Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Abstract

A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium are provided that utilize map information to continue driving support for a vehicle even when road dividing lines cannot be recognized. The vehicle control device includes: a recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a determination unit that determines whether the surrounding conditions include road dividing lines; a driving control unit that controls steering, acceleration, and deceleration of the vehicle independently of the driver's operation; and a mode determination unit that determines the vehicle's driving mode to be one of a plurality of driving modes, including a first driving mode and a second driving mode. When the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, the driving control unit sets a longer distance for continued travel in the second driving mode based on map information if the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines and the recognition unit identifies a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance in the vehicle's direction of travel.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Technologies are known for continuing driving assistance based on other information when the vehicle's onboard camera cannot identify the road dividing line ahead of the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that performs lane keeping control based on the trajectory of a preceding vehicle when the vehicle's onboard camera cannot identify the road dividing line ahead of the vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0003] More specifically, the technology in Patent Document 1 uses a corrected driving trajectory, obtained by correcting the driving trajectory of a preceding vehicle, as the target driving line to perform lane keeping control. However, with conventional technology, if the onboard camera cannot recognize road dividing lines, it may be impossible to utilize map information related to the lane in which the vehicle is traveling to continue driving assistance.

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can continue driving support for the vehicle by utilizing map information even when road dividing lines cannot be recognized.

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

[0006] (1): A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: an identification unit for identifying a surrounding condition of a vehicle; a determination unit for determining whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit for controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding condition and map information, independently of the operation of the driver of the vehicle; and a mode determination unit for determining the driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which the task assigned to the driver is lighter than that of the first driving mode, and at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is The driving control unit is controlled by the driving control unit to change the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode with a heavier task when the task involved in the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, and the driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a leading vehicle within a first predetermined distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the leading vehicle.

[0007] (2): Based on the solution of (1) above, the determination unit compares the map information with the surrounding conditions, and when the map information and the surrounding conditions do not match, determines whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line.

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

[0009] (4): Based on the scheme of (3) above, the driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the identification unit identifies the leading vehicle within the first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction: when the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line in the map information and the driving trajectory of the leading vehicle is within a threshold value, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the degree of parallelism is greater than the threshold value.

[0010] (5): Based on the scheme of (3) above, the driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the identification unit identifies the leading vehicle within the first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction: when the road dividing line in the map information does not intersect with the driving trajectory of the leading vehicle, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the road dividing line intersects with the driving trajectory.

[0011] (6): Based on the scheme of (3) above, the driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the identification unit identifies the leading vehicle within the first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction: when the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line in the map information and the driving trajectory of the leading vehicle is within a threshold and the road dividing line and the driving trajectory do not intersect, the continued driving distance in the second mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the degree of parallelism is greater than the threshold or the road dividing line and the driving trajectory intersect.

[0012] (7): Based on the scheme of (3) above, the driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the identification unit identifies the leading vehicle within the first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction: when the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line in the map information and the driving trajectory of the leading vehicle is within a threshold value and the road dividing line and the driving trajectory do not intersect, the vehicle continues to travel in the second driving mode based on the map information.

[0013] (8): Based on the scheme of (3) above, the driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included, and the recognition unit recognizes the leading vehicle within the first prescribed distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle, and the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line in the map information and the driving trajectory of the leading vehicle is greater than a threshold value or the road dividing line intersects the driving trajectory: when the recognition unit recognizes the leading vehicle at a position outside the second prescribed distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the recognition unit recognizes the leading vehicle within the second prescribed distance on the side of the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0014] (9): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (3), when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the identification unit does not identify a leading vehicle within a first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, the driving control unit changes the driving mode from the second driving mode to the first driving mode after the vehicle travels a certain distance in the second driving mode.

[0015] (10): Based on the above-mentioned scheme (3), the driving control unit continues the driving of the vehicle in the second driving mode when the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle is not included, and the determination unit determines that the deviation between the road dividing line in the map information and the road dividing line on the other side included in the surrounding conditions is within a threshold value, and the identification unit identifies the preceding vehicle within the first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

[0016] (11): A vehicle control method according to another embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; determining whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line; controlling the steering and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle; determining the driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which the task assigned to the driver is lighter than that of the first driving mode, and at least a part of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled, and when the task involved in the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode with a heavier task; while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, performing the following processing: when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and a preceding vehicle is identified within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's direction of travel, setting the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the preceding vehicle is not identified.

[0017] (12): In another embodiment of the present invention, a storage medium stores a program that causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying a surrounding condition of a vehicle; determining whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding condition and map information without depending on the operation of the driver of the vehicle; determining the driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that of the first driving mode, and at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled, and when the task involved in the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode with a heavier task; while the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, performing the following processing: when it is determined that the surrounding condition does not include a road dividing line and a preceding vehicle is identified within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, setting the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when it is determined that the surrounding condition does not include a road dividing line and the preceding vehicle is not identified.

[0018] According to the solutions (1) to (12), even when the road dividing lines cannot be recognized, the driving support of the host vehicle can be continued by utilizing the map information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using the vehicle control device according to the embodiment.

[0020] Figure 2 This is a functional structure diagram of the first control unit and the second control unit.

[0021] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the driving mode and the control state and task of the host vehicle.

[0022] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example of a scenario in which the operation of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment is executed.

[0023] Figure 5 1 is a diagram for explaining a setting pattern of the continuous running distance in the driving mode of Mode B.

[0024] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations executed by the vehicle control device according to the present embodiment.

[0025] Figure 7This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations executed by the vehicle control device when the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit include a road dividing line on one side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] [Overall structure]

[0028] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a vehicle system 1 that utilizes a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle equipped with vehicle system 1 is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, or four-wheeled vehicle, and its driving source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. The electric motor operates using power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or power discharged from a secondary battery or fuel cell.

[0029] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driver monitoring camera 70, a driving operating element 80, an automatic driving control device 100, a driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are interconnected by multiple communication lines such as CAN (Controller Area Network) communication lines, serial communication lines, and wireless communication networks. It should be noted that Figure 1 The structure shown is just an example, and part of the structure may be omitted or another structure may be added.

[0030] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as the host vehicle M) equipped with the vehicle system 1. To capture images of the front, the camera 10 is mounted on the upper portion of the windshield, behind the rearview mirror, or elsewhere. For example, the camera 10 periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the host vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0031] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves, such as millimeter waves, toward the periphery of the host vehicle M and detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by objects to detect at least the object's position (range and direction). The radar device 12 is mounted anywhere on the host vehicle M. The radar device 12 can also detect the position and velocity of an object using the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0032] LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves of a wavelength close to light) around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. LIDAR 14 detects the distance to an object based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser. LIDAR 14 is mounted anywhere on the vehicle M.

[0033] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 to identify the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition results to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 can output the detection results from the camera 10, radar device 12, and LIDAR 14 directly to the automatic driving control device 100. The object recognition device 16 can also be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0034] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles around the host vehicle M using, for example, a cellular network, Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), or communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station.

[0035] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle M and receives input operations from the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, keys, and the like.

[0036] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects angular velocity about a vertical axis, an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the host vehicle M, and the like.

[0037] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores first map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the vehicle M may also be determined or supplemented by an INS (Inertial Navigation System) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, buttons, etc. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or entirely shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53, for example, refers to the first map information 54 to determine a route (hereinafter referred to as a route on the map) from the position of the vehicle M determined by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary position input) to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52. The first map information 54 is information that represents the shape of the road by, for example, links representing the road and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may also include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like.

[0038] The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 can also provide route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 can also be implemented as a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet computer held by the passenger. The navigation device 50 can also transmit the current location and destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0039] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, which stores second map information 62 in a storage device such as a HDD or flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into multiple blocks (e.g., every 100 meters in the vehicle's travel direction) and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the lane from the left in which the vehicle should travel.

[0040] When there is a branch point in the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for traveling to the branch destination.

[0041] The second map information 62 is higher-precision map information than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information about lane centers and lane boundaries. Furthermore, the second map information 62 may include road information, traffic restriction information, address information (address, postal code), facility information, phone number information, and information about prohibited sections where Mode A or Mode B, described later, is prohibited. The second map information 62 can be updated at any time by communicating with other devices via the communication device 20.

[0042] The driver monitoring camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera utilizing a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or CMOS. The driver monitoring camera 70 is mounted at any location within the vehicle M in a position and orientation capable of capturing an image of the head of an occupant (hereinafter referred to as the driver) seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle M from the front (the orientation for capturing the face). For example, the driver monitoring camera 70 is mounted above a display device located in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M.

[0043] The driving operating parts 80 include, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and other operating parts in addition to the steering wheel 82. A sensor that detects the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation is installed on the driving operating parts 80, and the detection results are output to the automatic driving control device 100, or part or all of the driving drive force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220. The steering wheel 82 is an example of an "operating part that receives steering operation." The operating part does not necessarily need to be annular, and can also be in the form of a special-shaped steering wheel, a joystick, a button, etc. A steering wheel holding sensor 84 is installed on the steering wheel 82. The steering wheel holding sensor 84 is implemented by an electrostatic capacitance sensor, etc., and outputs a signal that can detect whether the driver is holding (that is, contacting with force) the steering wheel 82 to the automatic driving control device 100.

[0044] The automatic driving control device 100 includes, for example, a first control unit 120 and a second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160 are each implemented by executing a program (software) on a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Furthermore, some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be implemented through the collaboration of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the automatic driving control device 100 by attaching the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) to a drive device. The automatic driving control device 100 is an example of a “vehicle control device”, and the action plan generating unit 140 and the second control unit 160 are collectively an example of a “driving control unit”.

[0045] Figure 2 It is a functional structure diagram of the first control unit 120 and the second control unit 160. The first control unit 120 includes, for example, an identification unit 130, an action plan generation unit 140, and a mode determination unit 150. The first control unit 120 implements, for example, functions based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) and functions based on a pre-given model in parallel. For example, the function of "identifying intersections" can be achieved by "parallel execution of intersection recognition based on deep learning, etc., and recognition based on pre-given conditions (the presence of signals, road signs, etc. that can perform pattern matching), and scoring both parties for comprehensive evaluation." In this way, the reliability of autonomous driving is ensured.

[0046] The recognition unit 130 recognizes the position, velocity, acceleration, and other states of objects in the vicinity of the vehicle M based on information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object recognition device 16. The position of the object is recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate with a representative point (center of gravity, drive shaft center, etc.) of the vehicle M as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object can be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or by an area. The "state" of the object can also include the acceleration, jerk, or "action state" of the object (for example, whether a lane change is being made or is about to be made).

[0047] Furthermore, the recognition unit 130 identifies, for example, the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 130 identifies the driving lane by comparing the pattern of road dividing lines obtained from the second map information 62 (e.g., an arrangement of solid and dashed lines) with the pattern of road dividing lines around the vehicle M identified based on the image captured by the camera 10. It should be noted that the recognition unit 130 is not limited to identifying road dividing lines, but may also identify road dividing lines and driving road boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, central medians, guardrails, etc., thereby identifying the driving lane. This recognition may also include the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results of the INS. Furthermore, the recognition unit 130 identifies stop signs, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, and other road features.

[0048] When identifying the driving lane, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the position and posture of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 130 may also recognize the deviation of the reference point of the vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed by the direction of travel of the vehicle M relative to the line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and posture of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 130 may also recognize the position of the reference point of the vehicle M relative to any side end of the driving lane (road dividing line or road boundary) as the relative position of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. The recognition unit 130 also includes a determination unit 132, but details of the determination unit 132 will be described later.

[0049] The action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory for the vehicle M to automatically (independent of the driver's operation) travel in the future, in a manner that allows the vehicle M to travel on the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61 and cope with the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M in principle. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is represented by a trajectory in which the locations (track points) that the vehicle M should arrive at are arranged in sequence. Track points are locations that the vehicle M should arrive at at predetermined driving distances (for example, a few meters) along the way. Different from this, target speeds and target accelerations at predetermined sampling times (for example, a few tenths of a second) are generated as part of the target trajectory. In addition, track points can also be positions that the vehicle M should arrive at at the sampling moment at predetermined sampling times. In this case, the information on the target speed and target acceleration is represented by the intervals between track points.

[0050] When generating a target trajectory, the action plan generator 140 can set an autonomous driving event. These events include constant speed driving, low-speed following, lane change, diverging, merging, and takeover. The action plan generator 140 generates a target trajectory corresponding to the activated event.

[0051] The mode determination unit 150 determines the driving mode of the host vehicle M to be one of a plurality of driving modes that assign different tasks to the driver. The mode determination unit 150 includes, for example, a driver state determination unit 152 and a mode change processing unit 154. Their individual functions will be described later.

[0052] Figure 3 : This is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the driving mode and the control state and task of the vehicle M. The driving mode of the vehicle M includes five modes, for example, mode A to mode E. With regard to the control state, that is, the degree of automation of the driving control of the vehicle M, mode A is the highest, followed by mode B, mode C, and mode D in that order, with mode E being the lowest. Conversely, with regard to the tasks assigned to the driver, mode A is the lightest, followed by mode B, mode C, and mode D in that order, with mode E being the heaviest. It should be noted that in modes D and E, the control state is not automatic driving, and therefore the automatic driving control device 100 performs its duties before terminating the control related to automatic driving and shifting to driving support or manual driving. Mode B is an example of a "second driving mode", and mode C, mode D, or mode E is an example of a "first driving mode". The following provides examples of the contents of each driving mode.

[0053] In mode A, the vehicle is in an automatic driving state, and the driver is not required to monitor the front or hold the steering wheel 82 (steering wheel holding in the figure). However, even in mode A, the driver is required to be able to quickly switch to a manual driving posture according to the requirements from the system centered on the automatic driving control device 100. It should be noted that the automatic driving mentioned here means that the steering and acceleration and deceleration are controlled independently of the driver's operation. The front refers to the space in which the direction of travel of the vehicle M is visually confirmed through the windshield. Mode A is a driving mode that can be executed when the following conditions are met, such as the vehicle M is traveling at a speed below the upper limit speed (for example, about 50 [km / h]) on a motor vehicle-only road such as an expressway and there is a preceding vehicle to be followed. It is sometimes called TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot). When this condition is no longer met, the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the vehicle M to mode B.

[0054] In mode B, a driving support state is provided, and the driver is assigned the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M (hereinafter referred to as front monitoring), but is not assigned the task of holding the steering wheel 82. Mode B is particularly executed in the case where the vehicle M is traveling at a speed higher than the upper limit speed at which the above-mentioned TJP is executed. In mode C, a driving support state is provided, and the driver is assigned the task of monitoring the front and the task of holding the steering wheel 82. Mode D is a driving mode that requires a certain degree of driving operation by the driver with respect to at least one of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle M. For example, in mode D, driving support such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) is provided. In mode E, a manual driving state is provided in which the steering and acceleration / deceleration both require driving operations by the driver. Both modes D and E naturally assign the driver the task of monitoring the front of the vehicle M.

[0055] The automatic driving control device 100 (and the driving support device (not shown)) executes automatic lane changes according to the driving mode. Among the automatic lane changes, there are automatic lane changes based on system requirements (1) and automatic lane changes based on driver requirements (2). Among the automatic lane changes (1), there are automatic lane changes for overtaking when the speed of the preceding vehicle is lower than the speed of the vehicle by more than a reference, and automatic lane changes for traveling toward the destination (automatic lane changes caused by changing the recommended lane). Automatic lane change (2) means that when the conditions related to speed, positional relationship with surrounding vehicles, etc. are met, when the driver operates the direction indicator, the vehicle M is changed in the operating direction.

[0056] The automatic driving control device 100 does not execute either automatic lane change (1) or (2) in mode A. The automatic driving control device 100 executes either automatic lane change (1) or (2) in modes B and C. The driving support device (not shown) does not execute automatic lane change (1) but executes automatic lane change (2) in mode D. In mode E, neither automatic lane change (1) nor (2) is executed.

[0057] If the driver is not performing the task related to the determined driving mode (hereinafter referred to as the current driving mode), the mode determination unit 150 changes the driving mode of the host vehicle M to a driving mode with a heavier task.

[0058] For example, in mode A, if the driver's body posture is unable to switch to manual driving in response to a request from the system (for example, if he continues to look around outside the allowed area or detects a sign that driving will become difficult), the mode decision unit 150 uses the HMI30 to urge the driver to switch to manual driving. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought close to the shoulder of the road and gradually stops, thereby stopping the automatic driving. After stopping the automatic driving, the vehicle enters the state of mode D or E, and the vehicle M can be started by manual operation of the driver. The same applies to "stopping the automatic driving" below. In mode B, if the driver is not monitoring the front, the mode decision unit 150 uses the HMI30 to urge the driver to monitor the front. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought close to the shoulder of the road and gradually stops, thereby stopping the automatic driving. In mode C, when the driver does not monitor the situation ahead or does not hold the steering wheel 82, the mode determination unit 150 uses the HMI 30 to urge the driver to monitor the situation ahead and / or hold the steering wheel 82. If the driver does not respond, the vehicle M is brought closer to the roadside and gradually stops, thereby stopping the automatic driving.

[0059] The driver state determination unit 152 monitors the driver's state for the aforementioned mode change and determines whether the driver's state is appropriate for the task. For example, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes images captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 and performs posture estimation processing to determine whether the driver's body posture is not suitable for transitioning to manual driving in response to the system's request. Furthermore, the driver state determination unit 152 analyzes images captured by the driver monitoring camera 70 and performs line of sight estimation processing to determine whether the driver is looking ahead.

[0060] The mode change processing unit 154 performs various processes for mode change. For example, the mode change processing unit 154 instructs the action plan generation unit 140 to generate a target trajectory for roadside stop, instructs a driving support device (not shown) to operate, or controls the HMI 30 to urge the driver to take action.

[0061] The second control unit 160 controls the driving force output device 200 , the braking device 210 , and the steering device 220 so that the host vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit 140 at a predetermined timing.

[0062] return Figure 2 The second control unit 160 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 162, a speed control unit 164, and a steering control unit 166. The acquisition unit 162 acquires the information of the target track (track point) generated by the action plan generation unit 140, and causes the memory (not shown) to store the information. The speed control unit 164 controls the driving force output device 200 or the braking device 210 based on the speed element attached to the target track stored in the memory. The steering control unit 166 controls the steering device 220 according to the curvature of the target track stored in the memory. The processing of the speed control unit 164 and the steering control unit 166 is implemented, for example, by a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. As an example, the steering control unit 166 performs a combination of feedforward control corresponding to the curvature of the road in front of the vehicle M and feedback control based on the deviation from the target track.

[0063] The driving force output device 200 outputs the driving force (torque) used to propel the vehicle to the drive wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, and a transmission, as well as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these components. The ECU controls the aforementioned components based on information input from the second control unit 160 or from the driving control element 80.

[0064] The braking device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a hydraulic cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the second control unit 160 or information input from the driving operating element 80, so that a braking torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The braking device 210 may include a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by operating the brake pedal included in the driving operating element 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master hydraulic cylinder as a backup. It should be noted that the braking device 210 is not limited to the structure described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic braking device that controls the actuator according to information input from the second control unit 160 to transmit the hydraulic pressure of the master hydraulic cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder.

[0065] The steering system 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor applies force to, for example, a rack-and-pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steered wheels. The steering ECU drives the electric motor based on information input from the second control unit 160 or from the driving operating element 80 to change the direction of the steered wheels.

[0066] [action]

[0067] Next, the operation of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that the host vehicle M is traveling in the mode B driving mode. Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the operation of the vehicle control device according to the embodiment is executed. Figure 4 In the figure, the host vehicle M is traveling in lane L1, and a preceding vehicle mA is traveling ahead of the host vehicle M. While the host vehicle M is traveling in lane L1, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M, specifically attempting to identify the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M. RL represents the road dividing lines captured by the camera 10 and recognized by the recognition unit 130, ML represents the road dividing line information in the second map information 62, and TmA represents the driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle mA recognized by the recognition unit 130. In this embodiment, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the driving trajectory TmA of the rear center of the preceding vehicle mA captured by the camera 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration; for example, the driving trajectory TmA based on the center of gravity of the preceding vehicle mA may also be recognized.

[0068] The determination unit 132 determines whether the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include a road dividing line. More specifically, the determination unit 132 compares the second map information 62 with the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130. If the second map information 62 and the surrounding conditions do not match, the determination unit 132 determines whether the surrounding conditions include a road dividing line. For example, if the recognition unit 130 fails to obtain image data of the surrounding conditions from the camera 10, the determination unit 132 can determine that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line. Alternatively, for example, the determination unit 132 can determine that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line by comparing the road dividing lines shown in the second map information 62 with the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130.

[0069] The determination unit 132 further determines whether the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 do not include road dividing lines, or whether the surrounding conditions do not include road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle M, or only do not include road dividing lines on one side of the vehicle M. Figure 4In the case of , while the vehicle M is traveling in the lane L1, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the road dividing lines RL on both sides, but the road dividing lines RL are subsequently interrupted, so the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing lines on both sides are not included.

[0070] [Setting of the continued driving distance]

[0071] When the host vehicle M is traveling in the driving mode of mode B, the action plan generation unit 140 determines the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B based on the second map information 62 according to a plurality of styles described below, if the determination unit 132 determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, and generates a target trajectory corresponding to the continued driving distance. That is, the action plan generation unit 140 cannot use the road dividing line information included in the surrounding conditions recognized by the normal recognition unit 130, and therefore uses the road dividing line information in the second map information 62 to continue the driving mode of mode B and generate a target trajectory. At this time, in particular, when the determination unit 132 determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle mA within the first prescribed distance D1 on the side of the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B based on the second map information 62 to be longer than in a case where this is not the case. Here, the first prescribed distance D1 refers to, as Figure 4 As shown, the distance in the traveling direction of the vehicle M based on the straight line FL (shown by a single dotted line in the figure) parallel to the front end of the vehicle M is the maximum distance that the vehicle M can follow the preceding vehicle mA. Figure 5 , to describe in detail the setting style of the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B.

[0072] Figure 5 : is a diagram for explaining the setting style of the continuous driving distance in the driving mode of mode B. Figure 5 As shown, the patterns of the continued driving distance are classified into the following five types.

[0073] [Style (a)]

[0074] Figure 5In pattern (a), if the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M are not included and the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle mA within the first predetermined distance D1 on the traveling direction of the host vehicle M, and if the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is within a threshold value and the road dividing line ML and the driving trajectory TmA do not intersect, the action plan generation unit 140 sets a longer continuing driving distance in the driving mode B based on the second map information 62 than if the degree of parallelism exceeds the threshold value or the road dividing line ML and the driving trajectory TmA intersect. This is because if the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is within the threshold value and the road dividing line ML and the driving trajectory TmA do not intersect, it indicates that the preceding vehicle mA is likely traveling inside the road dividing line ML and traveling in the direction of the road dividing line ML. Therefore, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory based on the road dividing lines ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA, and continues the travel of the host vehicle M in the driving mode of Mode B. For example, the action plan generation unit 140 may generate the target trajectory so that the host vehicle M follows the preceding vehicle mA and travels along the road dividing lines ML in the second map information 62. As long as the condition of pattern (a) is met, the travel of the host vehicle M in the driving mode of Mode B based on the second map information 62 continues.

[0075] It should be noted that in scenario (a), the determination unit 132 determines whether the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is within a threshold and whether the road dividing line ML and the driving trajectory TmA do not intersect. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration; the determination unit 132 may determine only one of whether the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is within a threshold or whether the road dividing line ML and the driving trajectory TmA intersect. Furthermore, the action plan generation unit 140 may set the continued driving distance in the driving mode B based on the second map information 62 to be longer when the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is within a threshold, compared to when the degree of parallelism is not within the threshold. Similarly, the action plan generating unit 140 may set the continued traveling distance in the driving mode B based on the second map information 62 to be longer when the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 does not intersect the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA than when they intersect.

[0076] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the determination unit 132 uses the past trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA to perform determinations regarding parallelism and intersection. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the determination unit 132 may estimate the future trajectory of the preceding vehicle mA based on information such as the past trajectory, speed, and acceleration of the preceding vehicle mA identified by the recognition unit 130, and compare the estimated future trajectory with the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 to perform determinations regarding parallelism and intersection. In this case, the trajectory estimation may be based on a tangent to the past trajectory of the preceding vehicle mA that passes through the current position, or may be performed by curve fitting to a circular arc or other curve. Furthermore, even if the trajectory TmA does not intersect the road dividing line ML, the determination unit 132 may also deem the trajectory TmA to intersect the road dividing line ML if the recognition unit 130 identifies that the preceding vehicle mA itself is in contact with the road dividing line ML.

[0077] [Models (b) and (c)]

[0078] Figure 5 In the styles (b) and (c), when the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M are not included, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle mA within the first prescribed distance D1 on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle M, and the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is greater than the threshold value or the road dividing line ML intersects the driving trajectory TmA, then when the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle mA at a position outside the second prescribed distance D2 on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets the continued driving distance in the driving mode of mode B based on the second map information 62 to be longer than when the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle mA within the second prescribed distance D2 on the traveling direction side of the host vehicle M. Here, the second prescribed distance D2 refers to, Figure 4 As shown, the distance shorter than the first predetermined distance D1 in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M, based on the straight line FL, is the inter-vehicle distance that the host vehicle M desires to maintain in order to follow the preceding vehicle mA. The second predetermined distance D2 is, for example, a time interval of several seconds. If the recognition unit 130 identifies the preceding vehicle mA at a position outside the second predetermined distance D2 in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 can continue driving in the mode B driving mode based on the second map information 62 for at least the second predetermined distance D2.

[0079] [Style (d)]

[0080] Figure 5In pattern (d), if the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M are not included and the recognition unit 130 has not recognized the preceding vehicle mA within the first predetermined distance D1 in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 causes the host vehicle M to travel in the driving mode of mode B for a certain distance. Thereafter, the mode determination unit 150 terminates the driving mode of mode B. At this time, the mode determination unit 150 may also change the driving mode of mode B to any of mode C, mode D, and mode E. The action plan generation unit 140 is configured to continue driving in the driving mode of mode B based on the second map information 62 at least to the extent of the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle M that can be recognized by the recognition unit 130 in the direction of travel.

[0081] [Style(e)]

[0082] Figure 5 In pattern (e), the action plan generation unit 140 continues driving the host vehicle M in the driving mode B based on the second map information 62 if the determination unit 132 determines that the road dividing line on one side of the host vehicle M is not included, the determination unit 132 determines that the deviation between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the road dividing line on the other side included in the surrounding conditions is within a threshold, and the recognition unit 130 recognizes the preceding vehicle mA within the first predetermined distance D1 in the direction of travel of the host vehicle M. In other words, the action plan generation unit 140 generates a target trajectory so that the host vehicle M travels along the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 confirmed to be correct through matching (=the road dividing line on the other side included in the surrounding conditions). As long as the conditions of pattern (e) are met, driving the host vehicle M in the driving mode B based on the second map information 62 continues.

[0083] [Flow of Action]

[0084] Next, refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , to illustrate the flow of actions performed by the vehicle control device of this embodiment. Figure 6 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations executed by the vehicle control device of this embodiment. The processing in this flowchart is executed in a predetermined control cycle while the vehicle M is traveling in the driving mode of mode B.

[0085] First, the recognition unit 130 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M (step S100). Next, the determination unit 132 determines whether the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M (step S101). If it is determined that the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M, the vehicle control device continues driving the host vehicle M in the mode B driving mode and ends the process. On the other hand, if it is determined that the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the host vehicle M, the determination unit 132 then determines whether the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include the road dividing lines on one side of the host vehicle M (step S102).

[0086] If the recognition unit 130 determines that the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 130 include a road dividing line on one side of the host vehicle M, the vehicle control device proceeds to step S200, described below. On the other hand, if the recognition unit 130 determines that the surrounding conditions identified by the recognition unit 130 do not include a road dividing line on one side of the host vehicle M, the determination unit 132 then determines whether a preceding vehicle mA is present within the first predetermined distance D1 (step S103). If the preceding vehicle mA is not present within the first predetermined distance D1, the action plan generation unit 140 causes the host vehicle M to travel a predetermined distance in the driving mode of mode B, after which the mode determination unit 150 terminates the driving mode of mode B (step S104).

[0087] If it is determined that the preceding vehicle mA is within the first predetermined distance D1, the determination unit 132 determines whether the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is within a threshold value and that the road dividing line ML and the driving trajectory TmA do not intersect (step S105). If it is determined that the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA is within a threshold value and that the road dividing line ML and the driving trajectory TmA do not intersect, the action plan generation unit 140 continues driving of the host vehicle M in the driving mode of mode B based on the second map information 62 (step S106).

[0088] If it is determined that the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 and the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle mA exceeds a threshold, or that the road dividing line ML intersects the driving trajectory TmA, the determination unit 132 then determines whether the preceding vehicle mA is located within the second predetermined distance D2 (step S107). If it is determined that the preceding vehicle mA is located outside the second predetermined distance D2 from the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets a longer distance for the driving mode B based on the second map information 62 (step S108). On the other hand, if it is determined that the preceding vehicle mA is located within the second predetermined distance D2 from the host vehicle M, the action plan generation unit 140 sets a shorter distance for the driving mode B based on the second map information 62 (step S109). The processing in this flowchart thus ends.

[0089] Next, refer to Figure 7 , the flow of operations performed by the vehicle control device when the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include a road dividing line on one side will be described. Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations performed by the vehicle control device when the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 130 include a road dividing line on one side. Figure 6 Executed when the judgment is "Yes" in step S102.

[0090] The determination unit 132 determines whether the deviation between the road dividing line on one side included in the surrounding conditions and the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62 is within a threshold, i.e., whether they match (step S200). If the determination is that the road dividing line on one side matches the road dividing line ML, the action plan generation unit 140 continues driving the vehicle M in the driving mode of mode B based on the second map information 62 (step S201). On the other hand, if the determination is that the road dividing line on one side does not match the road dividing line ML, the mode determination unit 150 terminates the driving mode of mode B (step S202). This concludes the processing of this flowchart.

[0091] According to the present embodiment described above, when the recognition unit 130 cannot recognize a road dividing line, the driving method in the driving mode of mode B based on the second map information 62 is determined based on whether the unrecognizable road dividing lines are on both sides or on one side, the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle M, and the relationship between the driving trajectory TmA of the preceding vehicle M and the road dividing line ML in the second map information 62. Thus, even when the road dividing line cannot be recognized, driving support for the host vehicle can be continued by utilizing the map information.

[0092] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0093] A vehicle control device comprising:

[0094] a storage device storing a program; and

[0095] Hardware processor,

[0096] The hardware processor executes the program stored in the storage device to perform the following processing:

[0097] Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle;

[0098] determining whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line;

[0099] controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of the operation of the driver of the vehicle;

[0100] determining a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, controlling at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode, and changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task associated with the determined driving mode is heavier if the driver does not perform the task;

[0101] When the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, if it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and a leading vehicle is identified within a first prescribed distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, a continued traveling distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than a case where it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the leading vehicle is not identified.

[0102] While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; as well as a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and wherein the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, The driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the traveling direction of the vehicle, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle; When the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle. The driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle within the first predetermined distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle: When the degree of parallelism between the road dividing line in the map information and the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle is within a threshold value, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the degree of parallelism is greater than the threshold value. The degree of parallelism is an index value where a smaller value indicates a higher degree of parallelism.

2. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; as well as a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and wherein the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, The driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the traveling direction of the vehicle, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle; When the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle. The driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle within the first predetermined distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle: When the road dividing line in the map information does not intersect with the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the road dividing line intersects with the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory.

3. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; as well as a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and wherein the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, The driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the traveling direction of the vehicle, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle; When the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle. The driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle within the first predetermined distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle: When the degree of parallelism between a road dividing line in the map information and the driving trajectory or the future driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle is within a threshold value and the road dividing line and the driving trajectory or the future driving trajectory do not intersect, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the degree of parallelism is greater than the threshold value or the road dividing line and the driving trajectory or the future driving trajectory intersect, The degree of parallelism is an index value where a smaller value indicates a higher degree of parallelism.

4. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; as well as a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and wherein the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, The driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the traveling direction of the vehicle, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle; When the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle. The driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle within the first predetermined distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle: When the degree of parallelism between a road dividing line in the map information and the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle is within a threshold value and the road dividing line and the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory do not intersect, continuing the driving of the vehicle in the second driving mode based on the map information; The degree of parallelism is an index value where a smaller value indicates a higher degree of parallelism.

5. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; as well as a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and wherein the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, The driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the traveling direction of the vehicle, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle; When the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle. The driving control unit performs the following processing when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included, the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle within the first predetermined distance on the traveling direction side of the vehicle, and the degree of parallelism between the road dividing lines in the map information and the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle is greater than a threshold value, or the road dividing lines intersect the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory: When the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle at a position outside the second predetermined distance in the direction of travel of the vehicle, the continued travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the recognition unit recognizes the preceding vehicle within the second predetermined distance in the direction of travel of the vehicle. The degree of parallelism is an index value indicating that the smaller the value is, the more parallel it is. The second predetermined distance is a distance shorter than the first predetermined distance.

6. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; as well as a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and wherein the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, The driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the traveling direction of the vehicle, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle; When the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle. The driving control unit changes the driving mode from the second driving mode to the first driving mode after causing the vehicle to travel a certain distance in the second driving mode when the determination unit determines that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the recognition unit does not recognize a leading vehicle within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

7. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies a surrounding condition of the vehicle; a determination unit configured to determine whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; a driving control unit that controls steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of an operation by a driver of the vehicle; as well as a mode determination unit configured to determine a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode is controlled by the driving control unit, and wherein the driving mode of the vehicle is changed to a driving mode in which a task is heavier if the task associated with the determined driving mode is not performed by the driver, The driving control unit performs the following processing when the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode: when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit recognizes a preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance to the traveling direction of the vehicle, setting a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information to be longer than when the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the recognition unit does not recognize the preceding vehicle; When the determination unit determines that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, the determination unit determines whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only include the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle. The driving control unit continues the driving of the vehicle in the second driving mode when the determination unit determines that the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle is not included, the determination unit determines that the deviation between the road dividing line in the map information and the road dividing line on the other side included in the surrounding conditions is within a threshold, and the identification unit identifies the leading vehicle within the first specified distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction.

8. A vehicle control method, wherein: The vehicle control method causes the computer to perform the following processing: Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; determining whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of the operation of the driver of the vehicle; determining a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, controlling at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode, and changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task associated with the determined driving mode is heavier if the driver does not perform the task; When the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, the following processing is performed: when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and a preceding vehicle is recognized within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the preceding vehicle is not recognized; The vehicle control method causes the computer to further perform the following processing: If it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, determining whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle; When it is determined that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the preceding vehicle is identified within the first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, the following processing is performed: when the degree of parallelism between the road dividing lines in the map information and the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle is within a threshold value, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the degree of parallelism is greater than the threshold value; The degree of parallelism is an index value where a smaller value indicates a higher degree of parallelism.

9. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes the computer to perform the following processing: Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; determining whether the surrounding condition includes a road dividing line; controlling the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the vehicle based on the surrounding conditions and map information, independently of the operation of the driver of the vehicle; determining a driving mode of the vehicle to be any one of a plurality of driving modes including a first driving mode and a second driving mode, wherein the second driving mode is a driving mode in which a task assigned to the driver is lighter than that assigned to the first driving mode, controlling at least a portion of the plurality of driving modes including the second driving mode, and changing the driving mode of the vehicle to a driving mode in which a task associated with the determined driving mode is heavier if the driver does not perform the task; When the vehicle is traveling in the second driving mode, the following processing is performed: when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and a preceding vehicle is recognized within a first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, a further travel distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line and the preceding vehicle is not recognized; The program causes the computer to further perform the following processing: If it is determined that the surrounding conditions do not include a road dividing line, determining whether the surrounding conditions do not include the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle or only the road dividing line on one side of the vehicle; When it is determined that the road dividing lines on both sides of the vehicle are not included and the preceding vehicle is identified within the first predetermined distance on the side of the vehicle's traveling direction, the following processing is performed: when the degree of parallelism between the road dividing lines in the map information and the driving trajectory or future driving trajectory of the preceding vehicle is within a threshold value, the continued driving distance in the second driving mode based on the map information is set to be longer than when the degree of parallelism is greater than the threshold value; The degree of parallelism is an index value where a smaller value indicates a higher degree of parallelism.

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