Travel control device, travel control method, and non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for travel control

Abstract

A driving control device, a driving control method, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a driving control computer program are provided. The driving control device sets a confirmation level indicating the degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change according to the lane change situation before the vehicle performs a lane change, and when the confirmation level is higher than the level threshold, the driving control device requires the driver to perform a first lane change pre-action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change, and when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold, the driving control device requires the driver to perform a second lane change pre-action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change and the burden on the driver is less than the first lane change pre-action, and when the driver performs the required first lane change pre-action or second lane change pre-action and the situation around the vehicle satisfies the surrounding conditions, the driving of the vehicle is controlled to perform the lane change.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a travel control device and a travel control method for controlling the travel of a vehicle, and a computer-readable medium storing a computer program for the travel control. Background Art

[0002] In order for the vehicle to more safely change lanes under the control of the driving control device, the driver of the vehicle may be required to perform a predetermined action to check the surrounding conditions.

[0003] Patent document 1 describes a driving support device that urges the driver to perform safety confirmation when automatically changing the lane of a vehicle. The driving support device described in Patent document 1 permits automatic lane change when it is determined based on the detected state of the driver that the driver has performed a predetermined action for safety confirmation when changing lanes, and does not permit automatic lane change when it is determined that the driver has not performed the predetermined action.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-033013 Summary of the invention

[0007] Depending on the driver's state or the surrounding conditions during the lane change, even if the driver does not perform a predetermined action, it is sometimes possible to determine that the surroundings of the vehicle are in a state where the lane can be changed. For example, in a lane change from the current lane to a newly branched branch lane, the possibility of other vehicles being on the lane at the lane change destination is low, so the driving control device can determine that the lane can be changed without requiring the driver to confirm the surrounding conditions. In addition, in the case of a lane change performed according to the driver's request, it is considered that the driver makes a lane change request after confirming the surrounding conditions, so the driving control device can determine that the lane can be changed without requiring the driver to confirm the surrounding conditions. A driving control device that uniformly requires the driver to confirm the surrounding conditions under such circumstances causes trouble to the driver.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a travel control device that can appropriately perform a lane change so as to avoid causing trouble to the driver.

[0009] The driving control device of the present disclosure comprises: a setting unit, which sets a confirmation level indicating the degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change according to the lane change situation before the vehicle performs a lane change from the lane it is traveling in to another lane; a requesting unit, which requests the driver to perform a first pre-lane change action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change via a notification device when the confirmation level is higher than a level threshold, and requests the driver to perform a second pre-lane change action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change and which imposes less burden on the driver than the first pre-lane change action when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold; and a control unit, which controls the driving of the vehicle to perform the lane change when the driver performs the requested first pre-lane change action or the requested second pre-lane change action and the surrounding situation of the vehicle satisfies the surrounding conditions that the surrounding situation of the vehicle should satisfy during the lane change.

[0010] In the travel control device according to the present disclosure, preferably, the setting unit determines whether there is another vehicle in the predetermined section of the other lane, and if it is determined that there is another vehicle, sets a higher confirmation level than if it is not determined that there is another vehicle.

[0011] In the driving control device involved in the present disclosure, it is preferred that after a vehicle traveling in another lane changes lanes to a lane in which it is traveling in order to overtake a vehicle to be overtaken traveling in front of it in the other lane, and then changes lanes to the front of the vehicle to be overtaken in the other lane, and when no other vehicle is detected in a predetermined interval from the vehicle to be overtaken to a predetermined distance ahead, the setting unit sets a confirmation level lower than a level threshold.

[0012] In the travel control device according to the present disclosure, preferably, the setting unit sets a lower confirmation level when the lane change is based on an instruction from the driver than when the lane change is not based on an instruction from the driver.

[0013] The driving control method disclosed herein includes: before a vehicle executes a lane change from a lane in which it is traveling to another lane, setting a confirmation level indicating the degree of surrounding confirmation that a driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change according to the conditions of the lane change; when the confirmation level is higher than a level threshold, requesting the driver via a notification device to perform a first lane change pre-action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change; when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold, requesting the driver via a notification device to perform a second lane change pre-action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change and which places less burden on the driver than the first lane change pre-action; and when the driver performs the required first lane change pre-action or the required second lane change pre-action and the conditions of the vehicle's surroundings satisfy the surrounding conditions that the conditions of the vehicle's surroundings should satisfy during the lane change, controlling the vehicle's driving to execute the lane change.

[0014] The computer program for driving control stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium disclosed in the present invention enables a computer to execute: before a vehicle executes a lane change from a lane in which it is traveling to another lane, according to the conditions of the lane change, setting a confirmation level indicating the degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change; when the confirmation level is higher than a level threshold, requesting the driver via a notification device to perform a first pre-lane change action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change; when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold, requesting the driver via a notification device to perform a second pre-lane change action for surrounding confirmation during the lane change and which places less burden on the driver than the first pre-lane change action; and when the driver performs the required first pre-lane change action or the required second pre-lane change action and the conditions around the vehicle satisfy the surrounding conditions that the conditions around the vehicle should satisfy during the lane change, controlling the driving of the vehicle to execute the lane change.

[0015] The travel control device according to the present disclosure can appropriately execute lane change to avoid causing trouble to the driver. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle equipped with a travel control device.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a hardware schematic diagram of the travel control device.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of a processor included in the travel control device.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining a first situation of a lane change.

[0020] Figure 5This is a diagram for explaining a second situation of lane change.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a flow chart of the travel control process.

[0022] (Explanation of Reference Numerals)

[0023] 1: vehicle; 7: driving control device; 731: planning unit; 732: setting unit; 733: request unit; 734: control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a driving control device that can appropriately perform lane changes to avoid causing trouble to the driver will be described in detail. Before the vehicle performs a lane change from the lane in which it is traveling to another lane, the driving control device sets a confirmation level indicating the degree of peripheral confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change according to the lane change situation. Then, the driving control device requires the driver to perform a pre-lane change action for peripheral confirmation during the lane change determined according to the set confirmation level through a notification device. The higher the confirmation level set by the driving control device, the greater the burden on the driver. When the confirmation level is higher than the level threshold, the driving control device requires the driver to perform a first pre-lane change action for peripheral confirmation during the lane change. In addition, when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold, the driving control device requires the driver to perform a second pre-lane change action for peripheral confirmation during the lane change and the burden on the driver is less than the first pre-lane change action. Then, the travel control device controls the travel of the vehicle to execute the lane change when the driver performs the requested first lane change pre-action or second lane change pre-action and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle satisfy the surrounding conditions that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle should satisfy during the lane change.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a vehicle equipped with a travel control device.

[0026] The vehicle 1 includes a surrounding camera 2, a driver monitoring camera 3, a meter display 4, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 5, a storage device 6, and a driving control device 7. The surrounding camera 2, the driver monitoring camera 3, the meter display 4, the GNSS receiver 5, the storage device 6, and the driving control device 7 are communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network conforming to a standard such as a controller area network.

[0027] The surrounding camera 2 is an example of a surrounding image capturing unit for generating a surrounding image representing the surroundings of the vehicle. The surrounding camera 2 has a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements such as CCD or C-MOS that are sensitive to visible light, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The surrounding camera 2 is, for example, arranged in the front upper part of the vehicle interior, facing forward, and captures the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 through the front windshield for each predetermined photography cycle (for example, 1 / 30 second to 1 / 10 second), and outputs a surrounding image representing the surrounding conditions.

[0028] The driver monitoring camera 3 is an example of a driver photographing unit for generating a facial image representing the facial area of ​​the driver of the vehicle. The driver monitoring camera 3 has a two-dimensional detector composed of an array of photoelectric conversion elements such as CCD or C-MOS that are sensitive to infrared light, and an imaging optical system that images the image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. In addition, the driver monitoring camera 3 has a light source that emits infrared light. The driver monitoring camera 3 is installed, for example, at the front of the vehicle interior, facing the face of the driver sitting in the driver's seat. The driver monitoring camera 3 irradiates the driver with infrared light for each predetermined photographing cycle (for example, 1 / 30 second to 1 / 10 second), and outputs an image of the driver's face in a time series.

[0029] The meter display 4 is an example of a notification device and has, for example, a liquid crystal display. The meter display 4 displays a screen for requesting a driver to perform a predetermined operation for checking the surrounding conditions in accordance with a signal received from the driving control device 7 via the in-vehicle network.

[0030] The GNSS receiver 5 receives GNSS signals from GNSS satellites at each predetermined period, and locates the position of the vehicle 1 based on the received GNSS signals. The GNSS receiver 5 outputs a positioning signal indicating the positioning result of the vehicle 1 based on the GNSS signal to the driving control device 7 via the in-vehicle network at each predetermined period.

[0031] The storage device 6 is an example of a storage unit, such as a hard disk device or a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The storage device 6 stores a high-precision map. The high-precision map includes, for example, information indicating a lane-free section and lane dividing lines of each road included in a predetermined area shown in the high-precision map.

[0032] The driving control device 7 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) having a communication interface, a memory, and a processor. Before executing a lane change, the driving control device 7 requests the driver to perform a pre-lane change action corresponding to a confirmation level set according to the lane change situation via the instrument display 4. Then, the driving control device 7 uses the surrounding images and face images received from the surrounding camera 2 and the driver monitoring camera 3 via the communication interface to determine whether the driver performs the required pre-lane change action and whether the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 meet the surrounding conditions, and executes the lane change according to the determination result.

[0033] Figure 2 2 is a hardware schematic diagram of the travel control device 7 .

[0034] The communication interface 71 is an example of a communication unit, and has a communication interface circuit for connecting the travel control device 7 to the in-vehicle network. The communication interface 71 supplies received data to the processor 73. In addition, the communication interface 71 outputs data supplied from the processor 73 to the outside.

[0035] The memory 72 is an example of a storage unit, and includes a volatile semiconductor memory and a non-volatile semiconductor memory. The memory 72 stores various data used in the processing using the processor 73, such as a status table, which associates the status condition for determining the status that other vehicles are not approaching from the rear of the target lane in the lane change from the current lane to the target lane, and the confirmation level indicating the degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver should perform in the lane change. In addition, in the memory 72, as various data used in the processing using the processor 73, a level threshold for determining the required lane change pre-action according to the confirmation level, a request message notified to the driver to request the lane change pre-action, and surrounding conditions that the surrounding conditions should meet in order to perform the lane change are stored. In addition, the memory 72 temporarily stores the status of the lane change performed within a predetermined time range. In addition, the memory 72 stores various application programs, such as a computer program for driving control that performs driving control processing.

[0036] The processor 73 is an example of an information processing unit, and includes one or more processors and peripheral circuits thereof. The processor 73 may also include other arithmetic circuits such as a logical operation unit, a numerical operation unit, or a graphic processing unit.

[0037] Figure 3 This is a functional block diagram of the processor 73 included in the travel control device 7 .

[0038] The processor 73 of the travel control device 7 includes a planning unit 731, a setting unit 732, a requesting unit 733, and a control unit 734 as functional blocks. These units of the processor 73 are functional modules installed by programs executed on the processor 73. The computer program that implements the functions of the units of the processor 73 may also be provided in the form of a portable recording medium that is readable by a computer, such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. Alternatively, these units of the processor 73 may also be installed in the travel control device 7 as independent integrated circuits, microprocessors, or firmware.

[0039] The planning unit 731 plans a lane change to change the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling from the current lane to another lane.

[0040] The planning unit 731 determines whether a lane change is required, and plans a lane change if it is determined that a lane change is required. For example, the planning unit 731 detects lane dividing lines set on the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling and other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 1 from the surrounding images received from the surrounding camera 2 via the communication interface 71. For example, when the interval with other vehicles traveling ahead of the lane on which the vehicle 1 is traveling decreases and becomes less than an interval threshold, the planning unit 731 plans a lane change to another lane.

[0041] Furthermore, the planning unit 731 plans a lane change before a position where a lane change is required in order to travel along a predetermined travel route (for example, branching to a side road).

[0042] Before executing a lane change from the lane being traveled to another lane, the setting unit 732 determines whether the lane change condition satisfies any one of a plurality of condition conditions for determining the lane change condition in the condition table stored in the memory 72. Then, the setting unit 732 sets the confirmation level associated with the condition condition satisfied by the lane change condition in the condition table as a confirmation level indicating the degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change.

[0043] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining a first situation of a lane change.

[0044] The setting unit 732 obtains information on lane dividing lines existing around the current position of the vehicle 1 , which is indicated in the positioning signal received from the GNSS receiver 5 via the communication interface 71 , from the storage device 6 storing the high-precision map.

[0045] In the first lane change situation, the vehicle 1 changes lanes from the current lane L11 divided by the lane dividing lines LL11 and LL12 to the target lane L13 divided by the lane dividing lines LL14 and LL12.

[0046] The situation where the target lane for lane change starts in front of the current position of the vehicle corresponds to the situation where it is considered that other vehicles are not approaching from behind the target lane. Therefore, in the situation table stored in the memory 72, the situation condition "the target lane starts in front of the current position" is stored, and is associated with the confirmation level L1 which is lower than the level threshold.

[0047] In the first condition of lane change, the setting unit 732 detects that the target lane L13 starts in front of the current position of the vehicle 1 from the information of the lane dividing line in the high-precision map. The first condition of lane change satisfies the condition condition "the target lane starts in front of the current position". Therefore, the setting unit 732 sets the confirmation level L1 associated with the condition condition "the target lane starts in front of the current position" as the confirmation level in the first condition of lane change.

[0048] Figure 5 This is a diagram for explaining a second situation of lane change.

[0049] In the second lane change situation, vehicle 1 changes lanes from lane L21 divided by lane dividing lines LL21, LL22 to lane L22 divided by lane dividing lines LL22, LL23, and then changes lanes to lane L21 in front of the overtaken vehicle 20 traveling in lane L21.

[0050] Regarding the situation in which a lane change is performed to return to the original lane within a predetermined time range from the lane change for passing other vehicles, the situation has not changed significantly from the time point when the initial lane change is performed, which corresponds to the situation in which it is considered that other vehicles are not approaching from the rear of the target lane. For this reason, in the situation table stored in the memory 72, the situation condition "return to the original lane within a predetermined time range from the lane change for passing other vehicles" is stored, and the confirmation level L2 lower than the level threshold is associated.

[0051] The setting unit 732 obtains information from the memory 72 that the lane change is performed within a predetermined time range in the second condition of the lane change to overtake the overtaken vehicle 20. The second condition of the lane change satisfies the condition condition "returning to the original lane within a predetermined time range from the lane change to overtake the other vehicle". Therefore, the setting unit 732 sets the confirmation level L2 associated with the condition condition "returning to the original lane within a predetermined time range from the lane change to overtake the other vehicle" as the confirmation level in the second condition of the lane change.

[0052] When the lane change situation does not satisfy any of the situation conditions stored in the memory 72 , the setting unit 732 sets the confirmation level L0 higher than the level threshold as the confirmation level in the lane change situation.

[0053] The requesting unit 733 compares the confirmation level with the level threshold stored in the memory 72. If the confirmation level is higher than the level threshold, the requesting unit 733 requests the driver via the meter display 4 to perform a first pre-lane change action for periphery confirmation during a lane change.

[0054] The first lane change pre-action is, for example, monitoring the lane change destination and holding the steering wheel. The request unit 733 requests the driver to perform the first lane change pre-action by sending display information showing character strings such as "Please monitor the lane change destination" and "Please hold the steering wheel" to the meter display 4.

[0055] When the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold, the requesting unit 733 requests the driver to perform a second pre-lane change action for confirming the surroundings during a lane change via the meter display 4. The second pre-lane change action is an action that places less burden on the driver than the first pre-lane change action.

[0056] The second lane change pre-action is, for example, monitoring the front and holding the steering wheel. The request unit 733 requests the driver to perform the second lane change pre-action by sending display information showing character strings such as "Please monitor the front" and "Please hold the steering wheel" to the meter display 4.

[0057] The request unit 733 may request the driver to perform the first and second lane change pre-actions via an output device other than the instrument display 4, such as a head-up display and a speaker (not shown). When the driver is requested to perform the lane change pre-action via the head-up display, the request unit 733 sends a predetermined display information to the head-up display. When the driver is requested to perform the lane change pre-action via the speaker, the request unit 733 sends a predetermined voice information to the speaker.

[0058] The control unit 734 determines whether the driver has performed the requested first pre-lane change action or second pre-lane change action.

[0059] The control unit 734 detects the driver's line of sight direction from the face image received from the driver monitoring camera 3 via the communication interface 71. The control unit 734 detects the pupil and the corneal reflection image of the light source by performing template matching between a template representing, for example, the pupil and the corneal reflection image of the light source and the face image, and detects the line of sight direction based on their positional relationship. The line of sight direction is represented by the horizontal angle between the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 and the driver's line of sight. The control unit 734 determines whether the driver's line of sight direction is included in the lane change destination of the vehicle 1 (for example, a range of 30 degrees centered on the lane change direction) or in front (for example, a range of 60 degrees centered on the traveling direction).

[0060] The control unit 734 determines whether the driver is holding the steering wheel based on a signal received via the communication interface 71 from a steering wheel sensor (not shown) that outputs a signal corresponding to whether the driver is holding the steering wheel. The steering wheel sensor is, for example, an electrostatic capacitance sensor provided on the steering wheel, and outputs a signal corresponding to different electrostatic capacitances when the driver is holding the steering wheel and when the driver is not holding the steering wheel.

[0061] The control unit 734 determines whether the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 satisfy the surrounding conditions stored in the memory 72 which are conditions that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle should satisfy during the lane change.

[0062] The surrounding conditions determine, for example, the positions of other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 1 and their relative speeds with respect to the vehicle 1 , the curvature radius of a curve in a predetermined range ahead of the current position of the vehicle 1 , the presence or absence of branching or merging lanes, and the like.

[0063] The control unit 734 inputs the surrounding image received from the surrounding camera 2 via the communication network to the recognizer that has been pre-learned in a manner to detect ground objects, thereby determining the position of other vehicles included in the surrounding image. The recognizer can be, for example, a convolutional neural network (CNN) having a plurality of convolutional layers connected in series from the input side to the output side. By inputting the surrounding image including other vehicles into the CNN as training data and pre-learning, the CNN operates as a recognizer that determines the position of other vehicles.

[0064] The control unit 734 calculates the relative speed of other vehicles with respect to the vehicle 1 by comparing the positions of other vehicles detected from the peripheral images acquired at different times.

[0065] The control unit 734 obtains information on curves and diverging lanes or merging lanes existing around the current position of the vehicle 1 indicated by the positioning signal received from the GNSS receiver 5 via the communication interface 71 from the storage device 6 storing the high-precision map.

[0066] The control unit 734 controls the vehicle to change lanes when the driver performs the required first lane change pre-action or second lane change pre-action and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 meet the surrounding conditions. The control unit 734 outputs a control signal to a driving mechanism (not shown) of the vehicle 1 via the communication interface 71 to change lanes. The driving mechanism includes, for example, an engine that supplies power to the vehicle 1, a brake that reduces the driving speed of the vehicle 1, and a steering mechanism that steers the vehicle 1.

[0067] Figure 6 The driving control device 7 repeatedly executes the following processing at predetermined time intervals (for example, 1 / 10 second intervals) while the vehicle 1 is traveling. Figure 6 The driving control process shown.

[0068] The planning unit 731 of the travel control device 7 plans a lane change to change the lane in which the vehicle 1 is traveling from the current lane to another lane (step S1 ).

[0069] Next, before executing a lane change from the current lane to another lane, the setting unit 732 of the travel control device 7 sets a confirmation level indicating the degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change according to the lane change situation (step S2).

[0070] Next, the requesting unit 733 of the travel control device 7 determines whether the set confirmation level is higher than the level threshold (step S3 ).

[0071] When it is determined that the confirmation level is higher than the level threshold (step S3: "Yes"), the requesting unit 733 requests the driver to perform the first pre-lane change (pre-LC) action for periphery confirmation during lane change via the meter display 4 (step S4). Then, the control unit 734 determines whether the driver has performed the requested first pre-LC action (step S5). When it is determined that the driver has not performed the first pre-LC action (step S5: "No"), the processing of the control unit 734 returns to step S4.

[0072] When it is determined that the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold (step S3: "No"), the request unit 733 requests the driver to perform a second pre-LC action for peripheral confirmation during lane change via the meter display 4 (step S6). The second pre-LC action is an action that is less burdensome to the driver than the first pre-LC action. Then, the control unit 734 determines whether the driver has performed the requested second pre-LC action (step S7). When it is determined that the driver has not performed the second pre-LC action (step S7: "No"), the processing of the control unit 734 returns to step S6.

[0073] When it is determined that the driver has performed the requested first pre-LC action or second pre-LC action (step S5: Yes or step S7: Yes), the control unit 734 determines whether the surrounding conditions of the vehicle satisfy the surrounding conditions (step S8). The surrounding conditions are conditions that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle 1 should satisfy during the lane change.

[0074] If it is determined that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle do not satisfy the surrounding conditions (step S8: "No"), the control unit 734 returns to step S8. If it is determined that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle satisfy the surrounding conditions (step S8: "Yes"), the control unit 734 controls the driving of the vehicle 1 to perform a lane change (step S9), and ends the driving control process.

[0075] By executing the travel control process in this way, the travel control device 7 can appropriately execute the lane change so as not to cause trouble to the driver.

[0076] According to the modified example, the situation table stored in the memory 72 includes the situation condition "accepting the driver's operation requesting the execution of a lane change". When the driving control device 7 accepts the driver's operation requesting the execution of a lane change, the driving control device 7 executes the lane change plan regardless of whether the planning unit 731 has a lane change plan. Figure 6 The processing after step S2 of the flowchart shown.

[0077] According to a modified example, Figure 6 In step S2 of the flowchart shown in the figure, the setting unit 732 sets the confirmation level L3 associated with the situation condition "acceptance of the driver's operation requesting lane change" as the confirmation level in the situation of lane change. The confirmation level L3 is a level lower than the level threshold.

[0078] The driver's operation requesting the execution of a lane change is, for example, the operation of a turn signal lever (not shown). The turn signal lever is connected to the in-vehicle network and outputs a signal corresponding to the driver's operation to the driving control device 7. In addition, the driver's operation requesting the execution of a lane change is, for example, a touch on the area where the lane change request button is displayed in the instrument display 4 on which the touch panel is superimposed. The touch panel is connected to the in-vehicle network and outputs a signal corresponding to the driver's touch to the driving control device 7.

[0079] It should be understood that those skilled in the art can add various changes, substitutions, and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A driving control device comprising: a setting unit that sets a confirmation level indicating a degree of surrounding confirmation that a driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change, according to a condition of the lane change, before the vehicle performs a lane change from a lane in which the vehicle is traveling to another lane; a requesting unit, which requests the driver, via a notification device, to perform a first pre-lane change action for periphery confirmation during the lane change when the confirmation level is higher than a level threshold, and which requests the driver, via the notification device, to perform a second pre-lane change action for periphery confirmation during the lane change and which imposes less burden on the driver than the first pre-lane change action when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold; as well as a control unit that controls the travel of the vehicle to execute the lane change when the driver performs the requested first lane change pre-action or the requested second lane change pre-action and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle satisfy the surrounding conditions that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle should satisfy in the lane change, After the vehicle traveling on the other lane changes lanes to the traveling lane in order to overtake the overtaken vehicle traveling ahead on the other lane, and then changes lanes to the front of the overtaken vehicle on the other lane, and when no other vehicle is detected in a predetermined interval from the overtaken vehicle to a predetermined distance ahead, the setting unit sets the confirmation level lower than the level threshold.

2. The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein: The setting unit determines whether the other vehicle exists in the predetermined section of the other lane, and, if it is determined that the other vehicle exists, sets the confirmation level higher than if it is determined that the other vehicle exists.

3. The travel control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The setting unit sets the confirmation level lower when the lane change is based on an instruction from the driver than when the lane change is not based on an instruction from the driver.

4. A driving control method, comprising: Before the vehicle performs a lane change from a lane in which the vehicle is traveling to another lane, setting a confirmation level indicating a degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change according to a condition of the lane change; When the confirmation level is higher than a level threshold, requesting the driver via a notification device a first pre-lane change action for periphery confirmation during the lane change, and when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold, requesting the driver via the notification device a second pre-lane change action for periphery confirmation during the lane change and which imposes less burden on the driver than the first pre-lane change action; as well as When the driver performs the requested first lane change pre-action or the requested second lane change pre-action and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle satisfy the surrounding conditions that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle should satisfy in the lane change, controlling the travel of the vehicle to execute the lane change, After the vehicle traveling on the other lane changes lanes to the traveling lane in order to overtake the overtaken vehicle traveling in front of the other lane, the lane is changed to the front of the overtaken vehicle on the other lane, and when no other vehicle is detected in a predetermined interval from the overtaken vehicle to a predetermined distance ahead, the confirmation level lower than the level threshold is set.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program for driving control, wherein the computer program for driving control causes a computer to execute: Before the vehicle performs a lane change from a lane in which the vehicle is traveling to another lane, setting a confirmation level indicating a degree of surrounding confirmation that the driver of the vehicle should perform during the lane change according to a condition of the lane change; When the confirmation level is higher than a level threshold, requesting the driver via a notification device a first pre-lane change action for periphery confirmation during the lane change, and when the confirmation level is lower than the level threshold, requesting the driver via the notification device a second pre-lane change action for periphery confirmation during the lane change and which imposes less burden on the driver than the first pre-lane change action; and When the driver performs the requested first lane change pre-action or the requested second lane change pre-action and the surrounding conditions of the vehicle satisfy the surrounding conditions that the surrounding conditions of the vehicle should satisfy in the lane change, controlling the travel of the vehicle to execute the lane change, After the vehicle traveling on the other lane changes lanes to the traveling lane in order to overtake the overtaken vehicle traveling in front of the other lane, the lane is changed to the front of the overtaken vehicle on the other lane, and when no other vehicle is detected in a predetermined interval from the overtaken vehicle to a predetermined distance ahead, the confirmation level lower than the level threshold is set.

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