Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and program

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program capable of executing more appropriate steering control according to a situation of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device according to an embodiment includes: a recognizer for recognizing a surrounding situation of an own vehicle; a driving state detector for detecting a driving state including steering of an occupant of the own vehicle; a driving controller for executing steering control to support the steering of the occupant when there is a probability of the own vehicle coming into contact with an obstacle in a surrounding area on the basis of a recognition result of the recognizer, and the driving state detector detects that the steering of the occupant is equal to or greater than a prescribed value; and a limiter for adjusting a limit value about the steering of the occupant according to a steering state of the occupant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] In recent years, efforts to provide access to sustainable transportation systems that take into consideration vulnerable traffic participants have been gaining momentum. To achieve this, efforts are being made to further improve traffic safety and convenience through research and development of preventive safety technology. In relation to this, a technology has been disclosed for a steering assistance device that prevents a traveling vehicle from deviating from its lane, in which the steering limit value when turning on a curved route is set to a value greater than a reference value (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-12473 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the occupant steers the vehicle to avoid contact with an obstacle, there are cases where the occupant cannot steer the vehicle sufficiently due to the steering restriction if the steering control is being executed at that time. Therefore, in the past, there was a problem that the occupant could not perform appropriate steering control according to the vehicle situation.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, one of the objects of the present application is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program that can perform more appropriate steering control according to the vehicle situation, thereby contributing to the development of a sustainable transportation system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle control device, the vehicle control method, and the program according to the present invention employ the following configuration. (1): A vehicle control device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a recognition unit that recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle; a driving state detection unit that detects the driving state including steering of an occupant of the vehicle; a driving control unit that executes steering control to assist the occupant in steering when there is a possibility that the vehicle may come into contact with a nearby obstacle based on the recognition result of the recognition unit and the driving state detection unit detects steering by the occupant of a predetermined value or more; and a restriction unit that adjusts a restriction value regarding the occupant's steering in accordance with the steering state of the occupant.

[0007] (2): In the above aspect (1), the limit value includes a first upper limit value for steering when the steering control is not in progress and a second upper limit value for steering during the steering control, and the driving control unit executes steering control so that the steering state during the steering control does not exceed the second upper limit value.

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

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

[0010] (5): In the above aspect (3), the limiting unit reduces the adjusted second upper limit value over time so as to approach the first upper limit value.

[0011] (6) In the above aspect (4), the predetermined time is shorter than the time during which the steering control is predicted to be executed.

[0012] (7): In the above aspect (2), the limiting unit adjusts the second upper limit value in accordance with the steering state of the occupant when the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detection unit exceeds the first upper limit value.

[0013] (8) A vehicle control method according to another aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control method in which a computer recognizes the surrounding situation of a vehicle, detects a driving state including steering by an occupant of the vehicle, and, if there is a possibility that the vehicle may come into contact with a nearby obstacle based on the recognition result and steering by the occupant of a predetermined value or more is detected, executes steering control to assist the occupant in steering, and adjusts a limit value regarding the occupant's steering according to the steering state of the occupant.

[0014] (9) A program according to another aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to recognize the surrounding situation of a vehicle, detect the driving state including steering by an occupant of the vehicle, and, if there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle and an obstacle in the vicinity based on the recognition result and steering by the occupant of a predetermined value or more is detected, execute steering control to assist the occupant in steering, and adjust a limit value for the occupant's steering according to the steering state of the occupant. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the above aspects (1) to (9), more appropriate steering control can be performed according to the vehicle situation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a host vehicle M on which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment is mounted. [Diagram 2] 10 is a diagram for explaining setting of a second upper limit value in contact avoidance control. FIG. [Diagram 3] 13 is a diagram for explaining adjustment of a second upper limit value by a limiting section 150. FIG. [Figure 4]13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining an example of operation when an excessively large target steering angle speed is input in a state in which the command value and the limit value are decreasing. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example in which the function of the limiting unit 150 described above is applied to the control of the operation control unit 140. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of driving control executed by the driving assistance device 100. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a program according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] [Overall configuration] 1 is a configuration diagram of a host vehicle M on which a vehicle control device according to an embodiment is mounted. The host vehicle M is, for example, a two-wheeled, three-wheeled, four-wheeled, or other vehicle, and its drive source is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination of these. The electric motor operates using electric power generated by a generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or discharged electric power from a secondary battery or a fuel cell.

[0019] The vehicle M is equipped with, for example, a camera 10, a radar device 12, a LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) 14, an object recognition device 16, a communication device 20, an HMI (Human Machine Interface) 30, a vehicle sensor 40, a navigation device 50, an MPU (Map Positioning Unit) 60, a driver monitor camera 70, a driving operator 80, a driving support device 100, a driving force output device 200, a brake device 210, and a steering device 220. These devices and equipment are connected to each other by a multiple communication line such as a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication line, a serial communication line, a wireless communication network, etc. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and part of the configuration may be omitted, or another configuration may be added. The driving support device 100 is an example of a "vehicle control device".

[0020] The camera 10 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). The camera 10 is attached to any location of the host vehicle M. For example, when capturing an image of the front, the camera 10 is attached to the top of the front windshield, the back of the rearview mirror, or the like. The camera 10, for example, periodically and repeatedly captures images of the surroundings of the host vehicle M. The camera 10 may be a stereo camera.

[0021] The radar device 12 emits radio waves such as millimeter waves around the vehicle M and detects radio waves reflected by an object (reflected waves) to detect at least the position (distance and direction) of the object. The radar device 12 is attached to an arbitrary location of the vehicle M. The radar device 12 may detect the position and speed of an object by an FM-CW (Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave) method.

[0022] The LIDAR 14 irradiates light (or electromagnetic waves with a wavelength close to that of light) around the vehicle M and measures the scattered light. The LIDAR 14 detects the distance to the target based on the time between light emission and light reception. The irradiated light is, for example, a pulsed laser light. The LIDAR 14 is attached to an arbitrary location of the vehicle M.

[0023] The object recognition device 16 performs sensor fusion processing on the detection results from some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to recognize the position, type, speed, etc. of the object. The object recognition device 16 outputs the recognition result to the driving assistance device 100. The object recognition device 16 may output the detection results from the camera 10, the radar device 12, and the LIDAR 14 to the driving assistance device 100 as is. The object recognition device 16 may be omitted from the host vehicle M. Some or all of the camera 10, the radar device 12, the LIDAR 14, and the object recognition device 16 are examples of "external world detection devices."

[0024] The communication device 20 communicates with other vehicles 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.

[0025] The HMI 30 presents various information to the occupant of the host vehicle M and accepts input operations by the occupant. The HMI 30 includes, for example, a display unit, a speaker, a microphone, a buzzer, a vibration generator (vibrator), a touch panel, a switch, a key, and the like. The display unit is, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device. The display unit may be, for example, a multi-information display (MID) provided in the center of the instrument panel of the host vehicle M, a meter display provided in front of the driver's seat of the instrument panel, or a head-up display (HUD). The display unit may be provided in a plurality of locations in the vehicle cabin. The display unit 32 displays various information on the host vehicle M, such as a speedometer (speedometer) indicating the traveling speed of the host vehicle M or a tachometer (tachometer) indicating the number of revolutions (rotation speed) of an internal combustion engine provided in the host vehicle M, and information (images and videos) related to various driving assistances executed by the host vehicle M. The display unit may be integrated with the input unit as a touch panel. The speaker outputs a predetermined sound (for example, an alarm).

[0026] The vehicle sensor 40 includes a vehicle speed sensor that detects the speed of the host vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects a yaw rate (for example, a rotational angular velocity around a vertical axis passing through the center of gravity of the host vehicle M), a steering angular velocity sensor that detects a steering angular velocity (actual steering angle) of a steered wheel (for example, a front wheel) based on the rotational angular velocity, and a direction sensor that detects the direction of the host vehicle M. The steering angular velocity may be acquired, for example, as a positive value when turning left and as a negative value when turning right. The vehicle sensor 40 may also be provided with a position sensor that detects the position of the host vehicle M. The position sensor is, for example, a sensor that acquires position information (longitude and latitude information) from a GPS (Global Positioning System) device. The position sensor may also be a sensor that acquires position information using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver 51 of the navigation device 50. The vehicle sensor 40 may also be provided with an abnormality detection sensor that detects an abnormality such as a malfunction. The detection result by the vehicle sensor 40 is output to the driving assistance device 100.

[0027] The navigation device 50 includes, for example, a GNSS receiver 51, a navigation HMI 52, and a route determination unit 53. The navigation device 50 holds first map information 54 in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver 51 identifies the position of the vehicle M based on a signal received from a GNSS satellite. The position of the vehicle M may be identified or supplemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) using the output of the vehicle sensor 40. The navigation HMI 52 includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI 52 may be partially or entirely shared with the HMI 30 described above. The route determination unit 53, for example, determines a route (hereinafter, a route on a map) from the position of the vehicle M identified by the GNSS receiver 51 (or an arbitrary position input) to a destination input by a driver using the navigation HMI 52, with reference to the first map information 54. The first map information 54 is, for example, information in which road shapes are expressed by links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information 54 may include road curvature, POI (Point Of Interest) information, and the like. The route on the map is output to the MPU 60. The navigation device 50 may perform route guidance using the navigation HMI 52 based on the route on the map. The navigation device 50 may be realized by, for example, a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal owned by a passenger. The navigation device 50 may transmit a current position and a destination to a navigation server via the communication device 20, and obtain a route equivalent to the route on the map from the navigation server.

[0028] The MPU 60 includes, for example, a recommended lane determination unit 61, and stores second map information 62 in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit 61 divides the route on the map provided by the navigation device 50 into a plurality of blocks (for example, by dividing it into 100 [m] blocks in the vehicle travel direction), and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information 62. The recommended lane determination unit 61 determines which lane from the left the vehicle should travel in. In addition, when a branch point is present on the route on the map, the recommended lane determination unit 61 determines a recommended lane so that the vehicle M can travel a reasonable route to proceed to the branch point. The second map information 62 is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information 54. The second map information 62 includes, for example, information on the center of lanes, lane boundary information such as road dividing lines dividing lanes, and the like. The second map information 62 may include road information, shoulder positions, traffic regulation information, address information (address and postal code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information 62 may be updated as needed by the communication device 20 communicating with other devices. The first map information 54 and the second map information 62 may be stored in a storage unit within the driving assistance device 100.

[0029] The driver monitor camera 70 is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging element such as a CCD or a CMOS. The driver monitor camera 70 is attached to an arbitrary location of the vehicle M in a position and orientation that allows the head and upper body (including the position of the hands) of at least the driver (hereinafter, the driver) seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle M from the front (in an orientation that captures the face). For example, the driver monitor camera 70 is attached to the top of a display device provided in the center of the instrument panel of the vehicle M. The driver monitor camera 70 outputs an image of the interior of the vehicle including the driver of the vehicle M captured from the position where it is installed to the driving assistance device 100.

[0030] The driving operators 80 include, for example, a steering wheel 82, an accelerator pedal 84, a brake pedal 86, an operating switch for a turn signal lever (directional indicator), a shift lever, and other operators. The driving operators 80 are fitted with sensors that detect the amount of operation or the presence or absence of operation, and the detection results are output to the driving assistance device 100, or some or all of the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220.

[0031] The steering wheel 82 is a steering operator that is attached to, for example, a steering shaft and receives steering operation of the vehicle M by the driver, and is equipped with an EPS (Electric Power Steering) function. The steering wheel 82 is also provided with a steering wheel sensor (hereinafter, SW sensor) 82A. The SW sensor 82A detects whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel 82. The SW sensor 82A also detects steering information of the steering wheel 82. The steering information includes, for example, steering torque generated around a shaft (rotation axis), rotational angular velocity (steering angular velocity), magnitude of steering force (steering amount), and the like. At least one of the steering information (for example, steering torque) may be acquired, for example, with a positive value in the left direction from the neutral state of the steering wheel 82 and a negative value in the right direction.

[0032] An accelerator pedal sensor (AP sensor) 84A is attached to the accelerator pedal 84. The AP sensor 84A detects the amount of operation (opening) of the accelerator pedal 84, which changes in response to the driver's operation of the accelerator pedal 84 or a request from the system side. A brake pedal sensor (BP sensor) 86A is provided to the brake pedal 86. The BP sensor 86A detects the amount of operation (opening) of the brake pedal 86, which changes in response to the driver's operation of the brake pedal 86 or a request from the system side.

[0033] The driving force output device 200 outputs a driving force (torque) for driving the host vehicle M to the driving wheels. The driving force output device 200 includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, etc., and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls these. The ECU controls the above components according to information input from the driving assistance device 100 or the driving operator 80.

[0034] The brake device 210 includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transmits hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and an ECU. The ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the driving support device 100 or the driving operator 80, so that a brake torque corresponding to the braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device 210 may include a backup mechanism that transmits hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of a brake pedal included in the driving operator 80 to the cylinder via a master cylinder. Note that the brake device 210 is not limited to the configuration described above, and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls an actuator according to information input from the driving support device 100 to transmit hydraulic pressure in the master cylinder to the cylinder.

[0035] The steering device 220 includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor changes the direction of the steered wheels by applying a force to, for example, a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor in accordance with information (for example, a command steering angle) input from the driving assistance device 100 or the driving operator 80, and performs processing such as changing the direction of the steered wheels.

[0036] [Driving assistance device] The driving support device 100 includes, for example, a recognition unit 110, a driving state detection unit 120, a contact possibility determination unit 130, a driving control unit 140, a restriction unit 150, an HMI control unit 160, and a storage unit 170. The recognition unit 110, the driving state detection unit 120, the contact possibility determination unit 130, the driving control unit 140, the restriction unit 150, and the HMI control unit 160 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). In addition, some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the HDD or flash memory of the driving support device 100 by mounting the storage medium (non-transient storage medium) in a drive device. The HMI 30 and the HMI control unit 160 are an example of an "output unit".

[0037] For example, the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 are set so that instructions from the driving support device 100 to the driving drive force output device 200, the brake device 210, and the steering device 220 are executed with priority over the detection result from the driving operator 80. Regarding braking, if the braking force based on the operation amount of the brake pedal 86 is greater than the instruction from the driving support device 100, the latter may be set to be executed with priority. Furthermore, communication priority in an in-vehicle LAN (Local Area Network) may be used as a mechanism for executing the instruction from the driving support device 100 with priority. Regarding steering, the steering force based on the instruction from the driving support device 100 and the steering force based on the operation amount of the steering wheel 82 by the driver may be added together and executed.

[0038] The storage unit 170 may be realized by the above-mentioned various storage devices, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. The storage unit 170 stores, for example, programs and various other information. The storage unit 170 may also store the above-mentioned map information (first map information 54, second map information 62).

[0039] The recognition unit 110 recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle M based on information input from an external environment detection device. For example, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the position, speed, acceleration, and other states of objects present in the vicinity (for example, within a predetermined distance from the vehicle M). The objects are, for example, other vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, and the like. The position of the object is recognized as a position on an absolute coordinate system with a representative point of the vehicle M (such as the center of gravity or the center of the drive shaft) as the origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as the center of gravity or a corner of the object, or may be represented by an area. The "state" of the object may include the acceleration or jerk of the object, or the "action state" (for example, whether or not the vehicle is changing lanes or is about to change lanes). The recognition unit 110 also recognizes the relative position and relative speed of the object.

[0040] Further, the recognition unit 110 recognizes, for example, the lane in which the host vehicle M is traveling (driving lane). For example, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the driving lane by comparing a pattern of road dividing lines (for example, an arrangement of solid lines and dashed lines) obtained from the second map information 62 with a pattern of road dividing lines around the host vehicle M recognized from an image captured by the camera 10. The recognition unit 110 may recognize the driving lane by recognizing road boundaries (road boundaries) including not only road dividing lines but also road dividing lines, shoulders, curbs, median strips, guard rails, etc. In this recognition, the position of the host vehicle M obtained from the navigation device 50 and the processing results by the INS may be taken into consideration. The recognition unit 110 recognizes obstacles, stop lines, red lights, toll booths, and other road phenomena from the object recognition results. Obstacles are objects that the host vehicle M needs to avoid contacting, and include, for example, other vehicles, etc.

[0041] When recognizing the driving lane, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the position and attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. For example, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the deviation of the reference point of the host vehicle M from the center of the lane and the angle with respect to a line connecting the centers of the lanes in the traveling direction of the host vehicle M as the relative position and attitude of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane. Alternatively, the recognition unit 110 may recognize the position of the reference point of the host vehicle M with respect to either side end of the driving lane (a road dividing line or a road boundary) as the relative position of the host vehicle M with respect to the driving lane.

[0042] The driving state detection unit 120 detects the driving state of an occupant (e.g., the driver) of the vehicle M. The driving state is, for example, the operation state of the driver's driving operation device 80 (information indicating the degree to which the driver is operating the device). The operation state includes, for example, the steering state of the steering wheel 82. The steering state includes, for example, information on the steering angular velocity detected by the SW sensor 82A. The steering state may also include information indicating whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel 82 or steering information other than the steering angular velocity. The operation state of the driving operation device 80 may also include the opening degree of the accelerator pedal 84 and the brake pedal 86 detected by the AP sensor 84A and the BP sensor 86A, and the operation state of acceleration operation or deceleration operation based on the amount of change in the opening degree.

[0043] Furthermore, the driving state detection unit 120 may detect the driving state of the driver based on the analysis result of the camera image captured by the driver monitor camera 70. For example, the driving state detection unit 120 detects whether the driver is gripping the steering wheel 82 based on the position, shape, movement, etc. of the hands included in the camera image, and detects the driving state such as the steering direction and steering amount based on the movement of the gripping hands and the direction of movement, etc. The driving state detection unit 120 may detect the driving state (operation state) of the driver by combining the detection result of each sensor of the driving operation device 80 and the analysis result of the camera image.

[0044] The contact possibility determination unit 130 recognizes whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle M and an obstacle (e.g., another vehicle) based on the surrounding situation (external environment information) recognized by the recognition unit 110. For example, the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle M and another vehicle based on a contact margin value with another vehicle (preceding vehicle) existing in front of the host vehicle M based on the surrounding situation. The contact margin value is an index value indicating a margin, and is, for example, a value set based on a contact margin time TTC (Time To Collision), but may also be a value set based on a headway time THW (Time Headway). The contact margin time TTC is derived, for example, by dividing the relative distance by the relative speed in the relationship between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle. Also, the headway time THW is derived, for example, by dividing the relative distance (headway distance) by the speed of the host vehicle M. The contact margin time TTC may be derived, for example, using a learned model or a predetermined function that outputs the contact margin time TTC when the positions and speeds of the vehicle M and the other vehicle are input, or may be derived using a correspondence table in which the relative speed and relative position are associated with the contact margin time TTC. The above derivation method is similar to that for the headway time THW. For example, the shorter the contact margin time TTC (or the headway time THW), the smaller the margin (in other words, the longer the contact margin time, the larger the margin). For example, the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines that there is a possibility of contact between the vehicle M and the other vehicle when the contact margin value is less than a threshold value, and determines that there is no possibility of contact when the contact margin value is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0045] The driving control unit 140 executes driving control (automatic driving) for controlling one or both of the steering and acceleration / deceleration of the host vehicle M based on at least one of the recognition result of the recognition unit 110, the detection result of the driving state detection unit 120, and the judgment result of the contact possibility judgment unit 130. For example, the driving control unit 140 generates a target trajectory (including information on steering and speed) so that the host vehicle M travels in accordance with the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit 61 based on the surrounding conditions and various driving controls described later, generates target values ​​(target steering angle and target speed) so that the host vehicle M travels along the generated target trajectory, and executes driving control according to the generated target values.

[0046] Furthermore, the driving control unit 140 performs lane keeping control (LKAS: Lane Keeping Assistance System) of the host vehicle M so that a reference point (e.g., center of gravity or center) of the host vehicle M is positioned in the center of the lane of the host vehicle M based on the surrounding conditions. In the LKAS control, for example, when the steering direction based on the steering torque applied by the driver to the steering wheel 82 is a direction in which the host vehicle M deviates from the center of the lane (or the driving lane), a reaction force is applied to the steering operation in that direction to suppress deviation from the center of the lane (or the driving lane). Furthermore, in the LKAS control under normal circumstances (e.g., when there is no possibility of contact with an obstacle), a limit (upper limit value) is set on the amount of steering operation by the driver, and deviation of the host vehicle M from the driving lane due to excessive steering operation is suppressed.

[0047] In addition, the driving control unit 140 may execute various driving controls such as ALCA (Auto Lane Change Assist) that assists the host vehicle M in changing lanes from the driving lane to an adjacent lane based on the surrounding conditions recognized by the recognition unit 110, ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control System) control that drives by following the vehicle ahead, CMBS (Collision Mitigation Brake System) control that warns the occupants and controls the braking of the host vehicle M when there is a possibility of contact with an obstacle, and TJP (Traffic Jam Pilot) control that drives while maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead while adapting to changes in the vehicle speed of the vehicle ahead when driving at low speeds such as in a traffic jam.

[0048] The driving control unit 140 also includes, for example, a contact avoidance control unit 142. When the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines that the host vehicle M may come into contact with a surrounding obstacle and the driving state detection unit 120 detects steering of the driver equal to or greater than a predetermined value (steering control start threshold), the contact avoidance control unit 142 executes steering control to assist the driver in steering so that the behavior of the host vehicle M after the driver's steering operation to avoid contact with an obstacle is stabilized. In this steering control, for example, as in the LKAS control, a limit value (upper limit value) is set for the steering amount to prevent sudden behavior beyond the driver's expectation, and after a steering operation to move the host vehicle M laterally to an adjacent lane to avoid contact with an obstacle is performed, further lateral movement to the adjacent lane beyond that is suppressed. Furthermore, the contact avoidance control unit 142 may perform steering control to move in a direction not to contact an obstacle within a range not departing from the same lane without the driver's steering operation, for example, when avoidance within the driving lane of the host vehicle M is possible. Note that the steering control by the contact avoidance control unit 142 may be performed, for example, when the speed of the host vehicle M is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. Furthermore, instead of (or in addition to) the above-mentioned steering control, the contact avoidance control unit 142 may perform acceleration / deceleration control to avoid contact between the host vehicle M and an obstacle.

[0049] For example, when the driving control unit 140 receives an instruction from an occupant, the driving control unit 140 may execute or end a predetermined driving control in response to the instruction. Also, when the driver performs a predetermined operation on the driving operation elements 80 such as the steering wheel 82, the accelerator pedal 84, the brake pedal 86, etc. during execution of the predetermined driving control, the driving control unit 140 may perform override control to end the driving control being executed and switch to manual driving. Also, when an abnormality such as a failure is detected by the vehicle sensor 40, the driving control unit 140 may output abnormality information indicating the content of the abnormality to the driving force output device 200, the brake device 210, the steering device 220, etc., and perform control such as suppressing operation.

[0050] The limiting unit 150 adjusts the limiting value (upper limit, limiter) regarding the driver's steering according to the steering state of the driver. The limiting value includes, for example, a first upper limit value for the driver's steering when the steering control by the contact avoidance control unit 142 is not in progress, and a second upper limit value for the steering when the steering control by the contact avoidance control unit 142 is in progress. The first upper limit value is, for example, the upper limit value during the LKAS control described above. For example, when the driver's steering state exceeds the first upper limit value, the limiting unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit value according to the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detection unit 120. When the steering control by the contact avoidance control unit 142 is in progress, the driving control unit 140 performs steering control so that the steering state of the steering control does not exceed the second upper limit value, and when the steering control is not in progress (when driving control other than the contact avoidance control is being executed), performs steering control so that the steering state does not exceed the first upper limit value. Note that even when steering control is not being performed, the limiting unit 150 may allow a steering state within a predetermined range exceeding the first upper limit value when a predetermined condition is satisfied, such as a high possibility of executing operation control. The details of the processing by the limiting unit 150 will be described later.

[0051] The HMI control unit 160 provides (notifies) information to the occupant by causing the HMI 30 to output predetermined information. The predetermined information includes, for example, information related to the traveling of the vehicle M, such as information related to the state of the vehicle M and information related to driving control. The information related to the state of the vehicle M includes, for example, the speed of the vehicle M, the engine speed, the shift position, and the like. The information related to the driving control includes, for example, the type of driving control being executed, the reason for the operation of the driving control, the status of the driving control, and the like. The information related to the driving control may include information on a warning or an alarm for the driver associated with the driving control to be executed. The predetermined information may include, for example, information related to the current position or destination of the vehicle M, information on the remaining amount of fuel, and the like, and may include information unrelated to the traveling control of the vehicle M, such as television programs, content (for example, movies) stored in a storage medium such as a DVD, and the like.

[0052] For example, the HMI control unit 160 may generate an image including the above-mentioned predetermined information and display the generated image on the display unit 32 of the HMI 30, or may generate a sound indicating the predetermined information and output the generated sound from the speaker 34 of the HMI 30. The timing at which the image or sound is output may be, for example, the timing at which information is obtained from the vehicle sensor 40 or each component of the driving assistance device 100, the timing at which driving control is started or stopped, the timing at which information is received from the outside by the communication device 20, the timing at which the image to be displayed is switched, the timing at which the host vehicle M is in a predetermined state, etc. Furthermore, the HMI control unit 160 may output the information received by the HMI 30 to the driving state detection unit 120, the driving control unit 140, etc.

[0053] [Restriction section] Next, the details of the process of the limiting unit 150 will be described. In the following, the adjustment of the second upper limit value will be mainly described. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the setting of the second upper limit value in the contact avoidance control. In the example of FIG. 2, lanes L1 and L2 that can proceed in the same direction (X-axis direction in the figure) and a lane L3 that can proceed in the opposite direction to the lanes L1 and L2 (-X-axis direction in the figure) are shown. The lane L1 is divided by road dividing lines DL1 and DL2, and the lane L2 is divided by road dividing lines DL2 and DL3. The road dividing line DL2 is a dividing line that allows a lane change between the lanes L1 and L2. In the example of FIG. 2, the time T0 is the earliest time, and the times T1, T2, T3, and T4 are the latest in this order. Also, at time T0, the host vehicle M1 travels along the lane L1 at a speed VM along the extension direction, another vehicle m1 ahead of the host vehicle M travels along the lane L1 at a speed Vm1 along the extension direction, and another vehicle m2 travels along the lane L3 at a speed Vm2 along the extension direction in the opposite direction to the host vehicle M. The other vehicles m1 and m2 are examples of "obstacles." Also, the example of FIG. 2 shows the driver's driving state (hereinafter, driver state) and the operation contents of the driving support device 100 over time, and also shows the changes in the driver input, limit value (upper limit value), and instruction value related to the steering angle speed. Also, in the example of FIG. 2, the first upper limit value is set to a limit value used in the LKAS control, for example, and the first upper limit value and the second upper limit value are the same value at time T0.

[0054] First, at time T0, the driving control unit 140 is executing driving control (for example, LKAS control) based on the surrounding situation. In this case, the driver state detected by the driving state detection unit 120 is no operation. No operation means, for example, a state where no steering operation (driver input) is performed (for example, a state where the steering wheel 82 is only gripped while driving in a straight line, etc.).

[0055] The contact possibility determination unit 130 continuously determines whether or not there is a possibility of contact between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m1 based on the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M recognized by the recognition unit 110. Assume that at time T0, the contact possibility determination unit 130 determines that there is a possibility of contact because the contact margin time TTC between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m1 is less than a predetermined time. In this case, the HMI control unit 160 outputs an alarm via the HMI 30 to alert the driver or to notify him or her of the possibility of contact.

[0056] At time T1, while the warning is being output, the driver performs a driving operation including a steering operation using the steering wheel 82. When a driver input (e.g., steering torque) for the steering operation is received, the contact avoidance control unit 142 generates a command steering angle based on the steering torque and the actual steering angle obtained from the vehicle sensor 40, and outputs information on the generated command steering angle to the steering device 220. The steering device 220 drives the electric motor in accordance with the command steering angle and performs control such as changing the direction of the steered wheels. In the example of FIG. 2, from time T1 to T2, the command steering angle (command steering angular velocity) increases with an increase in the steering angular velocity (increase in the steering amount) due to the driver input. Also, in the example of Figure 2, if the driver input exceeds the first upper limit value before the execution of steering control is started, but driving control based on the first upper limit value of LKAS or the like is not being executed, or if there is a high possibility that operation control will be executed by the contact avoidance control unit 142 based on the surrounding conditions and the driver's operation status even while LKAS control is being executed (for example, if the change in steering angle speed in a specified time is equal to or greater than a threshold value), a command steering angle exceeding the first upper limit value is generated and the second upper limit value is also adjusted in advance.

[0057] Furthermore, in the period from time T1 to time T2, even if there is a driver input, the possibility of contact between the host vehicle M and the other vehicle m1 continues, so the HMI control unit 160 continues to output a warning.

[0058] Next, at time T2, the steering angular velocity of the driver input exceeds the steering assistance start threshold, so that the contact avoidance control unit 142 executes steering control for the driver's steering operation. In the steering control, for example, control is performed to limit the steering amount based on the second upper limit value so that the lateral movement amount of the host vehicle M does not become excessive due to a sudden steering operation that exceeds the operation state caused by the driver's operation. In this situation, the limiting unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit value until a predetermined time has elapsed since the steering control was executed so that the lateral movement amount required for contact avoidance with the other vehicle m1 is not insufficient due to the steering limit by the second upper limit value.

[0059] Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the adjustment of the second upper limit value by the limiting unit 150. The example of Fig. 3 shows a schematic flow of adjustment of the second upper limit value (limiter adjustment) based on the command steering angle from the system side (driving control unit 140), the steering torque input by the driver, and the actual steering angle (steering angle speed) obtained from the vehicle sensor 40, until the final command steering angle output to the steering device 220 is obtained based on the adjustment content.

[0060] In the example of FIG. 3, the limiting unit 150 multiplies a value including the positive and negative signs of the steering torque by a value including the positive and negative signs corresponding to the actual steering angle, and performs a determination based on the multiplication result. Since the positive and negative signs correspond to the left and right directions, if the sign of the multiplication result is positive (>0), it is determined that the steering direction based on the steering torque and the direction of the actual steering angle are the same direction. In other words, if the sign is positive, it can be determined that the actual steering angle corresponds to the driver's steering operation (manual driving) (in other words, it is not driving control (control on the system side)). Therefore, if the sign is positive, the limiting unit 150 adjusts the second limiting value according to the driver's steering angular velocity based on the steering torque.

[0061] For example, the limiting unit 150 sets the second upper limit within a predetermined range (for example, about the maximum value ± several percent) from the maximum value of the driver's steering state (steering angular velocity). Therefore, the second upper limit increases in response to an increase in the steering torque (steering angular velocity) due to the driver input, as shown in Fig. 2. Therefore, the command steering angle shown in Fig. 3 is not restricted by the second upper limit value, and is output to the steering device 220 as the final command steering angle.

[0062] In this way, by adjusting the second upper limit value to be equal to or greater than the maximum value of the steering torque, the vehicle M can move laterally (in the road width direction (Y-axis direction)) required to avoid contact without the steering operation being suppressed by the adjusted second upper limit value. Furthermore, by setting it to the maximum value, excessive steering output due to steering control can be suppressed.

[0063] The limiting unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit value when the steering torque and the actual steering angle are in the same direction as shown in Fig. 3, and does not need to adjust the second upper limit value when they are in the opposite directions (when the sign is negative). When the steering torque is in a direction different from the actual steering angle, the system side control is being executed regardless of the driver's steering operation, or steering is being performed in a direction that reduces the actual steering angle, so that unnecessary adjustment of the upper limit value can be suppressed to reduce the processing load.

[0064] In the example of FIG. 2, the steering angular velocity by the driver input is decreased before time T3 is reached. In this case, the limiting unit 150 may maintain the state of the second upper limit value set according to the maximum value as shown in FIG. 2. Since the driver is steering at this point, there is a possibility that the steering angular velocity will increase again, so by maintaining the state of the second upper limit value, it is possible to suppress the increase and decrease fluctuation of the second upper limit value. Note that the limiting unit 150 may adjust the second upper limit value so as to follow the decrease in the steering angular velocity.

[0065] At time T3, the driver state is in a no-operation state. That is, at time T3, for example, the driver has determined that contact has been avoided by his / her steering operation and is not performing a steering operation. In this case, the contact avoidance control unit 142 continues to execute steering control to stabilize the host vehicle M. For example, based on the surrounding situation recognized by the recognition unit 110, the contact avoidance control unit 142 generates a target trajectory (target steering angle) of the host vehicle M that allows the host vehicle M to change lanes from the current driving lane (lane L1) to the adjacent lane (lane L2) while not moving to the adjacent lane (lane L3) beyond that, and generates an instructed steering angle (instructed steering angle speed as shown in FIG. 2) so that the host vehicle can travel along the generated target trajectory and outputs it to the steering device 220. The steering device 220 executes steering based on the instructed steering angle. This realizes stabilization of the behavior of the host vehicle M as shown in FIG. 2.

[0066] At time T3, when the driver finishes the steering operation (when no operation is performed), the limiting unit 150 reduces the adjusted second upper limit value so as to approach the first upper limit value over time. The reduction rate may be a fixed value or a variable value based on the road conditions, the speed VM of the host vehicle M, and the like. In this way, in the initial stage of the operation of the contact avoidance control, the second upper limit value is increased to ease the steering and ensure the necessary lateral movement of the host vehicle M, and the necessary lateral movement amount decreases over time, so the second upper limit value is reduced. This makes it possible to suppress the steering restriction from being relaxed more than necessary. The limiting unit 150 may reduce the second upper limit value when the steering angular velocity of the driver input decreases by a predetermined value or more even if the driver is steering.

[0067] The limiting unit 150 may also control the second upper limit value to be adjusted until a predetermined time has elapsed since the steering control was executed. This predetermined time is shorter than the time (predicted execution time) when the steering control is predicted to be executed. The predicted execution time is derived, for example, from the speed VM of the host vehicle M, the relative position and relative speed with respect to the other vehicles m1 and m2, the road shape (lane width, number of lanes, curvature), the steering amount, and the like. For example, the predicted execution time is the time when the host vehicle M can travel without deviating into a lane (lane L3) ahead of the adjacent lane (lane L2). The predetermined time may also be set to a time (for example, about 2 to 4 seconds) corresponding to the steering response of the host vehicle M. In the example of FIG. 2, the second upper limit value is adjusted to return to the original value (the same value as the first upper limit value) at time T4 when the host vehicle M can travel stably within the lane L2. At the end of the steering control, steering is performed to move to an adjacent lane and maintain the lane, so a normal limit value can be used. Therefore, by adjusting only the predetermined time period, excessive relaxation of the limit value can be suppressed, and early stabilization of behavior after a contact avoidance operation can be achieved.

[0068] In addition, since the steering control is caused by the driver's steering during the period from time T3 to T4, the HMI control unit 160 may output instruction information from the HMI 30 to have the driver monitor the surroundings until the behavior of the host vehicle M stabilizes (until the amount of change in behavior becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount). After time T4, the behavior of the host vehicle M becomes stable, so that the steering control continues without adjusting the second upper limit value.

[0069] In addition, the driving control unit 140 executes control based on the decreasing second upper limit value when, for example, a target steering speed based on driving control is input in a state where the command steering speed and the second upper limit value are decreasing. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of operation when an excessive target steering speed is input in a state where the command value and the limit value are decreasing. In the example of FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates time [seconds], and the vertical axis indicates steering speed [deg / s]. For example, in a state where the second upper limit value and the command steering speed are decreasing as shown in FIG. 4, when a target steering speed greater than these values ​​is input, the limit unit 150 does not increase the second upper limit value, but continues to decrease it. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the driving control unit 140 executes steering control according to a command steering speed that does not exceed the second upper limit value. This makes it possible to realize more appropriate driving control even when the second upper limit value is being adjusted. In addition, since the driver is not operating at this stage, it is possible to suppress the host vehicle M from becoming unstable by increasing the second upper limit value to enable a large behavior.

[0070] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example in which the function of the limiting unit 150 described above is applied to the control of the driving control unit 140. Note that the example of FIG. 5 mainly shows an example of a functional block related to the steering control of the driving control unit 140 and the steering device 220. In the example of FIG. 5, the driving control unit 140 sets a target steering angle according to the current actual steering angle and target trajectory of the vehicle M, and sets a correction steering angle based on the deviation amount (for example, steering response error) between the steering torque and the actual steering angle. In addition, the driving control unit 140 limits the steering angle speed based on a limit value for the set target steering angle. Here, in order to adjust the limit value of the steering angle speed, the limiting unit 150 acquires the steering angle speed of the driver based on the steering torque and the actual steering angle as shown in FIG. 3, and relaxes (adjusts) the limit value of the steering angle speed according to the acquired steering angle speed. The driving control unit 140 generates an instruction steering angle based on the target steering angle and the correction steering angle with the relaxed limit, and outputs the instruction steering angle to the steering device 220. The steering ECU of the steering device 220 performs processing such as steering angle control based on a command steering angle to drive an electric motor and change the direction of the steered wheels.

[0071] In addition, the driving control unit 140 may execute override control according to a steering amount such as steering torque, and in that case, a control request for switching from the driving control being executed to manual driving is output to the steering device 220. The steering ECU performs state management based on the control request, and when a steering angle control is being executed during the driving control, performs control to stop (end) it. In addition, when the driving control unit 140 detects an abnormality (for example, a failure of a sensor device) related to the traveling of the host vehicle M by the vehicle sensor 40, the steering ECU may output abnormality information to the steering device 220. In this case, the steering ECU controls the steering device 220 (stops the driving control) according to the abnormality detection. As shown in FIG. 5, in the steering control in the driving control unit 140, the control by the above-mentioned limiting unit 150 is executed, so that the host vehicle M can perform a necessary lateral movement according to the steering control for avoiding contact with an obstacle.

[0072] [Processing flow] Next, a process executed by the driving support device 100 in the embodiment will be described. In the following, the process executed by the driving support device 100 will be mainly described with a focus on a steering control process for adjusting a limit value in the contact avoidance control unit 142.

[0073] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of driving control executed by the driving support device 100. In the example of Fig. 6, the recognition unit 110 recognizes the surrounding conditions of the host vehicle M (step S100). Next, the contact possibility determination unit 130 derives a contact margin time TTC between the host vehicle M and an obstacle based on the recognized surrounding conditions (step S110).

[0074] Next, the driving control unit 140 judges whether or not to perform steering control to avoid contact with an obstacle based on the contact margin time TTC (step S120). If it is judged that the steering control is to be performed, the limiting unit 150 detects the driving state of the driver by the driving state detection unit 120 (step S130), and judges whether or not to adjust the steering limit value (the above-mentioned second upper limit value) based on the driving state (step S140). If it is judged that the steering limit value is to be adjusted, the driving control unit 140 executes the steering control (step S150). During the steering control, the limiting unit 150 adjusts the second upper limit value according to the steering angular velocity of the driver until a predetermined time has elapsed since the steering control was executed (step S160). This ends the processing of this flowchart. If it is judged that the steering control is not to be performed in the processing of step S120, or if it is judged that the steering limit value is not to be adjusted in the processing of step S140, the processing of this flowchart ends.

[0075] As described above, according to the embodiment, the driving assistance device 100 (an example of a vehicle control device) is equipped with a recognition unit 110 that recognizes the surrounding situation of the vehicle M, a driving state detection unit 120 that detects the driving state including steering by the occupant of the vehicle M, a driving control unit 140 that executes steering control to assist the occupant in steering when there is a possibility that the vehicle M may come into contact with a surrounding obstacle based on the recognition result of the recognition unit 110 and the driving state detection unit 120 detects steering by the occupant of a predetermined value or more, and a restriction unit 150 that adjusts the restriction value regarding the occupant's steering according to the steering state of the occupant, thereby making it possible to perform more appropriate steering control according to the vehicle situation.

[0076] For example, if a normal steering limit value is used, there is a possibility that the necessary lateral movement cannot be ensured, but in the embodiment, in the contact avoidance control triggered by the steering of the driver, the limit value (limiter) is adjusted based on the steering of the driver, so that the lateral movement necessary for contact avoidance can be ensured, and even if an excessive command value is input, steering more than necessary can be suppressed. Also, according to the embodiment, the limit value is set within the steering range of the driver, so that a limit value equivalent to the steering value of the driver can be set, and therefore the necessary lateral movement can be ensured, and even if an excessive command value is input, operation more than the driver expects can be suppressed.

[0077] According to the embodiment, the limit value is adjusted for a predetermined time from the driver's steering, so that the necessary lateral movement is ensured while the limit value is prevented from being relaxed more than necessary. According to the embodiment, the limit value is adjusted to decrease toward the normal limit value over time, so that the upper limit value is increased at the start of execution of the contact avoidance control to ensure the necessary lateral movement, and the amount of necessary lateral movement decreases over time, so that the limit value is also decreased accordingly, so that the relaxation of the limit value more than necessary can be prevented. According to the embodiment, the limit value is adjusted for a time shorter than the contact avoidance control, so that the relaxation of the limit value more than necessary can be prevented.

[0078] It should be noted that the numerical values ​​shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples and may be changed as appropriate depending on the vehicle type of the host vehicle M, road conditions, surrounding conditions, settings by the developer, etc. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, at least one of the third driving control and the fourth driving control may be included in the second driving control from the viewpoint of a driving control other than the first driving control.

[0079] The above-described embodiment can be expressed as follows. a storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions; a processor coupled to the storage medium; The processor executes the computer-readable instructions to: Recognize the surroundings of your vehicle, Detecting a driving state including steering by an occupant of the vehicle; When it is determined based on the result of the recognition that there is a possibility that the vehicle will come into contact with a surrounding obstacle and steering by the occupant is detected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a steering control is executed to assist the occupant in steering; A limit value related to the steering of the occupant is adjusted according to a steering state of the occupant. Vehicle control device.

[0080] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 10...camera, 12...radar device, 14...LIDAR, 16...object recognition device, 20...communication device, 30...HMI, 40...vehicle sensor, 50...navigation device, 60...MPU, 70...driver monitor camera, 80...driving operator, 82...steering wheel, 84...accelerator pedal, 86...brake pedal, 100...driving support device, 110...recognition unit, 120...driving state detection unit, 130...contact possibility determination unit, 140...driving control unit, 142...contact avoidance control unit, 150...limitation unit, 160...HMI control unit, 170...memory unit, 200...driving drive force output device, 210...brake device, 220...steering device, M...own vehicle

Claims

1. A recognition unit that recognizes a surrounding situation of the host vehicle; a driving state detection unit that detects a driving state including a steering operation by an occupant of the vehicle; a driving control unit that executes steering control to assist the occupant in steering when the host vehicle is likely to come into contact with a surrounding obstacle based on a recognition result of the recognition unit and the driving state detection unit detects that the occupant is steering a predetermined value or more; and a limiting unit that adjusts a limit value related to the steering of the occupant in accordance with a steering state of the occupant; A vehicle control device comprising:

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

3. The limiting unit sets the second upper limit value within a predetermined range from a maximum value of the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detecting unit. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 .

4. The limiting unit adjusts the second upper limit value until a predetermined time has elapsed since the steering control was executed. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 .

5. The limiting unit reduces the adjusted second upper limit value over time so as to approach the first upper limit value. The vehicle control device according to claim 3 .

6. The predetermined time is shorter than a time during which the steering control is predicted to be executed. The vehicle control device according to claim 4.

7. The limiting unit adjusts the second upper limit value in accordance with the steering state of the occupant when the steering state of the occupant detected by the driving state detecting unit exceeds the first upper limit value. The vehicle control device according to claim 2 .

8. The computer Recognize the surroundings of your vehicle, Detecting a driving state including steering by an occupant of the vehicle; When it is determined based on the result of the recognition that there is a possibility that the vehicle will come into contact with a surrounding obstacle and steering by the occupant is detected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a steering control is executed to assist the occupant in steering; A limit value related to the steering of the occupant is adjusted according to a steering state of the occupant. A vehicle control method.

9. On the computer, Recognize the surrounding situation of the vehicle, Detecting a driving state including a steering operation by an occupant of the vehicle; When it is determined based on the result of the recognition that there is a possibility that the vehicle will come into contact with a surrounding obstacle and steering by the occupant is detected to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value, a steering control is executed to assist the occupant in steering; A limit value related to the steering of the occupant is adjusted according to a steering state of the occupant. program.

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