Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and computer program product

Abstract

A control device for a vehicle, a control method for a vehicle, and a computer program product. A control device (40) for a vehicle (100) is configured so as to detect a road surface mark on a road on the basis of external environment data relating to the environment around the vehicle (100), and to implement driving assistance for warning or preventing the vehicle from leaving a travel lane on the basis of the detection result of the road surface mark. When the road surface marks include a mark indicating a neutral zone in which the vehicle (100) is not recommended to travel, the operation condition of the driving assistance is changed so as to suppress the implementation of the driving assistance for entering the neutral zone.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method and a computer program product. Background Art

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-49382 discloses a lane departure warning device as a conventional lane departure warning device that is configured to change a lane departure determination line according to a determination result of whether a lane dividing line (eg, white line, yellow line, etc.) is a solid line or a dotted line. Summary of the invention

[0003] Outside the line dividing the own lane, a neutral zone such as a zebra zone that belongs to neither the own lane nor the adjacent lane is sometimes provided. Since driving in a neutral zone is not prohibited, a vehicle may be driven partially or entirely into a neutral zone after confirming safety, depending on traffic conditions, etc. Therefore, in a vehicle having a lane departure prevention function such as an alarm function or an automatic steering function, if the lane departure determination line is set without considering such a neutral zone, the lane departure prevention function may work excessively.

[0004] The present invention has been made with attention paid to such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to suppress “excessive operation of the lane departure prevention function”.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a control device of a vehicle based on a technical solution of the present invention is configured to detect road surface markings on a road based on external environment data related to the environment surrounding the vehicle, implement driving assistance for warning or preventing the vehicle from leaving the driving lane based on the detection results of the road surface markings, and when the road surface markings include a sign indicating a neutral zone where vehicle driving is not recommended, change the working conditions of the driving assistance in a manner that suppresses the implementation of driving assistance for the vehicle to enter the neutral zone.

[0006] In addition, a vehicle control method based on a technical solution of the present invention detects road surface markings on a road based on external environment data related to the environment surrounding the vehicle, and implements driving assistance for warning or preventing the vehicle from leaving the driving lane based on the detection results of the road surface markings. When the road surface markings include a sign indicating a neutral zone where vehicle driving is not recommended, the working conditions of the driving assistance are changed in a manner that suppresses the implementation of driving assistance for the vehicle to enter the neutral zone.

[0007] In addition, a computer program product for a vehicle control device based on a technical solution of the present invention causes the control device to execute: detecting road surface markings on a road based on external environment data related to the environment surrounding the vehicle, implementing driving assistance for warning or preventing the vehicle from leaving the driving lane based on the detection result of the road surface markings, and changing the working conditions of the driving assistance in a manner that suppresses the implementation of driving assistance for the vehicle to enter the neutral zone when the road surface markings include a sign indicating a neutral zone where vehicle driving is not recommended.

[0008] According to the above-mentioned technical solution of the present invention, when the road surface marking includes a sign indicating a neutral zone, the operating conditions of the driving assistance are changed in a manner to suppress the implementation of driving assistance for the vehicle to enter the neutral zone, thereby being able to suppress the lane departure suppression function from operating excessively when the vehicle enters the neutral zone. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic system configuration diagram of a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a flowchart for explaining details of the lane departure determination line setting control according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which a vehicle is traveling on a road in which a neutral zone having a section line of the driving lane as a part of the boundary line is provided outside the driving lane of the vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, the same reference numerals are used for the same components. In addition, in this specification, the traffic regulations of the country where vehicles are obliged to pass on the left are followed.

[0013] Figure 1 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a vehicle 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] The vehicle 100 includes a steering device 10, an external environment sensor 20, a vehicle sensor 25, a human machine interface (hereinafter referred to as "HMI") 30, and a control device 40. The steering device 10, the external environment sensor 20, the vehicle sensor 25, the HMI 30, and the control device 40 are connected in a communicative manner via an in-vehicle network 110 that complies with a standard such as a controller area network.

[0015] The steering device 10 is a device for changing the traveling direction of the vehicle by steering the left and right wheels (hereinafter referred to as "steering wheels") 120 of the vehicle. The steering device 10 based on the present embodiment includes a steering wheel 50, a steering shaft 60, a rack and pinion gear mechanism 70 including a pinion shaft 71 and a rack shaft 72, a link mechanism 80 connecting the gear mechanism 70 and the steering wheel 120, and a steering assist mechanism 90. In addition, in the present embodiment, as the steering device 10, a structure in which the steering wheel 50 and the steering wheel 120 are mechanically connected is exemplified, but the steering device 10 may also be a wire control steering structure in which they are not mechanically connected.

[0016] The steering wheel 50 is provided at the driver's seat of the vehicle and is operated by the driver of the vehicle. When the driver of the vehicle operates the steering wheel 50 and rotates the steering wheel 50, the steering angle of the steered wheels 120 changes via the steering shaft 60, the gear mechanism 70 and the link mechanism 80, thereby changing the traveling direction of the vehicle.

[0017] One end side of the steering shaft 60 is connected to the steering wheel 50 and rotates integrally with the steering wheel 50, and the other end side of the steering shaft 60 is connected to the pinion shaft 71 of the gear mechanism 70. The steering shaft 60 is divided into a steering input shaft 60a on the steering wheel 50 side and a steering output shaft 60b on the gear mechanism 70 side, and they are connected by a torsion bar 61, and the torsion bar 61 is twisted according to the direction and magnitude of the steering torque applied to the steering wheel 50 and acting on the steering shaft 60.

[0018] The gear mechanism 70 is configured to convert the rotational motion of the pinion shaft 71 into a left-right linear motion along the axial direction of the rack shaft 72. One end side of the pinion shaft 71 is connected to the steering output shaft 60b, and rotates integrally with the steering shaft 60. A pinion is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the other end side of the pinion shaft 71. The rack shaft 72 extends left and right substantially parallel to the vehicle width direction, and a rack meshing with the pinion is formed on a portion of its outer peripheral surface. Therefore, when the pinion shaft 71 rotates, the rack shaft 72 moves left and right along the axial direction according to its rotation direction.

[0019] The link mechanism 80 includes tie rods 81 respectively mounted on both ends of the rack shaft 72, and steering knuckle arms (not shown) connected to the tie rods 81 and supporting the steering wheels 120, and is configured to transmit the left and right linear motion of the rack shaft 72 to the steering wheels 120 to change their direction (steering angle).

[0020] The steering assist mechanism 90 includes a motor 91 and a speed reducer 92 for transmitting the output of the motor 91 to the steering output shaft 60b. The motor 91 is controlled by the control device 40 to generate a motor torque MT, and the motor torque MT is transmitted to the steering output shaft 60b via the speed reducer 92. Thus, the steering force of the steering wheel 50 can be reduced, and the steering operation of the steering wheel 50 can be automatically performed.

[0021] The external environment sensor 20 is a sensor for generating data related to the environment around the vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as "external environment data"). In the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 is provided with one or more external cameras (cameras) 21 for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle 100 as the external environment sensor 20. The external camera 21 photographs the surroundings of the vehicle 100 at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 10 [Hz] to 40 [Hz]) and generates a camera image showing the surroundings of the vehicle 100. Each time the external camera 21 generates a camera image, it sends the generated camera image to the control device 40 as the external environment data.

[0022] In addition to the external camera 21, a distance measuring sensor or the like that measures the distance to other vehicles, pedestrians, buildings, and other objects (object targets) that exist around the vehicle 100 may be provided as the external environment sensor 20. Examples of the distance measuring sensor include a laser radar (LiDAR) that emits radar light and measures the distance based on the reflected light, and a millimeter wave radar sensor that emits radio waves and measures the distance based on the reflected waves.

[0023] The vehicle sensor 25 is a sensor for generating data (hereinafter referred to as "vehicle data") related to the state of the vehicle 100, such as the running speed, posture, and current position of the vehicle 100. In the present embodiment, the vehicle 100 includes a speed sensor 26 for detecting the running speed of the vehicle 100, a yaw angle sensor 27 for detecting the posture of the vehicle 100 by detecting the speed of change of the yaw angle when the vehicle 100 turns, that is, the rotational angular velocity (yaw angle) of the vehicle 100 around the vertical axis, and a GNSS receiver 28 for detecting the current position of the vehicle 100.

[0024] The HMI 30 is a user interface for exchanging information between the vehicle 100 and its passengers. The HMI 30 includes an output device 31 for notifying the vehicle passengers through the vehicle passengers' physical senses (e.g., vision, hearing, and touch), and an input device 32 for the vehicle passengers to perform input operations and response operations. Examples of the output device 31 include displays (e.g., instrument displays, central displays, head-up displays, etc.), lights, speakers, and vibration units. Examples of the input device 32 include touch panels, operation buttons, operation switches, microphones, and the like.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the HMI 30 displays information (e.g., text information, image information) corresponding to the display signal received from the control device 40 via the in-vehicle network 110 on the display, and outputs sound corresponding to the sound signal from the speaker. In addition, the HMI 30 transmits data input by the occupant via the input device 32 (hereinafter referred to as "occupant input data") to the control device 40 via the in-vehicle network 110.

[0026] The control device 40 is an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) including a communication unit 41 , a storage unit 42 , and a processing unit 43 .

[0027] The communication unit 41 includes an interface circuit for connecting the control device 40 to the in-vehicle network 110. The communication unit 41 supplies data received from the outside (for example, external environment data, vehicle data, and passenger input data, etc.) to the processing unit 43. In addition, the communication unit 41 transmits the display signal and the sound signal output from the processing unit 43 to the HMI 30, and outputs the motor control signal to the motor 91.

[0028] The storage unit 42 includes a storage medium such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid Disk Drive), or a semiconductor memory, and stores various computer programs and data used for processing in the processing unit 43 .

[0029] The processing unit 43 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) and peripheral circuits thereof. The processing unit 43 executes various computer programs stored in the storage unit 42, and is, for example, a processor.

[0030] The example of processing performed by the processing unit 43 is as follows: the processing unit 43 detects road surface markings (dividing lines, and road markings such as restriction displays and instruction displays) on the road based on the camera image included in the external environment data, and identifies the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling (hereinafter referred to as the "own lane"). Representative examples of dividing lines are white lines and yellow lines on the road. Representative examples of road markings are arrows indicating the directions in which the vehicle can travel, such as going straight, turning right, and turning left, and guide strips (zebra zones: striped line areas) set at places where it is necessary to guide the travel of vehicles on the road.

[0031] Furthermore, the processing unit 43 determines whether the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the host lane based on the recognition result of the host lane and the vehicle data, and if there is such a possibility, an alarm (hereinafter referred to as "lane departure alarm") is issued to the vehicle occupants via the output device 31 of the HMI 30 to notify the host vehicle 100 that the host vehicle 100 is likely to deviate from the host lane. Specifically, the processing unit 43 basically sets the left and right dividing lines of the host lane as lane departure determination lines, and predicts the arrival position of the front wheels of the host vehicle 100 after a predetermined time (for example, several seconds) based on the position of the host vehicle 100 in the lane, the traveling direction of the host vehicle 100, and the driving speed of the host vehicle 100, and issues a lane departure alarm when it is estimated that the front wheels will reach the lane departure determination line after the predetermined time.

[0032] The lane departure warning may be implemented through the driver's vision using a display and / or a light, may be implemented through the driver's hearing using a speaker, may be implemented through the driver's tactile sense using a vibration unit built into a driver's seat, etc., or may be implemented using a combination of the above methods. In addition, when it is estimated that the front wheels will reach the lane departure determination line after a predetermined time, steering assistance for automatically performing the steering operation of the steering wheel 50 using the steering assistance mechanism 90 may be implemented together with the lane departure warning or instead of the lane departure warning so that the host vehicle 100 does not depart from its own lane.

[0033] Sometimes, a neutral zone is provided outside the line dividing the own lane, for example, by dividing the lane by white lines painted on the road surface, which is neither the own lane nor the driving lane adjacent to the own lane (hereinafter referred to as "adjacent lane"). A representative example of a neutral zone is a zebra zone divided by white lines painted in stripes on the road surface. "Driving in a neutral zone" is not recommended but is not prohibited. Therefore, depending on traffic conditions, etc., the vehicle may partially or completely leave the own lane and drive in a neutral zone after confirming safety.

[0034] Therefore, if the existence of such a neutral zone is not considered and, for example, the left and right dividing lines of the own lane are set as lane departure determination lines, the lane departure warning and steering assistance, that is, the driving assistance function for suppressing lane departure (hereinafter referred to as "lane departure suppression function") may operate excessively. As a result, the vehicle occupants may feel annoyed by the lane departure suppression function.

[0035] Therefore, in this embodiment, the lane departure determination line is set in such a way that "when a neutral zone is provided outside the own lane, the lane departure prevention function is less likely to work than when no neutral zone is provided." Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the setting control of the lane departure determination line based on this embodiment is described.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a flowchart for explaining a detailed method of setting control of the lane departure determination line performed by the processing unit 43 or the control device 40 . Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of a scene in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling on a road in which a neutral zone having a section line of the host lane as a part of the boundary line is provided outside the host lane.

[0037] In step S1, the control device 40 performs various image processing such as edge detection processing on the camera image received from the external camera 21 to detect the road surface markings on the road. The detection of the road surface markings on the road is not limited to this method, and can be performed by various known methods.

[0038] In step S2, the control device 40 detects the left and right dividing lines LL and LR of the vehicle based on the detected road surface markings (see Figure 3 ) to identify the driving lane of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as "own lane") divided by the dividing lines LL and LR.

[0039] In step S3, the control device 40 determines whether the detected road surface markings include a sign indicating a neutral zone. In the present embodiment, if the detected road surface markings include a zebra zone with the zone line of the own lane as a part of the boundary line, the control device 40 proceeds to the processing of step S4. On the other hand, if the detected road surface markings do not include a zebra zone, the control device 40 proceeds to the processing of step S6.

[0040] In step S4, the control device 40 determines whether the detected road surface markings include a right-turn road sign such as a right-turn arrow (or a left-turn road sign in a country where traffic is regulated on the right). In this embodiment, if the detected road surface markings include a right-turn road sign indicating that the lane ahead guided by the guide strip is a right-turn lane, the control device 40 proceeds to step S5. On the other hand, if the detected road surface markings do not include a right-turn road sign, the control device 40 proceeds to step S6.

[0041] In addition, in this embodiment, the reason for setting such a condition in step S4 is as follows. That is, since "entering the guide strip" is not prohibited but not recommended, it is limited to the scene where it is particularly easy to enter the guide strip, that is, the scene where there is a right-turn lane in front of the guide strip, so that the lane departure suppression function can be suppressed. Therefore, in other embodiments, step S4 can be omitted, and step S5 can be directly entered when there is a sign indicating a neutral zone among the detected road surface signs.

[0042] In step S5, the control device 40 sets the lane departure determination line as the function suppression line. The function suppression line is an imaginary line that can disable the lane departure function and cause part or all of the host vehicle to pass the dividing line of the own lane and enter the neutral zone with the section line as part of the boundary line.

[0043] In this embodiment, the control device 40 is, for example, Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the function suppression line on the right side of the vehicle 100 is set based on the dividing line LR on the right side of the own lane and the boundary line BR on the right side of the neutral zone (guide strip) with the dividing line LR as the boundary line BL on the left side. More specifically, the control device 40 sets the imaginary line formed by connecting the internal division points Q that divide the line segment LW at a predetermined internal division ratio in the lane travel direction as the function suppression line on the right side of the vehicle 100, and the line segment LW is a line segment that connects the "dividing line LR on the right side of the own lane" and the "boundary line BR on the right side of the neutral zone (guide strip) with the dividing line LR as the boundary line BL on the left side" and is parallel to the lane width direction (direction perpendicular to the lane travel direction). In addition, the function suppression line on the left side of the vehicle 100 is set to, for example, the dividing line LL on the left side of the own lane.

[0044] If the distance from the dividing line LR to the inner dividing point Q is DX, and the distance from the inner dividing point Q to the boundary line BR is DY, for example, by setting the inner dividing ratio DX:DY to 1:1, the imaginary line connecting the midpoints of the line segment LW in the lane travel direction can be set as the function suppression line. That is, the center of the neutral zone can be set as the function suppression line. In addition, for example, by setting the inner dividing ratio DX:DY to 2:1 or the like to make DX larger than DY, the function suppression line can be shifted from the center of the neutral zone to the boundary line BR side. Conversely, by setting the inner dividing ratio DX:DY to 1:2 or the like to make DX smaller than DY, the function suppression line can be shifted from the center of the neutral zone to the dividing line LR side. In this way, by setting the inner dividing ratio DX:DY so that the inner dividing point Q is located inside the neutral zone, that is, by setting the function suppression line inside the neutral zone, the operation of the lane departure function for the dividing line of the own lane constituting the boundary line of the neutral zone can be suppressed.

[0045] Alternatively, DY may be set to 0 and the boundary line BL may be set to a function suppression line. This can suppress the operation of the lane departure function in the neutral zone. In other words, the boundary line BL may be said to be an adjacent dividing line LRR of the dividing line LR of the own lane.

[0046] In any case, the internal ratio DX:DY only needs to be set appropriately. In addition, the internal ratio DX:DY can be a predetermined ratio, or it can change according to the surrounding traffic conditions (congested or non-congested), the driving speed of the vehicle 100, etc. For example, sometimes entering a neutral zone during congestion allows for smoother movement, so the internal ratio DX:DY can be changed in a manner that shifts the function suppression line toward the boundary line BR compared to non-congested conditions. The "method for determining the surrounding traffic conditions" is not particularly limited, and for example, it can be determined based on external environmental data, an average value of the driving speed of the vehicle 100 over a certain period of time, etc.

[0047] In step S6, the control device 40 sets the lane departure determination line as the reference line. The reference line is an imaginary line that can determine the possibility of the vehicle departing from its own lane, or the situation in which the vehicle actually departs from its own lane. In this embodiment, the control device 40 sets the left and right dividing lines LL and LR of the own lane as the reference line.

[0048] The control device 40 of the vehicle 100 according to the present embodiment described above is configured to detect road surface markings on the road based on external environment data related to the environment surrounding the vehicle 100, implement driving assistance for warning or avoiding departure from the vehicle's own lane (the lane in which the vehicle 100 is traveling) based on the detection result of the road surface markings, and change the operating conditions of the driving assistance in a manner that suppresses the implementation of driving assistance for entering the neutral zone when the road surface markings include a sign indicating a neutral zone in which the vehicle 100 is not recommended to travel.

[0049] As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the road surface marking includes a sign indicating a neutral zone, the operating conditions of the driving assistance are changed in a manner that suppresses the implementation of driving assistance for the vehicle to enter the neutral zone, thereby suppressing the lane departure prevention function from operating excessively when the vehicle enters the neutral zone.

[0050] The control device 40 according to the present embodiment is configured to change the operating conditions of the driving assistance in such a manner as to at least suppress the implementation of the driving assistance for entering the neutral zone across a boundary line, which is a boundary line extending obliquely toward the traveling direction of the own lane among the boundaries of the neutral zone dividing the neutral zone.

[0051] This can prevent the lane departure prevention function from being excessively activated in a scenario where the vehicle can move more smoothly by “traveling across the neutral zone after confirming safety”.

[0052] For example, the control device 40 can be configured to set a lane departure determination line for determining departure from the own lane based on the detection result of the road surface marking, and to set the lane departure determination line (departure determination line) within the neutral zone when the dividing line LR of the own lane constitutes a boundary line BL that is part of the neutral zone.

[0053] In more detail, the control device 40 can be configured to set an imaginary line formed by the internal division point Q that divides the line segment LW that is "connecting the dividing line LR of the own lane and the adjacent dividing line LLR of the dividing line LR of the own lane that constitutes another part of the boundary line of the neutral zone and is parallel to the lane width direction that is perpendicular to the traveling direction of the own lane" with a predetermined internal division ratio as the lane departure determination line.

[0054] In this way, by setting the internal division ratio so that the internal division point Q is located inside the neutral zone, that is, by setting the lane departure determination line inside the neutral zone, the operation of the lane departure function on the dividing line LR of the own lane constituting the boundary line BL of the neutral zone can be suppressed.

[0055] In this case, by changing the internal ratio based on the traffic conditions or the running speed around the host vehicle 100 , the operation of the lane departure function can be appropriately suppressed according to the traffic conditions or the running speed.

[0056] In addition, the control device 40 may be configured to set an adjacent dividing line LRR of the own lane dividing line LR constituting another part of the boundary line of the neutral zone as the lane departure determination line when the own lane dividing line LR constitutes a portion of the boundary line BL of the neutral zone.

[0057] This can suppress the activation of the lane departure function in the entire neutral zone.

[0058] In addition, in the present embodiment, the neutral zone is a zebra zone divided by a boundary line applied on the road surface, and the control device 40 is configured to change the operating conditions of the driving assistance in a manner that suppresses the implementation of driving assistance for entering the neutral zone when the road surface marking includes a sign indicating the zebra zone and a sign indicating that "the driving lane serving as the guidance destination (guidance target) of the zebra zone is a right turn lane."

[0059] Although "entering the guide strip" is not prohibited, it is not recommended either. Therefore, by setting such a structure, the operation of the lane departure suppression function can be limited to scenarios where entering the guide strip is particularly easy, that is, scenarios where there is a right-turn lane in front of the guide strip.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the control device 40 is configured to set the left and right dividing lines LL and LR of the own lane as the departure determination lines when the road surface markings do not include a sign indicating a neutral zone.

[0061] This makes it possible to suppress the host vehicle 100 from deviating from its own lane when the neutral zone is not detected.

[0062] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate a part of application examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0063] For example, in the present embodiment, the road surface marking is detected based on the camera image, but the road surface marking may be detected based on combined data (FNS data) obtained by integrating the camera image and data obtained from the distance measuring sensor.

[0064] In addition, when it is determined that there is an oncoming vehicle in the oncoming lane, or when it is predicted that the oncoming vehicle will enter the neutral zone based on the direction of travel of the oncoming vehicle, the lane departure determination line may not be set as the function suppression line, but the lane departure determination line may be set to the left and right dividing lines LL and LR of the own lane, that is, the baseline, for example, so as to implement an alarm or steering assistance in advance.

[0065] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the neutral zone may be a zone where there is a road surface sign prohibiting parking.

[0066] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the computer program executed in the control device 40 may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, The vehicle control device is configured as follows: detecting road surface markings on a road based on external environment data related to the environment surrounding the vehicle, Based on the detection result of the road marking, driving assistance is implemented to warn or prevent the vehicle from leaving the driving lane, When the road surface marking includes a mark indicating a neutral zone in which traveling of the vehicle is not recommended, the operating condition of the driving assistance is changed so as to suppress implementation of the driving assistance for entering the neutral zone.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is configured as follows: setting a departure determination line for determining that the vehicle departs from the driving lane based on the detection result of the road surface mark, When a dividing line of a driving lane of the vehicle constitutes a part of a boundary line of the neutral zone, the departure determination line is set within the neutral zone.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, The vehicle control device is configured as follows: An imaginary line formed by connecting the internal division points of the following line segment with a predetermined internal division ratio is set as the departure determination line, wherein the line segment is a line segment connecting the dividing line of the vehicle's driving lane and the adjacent dividing line of the dividing line constituting another part of the boundary line of the neutral zone, and is parallel to the lane width direction perpendicular to the travel direction of the driving lane.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, The vehicle control device is configured as follows: The internal ratio is changed based on the traffic conditions around the vehicle or the travel speed of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is configured as follows: setting a departure determination line for determining that the vehicle departs from the driving lane based on the detection result of the road surface mark, When a dividing line of the driving lane of the vehicle constitutes a part of the boundary line of the neutral zone, a dividing line adjacent to the dividing line constituting another part of the boundary line of the neutral zone is set as the departure determination line.

6. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The neutral zone is a deflection zone divided by a boundary line coated on the road surface. The vehicle control device is configured as follows: When the road surface marking includes a mark indicating the guide strip and includes a mark indicating that the driving lane of the guide strip's guidance destination is a left turn lane, the operating conditions of the driving assistance are changed in a manner that suppresses the implementation of the driving assistance for entering the neutral zone.

7. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, The vehicle control device is configured as follows: When the road surface markings do not include a mark indicating the neutral zone, a dividing line of a lane in which the vehicle is traveling is set as the departure determination line.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is configured as follows: The operating condition of the driving assistance is changed in a manner that at least suppresses implementation of the driving assistance for entering the neutral zone across a boundary line, wherein the boundary line is a boundary line extending obliquely toward the traveling direction of the driving lane among the boundaries of the neutral zone dividing the neutral zone.

9. A method for controlling a vehicle, The vehicle control method detects road surface markings on a road based on external environment data related to the environment surrounding the vehicle, Based on the detection result of the road marking, driving assistance is implemented to warn or prevent the vehicle from leaving the driving lane, When the road surface marking includes a mark indicating a neutral zone in which traveling of the vehicle is not recommended, the operating condition of the driving assistance is changed so as to suppress implementation of the driving assistance for the vehicle to enter the neutral zone.

10. A computer program product, The computer program product is a computer program product for a control device of a vehicle, The computer program product is used to cause the control device to execute: detecting road surface markings on a road based on external environment data related to the environment surrounding the vehicle, Based on the detection result of the road marking, driving assistance is implemented to warn or prevent the vehicle from leaving the driving lane, When the road surface marking includes a mark indicating a neutral zone in which traveling of the vehicle is not recommended, the operating condition of the driving assistance is changed so as to suppress implementation of the driving assistance for the vehicle to enter the neutral zone.

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