Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Abstract

A vehicle control device is provided with: a recognition unit that recognizes a road division line of a road on which a vehicle travels; and a determination processing unit that determines that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road line when it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road line, which is obtained on the basis of the position of the road line with respect to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle, is equal to or less than a threshold value, and that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road line. And a determination processing unit that changes the threshold value on the basis of the degree of change in the curve condition of the travel path. And a control unit that, when it is determined that the possibility of the vehicle deviating from the road line is high, performs control that assists in suppressing the deviation of the vehicle from the road line.

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 have been actively made to provide access to a sustainable transportation system that also takes into account people who are in a vulnerable position among traffic participants. To achieve this goal, through research and development related to preventive safety technology, research and development efforts have been made to further improve traffic safety and convenience. For example, conventionally, a device has been disclosed that includes a curvature change detection unit that detects a change in the curvature of a path, and a target deceleration calculation unit that increases a deceleration control amount when the curvature change of the path is large (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-345505).

[0003] In the conventional device, sufficient research has not been conducted on supporting the suppression of the vehicle from deviating from the road marking. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium that can more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle from deviating from the road marking according to the environment. As described above, improving preventive safety technology can further contribute to the development of a sustainable transportation system.

[0006] Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium of the present invention adopt the following configuration.

[0008] (1): A vehicle device according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an identification unit that identifies a road marking of a driving road of the vehicle; a determination processing unit that determines that the possibility of the vehicle deviating from the road marking is high when it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road marking based on the position of the road marking relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is equal to or less than a threshold value, and the determination processing unit changes the threshold value based on the degree of change in the bending state of the driving road; and a control unit that, when it is determined that the possibility of the vehicle deviating from the road marking is high, performs control to support the suppression of the vehicle from deviating from the road marking.

[0009] (2): Based on the aspect (1) above, the greater the degree of change in the bending state, the greater the threshold value set by the determination processing unit.

[0010] (3): Based on the solution in (1) above, when the degree of change in the bending situation is equal to or greater than the first degree of change, the determination processing unit sets the threshold to the first threshold. When the degree of change in the bending situation is less than the first degree of change, the determination processing unit sets the threshold to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold.

[0011] (4): Based on the solution in (1) above, when the degree of change in the bending situation is equal to or greater than the second degree of change, the determination processing unit sets the threshold to the third threshold. When the degree of change in the bending situation is less than the second degree of change and exceeds the third degree of change, the threshold is increased between a value less than the third threshold and a fourth threshold smaller than the third threshold in such a way that the greater the degree of change, the closer the threshold approaches the third threshold.

[0012] (5): Based on any one of the solutions in (1) to (4) above, when the degree of change increases due to the increase in the bending situation, the determination processing unit performs a first change process in which the greater the degree of change in the bending situation, the greater the increase in the threshold. When the degree of change increases due to the decrease in the bending situation, the determination processing unit performs a second change process different from the first change process.

[0013] (6): Based on the solution in (5) above, the second change process is a process of setting a preset threshold regardless of the degree of change in the bending situation, or a process of setting the threshold to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold. The first threshold is a threshold that is set to be larger as the degree of change in the bending situation increases when the degree of change increases in the first change process. The second threshold is a threshold that is set to be larger as the degree of change in the bending situation increases when the degree of change increases in the second change process.

[0014] (7): Based on any one of the solutions in (1) to (4) above, a control unit is provided. When the determination processing unit determines that the possibility of deviating from the road division line is high, the control unit uses the notification unit to notify the driver of the vehicle about the possibility of deviation, or supports the control of steering so that the vehicle does not deviate from the road division line.

[0015] (8): Based on any one of the above (1) to (4) solutions, when the shape of the driving road is a turning road, for the setting of the threshold value for the road dividing line on the inner side of the turning road, the preset threshold value is set as the threshold value, and for the setting of the threshold value for the road dividing line on the outer side of the turning road, the threshold value based on the degree of change of the bending condition of the driving road is set.

[0016] (9): A vehicle control device according to another solution of the present invention includes: an identification unit that identifies the road dividing line of the driving road of the vehicle; and a control unit that, when it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road dividing line obtained based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is below the threshold value, performs control to notify the driver of the vehicle so that the vehicle does not deviate from the road dividing line or performs support control to support the driving of the driver, and the control unit changes the timing of starting the support control based on the degree of change of the bending condition of the driving road of the vehicle.

[0017] (10): Based on the solution of the above (9), the greater the degree of change of the bending condition, the earlier the control unit makes the timing.

[0018] (11): A vehicle control method according to another solution of the present invention causes a computer to execute the following processing: identifying the road dividing line of the driving road of the vehicle; when it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road dividing line obtained based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is below the threshold value, determining that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road dividing line, and changing the threshold value based on the degree of change of the bending condition of the driving road; and when it is determined that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road dividing line, performing control to support the suppression of the vehicle from deviating from the road dividing line.

[0019] (12): A storage medium storing a program according to another solution of the present invention causes a computer to execute the following processing: identifying the road dividing line of the driving road of the vehicle; when it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road dividing line obtained based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is below the threshold value, determining that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road dividing line, and changing the threshold value based on the degree of change of the bending condition of the driving road; and when it is determined that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road dividing line, performing control to support the suppression of the vehicle from deviating from the road dividing line.

[0020] Advantages of the Invention

[0021] According to the solution of (1)-(12), it is possible to more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking according to the environment. For example, even when the driver is late in noticing or misses a turn, it is possible to support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking at a more appropriate timing (for example, earlier).

[0022] According to the solution of (2), the vehicle control device can more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking according to the degree of change in the bending situation. For example, the vehicle control device can support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking earlier.

[0023] According to the solution of (3), the vehicle control device can more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking according to the degree of change in the bending situation. For example, the vehicle control device can support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking at an appropriate timing in such a way that it does not become excessive support and the timing of starting the support is not delayed.

[0024] According to the solution of (5) or (6), the vehicle control device can more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking according to the position of the vehicle relative to the turning road. For example, at the exit of the turning road, it is possible to suppress the support that the driver may find annoying.

[0025] According to the solution of (8), the vehicle control device sets an appropriate threshold for each road marking, so it can suppress excessive support and can more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road marking. Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 is a structural diagram of a vehicle system using the vehicle control device of the embodiment.

[0027] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a scene where the vehicle M travels on the target turning road.

[0028] Figure 3 is a diagram showing Figure 2 the curvature and the degree of change in curvature at each position of the turning road.

[0029] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation timing.

[0030] Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the control in the case where the degree of change in curvature is relatively small.

[0031] Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining the control in the case where the degree of change in curvature is relatively large.

[0032] Figure 7 It is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the driving support device.

[0033] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of the first area and the second area.

[0034] Figure 9 It is a flowchart showing another example of the process executed by the driving support device.

[0035] Figure 10 It is a diagram for explaining the timing of executing the first change process and the timing of executing the second change process.

[0036] Figure 11 It is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the driving support device.

[0037] Figure 12 It is a diagram for explaining the process in scenario 1.

[0038] Figure 13 It is a diagram for explaining the process in scenario 2.

[0039] Figure 14 It is a diagram showing an example of the image captured by the camera.

[0040] Figure 15 It is a diagram of the intersection and the scene near the intersection viewed from above.

[0041] Figure 16 It is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the driving support device. Detailed implementation

[0042] <First Embodiment>

[0043] [Overall Structure]

[0044] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of the vehicle system 1 using the vehicle control device of the embodiment. The vehicle equipped with the vehicle system 1 is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, four-wheeled vehicle, etc., and its drive 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 the generated electric power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or the discharge power of a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

[0045] The vehicle system 1 includes, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, vehicle sensors 40, a navigation device 50, an operation unit 80, a driving support device 100, a driving force output device 200, a braking device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are interconnected via a multi-channel communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, etc. Figure 1 The structure shown is merely an example, and a part of the structure may be omitted, or other structures may be further added. The driving support device 100 is an example of a "vehicle control device".

[0046] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera that uses a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is installed at an arbitrary position of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as vehicle M) on which the vehicle system 1 is mounted. When shooting the front, the camera 10 is installed on the upper part of the front windshield, the back of the in-vehicle rearview mirror, etc. The camera 10, for example, periodically and repeatedly shoots the periphery of the vehicle M. The camera 10 may also be a stereo camera.

[0047] The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves to the periphery of the vehicle M, and detects the radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object to detect at least the position (distance and azimuth) of the object. The radar device 12 is installed at an arbitrary position of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may also detect the position and speed of an object by the FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0048] The LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or an electromagnetic wave with a wavelength close to that of light) to the periphery of the vehicle M and measures the 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, pulsed laser light. The LIDAR 14 is installed at an arbitrary position of the vehicle M.

[0049] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results detected by a part or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to identify 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 may also 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 may also be omitted from the vehicle system 1.

[0050] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles existing in the vicinity of the vehicle M, for example, using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication), etc., or communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station.

[0051] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupants of the vehicle M and accepts input operations performed by the occupants. The HMI 30 includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, touch panels, switches, buttons, etc. The HMI 30 includes a display device. The display device (display unit) is, for example, provided at the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M, and is a display device that displays various information in the vehicle M, such as a speedometer that indicates the driving speed of the vehicle M or a tachometer that indicates the rotational speed (rotation speed) of the internal combustion engine provided in the vehicle M, so-called multi-information display.

[0052] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects the angular velocity about the vertical axis, an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the vehicle M, etc.

[0053] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 stores map information 54 in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 determines the position of the vehicle M based on signals received from GNSS satellites. The position of the vehicle M 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, buttons, etc. Part or all of the navigation HMI 52 can also be shared with the aforementioned HMI 30. The route determination unit 53 determines, for example, a route (hereinafter referred to as a map route) from the position of the vehicle M determined by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary input position) to the destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI 52 with reference to the map information 54. The map information 54 is, for example, information that represents the shape of a road by showing the lines of the road and the nodes connected by the lines. The map information 54 may also include information such as the curvature of the road and POI (Point Of Interest) information. The map information 54 includes, for example, information indicating a specified speed (such as a speed limit or a legal speed) for each section representing a road. The specified speed refers to, for example, information indicating the speed limit or legal speed shown on a sign on the road or installed on the road.

[0054] The navigation device 50 can also perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the map route. The navigation device 50 can be implemented, for example, by the functions of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal held by the occupant. The navigation device 50 can also send the current position and the destination to the navigation server via the communication device 20 and obtain a route equivalent to the map route from the navigation server.

[0055] The operation unit 80 includes, for example, operation switches for direction indicators, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, and other operation members (not shown). Sensors for detecting the operation amount or the presence or absence of an operation are installed on the operation members, and the detection results are output to a part or all of the driving support device 100, the driving force output device 200, the braking device 210, and the steering device 220. The steering wheel does not necessarily have to be circular, and can also be in the form of a special-shaped steering wheel, a joystick, buttons, etc. A steering wheel grip sensor is installed on the steering wheel.

[0056] In addition to the above, the operation unit 80 further includes a steering wheel 82 and a vibration unit 84. The vibration unit 84 vibrates the steering wheel 82. For example, the vibration unit 84 vibrates based on an instruction from the driving support device 100 to notify the driver that the vehicle M is approaching a road dividing line.

[0057] The driving support device 100 includes, for example, an identification unit 110, a turning determination unit 120, a first determination unit 130, a second determination unit 140, and a control unit 150. Some or all of these functional units are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components can 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), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and an SOC (System On Chip), or can be implemented by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program can be pre-stored in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD or a flash memory of the driving support device 100, or can be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 by attaching the storage medium (non-transitory storage medium) to the driving device. The second determination unit 140 or the functional unit combining the first determination unit 130 and the second determination unit 140 is an example of a "determination processing unit".

[0058] The identification unit 110 identifies the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of an object in the vicinity of the vehicle M based on the information input from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 via the object identification device 16. The position of the object is, for example, identified as a position on an absolute coordinate with the representative point (center of gravity, center of drive shaft, etc.) of the vehicle M as the origin and is used for control. The position of the object can be indicated by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or can be indicated by a region. The "state" of the object can also include the acceleration, jerk, or "behavior state" of the object (for example, whether a lane change is being performed or about to be performed).

[0059] The recognition unit 110 recognizes, for example, the road division lines around the vehicle M, and recognizes the driving lane based on the recognized road division lines. The recognition unit 110 is not limited to road division lines, and may also recognize the driving lane by recognizing road division lines and the driving road boundaries (road boundaries) including shoulders, curbs, median 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 may also be taken into consideration. The recognition unit 110 recognizes temporary stop lines, obstacles, red lights, toll booths, other road phenomena, signs (speed limits) marked on the road, and road signs indicating speed limits.

[0060] When recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the position and attitude of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 110 may also recognize the deviation of the reference point of the vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle formed by the traveling direction of the vehicle M with respect to the line connecting the centers of the lanes as the relative position and attitude of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the position of the reference point of the vehicle M relative to any side end (road division line or road boundary) of the driving lane as the relative position of the vehicle M relative to the driving lane.

[0061] The turning determination unit 120 determines whether the turning road (or the turning road to be traveled) on which the vehicle M is traveling is the target turning road. The target turning road is a turning road with a curvature radius equal to or less than a threshold value (for example, 1000 m or less). The turning determination unit 120 may determine the target turning road based on the recognition result of the recognition unit 110, or may determine the target turning road based on the position of the vehicle M traveling and the information of the turning road included in the map information (for example, the curvature radius). The recognition result of the recognition unit 110 is, for example, the shape of the road, the shape of the objects (such as curbs, etc.) provided on the road, and the shape of the road signs (such as road division lines, etc.). For example, it is also possible to estimate whether it is the target turning road based on the shape of the road division lines at the entrance or near the entrance of the turning road, and determine whether it is the target turning road based on the estimated result.

[0062] The first determination unit 130 changes the threshold value based on the degree of change in the bending condition of the driving road of the vehicle M. The bending condition is, for example, an index indicating the bending condition such as curvature. The first determination unit 130 may obtain the bending condition of the driving road using the information indicating the bending condition included in the map information, or may obtain it based on the recognition result of the recognition unit 110. The recognition result of the recognition unit 110 is, for example, the shape of the road, the shape of the objects (such as curbs, etc.) provided on the road, and the shape of the road signs (such as road division lines, etc.). In the following description, it is described as obtaining the bending condition using road division lines.

[0063] When the second determination unit 140 determines that the time for the vehicle M to reach the road dividing line based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle M and the state of the vehicle M (such as position, traveling direction, speed, acceleration) is equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle M is highly likely to deviate from the road dividing line.

[0064] The control unit 150 controls various functions, devices, etc. of the vehicle M, for example. The control unit 150 controls the HMI 30, the vibration unit 84, and the steering device 220 so as to control the vehicle M not to deviate from the road dividing line.

[0065] The control unit 150 performs lane departure suppression control. Lane departure suppression control is a control in which when the vehicle M approaches the road dividing line around the vehicle M, the control unit 150 performs one or more of the controls in (1) to (3) to suppress the vehicle M from approaching the road dividing line. (1) The control unit 150 notifies through images, sounds, etc. using the HMI. (2) The control unit 150 vibrates the steering wheel 82 using the vibration unit 84. (3) The control unit 150 controls the steering device 220 so that the vehicle M returns to the center of the driving lane (away from the road dividing line). Lane departure suppression control may be, in addition to the above, any control that supports the vehicle or the driver in such a way that the vehicle does not deviate from the road dividing line. For example, it may be a control that vibrates the driver's seat belt or lights up an output unit that outputs light.

[0066] The driving support device 100 may also perform the above-mentioned ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), lane keeping control for keeping the vehicle M traveling in the center of the lane, and control for automatically changing the lane of the vehicle M (ALC; automatic lane change) when an instruction for lane change is given by the driver.

[0067] The driving force output device 200 outputs the driving force (torque) for vehicle travel 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 that controls them. The ECU controls the above structure according to the information input from the driving support device 100 or the information input from the driving operation member.

[0068] The braking device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a hydraulic cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to the information input from the driving support device 100 or the information input from the driving operation member, and outputs the braking torque corresponding to the braking operation to each wheel.

[0069] The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, applies a force to a rack-pinion mechanism to change the orientation of the steering wheel. The steering ECU drives the electric motor in accordance with information input from the driving support device 100 or information input from a driving operation member to change the orientation of the steering wheel.

[0070] [Summary]

[0071] When the driving support device 100 determines that the time for the vehicle M to reach the road marking line based on the position of the road marking line relative to the vehicle M and the state of the vehicle is equal to or less than a threshold value, it determines that the vehicle M is highly likely to deviate from the road marking line. The driving support device 100 changes the threshold value based on the degree of change in the curvature of the driving path of the vehicle M. When the driving support device 100 determines that the vehicle M is highly likely to deviate from the road marking line, it performs control to support the suppression of the vehicle M from deviating from the road marking line.

[0072] When the driving support device 100 determines that the time for the vehicle M to reach the road marking line based on the position of the road marking line relative to the vehicle M and the state of the vehicle M is equal to or less than a threshold value, it performs control to notify the driver of the vehicle M so that the vehicle M does not deviate from the road marking line or support control to support the driving of the driver. The driving support device 100 changes the timing of starting the support control based on the degree of change in the curvature of the driving path of the vehicle M.

[0073] In each of the above processes, the driving support device 100 can make the timing of starting the support control earlier as the degree of change in the curvature of the driving path is greater. Hereinafter, these processes will be described.

[0074] When the vehicle M is traveling on a target turning road, the driving support device 100 makes the above determination and executes lane departure suppression control. Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of a scene where the vehicle M is traveling on a target turning road. In the illustrated example, the vehicle M sequentially passes through positions A, B, C, and D. Position A is the entrance or near the entrance of the turning road. Position B is a position at a predetermined distance forward from the entrance. Position C is a position at a predetermined distance forward from position B. Position D is the exit or near the entrance and exit of the turning road.

[0075] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 the curvature and the degree of change in curvature at each position of the turning road. Figure 3 In the upper diagram, the vertical axis represents the curvature and the horizontal axis represents the position. Figure 3In the following figure, the vertical axis represents the degree of change and the horizontal axis represents the position. Between position A and position B and between position C and position D, the curvature changes significantly compared to the curvature at other positions. Between position A and position B, there is a tendency for the curvature to increase, and between position C and position D, there is a tendency for the curvature to decrease. Between position B and position C, the curvature is larger than the curvature at other positions, but the curvature is constant or approximately constant. Therefore, the degree of change is also zero or small.

[0076] As described above, in a turning road, there is a tendency for the degree of change in curvature to vary at the entrance (near the entrance) and the exit (near the exit) of the turning road. In the present embodiment, the driving support device 100 controls the operation timing of the lane departure suppression control operation according to the degree of change in the driving road. For example, the driving support device 100 makes the operation timing earlier as the degree of change is larger.

[0077] When the degree of change in the bending condition of the driving road is equal to or greater than the first degree of change, the driving support device 100 sets the threshold value to the first threshold value. When the degree of change in the bending condition of the driving road is less than the first degree of change, the driving support device 100 sets the threshold value to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value. The threshold value exceeding the operation timing OT2 or operation timing OT1 described later is an example of the "first threshold value". Figure 4 The threshold value exceeding the operation timing OT2 or operation timing OT1 described later is an example of the "first threshold value".

[0078] When the degree of change in the bending condition of the driving road is equal to or greater than the second degree of change, the driving support device 100 sets the threshold value to the third threshold value. When the degree of change in the bending condition of the driving road is less than the second degree of change and exceeds the third degree of change, between being less than the third threshold value and a fourth threshold value smaller than the third threshold value, the threshold value is increased in such a way that the larger the degree of change, the closer it approaches the third threshold value. The operation timing OT2 described later is an example of the "third threshold value". The operation timing (or operation timing OT1) exceeding the operation timing OT1 described later is an example of the "fourth threshold value". Figure 4 The operation timing OT2 described later is an example of the "third threshold value". Figure 4 The operation timing (or operation timing OT1) exceeding the operation timing OT1 described later is an example of the "fourth threshold value".

[0079] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the operation timing. Figure 4 The vertical axis represents the operation timing and the horizontal axis represents the degree of change. The degree of change is the absolute value of the degree of change. The operation timing is TTLC (Time to Line Crossing: the time until the vehicle M reaches the road dividing line). The smaller the TTLC value, the closer the vehicle M is to the road dividing line (the higher the possibility that the vehicle M deviates from the driving road). The longer (larger) the operation timing, the earlier the lane departure suppression control operates (the vehicle M operates at a position far from the road dividing line (for example, a position close to the center of the lane)).

[0080] For example, if the degree of change is up to the degree of change C1, the lane departure suppression control operates at the operation timing OT1. For example, if the degree of change is equal to or greater than the degree of change C2, the lane departure suppression control operates at the operation timing OT2. The operation timing OT2 is a longer timing than the operation timing OT1. If the degree of change is between the degree of change exceeding C1 and the degree of change less than C2, the greater the degree of change, the longer the operation timing. If the degree of change is between the degree of change exceeding C1 and the degree of change less than C2, then for example, as Figure 4 shown, the operation timing changes smoothly according to the degree of change, but the operation timing may also change stepwise. For example, the operation timing OT2 is twice or about twice the length of the operation timing OT1. For example, the degree of change C2 is about twice, 2.4 times, or 2.5 times the degree of change C1.

[0081] As described above, the greater the degree of change, the earlier the lane departure suppression control operates. Specifically, if it is between the positions A and B or between the positions C and D of the aforementioned Figure 3 , the lane departure suppression control operates earlier than when it is between the positions B and C. Thus, when the degree of change exceeds the degree of change C2 or the degree of change is less than the degree of change C1, the threshold is fixed. If the degree of change exceeds the degree of change C1 and is less than the degree of change C2, the threshold is variable, and a threshold corresponding to the degree of change in the bending situation is set. Thereby, an appropriate threshold corresponding to the degree of change is set.

[0082] [Control in the case of a small degree of change]

[0083] Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining the control in the case where the degree of change in curvature is relatively small. When the vehicle M travels in a section with a first degree of change in curvature, a relatively short operation timing OT1 is set. In this case, when it is predicted that the vehicle M will reach the road division line after OT1 seconds (for example, when the vehicle M reaches a position at a distance d1 from the road division line), the driving support device 100 causes the lane departure suppression control to operate.

[0084] [Control in the case of a large degree of change]

[0085] Figure 6This is a diagram for explaining control in the case where the degree of change in curvature is relatively large. When the vehicle M is traveling in an interval with a second degree of change in curvature, a relatively long operation timing OT2 is set. The degree of change in the second degree of change is greater than the degree of change in the first degree of change. In this case, when it is predicted that the vehicle M will reach the road demarcation line after OT2 seconds (for example, when the vehicle M reaches a position at a distance d2 (> distance d1) from the road demarcation line), the driving support device 100 activates the lane departure suppression control.

[0086] In this way, in the case of the second degree of change, the driving support device 100 activates the lane departure suppression control earlier than in the case of the first degree of change. Thereby, the driving support device 100 can more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road demarcation line according to the environment.

[0087] For example, the driver sometimes does not perform the control of the vehicle M corresponding to a turn. For example, the driver sometimes misses a turn or misidentifies the degree of change in the turn. In the case where the above situation does not occur, even if the lane departure suppression control is activated at the set operation timing, the driver can control the vehicle M with a margin. In contrast, in the case where the above situation occurs, if it is activated at the set operation timing, the driver sometimes cannot control the vehicle M with a margin. In the case of missing a turn or misidentifying the degree of change in the turn, even if the lane departure suppression control is performed at the set operation timing, it takes time for the driver to recognize the situation, and sometimes there is no margin for controlling the vehicle M. Thus, if the operation timing of the lane departure suppression control is the same, the support may sometimes be insufficient.

[0088] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the operation timing of the lane departure suppression control is changed according to the degree of change in curvature. For example, in the case where the driver does not perform the control of the vehicle M corresponding to a turn, or the driver misses a turn, or the driver misidentifies the degree of change in the turn (for example, when the vehicle M is traveling in an environment with a large tendency of change in curvature), the driving support device 100 activates the lane departure suppression control at an operation timing corresponding to the degree of change. Thereby, the driver can control the vehicle M with a margin to recognize the situation. That is, it is possible to more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road demarcation line according to the environment.

[0089] [Flowchart (Part One)]

[0090] Figure 7 This is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the driving support device 100. First, the driving support device 100 determines whether the lane departure suppression control is in an on state (step S100). For example, by operating the HMI by the driver or a specified button, the lane departure suppression control can be set to an on state or an off state.

[0091] When the lane departure suppression control is in the ON state, the driving support device 100 determines whether the driving road on which the vehicle M is traveling is a target turning road (step S102). When the driving road is a target turning road, the driving support device 100 obtains the curvature of the first area of the driving road (step S104), and obtains the curvature of the second area of the driving road (step S106).

[0092] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing an example of the first area AR1 and the second area AR2. The first area AR1 is, for example, the area in front of the vehicle M. The first area AR1 is, for example, an area several meters or several tens of meters in front of the vehicle M. The first area AR1 may also be changed according to the speed and acceleration of the vehicle M. The second area AR2 is, for example, the area lateral to the vehicle M, the area through which the vehicle M has passed.

[0093] Returning to the description of the flowchart. The driving support device 100 compares the curvature of the first area AR1 and the curvature of the second area AR2, and obtains the degree of change in curvature (step S108). The driving support device 100, for example, obtains the degree of change in the curvature of the first area AR1 with respect to the curvature of the second area AR2. The driving support device 100 may obtain the degree of change in curvature based on the shape of the road dividing line on one side, or may obtain the degree of change in curvature based on the shapes of the road dividing lines on both sides. The road dividing line on one side may be the road dividing line on the outer side (the side opposite to the direction of turning the steering wheel) of the vehicle M, or may be the road dividing line on the opposite side. When using the road dividing lines on both sides, the driving support device 100 may also perform statistical processing on the degrees of change in curvature obtained according to each road dividing line to obtain the degree of change used in the setting of the threshold value. When using the road dividing lines on both sides, it is also possible to preferentially adopt the larger degree of change in curvature.

[0094] Next, the driving support device 100 obtains a threshold value (operation timing) based on the degree of change in curvature (step S110). For example, as described in the foregoing Figure 4 It is obtained as described. Thus, the processing of one routine of this flowchart ends.

[0095] [Flowchart (Part II)]

[0096] Figure 9 It is a flowchart showing another example of the process executed by the driving support device 100. First, the driving support device 100 determines whether the driving road on which the vehicle M is traveling is a target turning road (step S200). When the driving road is a target turning road, the driving support device 100 sets the foregoing Figure 7The threshold value determined in the flowchart (step S210). Next, the driving support device 100 derives the time until the vehicle M reaches the road division line (step S220).

[0097] Next, the driving support device 100 determines whether the derived time is below the threshold value (step S230). When the derived time is not below the threshold value, the process of step S240 is skipped. When the derived time is below the threshold value, the driving support device 100 controls the alarm or the steering so as to control the vehicle M not to deviate from the road division line (step S240). Thus, the processing of one routine of this flowchart ends.

[0098] As described above, the driving support device 100 can support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road division line more appropriately according to the environment by changing the operation timing according to the curvature of the driving road.

[0099] In the above example, the operation timing is changed based on the absolute value of the degree of change in curvature. Instead, the driving support device 100 may execute a first change process of changing the operation timing according to the degree of change when the degree of change in curvature has an upward trend (when it has a tendency to be away from zero), and execute a second change process different from the first change process when the degree of change in curvature has a downward trend (when it has a tendency to approach zero).

[0100] For example, when the degree of change in the driving road becomes larger due to the increase in the curvature of the driving road, the driving support device 100 executes a first change process of increasing the threshold value as the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road becomes larger. When the degree of change becomes larger due to the decrease in the curvature of the driving road (approaching a straight line), the driving support device 100 executes a second change process different from the first change process.

[0101] The second change process is a process of setting a preset threshold value regardless of the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road (for example, a process of setting the threshold value for driving on a straight line), or a process of setting the threshold value to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value. The first threshold value is a threshold value that is set to be larger as the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road becomes larger when the degree of change becomes larger in the first change process (refer to Figure 4 ). The second threshold value is a threshold value that is set to be larger as the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road becomes larger when the degree of change becomes larger in the second change process. The second threshold value is, for example, a threshold value obtained by reducing the operation timing by a specified ratio for each of the operation timings for each degree of change from the degree of change C1 to the degree of change C2 of the foregoing Figure 4 ).

[0102] Figure 10This is a diagram for explaining the timing of performing the first change process and the timing of performing the second change process. It will be described centering on the differences from Figure 3 Between position A and position B (at or near the entrance of the turning road), the degree of curvature of the driving road increases, so the degree of change increases. At this timing, the degree of change is a positive value. The first change process is performed when the degree of change is a positive value. Between position C and position D (at or near the exit of the turning road), the degree of curvature of the driving road decreases (approaching a straight line), so the degree of change increases. At this timing, the degree of change is a negative value. The second change process is performed when the degree of change is a negative value.

[0103] As described above, the driving support device 100 performs the first change process of changing the operation timing according to the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road when the degree of change is a positive value, and performs the second change process different from the first change process when the degree of change is a negative value, thereby being able to support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road dividing line more appropriately according to the environment.

[0104] For example, at the exit of a turn, sometimes the driver controls the vehicle M in such a way that the vehicle M approaches the road dividing line on the outer side (or inner side) of the turn. Even in such a case, the threshold of the second change process is set to a shorter time than the threshold of the first change process, so the operation of the lane departure suppression control can be suppressed, and the possibility that the driver feels bored can be reduced.

[0105] At the entrance of a turn, sometimes the driver misses the turn or misidentifies the degree of change of the turn. Even in such a case, since the threshold of the first change process suitable for the above situation is set, it is also possible to appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road dividing line.

[0106] In the above example, when the shape of the driving road is a turning road, the driving support device 100 may set the preset threshold as the threshold for the road dividing line on the inner side of the turning road (for example, set it as the threshold when driving on a straight line), and set the threshold based on the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road for the threshold of the road dividing line on the outer side of the turning road. According to the driver, sometimes based on recognizing the turning road, the vehicle is controlled in such a way as to approach the road dividing line on the inner side of the turning road. Through this process, the excessive support for the driver as described above can be suppressed.

[0107] According to the first embodiment described above, the driving support device 100 changes the threshold based on the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road. When it is determined that the possibility of the vehicle M deviating from the road dividing line is high, by performing control to support suppressing the vehicle M from deviating from the road dividing line, it is possible to more appropriately support suppressing the vehicle from deviating from the road dividing line according to the environment.

[0108] <Second Embodiment>

[0109] Hereinafter, the second embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the case of changing the threshold according to whether the driving road is a turning road was described. In the second embodiment, the driving support device 100 is based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle M and the state of the vehicle M. When the vehicle M approaches the road dividing line of the driving road by a specified degree or more, when performing control to support suppressing the vehicle M from deviating from the road dividing line, the timing of support is changed based on the shape of the road. Specifically, the driving support device 100 switches between a first process of setting the threshold to a preset fixed value, that is, the first threshold, and a second process of setting the threshold to a variable value, that is, the second threshold (for example, a process of making the threshold in the first embodiment variable). Hereinafter, the description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0110] In principle, the driving support device 100 executes the first process, for example, when it is determined that the driving road of the vehicle M is not a turning road, and executes the second process when it is determined that the driving road of the vehicle M is a turning road. When the driving support device 100 determines that the driving road of the vehicle M is a turning road, it sets the threshold (second threshold) based on the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road as described in the first embodiment. However, even when it is determined that it is a turning road, the first process is executed according to the shape of the road. Instead of the first process, other processes may be executed. The other process refers to a process of setting a threshold smaller than the threshold of the second process even if the threshold is variable. That is, in the second embodiment, the process of setting the threshold only needs to be different according to the shape of the road.

[0111] Figure 11 It is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the process executed by the driving support device 100. As with the foregoing Figure 9The description will be centered around the differences. First, the driving support device 100 determines whether the driving road on which the vehicle M is traveling is a target turning road (step S200). When the driving road is a target turning road, the threshold value is variable. The target turning road is, for example, a turning road with a radius of curvature equal to or less than the threshold value (e.g., 1000 m or less). When the shape of the driving road is a turning road and the radius of curvature of the turn of the turning road exceeds the set threshold value, the driving support device 100 executes the first process. When the shape of the driving road is a turning road and the radius of curvature of the turn of the turning road is equal to or less than the set threshold value, the second process is executed as follows.

[0112] When the driving road is a target turning road, the driving support device 100 determines the shape of the driving road (step S208). Next, the driving support device 100 sets a threshold value based on the shape of the driving road (step S210#). Next, the driving support device 100 derives the time until the vehicle M reaches the road dividing line (step S220).

[0113] Next, the driving support device 100 determines whether the derived time is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S230). When the derived time is not equal to or less than the threshold value, the process of step S240 is skipped. When the derived time is equal to or less than the threshold value, the driving support device 100 controls the alarm or steering so that the vehicle M does not deviate from the road dividing line (step S240). Thus, the processing of one routine of this flowchart ends.

[0114] Through the above processing, the driving support device 100 can set a threshold value corresponding to the shape of the road, and thus can support the suppression of the vehicle deviating from the road dividing line more appropriately according to the environment. Hereinafter, the processing in a specific scenario will be described.

[0115] [Scenario 1]

[0116] When the shape of the driving road is a turning road, the driving support device 100 executes the first process for setting the threshold value for the road dividing line on the inner side of the turning road and executes the second process for setting the threshold value for the road dividing line on the outer side of the turning road. This process is an example of a process for switching between the first process and the second process based on the shape of the road.

[0117] Figure 12 is a diagram for explaining the processing in Scenario 1. The driving support device 100 sets the threshold value for the road dividing line on the outer side of the turning road according to the degree of change in curvature, and sets the threshold value for the road dividing line on the inner side of the turning road to a preset threshold value. Instead of the preset threshold value, a threshold value corresponding to the degree of change in curvature and smaller than the threshold value for the outer road dividing line may be set.

[0118] By setting the threshold value as described above, even when the vehicle M is driven by the driver on the inner side of the turn, the lane departure suppression control works properly and the operation of the excessive lane departure suppression control can be suppressed.

[0119] [Scene 2]

[0120] When the shape of the driving road is a turning road, the driving support device 100 performs the first process when the width of the lane of the driving road is equal to or less than a specified width (for example, 2.5 m), and performs the second process when the width of the lane of the driving road exceeds the specified width. This process is another example of a process that switches between the first process and the second process based on the shape of the road.

[0121] Figure 13 It is a diagram for explaining the process in Scene 2. As Figure 12 shown, when originally driving on a turning road where the threshold value is variable according to the degree of change in curvature, when the distance between the road division lines is equal to or less than the threshold value (Th or less), the driving support device 100 sets the threshold value for the road division lines to a preset threshold value.

[0122] By setting the threshold value as described above, it is possible to suppress the excessive operation of the lane departure suppression control due to vehicle shaking or the like.

[0123] [Scene 3]

[0124] Figure 14 It is a diagram showing an example of an image captured by the camera 10. When the vehicle M passes through an intersection, the camera 10 captures Figure 14 the image shown. The recognition unit 110 recognizes the road division lines D1 and D2 at or near the intersection. The road division line D1 is a road division line marked near the center of the road. The road division line D2 is a road division line marked at the widthwise end on the side where the vehicle M travels on the road. The driving support device 100 derives the curvature of the driving road based on the recognition result of the recognition unit 110. For example, the driving support device 100 adopts the curvature with the greater degree of change in curvature among the curvatures of the road division line D1 and the road division line D2. In Figure 14 this example, the degree of change in the curvature of the road division line D2 is adopted.

[0125] Figure 15 It is a diagram for observing the intersection and the scene near the intersection from above. For example, the recognition unit 110 can recognize Figure 14The road dividing line D2 in the area AR3 (the entrance of the intersection or its vicinity) cannot recognize the road dividing line D2 in the area AR4 (the area in front of the area AR3). The road dividing line D2 in the area AR4 extends in the width direction of the vehicle M, and sometimes has a low reliability in the recognition by the recognition unit 110, or the recognition is blocked by an obstacle such as a curb (see Figure 14 ). A low reliability means that the driving support device 100 cannot recognize the type of the road dividing line (solid line, dotted line, double dotted line, etc.), and the recognition reliability is low, etc. The reliability is derived by applying an algorithm for determining a specified reliability. For example, when the score obtained according to the algorithm is less than the threshold value, it is determined that the reliability is low.

[0126] In the situation as described above, it is assumed that it is not desired for the driving support device 100 to set the threshold value based on the degree of change in the curvature of the road dividing line D2. The degree of change in the curvature of the road dividing line D2 in the area AR3 is larger than the degree of change in the curvature of the road dividing line D1. It is assumed that if the driving support device 100 uses the recognition result of the road dividing line D2 in the area AR3, the threshold value is made variable. However, since the driving road is the direction in which the road dividing line D1 extends, not the direction in which the road dividing line D2 extends, it should be determined whether the threshold value should be made variable based on the degree of change in the curvature of the road dividing line D1. Therefore, in order to cope with the situation of scenario 3, the Figure 16 shown processing is performed to control in such a way that the degree of change in the curvature of the road dividing line D2 is not adopted and a preset threshold value is adopted.

[0127] When the driving support device 100 cannot recognize one of the road dividing lines on both sides of the driving road, the first processing is executed. When the driving support device 100 can recognize both of the road dividing lines on both sides of the driving road, the second processing is executed. In Figure 14 、 Figure 15 example, the road dividing line D1 is recognized, and the road dividing line D2 in the area AR4 is not recognized, so the first processing is executed.

[0128] When the driving support device 100 cannot recognize one of the road dividing lines on both sides of the driving road, the first processing is executed starting from a specified distance closer to the front side from the location of the road dividing line of the unrecognizable side. The specified distance closer to the front side means, for example, a specified distance closer to the front side than the Figure 15 area AR3 or area AR4. For example, it is the Figure 15 position Px, near the position Px.

[0129] [Flowchart]

[0130] It is also possible to replace Figure 11 the processing of the flowchart (or on the basis of this) and executeFigure 16 Processing of the flowchart Figure 16 This is a flowchart showing an example of the process executed by the driving support device 100. First, the driving support device 100 determines whether the driving road on which the vehicle M is traveling is a target turning road (step S200). When the driving road is a target turning road, the driving support device 100 determines the recognition state and reliability of the road marking (step S202). Based on the result determined in step S202, the driving support device 100 determines whether it is possible to recognize the road markings on both sides and whether the reliability of the recognition of the road markings on both sides is high (whether it is above the threshold value) (step S204). When it is possible to recognize the road markings on both sides and the reliability of the recognition of the road markings on both sides is high, the driving support device 100 sets a preset threshold value (step S206) and proceeds to the process of step S220.

[0131] When it is not possible to recognize the road markings on both sides, or the reliability of the recognition of the road markings on both sides or one side is low, the driving support device 100 determines the shape of the driving road (step S208). Next, the driving support device 100 sets a threshold value based on the shape of the driving road (step S210#). For example, the threshold value is set as described in Scenario 1 and Scenario 2, or as described in Scenario 3 to be described later.

[0132] Next, the driving support device 100 derives the time until the vehicle M reaches the road marking (step S220). Next, the driving support device 100 determines whether the derived time is below the threshold value (step S230). When the derived time is not below the threshold value, the process of step S240 is skipped. When the derived time is below the threshold value, the driving support device 100 controls the alarm or steering so that the vehicle M does not deviate from the road marking (step S240). Thus, the processing of one routine of this flowchart ends.

[0133] As described above, the driving support device 100 sets the threshold value based on the recognition result of one of the road markings D2, and thus can more appropriately support the suppression of the vehicle from deviating from the road marking according to the environment.

[0134] In Figure 16 the processing of the flowchart, the first processing may also be performed when it is determined that the vehicle M has passed through the intersection.

[0135] It is also possible to change or omit a part of the processing of the above-mentioned flowcharts ( Figure 7 , Figure 9 , Figure 11 , Figure 16 ). For example, it is also possible to omit Figure 16 the processing of step S200.

[0136] The embodiments described above can be expressed as follows.

[0137] A control device, wherein,

[0138] The control device includes:

[0139] A storage device that stores a program; and

[0140] A hardware processor,

[0141] The control device is configured to,

[0142] Execute the following processing by the hardware processor executing the program stored in the storage device:

[0143] Identify the road marking lines of the vehicle's driving road;

[0144] When it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road marking line based on the position of the road marking line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is below a threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road marking line, and the threshold value is changed based on the degree of change in the curvature of the driving road; and,

[0145] When it is determined that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road marking line, perform control to support suppressing the vehicle from deviating from the road marking line.

[0146] The embodiments described above can be expressed as follows.

[0147] A control device, wherein,

[0148] The control device includes:

[0149] A storage device that stores a program; and

[0150] A hardware processor,

[0151] The control device is configured to,

[0152] Execute the following processing by the hardware processor executing the program stored in the storage device:

[0153] Identify the road marking lines of the vehicle's driving road;

[0154] When it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road marking line based on the position of the road marking line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is below a threshold value, it is determined that the vehicle has a high possibility of deviating from the road marking line;

[0155] When it is determined that the possibility of the vehicle deviating from the road division line is high, control is performed to support the suppression of the vehicle from deviating from the road division line; and

[0156] Based on the shape of the driving road of the vehicle, the first process of setting the threshold value to a preset fixed value, that is, the first threshold value, and the second process of setting the threshold value to a variable value, that is, the second threshold value, are switched.

[0157] The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above using the embodiments, but the present invention is in no way limited by such embodiments, 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: a recognition unit that recognizes a road dividing line of a traveling road of the vehicle; a determination processing unit that determines that there is a high possibility that the vehicle has deviated from the road dividing line when it is determined that a time until the vehicle reaches the road dividing line based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is less than a threshold value, and the determination processing unit changes the threshold value based on a degree of change in the curvature of the travel road; as well as The control unit performs control to assist in suppressing the vehicle from deviating from the road dividing line when it is determined that there is a high possibility that the vehicle deviates from the road dividing line.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The determination processing unit increases the threshold value as the degree of change in the bending state increases.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The determination processing unit sets the threshold to a first threshold when the degree of change in the bending condition is equal to or greater than a first degree of change, The determination processing unit sets the threshold to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold when the degree of change in the bending condition is smaller than a first degree of change.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: The determination processing unit sets the threshold to a third threshold when the degree of change in the bending condition is equal to or greater than a second degree of change, When the degree of change in the bending condition is less than the second degree of change and exceeds the third degree of change, the determination processing unit increases the threshold between a fourth threshold that is less than the third threshold and smaller than the third threshold, in such a manner that the greater the degree of change, the closer the fourth threshold is to the third threshold.

5. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: When the degree of change increases due to an increase in the degree of bending, the determination processing unit performs a first change process to increase the threshold value as the degree of change in the degree of bending increases. The determination processing unit executes a second change processing different from the first change processing when the degree of change increases due to the decrease in the bending condition.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein: The second change process is a process of setting a preset threshold value regardless of the degree of change in the bending state, or a process of setting the threshold value to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value. The first threshold is a threshold value that is set larger as the degree of change in the bending state increases in the case where the degree of change increases in the first changing process. The second threshold is a threshold value that is set larger as the degree of change in the bending state increases in the case where the degree of change increases in the second changing process.

7. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The vehicle control device includes a control unit that uses a notification unit to notify the driver of the vehicle of the possibility of deviation, or supports steering control in a manner that prevents the vehicle from deviating from the road dividing line when the determination processing unit determines that there is a high possibility of deviation from the road dividing line.

8. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The determination processing unit, when the shape of the travel road is a curve road, Regarding the setting of the threshold value for the road dividing line on the inner side of the curve, a preset threshold value is set as the threshold value, Regarding setting of the threshold value for the road dividing line outside the curve road, the threshold value is set based on the degree of change in the curvature of the travel road.

9. A vehicle control device, wherein: The vehicle control device comprises: a recognition unit that recognizes a road dividing line of a traveling road of the vehicle; and A control unit that, when it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches a road dividing line based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is below a threshold, performs control to notify the driver of the vehicle or performs support control to support the driver's driving in a manner such that the vehicle does not deviate from the road dividing line, and the control unit changes the timing of starting the support control based on the degree of change in the curvature of the vehicle's travel path.

10. The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein: The control unit makes the timing earlier as the degree of change in the bending condition is greater.

11. A vehicle control method, wherein: The vehicle control method enables the computer to execute the following processing: Identifying a road dividing line of a vehicle's travel path; When it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road dividing line based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is less than a threshold, it is determined that there is a high possibility that the vehicle deviates from the road dividing line, and the threshold is changed based on the degree of change in the curvature of the travel road; as well as When it is determined that there is a high possibility that the vehicle has deviated from the road dividing line, control is performed to assist in suppressing the vehicle from deviating from the road dividing line.

12. A storage medium storing a program, wherein: The program causes the computer to execute the following processing: Identifying a road dividing line of a vehicle's travel path; When it is determined that the time until the vehicle reaches the road dividing line based on the position of the road dividing line relative to the vehicle and the state of the vehicle is less than a threshold, it is determined that there is a high possibility that the vehicle deviates from the road dividing line, and the threshold is changed based on the degree of change in the curvature of the travel road; as well as When it is determined that there is a high possibility that the vehicle has deviated from the road dividing line, control is performed to assist in suppressing the vehicle from deviating from the road dividing line.

Images