Vehicle control device and control method

Abstract

To appropriately execute deceleration control for avoiding collision.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a tracking object vehicle setting part 100 for setting a first preceding vehicle VH1 to a tracing object vehicle which has a possibility of making a lane change, when a travel state of the first preceding vehicle VH1 traveling on an adjacent lane L1 and a travel state of a second preceding vehicle VH2 satisfy a predetermined condition; a deceleration control part 140 for executing first deceleration control when the first preceding vehicle VH1 is set to the tracking object vehicle; and a lane change information acquisition part 130 for acquiring lane change information including information indicating whether or not the first preceding vehicle VH1 starts the lane change during execution of the first deceleration control, through inter-vehicle communication, wherein the deceleration control part 140 finishes the first deceleration control when information indicating that the lane change information acquisition part 130 does not start the lane change is acquired, and continues the first deceleration control when information indicating not to start the lane change is not executed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control device and a control method. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that predicts whether a preceding vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane ahead of the vehicle will cut into the vehicle's lane based on the detection results of a millimeter-wave radar or a camera sensor that can detect targets in the area ahead of the vehicle, and that, if it is predicted that the preceding vehicle will cut in, establishes a collision determination condition at an early stage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-170278 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] A preceding vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane ahead of the vehicle is within the viewing angle of a camera sensor that captures an area ahead of the vehicle. For this reason, millimeter wave radar and camera sensors may not be able to reliably detect a scene in which a preceding vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane suddenly changes lanes (cuts in) into the vehicle's own lane. In other words, the device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it cannot appropriately perform collision judgment if it cannot detect a preceding vehicle that has actually started to cut in, even if the preceding vehicle exists.

[0005] The technology disclosed herein aims to enable appropriate execution of deceleration control to avoid a collision by effectively detecting a lane change by a preceding vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane.

[0006] The vehicle control device of the present disclosure includes: a tracking target vehicle setting unit that sets the first preceding vehicle as a tracking target vehicle that may change lanes into the driving lane when a driving state of a first preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle in an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling and a driving state of a second preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the first preceding vehicle in the adjacent lane satisfy a predetermined condition; a deceleration control unit that executes a first deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle at a predetermined first deceleration when the first preceding vehicle is set as the tracking target vehicle by the tracking target vehicle setting unit; a lane change information acquisition unit that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the vehicle and the first preceding vehicle while the deceleration control unit is executing the first deceleration control, and acquires lane change information through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the lane change information including information indicating whether the first preceding vehicle will start to change lanes into the driving lane, The deceleration control unit is When the lane change information acquisition unit acquires as the lane change information information indicating that the first preceding vehicle will not start changing lane into the driving lane, the first deceleration control is terminated, and when the lane change information acquisition unit does not acquire as the lane change information information indicating that the first preceding vehicle will not start changing lane into the driving lane, the first deceleration control is continued. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of the vehicle according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of the control device according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 3] 1A is a conceptual diagram illustrating a tracking target vehicle setting process, and FIG. 1B is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the tracking target vehicle setting process. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a lane change determination process. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of a main control process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, a vehicle control device and a control method according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] [Hardware configuration] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a hardware configuration of a vehicle VH according to this embodiment. In the following, the vehicle VH may be referred to as the host vehicle when it is necessary to distinguish it from other vehicles. In addition, in the following, the lane in which the host vehicle VH is traveling is referred to as the host lane, and a lane adjacent to and parallel to the host lane is referred to as an adjacent lane. The adjacent lane may be on either the right or left side of the host lane.

[0010] The vehicle VH has an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10. The ECU 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, and an interface device 14. The CPU 11 is a processor that executes various programs stored in the ROM 12. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory that stores data and the like required for the CPU 11 to execute the various programs. The RAM 13 is a volatile memory that provides a working area in which the various programs are expanded when the CPU 11 executes them. The interface device 14 is a communication device for communicating with an external device.

[0011] The ECU 10 is a central device that performs driving assistance control such as collision prevention brake control, which will be described later. Driving assistance control is a concept that includes automatic driving control. The ECU 10 is communicably connected to a drive unit 20, a steering unit 21, a braking unit 22, an internal sensor unit 30, an external sensor unit 40, a communication unit 50, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 60, and the like.

[0012] The drive device 20 generates a drive force to be transmitted to drive wheels of the vehicle VH. Examples of the drive device 20 include an electric motor and an engine. In this embodiment, the vehicle VH may be any of a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV), a fuel cell vehicle (FCEV), an electric vehicle (BEV), and an engine vehicle. The steering device 21 applies a steering force to the wheels of the vehicle VH. The braking device 22 applies a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle VH.

[0013] The internal sensor device 30 is a group of sensors that detect the state of the vehicle VH. Specifically, the internal sensor device 30 includes a vehicle speed sensor 31, an accelerator sensor 32, a brake sensor 33, a steering angle sensor 34, a steering torque sensor 35, and the like.

[0014] The vehicle speed sensor 31 detects the traveling speed of the vehicle VH (hereinafter referred to as vehicle speed). The accelerator sensor 32 detects the amount of operation of an accelerator pedal (not shown) by the driver. The brake sensor 33 detects the amount of operation of a brake pedal (not shown) by the driver. The steering angle sensor 34 detects the rotation angle of a steering wheel or steering shaft (not shown) of the vehicle VH, i.e., the steering angle. The steering torque sensor 35 detects the rotation torque of the steering wheel or steering shaft, i.e., the steering torque. The internal sensor device 30 transmits the state of the vehicle VH detected by each sensor 31-35 to the ECU 10 at a predetermined cycle.

[0015] The external sensor device 40 is a type of sensor that recognizes target information related to targets around the vehicle VH. Specifically, the external sensor device 40 includes a radar sensor 41, a camera sensor 42, and the like. Examples of the target information include surrounding vehicles, pedestrians, traffic lights, white lines on the road, signs, fallen objects, and the like.

[0016] The radar sensor 41 detects targets present around the vehicle VH. The radar sensor 41 includes a millimeter wave radar and / or a lidar. The millimeter wave radar emits radio waves (millimeter waves) in the millimeter wave band and receives millimeter waves (reflected waves) reflected by targets present within the emission range. The millimeter wave radar acquires the relative distance between the vehicle VH and the target, the relative speed between the vehicle VH and the target, etc. based on the phase difference between the transmitted millimeter wave and the received reflected wave, the attenuation level of the reflected wave, and the time from transmitting the millimeter wave to receiving the reflected wave, etc. The lidar sequentially scans a pulsed laser light having a shorter wavelength than the millimeter wave in multiple directions and receives the reflected light reflected by the target to acquire the shape of the target detected in front of the vehicle VH, the relative distance between the vehicle VH and the target, the relative speed between the vehicle VH and the target, etc.

[0017] The camera sensor 42 captures images of the surroundings of the vehicle VH and processes the captured image data to obtain target information about the surroundings of the vehicle VH. As the camera sensor 42, for example, a digital camera having an imaging element such as a CMOS or a CCD can be used. The target information is information that indicates the type of target detected around the vehicle VH, the relative distance between the vehicle VH and the target, the relative speed between the vehicle VH and the target, etc. The type of target may be recognized by machine learning such as pattern matching, for example.

[0018] The external sensor device 40 repeatedly transmits the acquired target information to the ECU 10 every time a predetermined time has elapsed. The ECU 10 determines the relative relationship between the vehicle VH and the target by combining the relative relationship between the vehicle VH and the target obtained by the radar sensor 41 and the relative relationship between the vehicle VH and the target obtained by the camera sensor 42. Note that the external sensor device 40 does not necessarily need to include both the radar sensor 41 and the camera sensor 42, and may include, for example, only the radar sensor 41 or only the camera sensor 42.

[0019] The communication device 50 is, for example, a communication device that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication) between the host vehicle VH and another vehicle. The communication device 50 can provide information about the host vehicle VH to the other vehicle through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and can also receive information from the other vehicle. In this embodiment, the information about the host vehicle VH includes, for example, approach information, which will be described later. Furthermore, the information from the other vehicle includes a response to the approach information, a steering angle, a vehicle-to-vehicle distance, blinking of a turn signal, and the like.

[0020] The HMI 60 is an interface for inputting and outputting information between the ECU 10 and the driver, and includes an input device and an output device. Examples of the input device include a touch panel, a switch, and a voice pickup microphone. Examples of the output device include a display device 61 and a speaker 62. The display device 61 is, for example, a center display, a multi-information display, a head-up display, a display of a navigation system, or the like, which are installed on an instrument panel or the like. The speaker 62 is, for example, a speaker of an audio system or a navigation system.

[0021] [Software configuration] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a software configuration of the ECU 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the ECU 10 includes a tracking target vehicle setting unit 100, an approaching information notification processing unit 110, an overtaking permission determination unit 120 (a response information acquisition unit), a lane change determination unit 130 (a lane change information acquisition unit), a collision prevention brake control unit 140 (a deceleration control unit), and the like as functional elements. Each of these functional elements 100 to 140 is realized by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 reading a program stored in the ROM 12 into the RAM 13 and executing it. Note that all or a part of each of the functional elements 100 to 140 may be provided in another ECU separate from the ECU 10, or in an information processing device in a facility (such as a management center) capable of communicating with the vehicle VH.

[0022] When there is another vehicle ahead of the vehicle VH that shows a possibility of changing lanes (cutting in) from an adjacent lane to the vehicle's own lane, the vehicle-to-be-tracked setting unit 100 executes a process of setting the other vehicle as a vehicle to be tracked. Hereinafter, a specific flow of the process of setting the vehicle to be tracked will be described based on the conceptual diagram shown in FIG. 3(A) and the flow chart shown in FIG. 3(B).

[0023] As shown in FIG. 3(A), the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 first determines whether a first condition is satisfied that a first other vehicle VH1 (hereinafter, a first preceding vehicle) traveling in an adjacent lane L2 adjacent to the own lane L1 is present within a predetermined first distance D1 ahead of the own vehicle VH (see step S100 in FIG. 3(B)). The first distance D1 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, about 20 m. The first distance D1 may be a fixed value or may be a variable value according to the vehicle speed. The distance from the own vehicle VH to the first preceding vehicle VH1 may be obtained based on the detection result of the external sensor device 40. If the first condition is not satisfied, the target vehicle determination unit 100 determines that a tracking target vehicle does not exist (see step S150 in FIG. 3(B)).

[0024] When the first condition is satisfied, that is, when the first preceding vehicle VH1 exists, the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 judges whether the second condition is satisfied (see step S110 in FIG. 3B). Specifically, the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 judges, as the second condition, whether a second other vehicle VH2 (hereinafter, a second preceding vehicle) that is ahead of the first preceding vehicle VH1 and travels in the same adjacent lane L2 as the first preceding vehicle VH1 exists within a predetermined second distance D2 ahead of the host vehicle VH. The second distance D2 is longer than the first distance D1 (D2>D1). The second distance D2 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, about 50 m. The distance from the host vehicle VH to the second preceding vehicle VH2 may be acquired based on the detection result of the external sensor device 40. If the second condition is not met, the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 determines that there is no tracking target vehicle (see step S150 in FIG. 3(B)).

[0025] When the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, that is, when the first preceding vehicle VH1 exists and the second preceding vehicle VH2 exists, the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 judges whether the third condition is satisfied (see step S120 in FIG. 3B). Specifically, the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 judges whether the vehicle speed V1 of the first preceding vehicle VH1 is faster than the vehicle speed V2 of the second preceding vehicle VH2 (V1>V2) as the third condition. Here, the vehicle speeds V1 and V2 are the speeds in the longitudinal direction (parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle) relative to the ground, that is, the longitudinal speed relative to the ground. The vehicle speeds V1 and V2 may be obtained based on the detection result of the external sensor device 40. When the third condition is not satisfied, the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 judges that the tracking target vehicle does not exist (see step S150 in FIG. 3B).

[0026] When the first condition, the second condition, and the third condition are all satisfied, that is, when the first preceding vehicle VH1 exists, the second preceding vehicle VH2 exists, and the vehicle speed V1 of the first preceding vehicle VH1 is faster than the vehicle speed V2 of the second preceding vehicle VH2, the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 sets the first preceding vehicle VH1 as a tracking target vehicle that may have a cut-in sign (possibility) (see step S130 in FIG. 3(B)). When the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 sets the first preceding vehicle VH1 as a tracking target vehicle, it transmits the setting result to the approach information notification processing unit 110 and the collision prevention brake control unit 140, respectively.

[0027] When the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 sets the first preceding vehicle VH1 as the tracking target vehicle, the approaching information notification processing unit 110 executes an approaching information notification process to notify an occupant (e.g., a driver) of the first preceding vehicle VH1 that the vehicle VH is approaching from behind. Specifically, the approaching information notification processing unit 110 transmits an instruction signal to the first preceding vehicle VH1 through the communication device 50 to display, for example, a pop-up display such as "there is an overtaking vehicle from the rear of the adjacent lane" and a confirmation button (OK button) on the display device (center display, multi-information display, etc.) of the preceding vehicle VH1. When the occupant of the preceding vehicle VH1 touches the confirmation button displayed on the screen, that is, when the first preceding vehicle VH1 allows the vehicle VH to ask to overtake, the overtaking permission flag F is transmitted to the vehicle VH through V2V communication. The approach information notification process is not limited to displaying on the display device of the first leading vehicle VH1, and may be performed by audio through a speaker. In the case of using audio, whether or not the driver of the first leading vehicle VH1 has permitted overtaking may be obtained by, for example, a sound collector.

[0028] When the overtaking permission determination unit 120 receives an on (F=1) of the overtaking permission flag F from the first preceding vehicle VH1 through V2V communication, it determines that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has permitted the host vehicle VH to overtake. On the other hand, when the overtaking permission determination unit 120 does not receive an on of the overtaking permission flag F even after a predetermined threshold time has elapsed since the first preceding vehicle VH1 was displayed on the display device, it determines that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has not permitted the host vehicle VH to overtake. The overtaking permission determination unit 120 transmits the determination result to the lane change determination unit 130 and the collision prevention brake control unit 140, respectively.

[0029] If the overtaking permission determination unit 120 determines that overtaking is not permitted, i.e., if the overtaking permission flag F is not set to ON, the lane change determination unit 130 performs a lane change determination process to determine whether the first preceding vehicle VH1 will start changing lanes (cutting in) from an adjacent lane to the own lane ahead of the own vehicle VH. Hereinafter, a specific flow of the lane change determination process will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0030] The lane change determination unit 130 acquires information about the first preceding vehicle VH1 through V2V communication from the first preceding vehicle VH1 (see step S200). Here, the information about the first preceding vehicle VH1 includes at least the following information: the distance D between the first preceding vehicle VH1 and the second preceding vehicle VH2, the blinking of the turn signal, the steering angle θ, and the steering angular velocity ω.

[0031] Next, the lane change determination unit 130 determines whether the inter-vehicle distance D between the first preceding vehicle VH1 and the second preceding vehicle VH2 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold distance D3 (see step S210). The threshold distance D3 is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, about 10 m. If the inter-vehicle distance D is not equal to or less than the threshold distance D3 (step S210: No), the lane change determination unit 130 ends the lane change determination process.

[0032] If the inter-vehicle distance D is equal to or less than the threshold distance D3 (step S210: Yes), the lane change determination unit 130 determines whether the turn indicator on the host lane side of the first preceding vehicle VH1 is blinking (see step S220). If the turn indicator on the host lane side is blinking (step S220: Yes), the lane change determination unit 130 determines whether all of the following steering conditions (1) to (3) are satisfied (see step S230). Steering condition (1): The steering wheel is turned in the direction of the vehicle's lane. Steering condition (2): The steering angle θ is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold steering angle θ1 (θ≧θ1). Steering condition (3): The steering angular velocity ω is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold steering angular velocity ω1 (ω≧ω1).

[0033] If all of the steering conditions (1) to (3) are satisfied (step S230: Yes), the lane change determination unit 130 determines that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has started changing lanes (cutting in) from an adjacent lane to the own lane (see step S240). On the other hand, if any of the steering conditions (1) to (3) are not satisfied (step S230: No), the lane change determination unit 130 ends the lane change determination process.

[0034] When the direction indicator on the own lane side is not flashing (step S220: No), the lane change determination unit 130 determines whether or not all of the following steering conditions (4) to (6) are satisfied (see step S250 in FIG. 4). Steering condition (4): The steering wheel is turned in the direction of the vehicle's lane. Steering condition (5): The steering angle θ is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold steering angle θ2 (θ≧θ2). Steering condition (6): The steering angular velocity ω is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold steering angular velocity ω2 (ω≧ω2). However, the second threshold steering angle θ2 is a value larger than the first threshold steering angle θ1 (θ2>θ1), and the second threshold steering angular velocity ω2 is a value larger than the first threshold steering angular velocity ω1 (ω2>ω1).

[0035] If all of the steering conditions (4) to (6) are satisfied (step S250: Yes), the lane change determination unit 130 determines that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has started changing lanes (cutting in) from the adjacent lane to the own lane (see step S260). On the other hand, if any of the steering conditions (4) to (6) are not satisfied (step S250: No), the lane change determination unit 130 ends the lane change determination process.

[0036] In this embodiment, by effectively utilizing the information about the first preceding vehicle VH1 transmitted through V2V communication in this manner to determine whether the preceding vehicle VH1 has started to cut in from an adjacent lane to the own lane, it is possible to effectively obtain the start of cut-in by the first preceding vehicle VH1 with higher accuracy and less delay than when using the detection results of the radar sensor 41 or the camera sensor 42. When the lane change determination unit 130 determines that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has started to change lanes from an adjacent lane to the own lane, it transmits the determination result to the collision prevention brake control unit 140.

[0037] When the tracking target vehicle setting unit 100 sets the first preceding vehicle VH1 as a tracking target vehicle, the collision prevention brake control unit 140 activates the braking device 22 and executes gentle brake control (first deceleration control) to gently decelerate the host vehicle VH at a predetermined first deceleration De1. The first deceleration De1 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a gentle deceleration that does not cause discomfort to the occupants of the host vehicle VH. In this way, when the first preceding vehicle VH1 is set as a tracking target vehicle that may change lanes (cut in), executing gentle brake control makes it possible to effectively reduce the risk of collision between the host vehicle VH and the first preceding vehicle VH1.

[0038] Furthermore, when the overtaking permission determination unit 120 receives an on (F=1) overtaking permission flag F from the first preceding vehicle VH1 during execution of the gentle brake control, that is, when the driver of the first preceding vehicle VH1 permits the vehicle VH to overtake, the collision prevention brake control unit 140 ends the gentle brake control being executed. This allows the driver of the vehicle VH to overtake without feeling uneasy.

[0039] On the other hand, when the overtaking permission determination unit 120 does not receive the overtaking permission flag F (F=1) from the first preceding vehicle VH1 during the execution of the gentle brake control, and the lane change determination unit 130 determines that the vehicle has started to change lanes, the collision prevention brake control unit 140 activates the brake device 22 and executes a strong brake control (second deceleration control) to decelerate the host vehicle VH at a predetermined second deceleration De2 that is greater than the first deceleration De1. The second deceleration De2 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a deceleration that does not cause the host vehicle VH to be rear-ended by a vehicle following the host vehicle VH. In this way, when the driver of the first preceding vehicle VH1 does not permit the host vehicle VH to overtake and the first preceding vehicle VH starts to change lanes to the host vehicle's lane, the strong brake control to decelerate the host vehicle VH is executed, thereby making it possible to effectively prevent a collision between the host vehicle VH and the first preceding vehicle VH1.

[0040] The collision prevention brake control unit 140 ends the hard brake control being executed when a predetermined end condition is met after executing the hard brake control. Examples of the end condition include when the driver of the host vehicle VH overrides the control by depressing the brake pedal, when the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle VH and the first preceding vehicle VH1 becomes longer than the first distance D1 described above (i.e., when the first preceding vehicle VH1 is no longer a tracking target vehicle), and the like.

[0041] Next, a flow of main control processing by the CPU 11 of the ECU 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. This routine is started, for example, when the host vehicle VH starts to travel.

[0042] In step S300, the ECU 10 determines whether or not there is a first preceding vehicle VH1 that is likely to change lanes from an adjacent lane to the own lane. If there is a first preceding vehicle VH1 that is likely to change lanes (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing in step S310. On the other hand, if there is no first preceding vehicle VH1 that is likely to change lanes (No), the ECU 10 returns from this routine.

[0043] In step S310, the ECU 10 sets the first preceding vehicle VH1 as a vehicle to be tracked. Next, in step S320, the ECU 10 executes an approach information notification process to notify the first preceding vehicle VH1 through V2V communication that the host vehicle VH is approaching from behind, and executes gentle brake control to gently decelerate the host vehicle VH at a first deceleration De1.

[0044] In step S330, ECU 10 determines whether or not it has received an on (F=1) of the overtaking permission flag F from the first preceding vehicle VH1 through V2V communication. If it has received an on of the overtaking permission flag F (Yes), ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S340, ends the gentle brake control, and returns from this routine. On the other hand, if it has not received an on of the overtaking permission flag F (No), ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S350. That is, it continues the gentle brake control.

[0045] In step S350, the ECU 10 determines whether the first preceding vehicle VH1 has started changing lanes (cutting in) from an adjacent lane to the own lane based on information about the first preceding vehicle VH1 acquired from the first preceding vehicle VH1 through V2V communication. If it is determined that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has started changing lanes (Yes), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S360. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has started changing lanes (No), the ECU 10 proceeds to processing of step S340, ends the gentle brake control, and returns from this routine.

[0046] In step S360, ECU 10 executes hard brake control to decelerate the host vehicle VH at a second deceleration De2 that is greater than the first deceleration De1. Next, in step S370, ECU 10 determines whether an end condition for the hard brake control is satisfied. If the end condition is not satisfied (No), ECU 10 returns to the process of step S360 and continues the hard brake control. On the other hand, if the end condition is satisfied (Yes), ECU 10 proceeds to the process of step S380, ends the hard brake control, and returns from this routine.

[0047] The above describes the vehicle control device and control method according to the present embodiment, but the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the purpose of the present disclosure.

[0048] For example, in the above embodiment, it has been described that hard braking control is not executed when the overtaking permission flag F is received as being on from the first preceding vehicle VH1 through V2V communication (see Yes in step S330 in FIG. 5), but even when the overtaking permission flag F is received as being on, if it is determined that the first preceding vehicle VH1 has started changing lanes, hard braking control may be executed. Also, the braking force of the gentle braking control and hard braking control is not limited to that obtained by operation of the braking device 22, and it is also possible to use regenerative braking of an electric motor, etc.

Claims

1. a tracking target vehicle setting unit that sets the first preceding vehicle as a tracking target vehicle that may change lanes into the driving lane when a driving state of a first preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle in an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling and a driving state of a second preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the first preceding vehicle in the adjacent lane satisfy a predetermined condition; a deceleration control unit that executes a first deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle at a predetermined first deceleration when the first preceding vehicle is set as the tracking target vehicle by the tracking target vehicle setting unit; a lane change information acquisition unit that performs vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the vehicle and the first preceding vehicle while the deceleration control unit is performing the first deceleration control, and acquires lane change information through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the lane change information including information indicating whether the first preceding vehicle will start a lane change into the driving lane, The deceleration control unit is When the lane change information acquisition unit acquires, as the lane change information, information indicating that the first preceding vehicle will not start a lane change to the driving lane, the first deceleration control is terminated, and when the lane change information acquisition unit does not acquire, as the lane change information, information indicating that the first preceding vehicle will not start a lane change to the driving lane, the first deceleration control is continued. Vehicle control device.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The deceleration control unit is When the lane change information acquisition unit acquires, as the lane change information, information indicating that the first preceding vehicle starts to change lanes into the driving lane, a second deceleration control is executed to decelerate the vehicle at a predetermined second deceleration that is greater than the first deceleration. Vehicle control device.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2, an approaching information notification processing unit that, when the first preceding vehicle is set as the tracking target vehicle by the tracking target vehicle setting unit, executes, through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, an approaching information notification process to notify an occupant of the first preceding vehicle of approaching information indicating that the vehicle is approaching from behind; a response information acquisition unit that acquires, through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, response information indicating that an occupant of the first preceding vehicle has confirmed the approach information, The deceleration control unit is When the response information acquisition unit acquires the response information during the execution of the first deceleration control, the first deceleration control is terminated. Vehicle control device.

4. when a driving state of a first preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle in an adjacent lane adjacent to the driving lane in which the vehicle is traveling and a driving state of a second preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the first preceding vehicle in the adjacent lane satisfy a predetermined condition, the first preceding vehicle is set as a tracking target vehicle that may change lanes into the driving lane; When the first preceding vehicle is set as the tracking target vehicle, a first deceleration control is executed to decelerate the vehicle at a predetermined first deceleration; performing vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the vehicle and the first preceding vehicle during execution of the first deceleration control, and acquiring lane change information through the vehicle-to-vehicle communication, the lane change information including information indicating whether the first preceding vehicle will start to change lanes into the driving lane; When the lane change information indicates that the first preceding vehicle will not start changing lanes to the driving lane, the first deceleration control is terminated, and when the lane change information indicates that the first preceding vehicle will not start changing lanes to the driving lane, the first deceleration control is continued. How to control a vehicle.

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