Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application provides a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium capable of performing more appropriate steering control in accordance with the situation of a vehicle. A vehicle control device according to an embodiment includes: a recognition unit that recognizes a surrounding situation of a host vehicle; a driving state detection unit that detects a driving state including steering of an occupant of the host vehicle; a driving control unit that executes steering control that assists steering of the occupant when there is a possibility that the host vehicle is in contact with a surrounding obstacle on the basis of the recognition result of the recognition unit, and the driving state detection unit detects steering of the occupant at a predetermined value or more; and a restriction unit that adjusts a restriction value relating to the steering of the occupant in accordance with the steering state of the occupant.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide a sustainable transportation system that also takes into account people who are in a vulnerable position among traffic participants have been active. To achieve this, research and development efforts are focused on further improving the safety and convenience of traffic through research and development related to preventive safety technologies. In this regard, a technology for making a steering limit value larger than a reference value when turning in a curved path in a steering support device for preventing a moving vehicle from leaving a lane is disclosed (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-12473). Summary of the invention

[0003] However, sometimes the occupant performs a steering operation to avoid contact with an obstacle, but sometimes the occupant cannot perform a sufficient steering operation due to steering restrictions when the steering control is being executed at that time. Therefore, there is a problem in the past that sometimes appropriate steering control cannot be performed depending on the vehicle situation.

[0004] One of the purposes of the present application is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can perform more appropriate steering control according to the vehicle condition in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0005] The vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium according to the present invention employ the following configurations.

[0006] (1): One embodiment of the present invention relates to a vehicle control device, wherein the vehicle control device comprises: an identification unit that identifies the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a driving state detection unit that detects the driving state of the occupant of the vehicle, including steering; a driving control unit that performs steering control to assist the occupant in steering when there is a possibility that the vehicle is in contact with surrounding obstacles based on the identification result of the identification unit and the driving state detection unit detects that the occupant is steering at a value above a specified value; and a limiting unit that adjusts a limiting value related to the occupant's steering according to the occupant's steering state.

[0007] (2): Based on the scheme of (1) above, the limiting value includes a first upper limit value for steering when not in the steering control, and a second upper limit value for steering when in the steering control, and the driving control unit performs steering control in such a manner that the steering state in the steering control does not exceed the second upper limit value.

[0008] (3) In the above aspect (2), the restriction unit sets the second upper limit value so as to be within a predetermined range from a maximum value of the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detection unit.

[0009] (4) In the above-mentioned aspect (2), the restriction unit adjusts the second upper limit value until a predetermined time has elapsed since the steering control was executed.

[0010] (5) In the above-mentioned aspect (3), the limiting unit decreases the adjusted second upper limit value so as to approach the first upper limit value as time passes.

[0011] (6) In the above-mentioned aspect (4), the predetermined time is a time shorter than a time predicted to execute the steering control.

[0012] (7) In the above scheme (2), when the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detection unit exceeds the first upper limit value, the restriction unit adjusts the second upper limit value according to the steering state of the occupant.

[0013] (8): Another scheme of the present invention relates to a vehicle control method, wherein the vehicle control method causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; detecting the driving state of the occupant of the vehicle, including steering; when there is a possibility that the vehicle is in contact with surrounding obstacles based on the identified result and when the occupant's steering is detected to be above a specified value, performing steering control to support the occupant's steering; and adjusting a limit value related to the occupant's steering according to the occupant's steering state.

[0014] (9): Another embodiment of the present invention relates to a storage medium storing a program, wherein the program causes a computer to perform the following processing: identifying the surrounding conditions of a vehicle; detecting the driving state of an occupant of the vehicle, including steering; when there is a possibility that the vehicle may come into contact with surrounding obstacles based on the identified result and when a steering of the occupant exceeding a specified value is detected, executing steering control to assist the occupant in steering; and adjusting a limit value related to the occupant's steering according to the occupant's steering state.

[0015] According to the above aspects (1) to (9), more appropriate steering control can be performed according to the vehicle condition. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 1 is a configuration diagram of a host vehicle M equipped with the vehicle control device according to the embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a diagram for explaining setting of the second upper limit value in the contact avoidance control.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a diagram for explaining the adjustment content of the second upper limit value by the restriction unit.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a diagram for explaining an operation example in which an excessively large target steering angular velocity is input while the instruction value and the limit value are decreasing.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example in which the function of the above-mentioned restriction unit is applied to the control of the driving control unit.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a flowchart showing an example of driving control executed by the driving support device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] 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.

[0023] [Overall structure]

[0024] Figure 1 1 is a structural diagram of a vehicle M equipped with a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. The vehicle M is, for example, a two-wheel, three-wheel, or four-wheel 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 a fuel cell.

[0025] The vehicle M is equipped with, 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, a driving support device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are connected to each other via a multi-channel communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, and the like. Figure 1 The illustrated configuration is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted, or another configuration may be added. The driving support device 100 is an example of a “vehicle control device”.

[0026] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is installed at any position of the vehicle M. For example, when shooting the front, the camera 10 is installed at the upper part of the front windshield, the back of the rearview mirror in the vehicle, etc. The camera 10, for example, periodically and repeatedly shoots the surroundings of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0027] The radar device 12 radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the periphery of the vehicle M, and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is installed at any part of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 can also detect the position and speed of the object by FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0028] The LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves with a wavelength close to light) to the periphery of the vehicle M and measures scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the object based on the time from light emission to light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser. The LIDAR 14 is installed at any part of the vehicle M.

[0029] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results detected by part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the driving support device 100. The object recognition device 16 can directly output the detection results of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to the driving support device 100. The object recognition device 16 can also be omitted from the vehicle M. The camera 10, the radar device 12, the LIDAR 14, and part or all of the object recognition device 16 are examples of "external detection devices".

[0030] 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.

[0031] HMI30 presents various information to the passengers of the vehicle M and accepts input operations performed by the passengers. HMI30, for example, includes a display unit, a speaker, a microphone, a buzzer, a vibration generating device (vibrator), a touch panel, a switch, a button, etc. The display unit is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display device, etc. The display unit may be, for example, a multi-information display (MID) arranged in the central part of the dashboard of the vehicle M, an instrument display arranged in the front part of the driver's seat of the dashboard, or a head-up display (HUD). The display unit may also be arranged in multiple locations in the vehicle interior. The display unit 32, for example, displays various information of the vehicle M, such as a speedometer (speedmeter) indicating the driving speed of the vehicle M or a rotation speed meter (tachometer) indicating the rotation speed (rotation speed) of the internal combustion engine of the vehicle M, and information (images, images) related to various driving assistance performed by the vehicle M. The display unit may also be formed as a touch panel and integrated with the input unit. The speaker outputs a specified sound (such as an alarm, etc.).

[0032] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the speed of the vehicle M, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration, a yaw rate sensor for detecting yaw rate (for example, the rotational angular velocity around the vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle M), a steering rate sensor for detecting the steering angular velocity (actual steering angle) of the steering wheel (for example, the front wheel) based on the rotational angular velocity, and an azimuth sensor for detecting the direction of the vehicle M. For example, the steering rate can be obtained as a positive value when turning left and as a negative value when turning right. The vehicle sensor 40 may also be provided with a position sensor for detecting the position of the vehicle M. The position sensor is, for example, a sensor for obtaining position information (longitude and latitude information) from a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. The position sensor may also be a sensor for obtaining position information using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51 of the navigation device 50. The vehicle sensor 40 may also be provided with an abnormality detection sensor for detecting abnormalities such as failures. The detection result detected by the vehicle sensor 40 is output to the driving support device 100.

[0033] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS 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 a 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 can 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, a key, etc. The navigation HMI 52 can also 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 a road by, for example, representing road segments and nodes connected by the road segments. The first map information 54 may also include the curvature of the road, POI (Point Of Interest) information, etc. The path on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may also provide path guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the path on the map. The navigation device 50 may also be implemented by the function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal held by the passenger. The navigation device 50 may also send the current position and destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20, and obtain a path equivalent to the path on the map from the navigation server.

[0034] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and stores the second map information 62 in a storage device such as a HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the path on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, divided into every 100 [m] in the direction of vehicle travel) and determines the recommended lane for each block with reference to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the lane number from the left to travel on. When there is a branch point in the path on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines the recommended lane in a manner that the host vehicle M can travel on a reasonable path for traveling to the branch destination. The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of the lane, or lane boundary information such as a road dividing line dividing the lane. The second map information 62 may include road information, the position of the shoulder, traffic restriction information, address information (address, postal code), facility information, telephone number information, etc. The second map information 62 may be updated at any time by communicating with other devices through the communication device 20. The first map information 54 and the second map information 62 may be stored in a storage unit in the driving support device 100 .

[0035] The driver monitoring camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS. The driver monitoring camera 70 is installed at any part of the vehicle M in a position and orientation that enables the head and upper body (including the position of the hands) of at least the driver (hereinafter referred to as the driver) sitting in the driver's seat of the vehicle M, among the passengers riding in the vehicle M, to be photographed from the front (in an orientation for photographing the face). For example, the driver monitoring camera 70 is installed, for example, on the upper part of a display device provided in the center of the dashboard of the vehicle M. The driver monitoring camera 70 outputs the image obtained by photographing the interior of the vehicle including the driver of the vehicle M from the configured position to the driving support device 100.

[0036] The driving operating member 80 includes, for example, a steering wheel 82, an accelerator pedal 84, a brake pedal 86, an operating switch of a turn signal lever (turn indicator), a shift lever, and other operating members. A sensor for detecting an operation amount or the presence or absence of an operation is installed on the driving operating member 80, and the detection result is output to the driving support device 100, and part or all of the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

[0037] The steering wheel 82 is, for example, mounted on a steering shaft, and is a steering operating member that receives steering operations performed by the driver on the vehicle M, and is equipped with an EPS (Electric Power Steering) function. A steering wheel sensor (hereinafter referred to as a SW sensor) 82A is provided on the steering wheel 82. The SW sensor 82A detects whether the driver is holding the steering wheel 82. The SW sensor 82A detects steering information of the steering wheel 82. The steering information includes, for example, the steering torque generated around the axis (rotation axis), the angular velocity of rotation (steering angular velocity), the magnitude of the steering force (steering amount), etc. At least one of the steering information (for example, the steering torque) can be obtained as a positive value from the neutral state of the steering wheel 82 to the left, and can be obtained as a negative value from the neutral state of the steering wheel 82 to the right.

[0038] The accelerator pedal 84 is provided with an accelerator pedal sensor (AP sensor) 84A. The AP sensor 84A detects the operation amount (opening degree) of the accelerator pedal 84 that changes according to the operation of the accelerator pedal 84 by the driver or a request from the system side. The brake pedal 86 is provided with a brake pedal sensor (BP sensor) 86A. The BP sensor 86A detects the operation amount (opening degree) of the brake pedal 86 that changes according to the operation of the brake pedal 86 by the driver or a request from the system side.

[0039] The driving force output device 200 outputs the driving force (torque) used for driving the vehicle M 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, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls them. The ECU controls the above-mentioned structure according to information input from the driving support device 100 or the driving operating member 80.

[0040] The brake 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 an ECU. The ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the driving support device 100 or the driving operating member 80, so that a braking torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include a mechanism that transmits the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the driving operating member 80 to the hydraulic cylinder via the master hydraulic cylinder as a backup. The brake device 210 is not limited to the structure described above, and may also be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to information input from the driving support device 100, thereby transmitting the hydraulic pressure of the master hydraulic cylinder to the hydraulic cylinder.

[0041] The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, applies force to a rack-and-pinion mechanism to change the direction of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to information (for example, an indicated steering angle) input from the driving support device 100 or the driving operating member 80 to perform processing such as changing the direction of the steering wheel.

[0042] [Driving support device]

[0043] The driving support device 100 includes, for example, a recognition unit 110, a driving state detection unit 120, a contact possibility determination unit 130, a driving control unit 140, a restriction unit 150, an HMI control unit 160, and a storage unit 170. The recognition unit 110, the driving state detection unit 120, the contact possibility determination unit 130, the driving control unit 140, the restriction unit 150, and the HMI control unit 160 are implemented by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including a circuit unit: circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be implemented by the coordinated cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 (a storage device having a non-temporary storage medium), 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 driving support device 100 by attaching the storage medium (non-temporary storage medium) to a drive device. The HMI 30 and the HMI control unit 160 are examples of an “output unit”.

[0044] For example, the instructions from the driving support device 100 to the driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220 are set in the driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220 in a manner that is executed with priority over the detection result from the driving operation member 80. Regarding braking, it can also be set in a manner that is executed with priority over the latter when the braking force based on the operation amount of the brake pedal 86 is greater than the instruction from the driving support device 100. As a structure for giving priority to the instruction from the driving support device 100, the communication priority of the in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) can also be used. Regarding steering, it can also be set in a manner that steering is executed by adding the steering force based on the instruction from the driving support device 100 to the steering force based on the operation amount of the steering wheel 82 by the driver.

[0045] The storage unit 170 may be implemented by the above-mentioned various storage devices, or SSD (Solid State Drive), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 170 stores programs, other various information, etc. The storage unit 170 may also store the above-mentioned map information (first map information 54, second map information 62).

[0046] The recognition unit 110 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M based on the information input from the external detection device. For example, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration and other states of objects existing in the surroundings (for example, within a specified distance from the vehicle M). Objects refer to, for example, other vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, etc. The position of the object is, for example, 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 also be represented by representative points such as the center of gravity and corners of the object, or by an area. The so-called "state" of an object can also include the acceleration, jerk, or "action state" of the object (for example, whether a lane change is in progress or about to be made). The recognition unit 110 recognizes the relative position and relative speed with respect to the object.

[0047] The recognition unit 110, for example, recognizes the lane in which the vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the driving lane by comparing the pattern of the road dividing lines obtained from the second map information 62 (for example, the arrangement of solid lines and dotted lines) and the pattern of the road dividing lines around the vehicle M recognized based on the image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 110 is not limited to recognizing road dividing lines, but can also recognize the driving lane by recognizing road dividing lines, driving road boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, central isolation strips, guardrails, etc. In this recognition, the position of the vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results processed by the INS can also be taken into consideration. The recognition unit 110 recognizes obstacles, temporary stop lines, red lights, toll booths, and other road phenomena based on the recognition results of the objects. Obstacles are objects that the vehicle M needs to avoid contact with, such as other vehicles.

[0048] When recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the position and posture of the host vehicle M relative to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed by the traveling direction of the host vehicle M with respect to the line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and posture of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to any side end (road dividing line or road boundary) of the driving lane as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane.

[0049] The driving state detection unit 120 detects the driving state of the occupant (e.g., the driver) of the vehicle M. The driving state refers to, for example, the operating state of the driver's driving operating member 80 (information indicating the degree of operation). The operating state includes, for example, the steering state of the steering wheel 82. The steering state includes, for example, information on the steering angular velocity detected by the SW sensor 82A. The steering state may include information indicating whether the driver is holding the steering wheel 82, and steering information other than the steering angular velocity. The operating state of the driving operating member 80 may also include operating states such as the opening of the accelerator pedal 84 and the brake pedal 86 detected by the AP sensor 84A and the BP sensor 86A, acceleration operation based on the change in the opening, and deceleration operation.

[0050] The driving state detection unit 120 may also detect the driving state of the driver based on the analysis result of the camera image captured by the driver monitoring camera 70. For example, the driving state detection unit 120 detects whether the driver is holding the steering wheel 82 based on the position, shape, movement, etc. of the hand contained in the camera image, and detects the driving state such as the steering direction and steering amount through the movement of the held hand and the direction of the movement. The driving state detection unit 120 may also detect the driving state (operation state) of the driver by combining the detection results of each sensor of the driving operating member 80 with the analysis result of the camera image.

[0051] The contact possibility determination unit 130 identifies whether there is a possibility of an obstacle (e.g., another vehicle) contacting the vehicle M based on the surrounding conditions (external information) identified by the identification unit 110. For example, the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines whether there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle M and other vehicles based on the contact margin value with other vehicles (preceding vehicles) that exist in front of the vehicle M based on the surrounding conditions. The so-called contact margin value is an index value indicating the margin, such as a value set based on the contact margin time TTC (Time To Collision), but it can also be a value set based on the headway time THW (Time Headway). The contact margin time TTC is derived, for example, by dividing the relative distance by the relative speed in the relationship between the vehicle M and other vehicles. The headway time THW is derived, for example, by dividing the relative distance (headway distance) by the speed of the vehicle M. The contact margin time TTC can also be derived, for example, using a learned model that outputs the contact margin time TTC when the position and speed of the vehicle M and other vehicles are input, a specified function, etc., or it can be derived using a correspondence table that establishes a correspondence between relative speed and relative position and the contact margin time TTC. The above-mentioned derivation method is the same for the inter-vehicle time THW. For example, the shorter the contact margin time TTC (or inter-vehicle time THW), the smaller the margin (in other words, the longer the contact margin time, the greater the margin). For example, the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines that there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle M and other vehicles when the contact margin value is less than a threshold value, and determines that there is no possibility of contact when the contact margin value is greater than the threshold value.

[0052] The driving control unit 140 performs driving control (automatic driving) of controlling one or both of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle M based on at least one of the recognition result of the recognition unit 110, the detection result of the driving state detection unit 120, and the determination result of the contact possibility determination unit 130. For example, the driving control unit 140 generates a target track (including information related to steering and speed) in a manner that the host vehicle M travels in accordance with the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61 based on the surrounding conditions and various driving controls described later, generates target values ​​(target steering angle, target speed) in a manner that the host vehicle M travels along the generated target track, and performs driving control corresponding to the generated target values.

[0053] The driving control unit 140 performs lane keeping control (LKAS: Lane Keeping Assistance System) of the host vehicle M in such a manner that the reference point (e.g., center of gravity, center) of the host vehicle M is located in the center of the driving lane of the host vehicle M based on the surrounding conditions. In the LKAS control, for example, when the steering direction obtained based on the steering torque applied by the driver to the steering wheel 82 is the direction in which the host vehicle M deviates from the center of the lane (or the driving lane), a reaction force is applied to the steering operation in that direction to suppress the deviation from the center of the lane (or the driving lane). In the LKAS control under normal circumstances (e.g., when there is no possibility of contact with an obstacle), a limit (upper limit value) is set on the steering operation amount of the driver to suppress the host vehicle M from deviating from the driving lane due to an excessive steering operation.

[0054] The driving control unit 140 can also perform various driving controls based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 110, such as ALCA (Auto Lane Change Assist) control for supporting the vehicle M in changing lanes from the driving lane to the adjacent lane, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control System) control for following the leading vehicle, CMBS (Collision Mitigation Brake System) control for warning the occupants of the braking control of the vehicle M when there is a possibility of contact with an obstacle, and TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot) control for matching the speed changes of the leading vehicle while maintaining the distance between vehicles when driving at low speeds in congestion.

[0055] The driving control unit 140 includes, for example, a contact avoidance control unit 142. The contact avoidance control unit 142 performs steering control to support the driver's steering state when the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines that there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle M and surrounding obstacles, and the driving state detection unit 120 detects that the driver's steering is above a specified value (steering control start threshold). For example, the contact avoidance control unit 142 performs steering control to support the driver's steering in a manner that stabilizes the behavior of the vehicle M after the steering operation performed by the driver to avoid contact with an obstacle. In this steering control, for example, a limit value (upper limit value) is set for the steering amount in the same manner as the LKAS control to avoid sudden behavior beyond the driver's expectations, and to suppress further lateral movement to the adjacent lane ahead of the vehicle M after the steering operation to move the vehicle M laterally to the adjacent lane to avoid contact with an obstacle. For example, the contact avoidance control unit 142 may perform steering control to move in a direction not to contact an obstacle within the same lane without leaving the same lane, without depending on the steering operation of the driver, when the obstacle can be avoided within the driving lane of the host vehicle M. The steering control performed by the contact avoidance control unit 142 may be performed, for example, when the speed of the host vehicle M is higher than a predetermined speed. The contact avoidance control unit 142 may also perform acceleration and deceleration control for avoiding contact between the host vehicle M and the obstacle instead of (or in addition to) the above-mentioned steering control.

[0056] For example, the driving control unit 140 can execute or terminate the specified driving control according to the instruction when receiving the instruction from the passenger. The driving control unit 140 can also terminate the driving control being executed and switch to manual driving when the driver performs the specified operation on the driving operating parts 80 such as the steering wheel 82, the accelerator pedal 84, and the brake pedal 86 during the execution of the specified driving control. The driving control unit 140 can also output abnormal information indicating the content of the abnormality to the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, the steering device 220, etc. when the vehicle sensor 40 detects an abnormality such as a malfunction, and perform control such as operation suppression.

[0057] The limiting unit 150 adjusts the limiting value (upper limit, limiter) related to the steering of the driver according to the steering state of the driver. The limiting value includes, for example, a first upper limit for the steering of the driver when the steering control by the avoidance contact control unit 142 is not in progress, and a second upper limit for the steering when the steering control by the avoidance contact control unit 142 is in progress. The first upper limit is, for example, the upper limit during the above-mentioned LKAS control. For example, when the steering state of the driver exceeds the first upper limit, the limiting unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit according to the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detection unit 120. When the steering control by the avoidance contact control unit 142 is in progress, the driving control unit 140 performs the steering control in a manner that the steering state of the steering control does not exceed the second upper limit, and when the steering control is not in progress (when the driving control other than the avoidance contact control is being executed), the steering control is performed in a manner that does not exceed the first upper limit. The restriction unit 150 may allow a steering state within a predetermined range exceeding the first upper limit value even when the steering control is not in progress, if a predetermined condition such as a high possibility of executing the operation control is satisfied. The processing of the restriction unit 150 will be described in detail later.

[0058] The HMI control unit 160 provides (notifies) information to the occupants by causing the HMI 30 to output specified information. The specified information includes, for example, information related to the state of the vehicle M, information related to driving control, and other information related to the driving of the vehicle M. The information related to the state of the vehicle M includes, for example, the speed of the vehicle M, the engine speed, the gear position, etc. The information related to driving control includes, for example, the type of driving control being executed, the reason for the driving control, the status of the driving control, etc. The information related to driving control may include information related to the driver's attention call and alarm that has established a corresponding relationship with the executed driving control. The specified information may include information related to the current position, destination, and remaining fuel of the vehicle M, and may also include information unrelated to the driving control of the vehicle M, such as television programs, items stored in storage media such as DVDs (such as movies), etc.

[0059] For example, the HMI control unit 160 may generate an image including the above-mentioned prescribed information and display the generated image on the display unit 32 of the HMI 30, or may generate a sound indicating the prescribed information and output the generated sound from the speaker 34 of the HMI 30. The timing of outputting the image and the sound may be, for example, the timing of obtaining information from the vehicle sensor 40 or each component of the driving support device 100, the timing of starting or stopping driving control, the timing of receiving information from the outside through the communication device 20, the timing of switching the displayed image, the timing of the host vehicle M becoming a prescribed state, etc. The HMI control unit 160 may also output the information received by the HMI 30 to the driving state detection unit 120, the driving control unit 140, etc.

[0060] [Restriction Department]

[0061] Next, the details of the processing of the restriction unit 150 will be described. Hereinafter, the adjustment content of the second upper limit value will be mainly described. Figure 2 FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the setting of the second upper limit value in the avoidance contact control. Figure 2 In the example, lanes L1 and L2 are shown, which can travel in the same direction (the X-axis direction in the figure), and lane L3 is shown, which can travel in the opposite direction (the -X-axis direction in the figure) to lanes L1 and L2. Lane L1 is divided by road dividing lines DL1 and DL2, and lane L2 is divided by road dividing lines DL2 and DL3. Road dividing line DL2 is a dividing line that allows lane changes between lanes L1 and L2. Figure 2 In the example, time T0 is the earliest time, and times T1, T2, T3, and T4 are later in sequence. At time T0, the vehicle M is traveling along the extension direction of lane L1 at a speed VM, and the other vehicle m1 in front of the vehicle M is traveling along the extension direction of lane L1 at a speed Vm1, and the other vehicle m2 is traveling along the extension direction of lane L3 at a speed Vm2 in the opposite direction to the vehicle M. The other vehicles m1 and m2 are examples of "obstacles". Figure 2 In the example of , the driving state of the driver (hereinafter referred to as the driver state) and the operation content of the driving support device 100 are shown along with the passage of time, and the changes of the driver input, the limit value (upper limit value) and the indication value related to the steering angular velocity are shown. Figure 2 In the example of , a limit value used in, for example, LKAS control is set as the first upper limit value, and at time T0, the first upper limit value and the second upper limit value are the same value.

[0062] First, at time T0, the driving control unit 140 performs driving control (e.g., LKAS control) based on the surrounding conditions. In this case, the driver state detected by the driving state detection unit 120 is no operation. No operation refers to, for example, a state in which no steering operation (driver input) is performed (e.g., a state in which only the steering wheel 82 is held due to straight driving, etc.).

[0063] The contact possibility determination unit 130 continuously determines whether there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m1 based on the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M identified by the identification unit 110. At time T0, the contact margin time TTC between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m1 is less than a predetermined time, so the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines that there is a possibility of contact. In this case, the HMI control unit 160 urges the driver to pay attention via the HMI 30 and outputs an alarm for notifying that there is a possibility of contact.

[0064] At time T1, during the alarm output, the driver performs driving operations including steering operations through the steering wheel 82. When receiving driver input for steering operations (e.g., steering torque), the avoidance contact control unit 142 generates an indicated steering angle based on the steering torque, the actual steering angle obtained from the vehicle sensor 40, etc., and outputs the generated indicated steering angle information to the steering device 220. The steering device 220 drives the electric motor according to the indicated steering angle to perform controls such as changing the direction of the steering wheel. Figure 2 In the example of , at time T1 to T2, the indicated steering angle (indicated steering angular velocity) increases as the steering angular velocity based on the driver's input increases (increase in the steering amount). Figure 2 In the example of , before starting the steering control, the driver input exceeds the first upper limit value, but when the driving control based on the first upper limit value such as LKAS is not executed, or when there is a high possibility that the operation control by the avoidance contact control unit 142 is executed based on the surrounding conditions and the driver's operation status during the execution of LKAS control (for example, when the change in the steering angular velocity within a specified time is greater than a threshold value), an indicated steering angle exceeding the first upper limit value is generated, and the second upper limit value is also adjusted in advance.

[0065] During the period from time T1 to time T2 , even if there is a driver input, the possibility of the host vehicle M coming into contact with the other vehicle m1 continues, and thus the alarm output by the HMI control unit 160 continues.

[0066] Next, at time T2, the steering angular velocity input by the driver exceeds the steering support start threshold, so the avoidance contact control unit 142 performs steering control for the driver's steering operation. In the steering control, for example, control to limit the steering amount is performed based on the second upper limit value so as to prevent the lateral movement amount of the host vehicle M from being excessively large due to a sudden steering operation that exceeds the operation state generated by the driver's operation. In this scenario, the restriction unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit value from the time when the steering control is performed until a predetermined time has passed so as to prevent the lateral movement amount required for avoiding contact with the other vehicle m1 from being insufficiently obtained due to the steering restriction based on the second upper limit value.

[0067] Figure 3 1 is a diagram for explaining the adjustment content of the second upper limit value by the limiting unit 150. Figure 3 In the example, a process is schematically shown in which a second upper limit value (limiter adjustment) is adjusted based on an indicated steering angle from the system side (driving control unit 140), a steering torque obtained through driver input, and an actual steering angle (steering angular velocity) obtained from a vehicle sensor 40, and a final indicated steering angle output to the steering device 220 is obtained based on the adjusted content.

[0068] exist Figure 3 In the example, the limiting unit 150 multiplies the value of the steering torque including positive and negative signs by the value including positive and negative signs corresponding to the actual steering angle, and performs a judgment based on the result of the multiplication. The positive and negative signs establish a correspondence with the left and right directions, so when the sign of the result of the multiplication calculation is positive (>0), it is judged that the steering direction obtained based on the steering torque is the same direction as the direction of the actual steering angle. That is, when the sign is positive, it can be judged that the actual steering angle corresponds to the driver's steering operation (manual driving) (in other words, it is not driving control (control on the system side)). Therefore, when the sign is positive, the limiting unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit value according to the driver's steering angular velocity obtained based on the steering torque.

[0069] For example, the limiting unit 150 sets the second upper limit value to be within a predetermined range (for example, the maximum value ± several %) from the maximum value of the steering state (steering angular velocity) of the driver. Figure 2 As shown, the steering torque (steering angular velocity) increases in response to the increase in the driver's input. Figure 3 The indicated steering angle is not suppressed by the second upper limit value, but is output to steering device 220 as the final indicated steering angle.

[0070] In this way, by adjusting the second upper limit value to be greater than the maximum value of the steering torque, the steering operation is not suppressed by the adjusted second upper limit value, and the lateral movement (movement in the road width direction (Y-axis direction)) of the host vehicle M required to avoid contact can be performed. In addition, by setting it to the maximum value, excessive steering output based on steering control can be suppressed.

[0071] The limiting portion 150 may also be Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the steering torque and the actual steering angle are in the same direction, the second upper limit value is adjusted, and when they are in the opposite direction (when the sign is negative), the second upper limit value is not adjusted. When the steering torque is in a direction different from the actual steering angle, the system side control is performed independently of the driver's steering operation, or the steering is performed in a direction to reduce the actual steering angle, so that the processing load can be reduced by suppressing the adjustment of the unnecessary upper limit value.

[0072] exist Figure 2 In the example of FIG. 1 , before reaching time T3, the steering angular velocity based on the driver input decreases. In this case, the limiting unit 150 may also be as follows Figure 2 The state of the second upper limit value set according to the maximum value is maintained as shown. At this point in time, the driver is steering, so there is a possibility that the steering angular velocity will increase again. Therefore, by maintaining the state of the second upper limit value, the increase or decrease of the second upper limit value can be suppressed. The limiting unit 150 can also adjust the second upper limit value in a manner that follows the decrease in the steering angular velocity.

[0073] At time T3, the driver state becomes a no-operation state. That is, at time T3, for example, the driver determines that the contact has been successfully avoided by his own steering operation and does not perform a steering operation. In this case, the contact avoidance control unit 142 continues to execute the steering control for stabilizing the vehicle M. For example, based on the surrounding conditions identified by the identification unit 110, the contact avoidance control unit 142 generates a target trajectory (target steering angle) for the vehicle M that allows the vehicle M to change lanes from the current driving lane (lane L1) to the adjacent lane (lane L2) without moving to the adjacent lane ahead (lane L3), and generates an indicated steering angle ( Figure 2 The indicated steering angular velocity as shown in FIG. 2 is output to the steering device 220. The steering device 220 performs steering based on the indicated steering angle. Figure 2 The behavior of the host vehicle M is stabilized as shown.

[0074] At time T3, when the driver has finished the steering operation (no operation), the limiting unit 150 reduces the adjusted second upper limit value so that it approaches the first upper limit value as time passes. The reduction rate can be a fixed value or a variable value based on the road conditions, the speed VM of the vehicle M, etc. In this way, at the initial stage of the avoidance contact control, the second upper limit value is increased to relax the steering and ensure the lateral movement required by the vehicle M. As time passes, the required lateral movement amount decreases, so the second upper limit value is reduced. In this way, it is possible to suppress the relaxation of the steering restriction beyond the required limit. The limiting unit 150 can also reduce the second upper limit value even when the driver is steering and the steering angular velocity input by the driver decreases by more than a specified value.

[0075] The limiting unit 150 may also be controlled in a manner that adjusts the above-mentioned second upper limit value from the time when the steering control is executed until a prescribed time has passed. The prescribed time is a time shorter than the time predicted to execute the steering control (predicted execution time). The predicted execution time is derived, for example, by the speed VM of the vehicle M, the relative position with other vehicles m1 and m2, the relative speed, the road shape (lane width, number of lanes, curvature), the steering amount, etc. For example, the predicted execution time is the time during which the vehicle M can travel without deviating from the lane (lane L3) ahead of the adjacent lane (lane L2). The prescribed time may also be set by a time corresponding to the steering responsiveness of the vehicle M (for example, approximately 2 to 4 [seconds]). Figure 2 In the example, the second upper limit value is adjusted to return to the original value (the same value as the first upper limit value) at the time T4 when the vehicle M can stably travel in the lane L2. In the final stage of the steering control, the vehicle moves to the adjacent lane while maintaining the lane, so even the usual limit value can be handled. Therefore, by adjusting only for a specified time, it is possible to suppress excessive relaxation of the limit value and seek early stabilization of the behavior after the contact avoidance operation.

[0076] Since the period between time T3 and T4 is the steering control caused by the steering of the driver, the HMI control unit 160 may also output instruction information from the HMI 30 to allow the driver to monitor the surroundings before the behavior of the host vehicle M stabilizes (before the behavior change amount becomes less than a predetermined value). After time T4, the behavior of the host vehicle M becomes stable, so the steering control is continued without adjusting the second upper limit value.

[0077] For example, when a target steering angular velocity based on driving control is inputted while the instructed steering angular velocity and the second upper limit value are decreasing, the driving control unit 140 executes control based on the decreasing second upper limit value. Figure 4 1 is a diagram for explaining an operation example in which an excessively large target steering angular velocity is input while the instruction value and the limit value are decreasing. Figure 4 In the example, the horizontal axis represents time [seconds] and the vertical axis represents the steering angular velocity [deg / s]. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the second upper limit value and the indicated steering angular velocity are decreasing, if a target steering angular velocity greater than these values ​​is input, the limiting unit 150 does not increase the second upper limit value but continues to decrease it. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the steering control corresponding to the indicated steering angular velocity that does not exceed the second upper limit is performed. Thus, even if the second upper limit is being adjusted, more appropriate driving control can be achieved. At this stage, the driver is in a non-operating state, so it is possible to suppress the situation in which the vehicle M is unstable due to the increase of the second upper limit and the large behavior can be performed.

[0078] Figure 5 1 is a diagram showing an example in which the function of the above-mentioned restriction unit 150 is applied to the control of the driving control unit 140. Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 1 , an example of a functional block related to the steering control of the driving control unit 140 and the steering device 220 is mainly shown. Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 1 , the driving control unit 140 sets a target steering angle corresponding to the actual steering angle of the current vehicle M and the target track, and sets a corrected steering angle obtained based on the offset between the steering torque and the actual steering angle, etc. (e.g., steering response error). The driving control unit 140 limits the steering angular velocity based on the limit value for the set target steering angle. Here, the limiter 150 adjusts the limit value of the steering angular velocity, such as Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the steering angular velocity of the driver is obtained based on the steering torque and the actual steering angle, and the limit value of the steering angular velocity is relaxed (adjusted) according to the obtained steering angular velocity. The driving control unit 140 generates an indicated steering angle based on the relaxed target steering angle and the corrected steering angle, and outputs it to the steering device 220. The steering ECU of the steering device 220 performs steering angle control based on the indicated steering angle, and performs processes such as driving the electric motor and changing the direction of the steering wheel.

[0079] The driving control unit 140 may, for example, also perform an override control corresponding to a steering amount such as a steering torque. In this case, a control request to switch from the driving control being executed to manual driving is output to the steering device 220. The steering ECU performs state management based on the control request, and performs control to terminate (end) the steering angle control in the driving control. The driving control unit 140 may also output abnormal information to the steering device 220 when an abnormality related to the driving of the vehicle M (such as a failure of a sensor device) is detected by the vehicle sensor 40. In this case, the steering ECU controls the steering device 220 corresponding to the abnormality detection (termination of the driving control), etc. Figure 5As shown, by executing the control by the restriction unit 150 described above during the steering control by the driving control unit 140 , the host vehicle M can be caused to perform a necessary lateral movement according to the steering control for avoiding contact with an obstacle or the like.

[0080] [Processing Flow]

[0081] Next, the process executed by the driving support device 100 in the embodiment will be described. Among the processes executed by the driving support device 100 , the following description will focus mainly on the steering control process of adjusting the limit value in the contact avoidance control unit 142 .

[0082] Figure 6 1 is a flowchart showing an example of driving control performed by the driving support device 100. Figure 6 In the example of FIG. 1 , the recognition unit 110 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M (step S100 ). Next, the contact possibility determination unit 130 derives the contact margin time TTC between the host vehicle M and the obstacle based on the recognized surrounding conditions (step S110 ).

[0083] Next, the driving control unit 140 determines whether to perform steering control for avoiding contact with an obstacle based on the contact margin time TTC (step S120). If it is determined that steering control is to be performed, the limiting unit 150 detects the driver's driving state by the driving state detection unit 120 (step S130), and determines whether to adjust the steering limit value (the above-mentioned second upper limit value) based on the driving state (step S140). If it is determined to be adjusted, the driving control unit 140 performs steering control (step S150). In the steering control, the limiting unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit value according to the driver's steering angular velocity from the time when the steering control is performed to the time when a specified time has passed (step S160). Thus, the processing of this flowchart ends. If it is determined that steering control is not to be performed in the processing of step S120, or if it is determined that the steering limit value is not to be adjusted in the processing of step S140, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0084] As described above, according to the embodiment, the driving support device 100 (an example of a vehicle control device) includes: an identification unit 110, which identifies the surrounding conditions of the vehicle M; a driving state detection unit 120, which detects the driving state of the occupant of the vehicle M, including steering; a driving control unit 140, which performs steering control to support the steering of the occupant when there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle M and surrounding obstacles based on the identification result of the identification unit 110 and the driving state detection unit 120 detects that the occupant is steering at a value above a specified value; and a limiting unit 150, which adjusts the limiting value related to the occupant's steering according to the occupant's steering state, thereby enabling more appropriate steering control to be performed according to the vehicle condition.

[0085] For example, when the limit value of the normal steering is used, it may not be possible to ensure the required lateral movement, but in the embodiment, in the avoidance contact control using the steering of the driver as a trigger, the limit value (limiter) is adjusted based on the steering of the driver, thereby ensuring the lateral movement required for avoiding contact, and even if an excessively large instruction value is input, it is possible to suppress steering beyond the required limit. According to the embodiment, the limit value is set within the steering range of the driver, thereby setting a limit value equivalent to the steering value of the driver, so that the required lateral movement can be ensured, and even if an excessively large instruction value is input, it is possible to suppress work beyond the limit envisioned by the driver.

[0086] According to the embodiment, the limit value is adjusted for a predetermined time from the driver's steering, thereby ensuring the required lateral movement while suppressing the limit value from being relaxed beyond the required limit. According to the embodiment, the limit value is adjusted in a manner that decreases toward the limit value at normal time as time passes, thereby increasing the upper limit value at the start of the execution of the avoidance contact control to ensure the required lateral movement, and since the required lateral movement amount decreases as time passes, the limit value is also reduced accordingly, thereby suppressing the relaxation of the limit value beyond the required limit. According to the embodiment, the limit value adjustment is set in a shorter time than the avoidance contact control, thereby suppressing the relaxation of the limit value beyond the required limit.

[0087] The numerical values ​​shown in the above-mentioned embodiment are merely examples and may be changed as appropriate depending on the type of the host vehicle M, road conditions, surrounding conditions, developer's settings, and the like.

[0088] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows.

[0089] A control device for a vehicle, wherein:

[0090] The vehicle control device comprises:

[0091] a storage medium storing computer-readable instructions; and

[0092] a processor connected to the storage medium,

[0093] The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to perform the following processing:

[0094] Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle;

[0095] detecting a driving state of an occupant of the host vehicle, including steering;

[0096] When there is a possibility that the host vehicle may come into contact with a surrounding obstacle based on the recognition result and steering of the occupant exceeding a predetermined value is detected, executing steering control to assist the occupant in steering; and

[0097] A limit value related to the steering of the occupant is adjusted according to the steering state of the occupant.

[0098] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments at all, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: An identification unit that identifies the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; a driving state detection unit that detects a driving state of an occupant of the host vehicle, including steering; a driving control unit for performing steering control to assist the occupant in steering when there is a possibility that the host vehicle contacts a surrounding obstacle based on the recognition result of the recognition unit and when the driving state detection unit detects that the occupant has turned by a predetermined value or more; as well as A restriction unit adjusts a restriction value related to the steering of the occupant according to the steering state of the occupant.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The limit value includes a first upper limit value for steering when the steering control is not in progress, and a second upper limit value for steering when the steering control is in progress, The driving control unit performs the steering control so that the steering state during the steering control does not exceed the second upper limit value.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein: The restriction unit sets the second upper limit value so as to be within a predetermined range from a maximum value of the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detection unit.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein: The restriction unit adjusts the second upper limit value until a predetermined time elapses from when the steering control is executed.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein: The limiting unit decreases the adjusted second upper limit value so as to approach the first upper limit value as time passes.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein: The predetermined time is a time shorter than a time predicted to execute the steering control.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein: The restriction unit adjusts the second upper limit value according to the steering state of the occupant when the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detection unit exceeds the first upper limit value.

8. A vehicle control method, wherein: The vehicle control method enables the computer to perform the following processing: Identify the surrounding conditions of the vehicle; detecting a driving state of an occupant of the host vehicle, including steering; When there is a possibility that the host vehicle may come into contact with a surrounding obstacle based on the recognition result and when steering of the occupant exceeding a predetermined value is detected, executing steering control to assist the occupant in steering; as well as A limit value related to the steering of the occupant is adjusted according to the steering state of the occupant.

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; detecting a driving state of an occupant of the host vehicle, including steering; When there is a possibility that the host vehicle may come into contact with a surrounding obstacle based on the recognition result and when steering of the occupant exceeding a predetermined value is detected, executing steering control to assist the occupant in steering; as well as A limit value related to the steering of the occupant is adjusted according to the steering state of the occupant.

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