicle 10 is also prohibited from moving from the lane 54 to the lane 53 through automatic control. Therefore, the traveling lane planning section 233 selects the traveling lane so that the vehicle 10 does not move between lanes in the movement prohibition area R1, and generates a traveling lane plan. In Figure 1 In the example shown, the traveling lane planning section 233 selects the lane 53 as the lane for the vehicle 10 to travel in the lane merging terrain G1.

[0081] However, when the length of the lane merging terrain G1 is above the distance threshold, the movement prohibition section 232 does not set a movement prohibition area for the lane merging terrain G1. When the lane merging terrain G1 is sufficiently long, it is possible to ensure the time to control the movement of the vehicle 10 corresponding to the activities of other vehicles. Therefore, it is considered that when the vehicle 10 moves between lanes through automatic control, an interval of more than a predetermined distance can be maintained between the vehicle 10 and other vehicles. The distance threshold is determined, for example, based on the product of the nearest average speed of the vehicle 10 and a predetermined time. As the predetermined time, for example, it can be set from 5 seconds to 15 seconds.

[0082] Figure 4This is an example of the action flowchart in the case of lane change in the prohibited movement section in the vehicle control system of the first embodiment. Whenever the lane planning device 14 generates a new lane change plan, it executes vehicle control processing according to the action flowchart shown in Figure 4 . However, the action flowchart shown in Figure 4 is not executed when no prohibited movement section is set for the lane merging terrain.

[0083] First, when a lane change plan has been generated, the control transfer section setting unit 235 determines whether the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes in the prohibited movement section has been planned (step S201). In the prohibited movement section, lane changes based on the driving lane plan are not planned, but lane changes may sometimes be planned according to the surrounding environment information or a lane change request issued by the driver. The movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes in the prohibited movement section means that in the lane change plan, the section where the lane change of the vehicle 10 is scheduled overlaps with the prohibited movement section.

[0084] When the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes in the prohibited movement section has been planned (step S201 - "Yes"), the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets, in the lane merging terrain G1, the position between the vanishing position of the demarcation line and the position where the sum of the distance L1 and the distance L2 from the vanishing position of the demarcation line in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 is less than or equal to the first reference distance L3 as the first control transfer request section for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control (step S202), and a series of processing ends.

[0085] On the other hand, when the movement of the vehicle between lanes in the prohibited movement section has not been planned (step S201 - "No"), a series of processing ends.

[0086] In addition, in the action flowchart shown in Figure 4 , the processing of step S203 can also be performed instead of step S202. In this case, the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets the position between the vanishing position of the demarcation line and the position at a predetermined distance ahead from the vanishing position of the demarcation line as the second control transfer request section for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control (step S204), and a series of processing ends.

[0087] Hereinafter, according to the example in Figure 5 , the processing of the driving lane planning device 14 in the action flowchart shown in Figure 4 will be described. Figure 5This is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle control process of the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment. When the control transfer section 235 moves between the lanes of the vehicle 10 in the planned movement prohibition section R1, the control transfer section 235 sets the position between the vanishing position 55 of the demarcation line and the position where the sum of the forward distance L1 and the distance L2 from the vanishing position 55 of the demarcation line in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 is equal to or less than the second reference distance L4, which is the first reference distance L3, as the first control transfer request section TD1 for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control. As the lower limit value of the second reference distance L4, for example, it can be set to a value when the width of the lane 54 becomes constant.

[0088] In the movement prohibition section R1, from the perspective of ensuring the driving safety of the vehicle 10, the movement between lanes under automatic control is prohibited. On the other hand, sometimes it may be necessary to plan the movement between the lanes of the vehicle 10 in the movement prohibition section R1 for the purpose of avoiding the approach of other vehicles traveling in front of the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 10.

[0089] Therefore, the first control transfer request section TD1 is set for the lane merging terrain G1. After the vehicle 10 enters the first control transfer request section TD1, the vehicle control device 16 notifies the driver of the control transfer request via the UI5. After the driver operates to consent to the control transfer request via the UI5 or the like, the driving of the vehicle 10 is started by manual control. Then, the vehicle control device 16 notifies the driver of the movement between the lanes via the UI5. The driver moves between the lanes in the movement prohibition section R1 according to the notification. After the vehicle 10 passes through the first control transfer request section TD1, the driver can either continue to drive the vehicle 10 by manual control as it is, or change to the driving of the vehicle 10 under automatic control.

[0090] Regarding the position of the second reference distance L4, preferably, the length of the first control transfer request section TD1 is determined such that the driver notified of the control transfer request can perform the operation of consenting to the control transfer request with sufficient margin and start driving the vehicle 10.

[0091] In addition, when the length of the lane merging terrain G1 is less than a predetermined distance, the first control transfer request section TD1 can also be set for the entire lane merging terrain G1.

[0092] In addition, when step S203 is performed instead of step S202, the control transfer section 235 sets the position between the vanishing position 55 of the demarcation line and the position advanced by the distance L5 from the vanishing position 55 of the demarcation line as the second control transfer request section TD2 for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control.

[0093] Regarding the distance L5, preferably, the length of the second control transfer request section TD2 is determined such that the driver notified of the control transfer request can perform the operation of consenting to the control transfer request with room to spare and start driving the vehicle 10. For example, the distance L5 is determined based on the most recent average speed of the vehicle 10.

[0094] In the case of moving between the lanes of the vehicle 10 in the planned movement prohibition section R1, before the vehicle 10 enters the movement prohibition section R1, a second control transfer request section TD2 is set that requests the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control. Thereby, the driver can start driving the vehicle 10 with room to spare by manual control and move between the lanes in the movement prohibition section R1.

[0095] In addition, the manual lane change scheduled section setting unit 236 may set a manual lane change scheduled section that requests the driver to move between the lanes by manual control instead of the first control transfer request section TD1 or the second control transfer request section TD2. In this case, when the vehicle 10 enters the manual lane change scheduled section, the vehicle control device 16 requests the driver to notify the movement between the lanes by manual control via the UI5. In the manual lane change scheduled section, although the driving of the vehicle 10 is in the state of automatic control, the vehicle control device 16 controls the steering wheel, the drive device, or the brake according to the steering amount, the acceleration opening, or the braking amount based on the driver's operation. In the manual lane change scheduled section, the driver can drive the vehicle 10 by manual control and move between the lanes.

[0096] As described above, in the case of a lane merging terrain where there is a possibility that the vehicle cannot maintain a gap of more than a predetermined distance from other vehicles when moving between the lanes by automatic control, the vehicle control device prohibits the vehicle from moving from the driving lane by automatic control, so the driving safety of the vehicle under automatic control can be ensured.

[0097] Next, referring to Figures 6 to 9 the following describes other embodiments of the above vehicle control device. Regarding the structures not described in other embodiments, the descriptions of the above first embodiment are appropriately applied.

[0098] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control system according to the second embodiment. The vehicle 10 is traveling on the lane 62 of the road 60 having lanes 61 and 62. The lane 61 is demarcated by the lane demarcation line B1 and the lane demarcation line B2, and the lane 62 is demarcated by the lane demarcation line B2 and the lane demarcation line B3. The navigation route R generated by the vehicle control system 1 indicates that the vehicle 10 exits from the road 60 to the branch road 70 at the road branch position 73.

[0099] The branch road 70 has lanes 71 and 72. Lane 71 is demarcated by lane demarcation lines B4 and B5, and lane 72 is demarcated by lane demarcation lines B5 and B6. The road 60 and the branch road 70 are connected at the road branch position 73, between the road branch start position 731 and the road branch end position 732.

[0100] The vehicle control system 1 identifies a predetermined lane branch terrain G2 within the nearest driving section of the navigation route R based on map information. The lane branch terrain G2 has a lane 61 and a lane 62 demarcated by a lane demarcation line B2 that serves as a shared lane demarcation line. The branch road 70, which has a lane 71 connected to the lane 61 and a lane 72 adjacent to the lane 71, extends from the branch start position 63 of the lane demarcation line B2. The lane 72 and the lane 62 are demarcated by the lane demarcation line B2 that extends in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 beyond the branch start position 63.

[0101] The lane demarcation line B5 extends from the branch start position 63. The lane demarcation line B6 extends from the road branch end position 64. The lane 72 of the branch road 70 is demarcated by the lane demarcation lines B5 and B6 and newly appears from the branch start position 63.

[0102] Vehicles traveling on the lane 61 and vehicles traveling on the lane 62 can move relative to the lane 72 after passing through the branch start position 63. The drivers of other vehicles traveling on the lane 61 sometimes move the vehicle into the lane 72 after entering the lane 71. However, there is a possibility that the drivers of other vehicles traveling on the lane 61 do not pay sufficient attention to the vehicle 10 moving from the lane 62 to the lane 72. Therefore, in the lane branch terrain G2, when the vehicle 10 attempts to move from the lane 62 to the lane 72 while maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles through automatic control, there is a possibility that a safe distance cannot be ensured from other vehicles.

[0103] Therefore, the vehicle control system 1 sets the area between the branch start position 63 and the position at a distance L6 from the branch start position 63 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 as a movement prohibition section R2 that prohibits the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes through automatic control.

[0104] The vehicle control system 1 generates a driving lane plan representing the driving lane on which the vehicle 10 travels in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R based on the current position P1 of the vehicle, the navigation route R, map information, and surrounding environment information. The vehicle control system 1 selects a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle 10 does not move between lanes in the movement prohibition section R2.

[0105] Accordingly, when the vehicle control system 1 recognizes that there is a possibility that the interval between other vehicles and the vehicle 10 cannot be maintained at a distance greater than a predetermined distance during the movement between lanes by automatic control in the lane branching terrain G2, the vehicle control system 1 prohibits the vehicle from moving from the driving lane by automatic control, so that the driving safety of the vehicle 10 under automatic control can be ensured.

[0106] Referring to the above Figure 3 , the vehicle control process of the vehicle control system 1 of the present embodiment will be described below. At the terrain recognition moment with a predetermined period, the driving lane planning device 14 executes the terrain recognition process according to the Figure 3 action flowchart shown.

[0107] First, the terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information to determine whether there is a lane branching terrain G2, which is an example of a predetermined terrain, in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R (step S101). When there is no lane branching terrain G2 (step S101 - "No"), the terrain recognition unit 231 waits until the next terrain recognition moment and then executes the process of step S101. On the other hand, when there is a lane branching terrain G2 (step S101 - "Yes"), the terrain recognition unit 231 determines whether the length of the lane branching terrain G2 is greater than or equal to the distance threshold (step S102).

[0108] When the length of the lane branching terrain G2 is less than the distance threshold (step S102 - "No"), the movement prohibition interval setting unit 232 sets the interval between the branch start position and the position at a predetermined distance from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 as the movement prohibition interval R2 for prohibiting the vehicle 10 from moving between lanes by automatic control (step S103), and ends the series of processes.

[0109] On the other hand, when the length of the lane branching terrain G2 is greater than or equal to the distance threshold (step S102 - "Yes"), the series of processes ends.

[0110] Hereinafter, according to the Figure 6 example, the process of the driving lane planning device 14 of the vehicle control system of the present embodiment in the Figure 3 action flowchart shown will be described. The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information stored in the map information storage device 11 for each terrain recognition moment to determine whether there is a lane branching terrain in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R.

[0111] The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information to determine whether there is a terrain where a first lane and a second lane divided by a shared lane demarcation line exist, a branch road having a third lane connected to the first lane and a fourth lane adjacent to the third lane extends from the branch start position of the shared lane demarcation line, and the fourth lane and the second lane are demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line that extends beyond the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. When it is determined that there is such a terrain, the terrain recognition unit 231 recognizes a lane branch terrain G2 from the terrain included in the map information.

[0112] The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information and determines that there is a lane branch terrain G2. The lane branch terrain G2 has a lane 61 and a lane 62 demarcated by a lane demarcation line B2 as a shared lane demarcation line, a branch road 70 as a branch road having a lane 71 connected to the lane 61 and a lane 72 adjacent to the lane 71 extends from the branch start position 63 of the lane demarcation line B2, and the lane 72 and the lane 62 are demarcated by the lane demarcation line B2 that extends beyond the branch start position 63 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10.

[0113] In addition, the map information may be associated with the position of the above-mentioned lane branch terrain G2 and include identification information for identifying the lane branch terrain G2. The terrain recognition unit 231 may also refer to the map information to determine whether there is a lane branch terrain G2 identified by predetermined identification information within the nearest driving section of the navigation route R.

[0114] Furthermore, the terrain recognition unit 231 may also use an identifier that has been learned in a manner to identify the lane branch terrain G2, and based on the map information, identify the lane branch terrain G2 within the nearest driving section of the navigation route R.

[0115] In Figure 6 In the example shown, the start position G21 of the lane branch terrain G2 coincides with the branch start position 63 in the extending direction of the road 60. In addition, the end position G22 of the lane branch terrain G2 coincides with the position 64 where the lane demarcation line B6 branches from the lane demarcation line B2 in the extending direction of the road 60. The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information to obtain the length of the lane branch terrain G2. The length of the lane branch terrain G2 is, for example, the length along the center line of the road 60 between the start position G21 and the end position G22. The terrain recognition unit 231 notifies the moving prohibition section setting unit 232 of the recognized length of the lane branch terrain G2. In addition, the end position G22 of the lane branch terrain G2 may also coincide with the road branch end position 732.

[0116] The movement prohibition section 232 sets the section between the branch start position 63 of the lane dividing line B2 and the position R22 that is at a distance L6 from the branch start position 63 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 as the movement prohibition section R2 that prohibits the vehicle 10 from moving between lanes by automatic control. The start position R21 of the movement prohibition section R2 coincides with the branch start position 63 in the extending direction of the road 60. The movement prohibition section R2 is the section between the start position R21 and the end position R22 in the lane branching terrain G2.

[0117] The distance L6 is the following distance: If the vehicle is more than the distance L6 away from the branch start position 63, then even if the vehicle 10 moves between lanes by automatic control, it is possible to maintain a safe distance between the vehicle 10 and other vehicles by controlling the steering or speed of the vehicle 10 based on the surrounding environment information. The distance L6 is determined, for example, according to the recent average speed of the vehicle 10. In addition, when the length of the lane branching terrain G2 is less than or equal to the distance L6, the movement prohibition section R2 is set for the entire lane branching terrain G2.

[0118] In the movement prohibition section R2, the vehicle 10 is prohibited from moving from lane 62 to lane 72 by automatic control. Also, in the movement prohibition section R2, the vehicle 10 is prohibited from moving from lane 71 to lane 72 by automatic control. Therefore, the travel lane planning section 233 selects a travel lane so that the vehicle 10 does not move between lanes in the movement prohibition section R2, and generates a travel lane plan.

[0119] However, when the length of the lane branching terrain G2 is greater than or equal to a distance threshold, the movement prohibition section 232 does not set a movement prohibition section for the lane branching terrain G2. When the lane branching terrain G2 is sufficiently long, it is possible to ensure a time for controlling the movement of the vehicle 10 corresponding to the activities of other vehicles. Therefore, it is considered that when the vehicle 10 moves between lanes by automatic control, it is possible to maintain a gap of more than a predetermined distance between the vehicle 10 and other vehicles. The distance threshold is determined, for example, by multiplying the recent average speed of the vehicle 10 by a predetermined time. As the predetermined time, for example, it can be set to 5 seconds to 15 seconds.

[0120] Next, referring to the above Figure 4 , the operation in the case of a lane change in the planned movement prohibition section in the vehicle control system of the second embodiment will be described. Each time the lane planning device 14 generates a new lane change plan, it executes vehicle control processing according to the Figure 4 shown operation flowchart. However, Figure 4 the shown operation flowchart is not executed when no movement prohibition section is set for the lane branching terrain.

[0121] First, when the lane change plan has been generated, the control transfer section setting unit 235 determines whether a lane change of a vehicle in the movement prohibited section has been planned (step S201). In the movement prohibited section, although a lane change based on the driving lane plan is not planned, there may be cases where a lane change is planned according to the surrounding environment information or a lane change request issued by the driver.

[0122] When a lane change of a vehicle in the movement prohibited section has been planned (step S201 - "Yes"), the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets, in the lane branching terrain G2, the section between the branch start position and a position at a predetermined distance of L6 or more from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 as the first control transfer request section for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control (step S202), and a series of processes ends.

[0123] On the other hand, when a lane change of a vehicle in the movement prohibited section has not been planned (step S201 - "No"), a series of processes ends.

[0124] In addition, Figure 4 In the action flow chart shown, the process of step S203 can also be performed instead of step S202. In this case, the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets the section between the branch start position and a position at a predetermined distance in advance from the branch start position as the second control transfer request section for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control (step S203), and a series of processes ends.

[0125] Hereinafter, Figure 7 According to Figure 4 the example of, the process of the driving lane planning device 14 in the action flow chart shown is described. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle control process of the vehicle control system according to the present embodiment. When a lane change of the vehicle 10 in the movement prohibited section R2 has been planned, the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets the section between the branch start position 63 and a position at a distance L7 of L6 or more from the branch start position 63 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 as the first control transfer request section TD3 for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control. In Figure 7 the example shown, the distance L7 is the distance along the center line of the road 60, but it can also be the distance along the center line of the road 70.

[0126] In the movement prohibited section R2, from the perspective of ensuring the driving safety of the vehicle 10, movement between lanes under automatic control is prohibited. On the other hand, sometimes it may be necessary to plan the movement between lanes of the vehicle 10 in the movement prohibited section R2 for the purpose of avoiding the approach of other vehicles traveling in front of the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 10.

[0127] Therefore, a first control transfer request section TD3 is set for the lane branching terrain G2. When the vehicle 10 enters the first control transfer request section TD3, the vehicle control device 16 notifies the driver of the control transfer request via the UI5. After the driver operates via the UI5 or the like to consent to the control transfer request, the driving of the vehicle 10 is started by manual control. Then, the vehicle control device 16 notifies the driver of the movement between lanes via the UI5. The driver makes a movement between lanes in the movement prohibited section R2 in accordance with the notification. After the vehicle 10 passes through the first control transfer request section TD3, the driver can either continue to drive the vehicle 10 by manual control as it is, or change to the driving of the vehicle 10 under automatic control.

[0128] Regarding the distance L7, preferably, the length of the first control transfer request section TD3 is determined such that the driver notified of the control transfer request can have sufficient room to operate to consent to the control transfer request and start driving the vehicle 10.

[0129] In addition, when the length of the lane branching terrain G2 is less than or equal to the distance L7, the first control transfer request section TD3 can also be set for the entire lane branching terrain G2. The distance L7 is determined, for example, according to the recent average speed of the vehicle 10.

[0130] In addition, when step S203 is performed instead of step S202, the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets the section between the branch start position 63 and the position advanced by the distance L8 from the branch start position 63 as the second control transfer request section TD4 for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control.

[0131] Regarding the distance L8, preferably, the length of the second control transfer request section TD4 is determined such that the driver notified of the control transfer request can have sufficient room to operate to consent to the control transfer request and start driving the vehicle 10. The distance L8 is determined, for example, according to the recent average speed of the vehicle 10.

[0132] In the case of moving between the lanes of the vehicle 10 in the planned movement prohibition section R2, before the vehicle 10 enters the movement prohibition section R2, a second control transfer request section TD4 is set to request the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control. Thus, the driver can start driving the vehicle 10 manually with redundancy and move between the lanes in the movement prohibition section R2.

[0133] In addition, the manual lane change scheduled section 236 may set, instead of the first control transfer request section TD3 or the second control transfer request section TD4, a manual lane change scheduled section for notifying the driver via the UI5 through the vehicle control device 16 of a request to move between the lanes by manual control. In the manual lane change scheduled section, the driving of the vehicle 10 is in the state of automatic control, but the vehicle control device 16 controls the steering wheel, the drive device, or the brake according to the steering amount, the acceleration opening, or the braking amount based on the driver's operation. In the manual lane change scheduled section, the driver can drive the vehicle 10 manually and move between the lanes.

[0134] As described above, when the vehicle control device recognizes a lane branching terrain where there is a possibility that a predetermined distance or more interval cannot be maintained between other vehicles and the vehicle during moving between the lanes by automatic control, it prohibits the vehicle from moving from the driving lane by automatic control, so that the driving safety of the vehicle under automatic control can be ensured.

[0135] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an outline of the operation of the vehicle control system according to the third embodiment. The vehicle 10 travels on the lane 82 of the road 80 having lanes 81, 82, and 83. The lane 81 is demarcated by the lane demarcation line C1 and the lane demarcation line C2, the lane 82 is demarcated by the lane demarcation line C2 and the lane demarcation line C3, and the lane 83 is demarcated by the lane demarcation line C3 and the lane demarcation line C4. The navigation route R generated by the vehicle control system 1 indicates that the vehicle 10 moves straight ahead on the road 80.

[0136] The vehicle control system 1 identifies a predetermined lane merging terrain G3 in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R based on the map information. The lane merging terrain G3 has the lane 81, the lane 82 adjacent to the lane 81, and the lane 83 adjacent to the lane 82, and has a first position G31 where the width of the lane 82 starts to decrease, and a second position G32 where the lane 82 disappears and the lanes 81 and 83 start to be adjacent.

[0137] In the lane merging terrain G3, lane 82 disappears, but the widths of lanes 81 and 83 do not decrease. Vehicle 10 traveling on lane 82 wants to move to either lane 81 or lane 83 in the lane merging terrain G3. However, since the width of the lane in which the other vehicle traveling on lane 81 or 83 is driving does not change, there is a possibility that the driver of the other vehicle will not pay sufficient attention to vehicle 10 that wants to move between lanes from lane 82. Therefore, in the lane merging terrain G3, when vehicle 10 attempts to move from lane 82 to lane 81 or 83 while maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles through automatic control, there is a possibility that a safe distance cannot be ensured between vehicle 10 and other vehicles.

[0138] Therefore, vehicle control system 1 sets the area between the first position G31 and the position R32 that is a distance L9 ahead of the second position G32 as the movement prohibited area R3 where the movement of vehicle 10 between lanes through automatic control is prohibited.

[0139] Vehicle control system 1 generates a driving lane plan indicating the driving lane on which vehicle 10 travels in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R based on the current position P1 of the vehicle, the navigation route R, the map information, and the surrounding environment information. Vehicle control system 1 selects the driving lane in such a way that vehicle 10 does not move between lanes in the movement prohibited area R3.

[0140] Thus, when vehicle control system 1 recognizes the lane merging terrain G3 where there is a possibility that a gap greater than a predetermined distance cannot be maintained between other vehicles and vehicle 10 during lane change through automatic control, it prohibits the vehicle from moving from the driving lane through automatic control, thereby ensuring the driving safety of vehicle 10 under automatic control.

[0141] Refer to the above Figure 3 , the vehicle control process of vehicle control system 1 of the present embodiment will be described below. The driving lane planning device 14 executes the terrain recognition process according to the action flow chart shown in Figure 3 at the terrain recognition moment with a predetermined cycle.

[0142] First, the terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information and determines whether there is a lane merging terrain G3 (step S101), which is an example of a predetermined terrain, in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R. In the case where there is no lane merging terrain G3 (step S101 - "No"), the terrain recognition unit 231 waits until the next terrain recognition moment and then executes the process of step S101. On the other hand, in the case where there is a lane merging terrain G3 (step S101 - "Yes"), the terrain recognition unit 231 determines whether the length of the lane merging terrain G3 is equal to or greater than the distance threshold (step S102).

[0143] In the case where the length of the lane merging terrain G3 is less than the distance threshold (step S102 - "No"), the movement prohibition section 232 sets the section between the first position G31 and the position at a predetermined distance ahead from the second position G32 as a movement prohibition section R3 that prohibits the vehicle 10 from moving between lanes through automatic control (step S103), and ends the series of processes.

[0144] On the other hand, in the case where the length of the lane merging terrain G3 is equal to or greater than the distance threshold (step S102 - "Yes"), the series of processes ends.

[0145] Hereinafter, according to Figure 8 the example of Figure 3 the process of the driving lane planning device 14 of the vehicle control system according to the present embodiment in the action flow chart shown is described. The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information stored in the map information storage device 11 for each terrain recognition moment and determines whether there is a lane branching terrain in the nearest driving section of the navigation route R.

[0146] The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information and determines whether there is a terrain having a first lane, a second lane adjacent to the first lane, and a third lane adjacent to the second lane, including a first position where the width of the second lane starts to decrease and a second position where the second lane disappears and the first lane and the third lane start to be adjacent. In the case where it is determined that there is such a terrain, the terrain recognition unit 231 recognizes the lane merging terrain G3 from the terrain included in the map information.

[0147] The terrain recognition unit 231 refers to the map information and determines whether there is a lane merging terrain G3. The lane merging terrain G3 has a lane 81, a lane 82 adjacent to the lane 81, and a lane 83 adjacent to the lane 82, and has a first position G31 where the width of the lane 82 starts to decrease and a second position G32 where the lane 82 disappears and the lane 81 and the third lane 83 start to be adjacent.

[0148] In addition, the map information can also be associated with the position of the above-described lane merging terrain G3, including the identification information for identifying the lane merging terrain G3. The terrain identification unit 231 can also refer to the map information to determine whether there is a lane merging terrain G3 identified by predetermined identification information within the nearest driving section of the navigation route R.

[0149] Furthermore, the terrain identification unit 231 can also use an identifier that has been learned in a way to identify the lane merging terrain G3 to identify the lane merging terrain G3 within the nearest driving section of the navigation route R based on the map information.

[0150] In Figure 8 In the example shown, the first position G31 and the second position G32 represent positions in the extending direction of the road 80. The start position of the lane merging terrain G3 is consistent with the first position G31 in the extending direction of the road 80. In addition, the end position of the lane merging terrain G3 is consistent with the second position G32 in the extending direction of the road 80. The terrain identification unit 231 refers to the map information to obtain the length of the lane merging terrain G3. The length of the lane merging terrain G3 is, for example, the length along the center line of the road 80 between the start position G31 and the end position G32. The terrain identification unit 231 notifies the length of the identified lane merging terrain G3 to the movement prohibition section setting unit 232.

[0151] The movement prohibition section setting unit 232 sets the interval between the start position G31 and the position R32 that is advanced by a distance L9 from the end position G32 as a movement prohibition section R3 that prohibits the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes through automatic control. The start position R31 of the movement prohibition section R3 is consistent with the start position G31 in the extending direction of the road 80. The movement prohibition section R3 is the interval between the start position R31 and the end position R32 in the lane merging terrain G3. The distance L9 is, for example, the distance along the center line of the road 80.

[0152] The interval Q between the end position R32 of the movement prohibition section R3 and the end position G32 of the lane merging terrain G3 is an allowable interval that allows the movement of the vehicle 10 between lanes under automatic control. The determination distance L9 is determined such that during the period when the vehicle 10 travels in the movement prohibition section R3, the vehicle control system 1 controls the steering or speed of the vehicle 10 based on the surrounding environment information, so that the vehicle 10 can safely move between lanes in the allowable interval Q. The distance L9 is determined based on, for example, the nearest average speed of the vehicle 10.

[0153] In addition, when the length of the lane merging terrain G3 is less than a predetermined distance, the movement prohibition section 232 may also set a movement prohibition section R3 for the entire lane merging terrain G3. The reason is that when the length of the lane merging terrain G3 is not sufficiently long, it is not preferable to set an allowable section Q from a safety perspective.

[0154] In the movement prohibition section R3, the vehicle 10 is prohibited from moving from lane 82 to lane 81 and lane 83 by automatic control. In addition, in the movement prohibition section R3, the vehicle 10 is also prohibited from moving from lane 81 or lane 83 to lane 82 by automatic control. Therefore, the driving lane planning section 233 selects a driving lane so that the vehicle 10 does not move between lanes in the movement prohibition section R3, and generates a driving lane plan.

[0155] In addition, when the driving plan device 15 of the vehicle 10 cannot move from lane 82 to lane 81 and lane 83 by automatic control in the allowable section Q, the vehicle 10 may also be controlled to stop on lane 82.

[0156] When the length of the lane merging terrain G3 is equal to or greater than the distance threshold, the movement prohibition section 232 does not set a movement prohibition section for the lane merging terrain G3. When the lane merging terrain G3 is sufficiently long, it is possible to ensure the time for controlling the operation of the vehicle 10 corresponding to the activities of other vehicles. Therefore, it is considered that when the vehicle 10 moves between lanes by automatic control, an interval of more than a predetermined distance can be maintained between the vehicle 10 and other vehicles. The distance threshold is determined, for example, based on the product of the nearest average speed of the vehicle 10 and a predetermined time. As the predetermined time, for example, it can be set to 5 seconds to 15 seconds.

[0157] Next, referring to the above Figure 4 , the operation in the case of a lane change in the planned movement prohibition section in the vehicle control system of the third embodiment will be described. Whenever the lane planning device 14 generates a new lane change plan, it executes vehicle control processing according to the Figure 4 shown operation flowchart. However, Figure 4 the shown operation flowchart is not executed when no movement prohibition section is set for the lane merging terrain.

[0158] First, when a lane change plan has been generated, the control transfer section 235 determines whether a movement between lanes of a vehicle in the planned movement prohibition section has been planned (step S201). In the movement prohibition section, lane changes based on the driving lane plan are not planned, but sometimes lane changes may be planned according to the surrounding environment information or a movement request between lanes issued by the driver.

[0159] In the case of movement between lanes of a vehicle in a planned movement prohibition section (step S201 - "Yes"), the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets, in the lane merging terrain G3, between the first position G31 and a position that is a predetermined distance of L9 or less ahead from the second position G32 as the first control transfer request section for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control (step S202), and a series of processes ends.

[0160] On the other hand, in the case of movement between lanes of a vehicle in an unplanned movement prohibition section (step S201 - "No"), a series of processes ends.

[0161] In addition, in Figure 4 the shown operation flowchart, the process of step S203 can also be performed instead of step S202. In this case, the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets between the first position G31 and a position that is a predetermined distance ahead from the first position G31 as the second control transfer request section for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control (step S203), and a series of processes ends.

[0162] Hereinafter, according to Figure 9 the example of Figure 4 the shown operation flowchart, the processing of the driving lane planning device 14 is described. Figure 9 It is a diagram showing an example of the vehicle control processing of the vehicle control system of the present embodiment. In the case of movement between lanes of the vehicle 10 in the planned movement prohibition section R3, the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets between the first position G31 and a position that is a distance L10 of L9 or less ahead from the second position G32 as the first control transfer request section TD5 for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control. The distance L10 is, for example, the distance along the center line of the road 80.

[0163] In the movement prohibition section R3, movement between lanes under automatic control is prohibited from the viewpoint of ensuring the driving safety of the vehicle 10. On the other hand, sometimes it may be planned to move between the lanes of the vehicle 10 in the movement prohibition section R3 for the purpose of avoiding the approach of other vehicles traveling in front of the vehicle 10 and the vehicle 10, etc.

[0164] Therefore, a first control transfer request section TD5 is set for the lane merging terrain G3. When the vehicle 10 enters the first control transfer request section TD5, the control transfer request is notified to the driver via the UI5 by the vehicle control device 16. After the driver operates via the UI5 or the like to consent to the control transfer request, the driving of the vehicle 10 is started by manual control. Then, the vehicle control device 16 notifies the driver via the UI5 that the vehicle is moving between lanes. The driver moves between lanes in the movement prohibited section R3 in accordance with the notification.

[0165] After the vehicle 10 passes through the first control transfer request section TD5, the driver can either continue to drive the vehicle 10 by manual control as it is, or change to the automatic control of the vehicle 10.

[0166] Regarding the distance L10, preferably, the length of the first control transfer request section TD5 is determined such that the driver notified of the control transfer request can operate to consent to the control transfer request with sufficient margin and start the driving of the vehicle 10. The distance L10 is determined, for example, based on the latest average speed of the vehicle 10.

[0167] In addition, when the length of the lane merging terrain G3 is less than a predetermined distance, the first control transfer request section TD5 can also be set for the entire lane merging terrain G3.

[0168] In addition, when step S203 is performed instead of step S202, the control transfer section setting unit 235 sets a second control transfer request section TD6 between the first position G31 and the position advanced by the distance L11 from the first position G31, for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control.

[0169] Regarding the distance L11, preferably, the length of the first control transfer request section TD6 is determined such that the driver notified of the control transfer request can operate to consent to the control transfer request with sufficient margin and start the driving of the vehicle 10 at a position. The distance L11 is determined, for example, based on the latest average speed of the vehicle 10.

[0170] In the case of moving between the lanes of the vehicle 10 in the planned movement prohibited section R3, a second control transfer request section TD6 for requesting the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle 10 from automatic control to manual control is set before the vehicle 10 enters the movement prohibited section R3. Thus, the driver can start the driving of the vehicle 10 by manual control with sufficient margin and move between the lanes in the movement prohibited section R3.

[0171] In addition, the manual lane change scheduled section 236 may set a manual lane change scheduled section that requests the driver to move between lanes by manual control, which is notified via the UI5 by the vehicle control device 16, instead of the first control transfer request section TD5 or the second control transfer request section TD6. In the manual lane change scheduled section, the driver can drive the vehicle 10 by manual control to move between lanes.

[0172] As described above, when the vehicle control device recognizes a lane merging terrain where there is a possibility that a predetermined distance or more interval cannot be maintained between other vehicles and the vehicle during lane change by automatic control, the vehicle is prohibited from moving from the driving lane by automatic control, so that the driving safety of the vehicle under automatic control can be ensured.

[0173] In the present disclosure, the vehicle control device, the storage medium storing the vehicle control computer program, and the vehicle control method of the above-described embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present disclosure. In addition, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments, and also includes the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

[0174] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the terrains recognized by the respective driving lane planning devices are different, but one driving lane planning device may recognize three terrains and set a movement prohibition section corresponding to the terrain.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, comprising: a terrain recognition unit that, based on map information, recognizes the following terrain as a lane merging terrain. The terrain has a first lane demarcated by a shared lane demarcation line and a first lane demarcation line, a second lane demarcated by the shared lane demarcation line and a second lane demarcation line, a third lane demarcated by the second lane demarcation line and a third lane demarcation line, and a fourth lane that extends in the traveling direction of the vehicle where the first lane and the second lane merge starting from a demarcation line disappearance position where the shared lane demarcation line disappears and is demarcated by the first lane demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line. It is assumed that the vehicle travels in the third lane. In this terrain, a first distance between an extended demarcation line formed by hypothetically extending the shared lane demarcation line from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle and the first lane demarcation line and a second distance between the extended demarcation line and the second lane demarcation line decrease in the traveling direction of the vehicle; a movement prohibition section that, when the terrain recognition unit recognizes the lane merging terrain in a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, sets a movement prohibition section between the demarcation line disappearance position and a position where the sum of the first distance and the second distance from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a first reference distance, where movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control is prohibited; and a traveling lane planning section that, based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, generates a traveling lane plan indicating the traveling lane of the vehicle in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, and selects a traveling lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes in the movement prohibition section.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, Comprising: a lane change planning section that plans movement between lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information; and a control transfer section that, when the lane change planning section has planned movement between lanes of the vehicle in the movement prohibition section, sets a control transfer request section between the demarcation line disappearance position and a position where the sum of the first distance and the second distance from the demarcation line disappearance position in the traveling direction of the vehicle is a second reference distance that is equal to or less than the first reference distance, where the driver is requested to transfer control of the vehicle from automatic control to manual control.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein, Comprising: a lane change planning section that plans movement between lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information; and a manual lane change reservation section that, when the lane change planning section has planned movement between lanes of the vehicle in the movement prohibition section, sets a manual lane change reservation section between the demarcation line disappearance position and a position that is advanced by a third distance from the demarcation line disappearance position, where the driver is requested to perform movement between lanes by manual control.

4. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The terrain recognition unit notifies the recognized length of the lane merging terrain to the movement prohibition section setting unit, and the movement prohibition section setting unit does not set the movement prohibition section when the recognized length of the lane merging terrain is equal to or greater than a distance threshold. The length of the lane merging terrain is the length from the position where the zoning line disappears to the start position where the sum of the first distance and the second distance becomes constant.

5. A vehicle control device, comprising: A terrain recognition unit that, based on map information, recognizes the following terrain as a lane branching terrain. The terrain has a first lane and a second lane demarcated by a shared lane zoning line, where it is assumed that the vehicle travels in the second lane. In this terrain, a branch road having a third lane connected to the first lane and a fourth lane adjacent to the third lane extends from the branch start position of the shared lane zoning line, and the fourth lane and the second lane are demarcated by the shared lane zoning line that extends beyond the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle. A movement prohibition section setting unit that, when the terrain recognition unit recognizes the lane branching terrain within a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, sets the section between the branch start position and the position at a first distance from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle as a movement prohibition section that prohibits the vehicle from moving between lanes by automatic control. And A traveling lane planning unit that generates a traveling lane plan indicating the traveling lane of the vehicle in a predetermined driving section of the navigation route based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selects a traveling lane in such a way that the vehicle does not move between lanes within the movement prohibition section.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein, Comprising: A lane change planning unit that plans the movement of the vehicle between lanes based on surrounding environment information. And A control transfer section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned the movement of the vehicle between lanes within the movement prohibition section, sets the section between the branch start position and the position at a second distance that is equal to or greater than the first distance from the branch start position in the traveling direction of the vehicle as a control transfer request section that requests the driver to transfer the driving of the vehicle from automatic control to manual control.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein, Comprising: A lane change planning unit that plans the movement of the vehicle between lanes based on surrounding environment information. And A manual lane change predetermined section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned the movement of the vehicle between lanes within the movement prohibition section, sets the section between the branch start position and the position at a third distance ahead from the branch start position as a manual lane change predetermined section that requests the driver to move between lanes by manual control.

8. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein The terrain recognition unit notifies the length of the recognized lane branching terrain to the movement prohibition section setting unit, and the movement prohibition section setting unit does not set the movement prohibition section when the length of the recognized lane branching terrain is equal to or longer than a distance threshold that is longer than the first distance. The length of the lane branching terrain is the length from the branch start position to the position where the first lane demarcation line branches from the shared lane demarcation line, where the fourth lane is demarcated by the first lane demarcation line and the second shared lane demarcation line between the third lane and the fourth lane.

9. A vehicle control device having: A terrain recognition unit that, based on map information, recognizes as a lane merging terrain the area between a first lane, a second lane adjacent to the first lane, and a third lane adjacent to the second lane, from a first position where the width of the second lane starts to decrease to a second position where the second lane disappears and the first lane and the third lane start to be adjacent, assuming that the vehicle travels in the second lane. A movement prohibition section setting unit that, when the terrain recognition unit recognizes the lane merging terrain within a predetermined driving section of a navigation route, sets as a movement prohibition section the area between the first position and a position that is advanced by a first distance from the second position, which prohibits movement between lanes of the vehicle by automatic control. And A driving lane planning unit that generates a driving lane plan indicating the driving lane in which the vehicle travels within a predetermined driving section of the navigation route, based on the current position of the vehicle, the navigation route, and the map information, and selects a driving lane in such a way that the vehicle does not change lanes within the movement prohibition section.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein, Having: A lane change planning unit that plans movement between lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information. And A control transfer section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned movement between lanes of the vehicle within the movement prohibition section, sets as a control transfer request section the area between the first position and a position that is advanced by a second distance, which is equal to or less than the first distance, from the second position, requesting the driver to transfer control of the vehicle from automatic control to manual control.

11. The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein, Having: A lane change planning unit that plans movement between lanes of the vehicle based on surrounding environment information. And A manual lane change scheduled section setting unit that, when the lane change planning unit has planned movement between lanes of the vehicle within the movement prohibition section, sets as a manual lane change scheduled section the area between the first position and a position that is advanced by a third distance from the first position, requesting the driver to change lanes manually.

12. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein The terrain recognition unit notifies the length of the recognized lane confluence terrain to the movement prohibition section setting unit, and the movement prohibition section setting unit does not set the movement prohibition section when the length of the recognized lane confluence terrain is equal to or greater than a distance threshold that is longer than the first distance. The length of the lane confluence terrain is the length between a first position where the width of the second lane starts to decrease and a second position where the second lane disappears and the first lane and the third lane start to be adjacent.

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