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

Abstract

To provide a vehicle control device that can appropriately determine whether or not to continue control of changing a lane on which a vehicle travels.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device includes: a control unit 33 that when merge control of causing a self vehicle 10 to enter another lane which is a merging destination of a lane of the self vehicle is interrupted while the merge control is being executed, executes stop control of stopping the self vehicle 10 on the lane of the self vehicle or continuance control of transferring driving control to a driver while continuing entry of the self vehicle 10 to the other lane; an interruption instruction unit 35 that when an interruption condition is met while the merge control is being executed, causes the control unit 33 to interrupt the merge control and execute set control between the stop control and the continuance control; and a changing unit 36 that changes control set in response to an operation of continuing entry to the other lane performed by the driver while the stop control is being executed to the continuance control, and on the other hand, changes control set in response to an operation of stopping the self vehicle 10 performed by the driver while the continuance control is being executed to the stop control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Research is being conducted into technology for changing lanes using automatic driving control (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] The vehicle control system described in Patent Document 1 determines whether a condition for changing lanes from the current lane to an adjacent lane is met based on the surrounding conditions of the vehicle, and if the condition is met, controls the acceleration / deceleration and steering of the vehicle to change lanes to the adjacent lane. The vehicle control system then inhibits lane change control when the speed of the vehicle is below a predetermined speed. However, the vehicle control system does not inhibit lane change control when it detects an occupant operating an operating unit to adjust the direction of travel of the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 163121 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Depending on the positional relationship between the host vehicle and other vehicles traveling around the host vehicle, the driver of the host vehicle may feel uneasy if the lane change control is continued. In such cases, it is preferable to stop the execution of the lane change control even after the lane change control has started. However, the conditions under which the driver feels uneasy about continuing the lane change control depend on the driver. Therefore, if the conditions for stopping the lane change control are not appropriately set for the driver, the lane change control may be stopped even if the driver does not feel uneasy. In such cases, convenience for the driver may be impaired. Conversely, the continuation of the lane change control may make the driver feel uneasy.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can appropriately determine whether or not to continue control to change the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one embodiment, a vehicle control device is provided. This vehicle control device has: a detection unit that detects the relative position and relative speed of the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane when the host vehicle's lane merges into another lane; a control unit that executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and, when the merging control is interrupted, executes either stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host vehicle's lane or continue control to continue the host vehicle's entry into the other lane while transferring driving control to the driver of the host vehicle; a determination unit that determines whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and relative speed satisfies an interruption condition while the merging control is being executed; an interruption instruction unit that, when the interruption condition is satisfied, causes the control unit to interrupt the merging control and execute a set control of the stop control or the continue control; and a change unit that changes the set control to the continue control in response to a continue operation by the driver to continue the host vehicle's entry into the other lane performed during the execution of the stop control, and changes the set control to the stop control in response to a stop operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during the execution of the continue control.

[0008] In this vehicle control device, it is preferable that the change unit does not change the set control until the number of times the continuing operation is performed or the number of times the stopping operation is performed exceeds a predetermined number, changes the set control to the continuing control when the number of times the continuing operation performed during the execution of the stopping control exceeds the predetermined number, and changes the set control to the stopping control when the number of times the stopping operation performed during the execution of the continuing control exceeds the predetermined number.

[0009] Alternatively, in this vehicle control device, it is preferable that the change unit changes the set control to continuous control when the ratio of the number of times continuous operations performed during the execution of stopping control to the number of times stopping control is performed exceeds a predetermined ratio.

[0010] In this case, it is preferable that the control unit change the increase in the number of times the driver performs a continuing operation while the stopping control is being executed, depending on the situation around the vehicle at the time the continuing operation is performed.

[0011] In addition, the vehicle control device preferably further includes a storage unit that stores control information indicating a set control of either the stop control or the continuation control for each predetermined situation, and the interrupt instruction unit preferably refers to the control information to identify the set control corresponding to the situation around the vehicle.

[0012] According to another embodiment, there is provided a vehicle control device including: a detection unit that detects a relative position and a relative speed of the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane when the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling merges into another lane; a control unit that executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane and, when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the lane or continuous control to continue driving the host vehicle into the other lane while continuing to enter the other lane, a storage unit that stores area information indicating an area where the stop control is executed and an area where the continuous control is executed; a determination unit that, during the execution of the merging control, determines whether at least one of the detected relative position and the relative speed satisfies an interruption condition; and an interruption instruction unit that, when the interruption condition is satisfied, identifies an applicable control from the stop control or the continuous control by referring to the position of the host vehicle and the area information, and causes the control unit to interrupt the merging control and execute the identified control.

[0013] According to still another embodiment, there is provided a vehicle control device including: a detection unit that detects a relative position and a relative speed of a host vehicle and another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to a host vehicle's own lane; a control unit that executes lane change control of the host vehicle to change lanes from the host vehicle's own lane to the adjacent lane when a predetermined condition is satisfied; a determination unit that determines whether at least one of the detected relative position and the relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the lane change control; an interruption instruction unit that causes the control unit to interrupt the lane change control when the interruption condition is satisfied; and a condition change unit that relaxes the interruption condition in response to an operation by the driver of the host vehicle to interrupt the lane change control performed before the interruption condition is satisfied, and tightens the interruption condition in response to an operation by the driver to continue the lane change control performed when the interruption condition is satisfied.

[0014] In this vehicle control device, it is preferable that the change unit does not change the interruption condition until the number of times the continuous operation is performed or the number of times the interrupted operation is performed exceeds a predetermined number.

[0015] In addition, the vehicle control device preferably further includes a storage unit that stores an interruption condition corresponding to each predetermined situation. In this case, the determination unit preferably determines whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and relative velocity satisfies the interruption condition corresponding to the situation around the host vehicle.

[0016] According to another embodiment, there is provided a vehicle control method, which includes: when a lane in which a host vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, detecting a relative position and a relative speed between the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane, executing merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and, when the merging control is interrupted, executing stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host vehicle's lane or continuous control to continue driving the host vehicle into the other lane while continuing to enter the other lane; determining, during the execution of the merging control, whether or not at least one of the detected change in relative position and the relative speed satisfies an interruption condition; when the interruption condition is satisfied, interrupting the merging control and executing a set control of the stop control or the continuous control; changing the set control to the continuous control in response to a continuous operation by the driver to continue entering the other lane, performed during the execution of the stop control; and, on the other hand, changing the set control to the stop control in response to a stop operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle, performed during the execution of the continuous control.

[0017] According to yet another embodiment, a computer program for controlling a vehicle is provided. This vehicle control computer program causes a processor mounted on the vehicle to execute the following: when the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, detects the relative position and relative speed of the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane, and executes merging control of the vehicle to cause the vehicle to enter the other lane; and when the merging control is interrupted, executes either stop control to stop the vehicle in the vehicle's lane, or continue control to continue the vehicle's traveling into the other lane while transferring driving control to the driver of the vehicle; while the merging control is being executed, it determines whether or not at least one of the detected change in relative position and relative speed satisfies an interruption condition; when the interruption condition is satisfied, it interrupts the merging control and executes a set control of either the stop control or the continue control; and changes the set control to the continue control in response to a continue operation by the driver to continue the vehicle's traveling into the other lane, performed during the execution of the stop control; [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The vehicle control device according to the present disclosure has the effect of being able to appropriately determine whether or not to continue control to change the lane in which the vehicle is traveling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control system in which a vehicle control device is implemented. [Figure 2] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of an electronic control device that is one embodiment of a vehicle control device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a processor of an electronic control unit related to vehicle control processing. [Figure 4] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an outline of stopping control, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an outline of continuous control. [Figure 5]FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the number of driver operations when merging control is interrupted and switching between stop control and continuous control. [Figure 6] 4 is an operational flowchart of a vehicle control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of initial settings of the stop control and the continuous control according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between a continuous operation count and a time threshold according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is an operational flowchart of a vehicle control process according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control computer program executed by the vehicle control device will be described below with reference to the drawings. In one embodiment, the vehicle control device executes merging control of a host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter another lane when the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling merges into another lane. When the merging control is interrupted due to a change in the positional relationship between the host vehicle and other vehicles traveling around it, the vehicle control device executes either stop control to stop the host vehicle in the original lane or continuation control to continue driving the host vehicle while continuing to enter the other lane. The vehicle control device changes the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue merging the host vehicle performed during the execution of the stop control, or changes the set control to the stop control in response to a stop operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during the execution of the continuation control. In another embodiment, the vehicle control device suspends lane change control when an interruption condition is satisfied during execution of lane change control to change the host vehicle from the host lane to an adjacent lane, the interruption condition being set based on at least one of a change in the relative position and the relative speed between the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane to which the host vehicle is to be changed. At this time, the vehicle control device relaxes the interruption condition in response to an operation by the driver of the host vehicle to interrupt the lane change control performed before the interruption condition is satisfied, and tightens the interruption condition in response to an operation by the driver to continue the lane change control performed when the interruption condition is satisfied.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control system in which a vehicle control device is implemented. FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of an electronic control device, which is one embodiment of the vehicle control device. The vehicle control system 1 is mounted on a vehicle 10, which is an example of a host vehicle, and is capable of autonomous driving control of the vehicle 10. To this end, the vehicle control system 1 includes a GPS receiver 2, two cameras 3-1 and 3-2, a user interface 4, a storage device 5, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 6, which is an example of a vehicle control device. The GPS receiver 2, the cameras 3-1 and 3-2, the user interface 4, the storage device 5, and the ECU 6 are communicatively connected via an in-vehicle network that complies with a standard such as a controller area network. The vehicle control system 1 may further include any one of a navigation device (not shown) that searches for a planned driving route to a destination, a wireless communication terminal (not shown) that wirelessly communicates with other devices, and a ranging sensor (not shown) such as a LiDAR sensor or radar.

[0022] The GPS receiver 2 is an example of a positioning device, and receives GPS signals from GPS satellites at predetermined intervals and determines the vehicle's own position based on the received GPS signals. The GPS receiver 2 then outputs positioning information representing the results of determining the vehicle's own position based on the GPS signals to the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network at predetermined intervals. Note that the vehicle 10 may also have a receiver that complies with a satellite positioning system other than the GPS receiver 2. In this case, the receiver may determine the vehicle's own position.

[0023] The two cameras 3-1 and 3-2 are each an example of a sensor capable of detecting objects around the vehicle 10. The cameras 3-1 and 3-2 each have a two-dimensional detector configured with an array of photoelectric conversion elements, such as a CCD or C-MOS, that are sensitive to visible light, and an imaging optical system that forms an image of the area to be photographed on the two-dimensional detector. The camera 3-1 is mounted, for example, inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 so as to face the front of the vehicle 10. The camera 3-1 photographs the area in front of the vehicle 10 at predetermined photographing intervals and generates an image of the area in front of the vehicle 10. Similarly, the camera 3-2 is mounted, for example, inside the passenger compartment of the vehicle 10 so as to face the rear of the vehicle 10. The camera 3-2 photographs the area behind the vehicle 10 at predetermined photographing intervals and generates an image of the area behind the vehicle 10. The images obtained by the cameras 3-1 and 3-2 are an example of sensor signals and may be color images or grayscale images. The vehicle 10 may be provided with three or more cameras with different shooting directions or focal lengths.

[0024] Each time the cameras 3-1 and 3-2 generate an image, they output the generated image to the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0025] The user interface 4 is an example of a notification unit and includes, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display or a touch panel display. The user interface 4 is installed in the cabin of the vehicle 10, for example, near the instrument panel, facing the driver. The user interface 4 notifies the driver of predetermined information received from the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network by displaying the information as an icon or text. The user interface 4 may also include one or more light sources provided on the instrument panel, speakers provided in the cabin, or vibration devices provided on the steering wheel or driver's seat. In this case, the user interface 4 notifies the driver of the predetermined information received from the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network by outputting the information as an audio signal. Alternatively, the user interface 4 may notify the driver of the predetermined information by vibrating a vibration device in response to a signal received from the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network. Alternatively, the user interface 4 may notify the driver of the predetermined information by turning on or blinking a light source in response to a signal received from the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0026] Furthermore, the user interface 4 is also an example of an operation unit that accepts a predetermined operation by the driver. For example, if the user interface 4 has a touch panel, it outputs a signal indicating the area on the touch panel that the driver touched to the ECU 6. The user interface 4 may also have one or more switches for accepting a predetermined operation. In this case, when one of the one or more switches is operated, the user interface 4 outputs a signal indicating the operated switch and the state of the switch after the operation to the ECU 6. The user interface 4 may also have a microphone. In this case, the user interface 4 outputs an audio signal indicating the driver's voice collected via the microphone to the ECU 6.

[0027] The storage device 5 is an example of a storage unit and includes, for example, a hard disk drive, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, or an optical recording medium and an access device therefor. The storage device 5 stores a high-precision map, which is an example of map information. The high-precision map includes information used for autonomous driving control for each road section within the area represented on the high-precision map. The information used for autonomous driving control includes, for example, information representing road markings such as lane markings or stop lines for each road section, information representing road signs, and information representing features around the road.

[0028] Furthermore, the storage device 5 may have a processor for executing processes such as updating the high precision map and processing related to a request to read out a high precision map from the ECU 6. In this case, for example, the storage device 5 transmits a request to acquire a high precision map together with the current position of the vehicle 10 to a map server via a wireless communication terminal (not shown) every time the vehicle 10 moves a predetermined distance. The storage device 5 then receives a high precision map of a predetermined area around the current position of the vehicle 10 from the map server via the wireless communication terminal. Furthermore, when the storage device 5 receives a request to read out a high precision map from the ECU 6, the storage device 5 extracts an area that includes the current position of the vehicle 10 and is relatively smaller than the predetermined area from the high precision map stored therein, and outputs the extracted area to the ECU 6 via the in-vehicle network.

[0029] The ECU 6 is capable of performing automatic driving control for the vehicle 10. In particular, the ECU 6 executes lane change control from the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling to an adjacent lane adjacent to the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling. The lane change control also includes merging control.

[0030] 2, the ECU 6 includes a communication interface 21, a memory 22, and a processor 23. The communication interface 21, the memory 22, and the processor 23 may be configured as separate circuits, or may be integrated into a single integrated circuit.

[0031] The communication interface 21 has an interface circuit for connecting the ECU 6 to the in-vehicle network. Each time the communication interface 21 receives positioning information from the GPS receiver 2, it passes the positioning information to the processor 23. Each time the communication interface 21 receives an image from the camera 3-1 or 3-2, it passes the received image to the processor 23. Furthermore, the communication interface 21 passes a high-precision map read from the storage device 5 to the processor 23. Furthermore, the communication interface 21 outputs information or a signal to the user interface 4 received from the processor 23 to the user interface 4 via the in-vehicle network. Furthermore, each time the communication interface 21 receives a signal indicating a predetermined operation by the driver from the user interface 4, it passes the signal to the processor 23.

[0032] The memory 22 is another example of a storage unit and includes, for example, a volatile semiconductor memory and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory. The memory 22 stores various data used in the vehicle control process executed by the processor 23 of the ECU 6. For example, the memory 22 stores an interruption condition for determining whether to interrupt lane change control and a control flag indicating the type of control to be performed when the interruption condition is satisfied. The control flag is an example of control information. The memory 22 also stores a high-precision map read from the storage device 5. The memory 22 also temporarily stores images received from the camera 3-1 or 3-2 and positioning information received from the GPS receiver 2. The memory 22 also temporarily stores various data generated during the vehicle control process. Such data includes a count value indicating the number of operations performed by the driver during a specific control and the number of times a specific control is executed.

[0033] The processor 23 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs) and their peripheral circuits. The processor 23 may further include other arithmetic circuits such as a logic unit, a numerical calculation unit, or a graphics processing unit. The processor 23 executes vehicle control processing for the vehicle 10.

[0034] 3 is a functional block diagram of processor 23 related to vehicle control processing. Processor 23 has a lane change determination unit 31, a detection unit 32, a control unit 33, a determination unit 34, an interruption instruction unit 35, and a change unit 36. Each of these units in processor 23 is a functional module realized by, for example, a computer program running on processor 23. Alternatively, each of these units in processor 23 may be a dedicated arithmetic circuit provided in processor 23.

[0035] In the following, a case where merging control is applied when the own lane merges into an adjacent lane (first embodiment) and a case where lane change control is applied when a predetermined condition is satisfied regardless of whether the own lane merges into an adjacent lane (second embodiment) will be described. Note that merging control is an example of lane change control.

[0036] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment in which merging control is applied will be described.

[0037] The lane change determination unit 31 determines whether to apply merging control to the vehicle 10. To do so, the lane change determination unit 31 sets the position of the vehicle 10 indicated by the latest positioning information as the current position of the vehicle 10. The lane change determination unit 31 also identifies the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 based on a change in the position of the vehicle 10 indicated by the most recent multiple pieces of positioning information, or based on a sensor signal indicating the orientation of the vehicle 10 received by the ECU 6 from an orientation sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10. The lane change determination unit 31 then refers to a high-precision map to identify a road including the current position of the vehicle 10 as the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. Furthermore, the lane change determination unit 31 refers to the high-precision map to determine whether there is a merging point where the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling merges with another road within a section up to a predetermined distance (e.g., several hundred meters) from the current position of the vehicle 10 in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10. If a merging point exists, the lane change determination unit 31 determines that a predetermined condition for applying merging control is satisfied. The lane change determination unit 31 then determines to apply merging control to the vehicle 10. Furthermore, the lane change determination unit 31 refers to the high-precision map and determines whether the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling will merge with the merging destination road from the left or right at the merging point. On the other hand, if there is no merging point within a section up to a predetermined distance (e.g., several hundred meters) from the current position of the vehicle 10, the lane change determination unit 31 determines not to apply merging control to the vehicle 10 at that time.

[0038] When the lane change determination unit 31 determines that merging control should be applied to the vehicle 10, it notifies the detection unit 32, the control unit 33, the determination unit 34, the interrupt instruction unit 35, and the change unit 36 ​​of the determination result and the direction (right or left) of the road to merge into as seen from the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0039] The detection unit 32 detects other vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10 (hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, referred to as peripheral vehicles). Furthermore, the detection unit 32 detects the relative position and relative speed between the peripheral vehicles and the vehicle 10. In particular, the detection unit 32 detects the relative position and relative speed between the vehicle 10 and peripheral vehicles traveling in an adjacent lane (hereinafter, sometimes simply referred to as an adjacent lane) into which the vehicle's own lane merges. To this end, the detection unit 32 detects peripheral vehicles by inputting images acquired from the cameras 3-1 and 3-2 into a classifier. As such a classifier, the detection unit 32 may use a deep neural network (DNN) with a convolutional neural network (CNN)-type architecture, such as a Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD) or Faster R-CNN. Alternatively, the detection unit 32 may use a DNN with a self-attention network (SAN)-type architecture as such a classifier. Alternatively, the detection unit 32 may use a classifier based on another machine learning method, such as an AdaBoost classifier. Such a classifier is trained in advance according to a predetermined learning method, such as backpropagation, using a large number of training images depicting vehicles, so as to detect surrounding vehicles from images. The classifier outputs information that identifies an object region including the detected surrounding vehicle in the input image and information that indicates the type of the detected surrounding vehicle (e.g., passenger car, large vehicle, motorcycle, etc.).

[0040] If a nearby vehicle is detected, the detection unit 32 determines whether the nearby vehicle is traveling in an adjacent lane. The position of the bottom edge of the object area including the nearby vehicle is assumed to represent the position where the nearby vehicle is in contact with the road surface. Furthermore, the position on the image corresponds one-to-one with the orientation as viewed from the camera that generated the image. Therefore, the detection unit 32 can estimate the distance from the camera to the nearby vehicle and the orientation from the vehicle 10 to the nearby vehicle by referring to the position of the bottom edge of the object area on the image and parameters such as the installation height and shooting direction of the camera that generated the image. Alternatively, the detection unit 32 may estimate the distance from the camera that generated the image to the nearby vehicle based on the reference number of pixels on the image when the inter-vehicle distance is a reference distance, which corresponds to the reference vehicle width corresponding to the vehicle type of the nearby vehicle, and the horizontal width of the object area including the nearby vehicle.

[0041] Furthermore, if the vehicle 10 is equipped with a distance measurement sensor (not shown), the detection unit 32 may detect surrounding vehicles based on the distance measurement signal. In this case, the detection unit 32 may detect surrounding vehicles by inputting the distance measurement signal to a classifier that has been trained in advance to detect surrounding vehicles from the distance measurement signal. The detection unit 32 may use a DNN with a CNN or SAN architecture as the classifier that detects surrounding vehicles from the distance measurement signal. Alternatively, the detection unit 32 may detect surrounding vehicles using other methods for detecting surrounding vehicles from the distance measurement signal. In this case, the detection unit 32 may determine the direction in which the surrounding vehicle was detected in the distance measurement signal as the direction from the vehicle 10 to the surrounding vehicle. Furthermore, the detection unit 32 may determine the distance indicated in the distance measurement signal for that direction as the estimated distance from the vehicle 10 to the surrounding vehicle.

[0042] Based on the estimated direction and distance, the detection unit 32 estimates the distance from the vehicle 10 to the surrounding vehicle along a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 (hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, referred to as the lateral distance). If the lateral distance is within a predetermined distance range corresponding to the width of the adjacent lane at the current position of the vehicle 10, and the direction from the vehicle 10 to the surrounding vehicle is the same as the direction of the adjacent lane into which the vehicle 10 will merge with respect to the own lane, the detection unit 32 determines that the surrounding vehicle is traveling in the adjacent lane. For example, if the own lane merges into an adjacent lane adjacent to the right, the detection unit 32 determines that the surrounding vehicle, which is located to the right of the vehicle 10 and has a lateral distance within the predetermined distance range, is traveling in the adjacent lane. The detection unit 32 may identify the predetermined distance range at the current position of the vehicle 10 by referring to a high-precision map.

[0043] Alternatively, the detection unit 32 may input the image into a classifier to detect lane markings shown in the image along with surrounding vehicles. In this case, the classifier is trained in advance so that it can also detect lane markings. The detection unit 32 then identifies, in the direction (right or left) of the merging destination, an area sandwiched between two lane markings in order from the one closest to the position of the vehicle 10 on the image, as an area showing an adjacent lane on the image. If the bottom edge of the object area showing the surrounding vehicle is included in the area corresponding to the adjacent lane, the detection unit 32 may determine that the surrounding vehicle is traveling in the adjacent lane.

[0044] The detection unit 32 performs the above processing on a series of time-series images generated by the camera 3-1 or the camera 3-2 or a series of time-series ranging signals generated by the ranging sensor, thereby estimating the relative positions of the surrounding vehicles with respect to the vehicle 10 at the time of generating each image or each ranging signal. Furthermore, the detection unit 32 obtains a change in the relative positions of the surrounding vehicles with respect to the vehicle 10 from the relative positions of the surrounding vehicles with respect to the vehicle 10 at the time of generating each of the time-series images or ranging signals during the most recent fixed period, and estimates the relative speed of the surrounding vehicles with respect to the vehicle 10 based on the change in the relative positions.

[0045] If multiple surrounding vehicles are detected, the detection unit 32 may track each of the surrounding vehicles over a series of time-series images or a series of time-series ranging signals by applying a predetermined tracking method such as KLT tracking. Then, the detection unit 32 may estimate the relative position and relative speed of each surrounding vehicle with respect to the vehicle 10.

[0046] The detection unit 32 notifies the control unit 33 and the determination unit 34 of the relative position and relative speed of each nearby vehicle determined to be traveling in the adjacent lane at the merging destination with respect to the vehicle 10.

[0047] When the control unit 33 is notified by the lane change determination unit 31 of the determination result that merging control should be applied to the vehicle 10, the control unit 33 executes merging control and causes the vehicle 10 to enter the adjacent lane. Furthermore, when the control unit 33 is instructed by the interruption instruction unit 35 to interrupt the merging control while the merging control is being executed, the control unit 33 interrupts the merging control and executes the control instructed by the interruption instruction unit 35 (stop control or continuation control).

[0048] When the control unit 33 executes merging control, it refers to the high-precision map and identifies a section (hereinafter referred to as a merging section) located ahead in the traveling direction of the vehicle 10 where the vehicle 10 can change lanes from the current lane to an adjacent lane. The control unit 33 then sets a planned driving route for the vehicle 10 to move from the current lane to the adjacent lane in the merging section. Once the planned driving route is set, the control unit 33 controls each section of the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 travels along the planned driving route. To this end, the control unit 33 measures the position of the vehicle 10 at predetermined intervals and compares the measured position of the vehicle 10 with the planned driving route. The control unit 33 may measure the exact position of the vehicle 10 by comparing an image acquired by the camera 3-1 or the camera 3-2 with the high-precision map. If the measured position of the vehicle 10 is on the planned driving route, the control unit 33 determines a steering angle of the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 travels along the planned driving route, and controls the steering of the vehicle 10 to achieve the determined steering angle. Furthermore, if the measured position of the vehicle 10 is far from the planned driving route, the control unit 33 determines the steering angle of the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 approaches the planned driving route, and controls the steering of the vehicle 10 to achieve the determined steering angle.

[0049] Furthermore, when there is a nearby vehicle traveling in front of or to the side of vehicle 10 in an adjacent lane, control unit 33 sets the acceleration / deceleration of vehicle 10 so that the distance between vehicle 10 and the nearby vehicle is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance threshold when vehicle 10 enters the adjacent lane. In this case, control unit 33 refers to the relative position and relative speed of vehicle 10 relative to the nearby vehicle detected by detection unit 32. Then, if the distance between vehicle 10 and the nearby vehicle in the traveling direction of vehicle 10, which is determined from the relative positions of vehicle 10 and the nearby vehicle, is less than the distance threshold, control unit 33 decelerates vehicle 10 based on the relative speed so that the speed of vehicle 10 is lower than the speed of the nearby vehicle. Furthermore, if the distance between vehicle 10 and the nearby vehicle in the traveling direction of vehicle 10 is equal to or greater than the distance threshold, control unit 33 sets the acceleration / deceleration based on the relative speed so that the speed of vehicle 10 is equal to or lower than the speed of the nearby vehicle.

[0050] The control unit 33 sets the accelerator opening or braking amount according to the set acceleration / deceleration. The control unit 33 calculates the fuel injection amount according to the set accelerator opening, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the fuel injection amount to a fuel injection device of the engine of the vehicle 10. Alternatively, the control unit 33 calculates the amount of power to be supplied to the motor according to the set accelerator opening, and controls the motor drive circuit so that the amount of power is supplied to the motor. Alternatively, the control unit 33 outputs a control signal corresponding to the set braking amount to the brake of the vehicle 10.

[0051] When the vehicle 10 is traveling completely in the adjacent lane, the control unit 33 ends the merging control.

[0052] When measuring the exact position of the vehicle 10, the control unit 33 assumes the position and attitude of the vehicle 10 and projects features on or around the road detected from the image onto the high-precision map, or projects features on or around the road around the vehicle 10 shown on the high-precision map onto the image. Note that features on or around the road may be, for example, road markings such as lane markings or stop lines, or curbs. The control unit 33 then estimates the position and attitude of the vehicle 10 when the features detected from the image most closely match the features shown on the high-precision map as the actual self-position of the vehicle 10.

[0053] The control unit 33 may determine the position at which the feature is projected on the high-precision map or image using the assumed initial values ​​of the position and attitude of the vehicle 10 and parameters of the camera that generated the image, such as the focal length, installation height, and shooting direction. Note that the initial values ​​of the position and attitude of the vehicle 10 are the latest position of the vehicle 10 measured by the GPS receiver 2, or the previously measured position and attitude of the vehicle 10 corrected using odometry information. The control unit 33 then calculates the degree of match between the feature on or around the road detected from the image and the corresponding feature shown on the map (for example, the inverse of the sum of the squares of the distances between the corresponding feature).

[0054] The control unit 33 repeats the above process while changing the assumed position and attitude of the vehicle 10. Then, the control unit 33 estimates the assumed position and attitude when the degree of match is greatest as the actual self-position of the vehicle 10.

[0055] The control unit 33 may detect features by inputting the image to a classifier that has been trained in advance to detect the features to be detected from the image. As such a classifier, the control unit 33 may use a classifier similar to the classifier used to detect nearby vehicles, as described in the detection unit 32. Alternatively, the classifier used by the detection unit 32 may detect not only nearby vehicles but also features.

[0056] Furthermore, when the interruption instructing unit 35 instructs the control unit 33 to interrupt the merging control, the control unit 33 interrupts the execution of the merging control. Furthermore, when the interruption instructing unit 35 instructs the control unit 33 to execute stop control to stop the vehicle 10 in its own lane, the control unit 33 executes stop control. In this case, the control unit 33 refers to the accurate position of the vehicle 10 measured by comparing the image with the high-precision map and the high-precision map to determine whether the vehicle 10 remains in its own lane or whether a part of the vehicle 10 has entered the adjacent lane where the vehicle 10 will merge. If the vehicle 10 remains in its own lane, the control unit 33 decelerates the vehicle 10 at a predetermined deceleration so that the vehicle 10 stops before entering the adjacent lane. At this time, the control unit 33 may set a steering angle so that the vehicle 10 faces away from the adjacent lane, and control the steering of the vehicle 10 according to the set steering angle. Furthermore, when a part of the vehicle 10 has entered the adjacent lane where the vehicle 10 is to merge, the control unit 33 sets a steering angle so that the vehicle 10 turns in a direction returning from the adjacent lane to the own lane, and controls the steering of the vehicle 10 according to the set steering angle. The control unit 33 then decelerates the vehicle 10 at a predetermined deceleration so that the vehicle 10 stops after returning to the own lane.

[0057] Furthermore, when the interruption instruction unit 35 instructs the control unit 33 to execute continuous control to transfer driving control to the driver while continuing to move the vehicle 10 into the adjacent lane, the control unit 33 executes continuous control. In this case, the control unit 33 keeps the steering wheel as it is even when the vehicle 10 moves from its own lane to the adjacent lane along the planned driving route. The control unit 33 also notifies the driver via the user interface 4 that driving control will be transferred (driving change request). Then, when the control unit 33 detects via a touch sensor (not shown) provided on the steering wheel that the driver has held the steering wheel or that the driver has operated the accelerator or brake, the control unit 33 thereafter transfers driving control to the driver. Note that if a predetermined time has elapsed since the control unit 33 notified the driver of the driving change request, and the control unit 33 has not detected that the driver has held the steering wheel, operated the accelerator, or operated the brake, the control unit 33 may execute stop control.

[0058] Fig. 4(a) is a diagram illustrating an outline of the stop control, and Fig. 4(b) is a diagram illustrating an outline of the continuation control. In the example shown in Fig. 4(a), if a nearby vehicle 410 traveling in an adjacent lane 401 into which the vehicle 10 will merge with the lane 400 approaches the vehicle 10 so close that the interruption condition is satisfied, the merging control is interrupted. Then, the vehicle 10 is controlled to stop within the lane 400.

[0059] In contrast, in the example shown in Figure 4(b), even after merging control is interrupted due to the approach of a nearby vehicle 410, the vehicle 10 continues to enter the adjacent lane 401 from its own lane 400 while the driver takes over driving the vehicle 10.

[0060] Furthermore, if the driver performs a continuing operation to continue the vehicle 10 entering the adjacent lane while the stop control is being executed, the control unit 33 stops the execution of the stop control and thereafter controls the vehicle 10 according to the driver's operation. For example, if the steering angle of the steering wheel operated by the driver indicates a direction in which the vehicle 10 will head toward the adjacent lane where the vehicle 10 will merge, the control unit 33 determines that the driver has performed the continuing operation. Alternatively, the control unit 33 may determine that the driver has performed the continuing operation when it is detected that the driver has depressed the accelerator. Then, the control unit 33 increments by one a count (hereinafter referred to as a continuing operation count) that indicates the number of times the driver has performed the continuing operation while the stop control is being executed.

[0061] Conversely, if the driver performs a stopping operation to stop the vehicle 10 while the continuous control is being executed, the control unit 33 stops the execution of the continuous control and thereafter stops the vehicle 10 in accordance with the driver's operation. For example, when the driver presses the brake so that the brake amount is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount, the control unit 33 determines that the driver has performed a stopping operation. Then, the control unit 33 increments by one a count (hereinafter referred to as a stopping operation count) that indicates the number of times the driver has performed a stopping operation while the continuous control is being executed.

[0062] While the control unit 33 is performing merging control, the determination unit 34 determines whether or not at least one of the relative position and relative speed between the vehicle 10 and a surrounding vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane at the merging destination, as detected by the detection unit 32, satisfies a predetermined interruption condition.

[0063] For example, the determination unit 34 calculates the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and a nearby vehicle traveling behind the vehicle 10 in an adjacent lane based on the relative positions between the nearby vehicle and the vehicle 10. The determination unit 34 determines that the interruption condition is satisfied when the inter-vehicle distance becomes less than a predetermined interruption determination threshold. The determination unit 34 may also predict the inter-vehicle distance between the nearby vehicle and the vehicle 10 for a predetermined time period by applying a prediction process such as a Kalman filter to changes in the relative position between the nearby vehicle and the vehicle 10 over a recent predetermined period. The determination unit 34 may also determine that the interruption condition is satisfied when the inter-vehicle distance between the nearby vehicle and the vehicle 10 becomes less than the interruption determination threshold at any predicted time point. The interruption condition may be set as a combination of the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed between the nearby vehicle and the vehicle 10. For example, the interruption determination threshold may be set to decrease as the speed of the nearby vehicle becomes faster than the speed of the vehicle 10 and the relative speed between the nearby vehicle and the vehicle 10 increases. Furthermore, when the speed of a nearby vehicle traveling behind vehicle 10 in an adjacent lane is faster than the speed of vehicle 10 and the relative speed between the nearby vehicle and vehicle 10 is greater than a predetermined speed threshold, the determination unit 34 may determine that the interruption condition is satisfied regardless of the inter-vehicle distance between the nearby vehicle and vehicle 10. Furthermore, the determination unit 34 may calculate a predicted time until a collision between the nearby vehicle and vehicle 10 based on a predicted inter-vehicle distance between the nearby vehicle and vehicle 10. Then, when the predicted time becomes equal to or less than a predetermined time threshold, the determination unit 34 may determine that the interruption condition is satisfied.

[0064] In addition, if there are multiple surrounding vehicles traveling behind vehicle 10 in an adjacent lane, the judgment unit 34 can determine whether the interruption condition is met by performing the above processing on the surrounding vehicle closest to vehicle 10.

[0065] Furthermore, during execution of merging control, the distance between vehicle 10 and the surrounding vehicle may suddenly become shorter due to, for example, a sudden deceleration of a surrounding vehicle traveling ahead of vehicle 10. Therefore, the determination unit 34 may determine whether the interruption condition is satisfied for a surrounding vehicle traveling ahead of vehicle 10 in the same manner as described above. However, unlike the condition for a following surrounding vehicle, the condition regarding the relative speed differs from the condition for a following surrounding vehicle; the determination unit 34 may determine that the interruption condition is satisfied when the relative speed of the surrounding vehicle with respect to vehicle 10 is slower than a predetermined speed threshold. Furthermore, the interruption condition for a surrounding vehicle traveling ahead of vehicle 10 and the interruption condition for a surrounding vehicle traveling behind vehicle 10 may be set separately.

[0066] When the determination unit 34 determines that the interruption condition is satisfied, it notifies the interruption instruction unit 35 of the determination result.

[0067] When the interrupt instruction unit 35 receives a determination result from the determination unit 34 that the interrupt condition is satisfied, the interrupt instruction unit 35 refers to the control flag stored in the memory 22. The interrupt instruction unit 35 identifies the control indicated by the control flag (stop control or continuation control). The interrupt instruction unit 35 then notifies the control unit 33 of an instruction to interrupt the identified control and the merging control.

[0068] At a predetermined timing, the change unit 36 ​​refers to the continuous operation count or the stop operation count stored in the memory 22 and determines whether to change the control applied when the interruption condition is satisfied from the stop control to the continuous control, or whether to change from the continuous control to the stop control. The predetermined timing may be the timing when a predetermined time has elapsed since the merging control was completed or the merging control was interrupted. Alternatively, the predetermined timing may be the timing when a predetermined time has elapsed since a driver's operation was performed during the stop control or the continuous control executed after the merging control was interrupted, or the timing when the ignition switch of the vehicle 10 is next turned off or on.

[0069] For example, when the value of the control flag indicates that vehicle stop control is to be executed, the change unit 36 ​​refers to the continuous operation count. When the continuous operation count exceeds a predetermined number of times, the change unit 36 ​​rewrites the value of the control flag to a value indicating that vehicle stop control is to be executed. The change unit 36 ​​then resets the continuous operation count to 0. Similarly, when the value of the control flag indicates that vehicle stop control is to be executed, the change unit 36 ​​refers to the vehicle stop operation count. When the vehicle stop operation count exceeds a predetermined number of times, the change unit 36 ​​rewrites the value of the control flag to a value indicating that vehicle stop control is to be executed. The change unit 36 ​​then resets the vehicle stop operation count to 0.

[0070] Note that the change unit 36 ​​may decrease the value of the continuous operation count by a predetermined value (e.g., 0.5) each time the number of times the stop control after the interruption of the merging control is completed without being stopped by an operation of the driver increases. In this case, the change unit 36 ​​may decrease the value of the continuous operation count only when the stop control is completed multiple times in a row without being stopped by an operation of the driver. Similarly, the change unit 36 ​​may decrease the value of the stop operation count by a predetermined value each time the number of times the stop control after the interruption of the merging control is completed without being stopped by an operation of the driver increases.

[0071] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the number of driver operations and switching between stop control and continuous control when merging control is interrupted. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the number of times merging control is interrupted, and the vertical axis represents the value of the continuous operation count. Graph 500 shows changes in the value of the continuous operation count.

[0072] As shown in graph 500, when merging control is interrupted and stop control is executed, the value of the continuous operation count increases each time the driver performs a continuation operation (simply referred to as an operation in FIG. 5) to continue entering vehicle 10 into the adjacent lane at the merging destination. Conversely, when merging control is interrupted and stop control is executed, if the driver does not perform any operation, the value of the continuous operation count decreases. Then, at timing T0 when the value of the continuous operation count exceeds a predetermined number N, the control applied when merging control is interrupted is changed from stop control to continuous control.

[0073] In this way, by determining whether to apply stop control or continuous control depending on the driver's operation during stop control or continuous control, the change unit 36 ​​can adjust the behavior of the vehicle 10 when merging control is interrupted to suit the driver's preferences.

[0074] According to a modified example, when the value of the vehicle-stopping operation count becomes larger than the value of the continuous operation count plus a predetermined number of times, the change unit 36 ​​may rewrite the value of the control flag to a value indicating that the vehicle-stopping control is to be executed. Similarly, when the value of the continuous operation count becomes larger than the value of the vehicle-stopping operation count plus a predetermined number of times, the change unit 36 ​​may rewrite the value of the control flag to a value indicating that the continuous control is to be executed. In this case, even if the change unit 36 ​​rewrites the value of the control flag, it is not necessary to reset the continuous operation count and the vehicle-stopping operation count.

[0075] According to another modification, when the ratio of the continuous operation count to the number of executions of the vehicle stop control exceeds a predetermined ratio, the change unit 36 ​​may rewrite the value of the control flag to a value indicating that the vehicle stop control is to be executed. The change unit 36 ​​then resets the continuous operation count to 0. Note that, in order to prevent frequent switching between the vehicle stop control and the continuous control, it is preferable that the change unit 36 ​​does not rewrite the value of the control flag until the number of executions of the vehicle stop control exceeds a predetermined number. Similarly, when the ratio of the vehicle stop operation count to the number of executions of the continuous control exceeds a predetermined ratio, the change unit 36 ​​may rewrite the value of the control flag to a value indicating that the vehicle stop control is to be executed. The change unit 36 ​​then resets the stop operation count to 0. In this case, it is also preferable that the change unit 36 ​​does not rewrite the value of the control flag until the number of executions of the continuous control exceeds a predetermined number.

[0076] 6 is an operational flowchart of vehicle control processing according to the first embodiment. When the lane change determination unit 31 determines that merging control is to be applied, the processor 23 executes vehicle control processing related to merging control in accordance with the following operational flowchart.

[0077] The determination unit 34 of the processor 23 determines whether an interruption condition is satisfied while the control unit 33 of the processor 23 is executing merging control on the vehicle 10 (step S101). If the interruption condition is not satisfied (step S101-No), the control unit 33 determines whether the movement of the vehicle 10 to the adjacent lane at the merging destination has been completed (step S102). If the movement of the vehicle 10 to the adjacent lane has been completed (step S102-Yes), the processor 23 ends the vehicle control process. On the other hand, if the movement of the vehicle 10 to the adjacent lane has not been completed (step S102-No), the processor 23 repeats the processes from step S101 onwards.

[0078] Furthermore, if the interruption condition is satisfied in step S101 (step S101—Yes), the interruption instruction unit 35 of the processor 23 refers to the control flag and determines whether the control set for interrupting the merging control is stop control (step S103). If the set control is stop control (step S103—Yes), the control unit 33 interrupts the merging control and executes stop control to stop the vehicle 10 in the own lane (step S104). Furthermore, the control unit 33 determines whether a continuing operation by the driver to continue merging has been performed while the stop control is being executed (step S105). If a continuing operation has been performed (step S105—Yes), the control unit 33 stops the stop control and thereafter controls the vehicle 10 according to the driver's operation. Furthermore, the control unit 33 increments the value of a continuing operation count CC by 1 (step S106).

[0079] After step S106, the change unit 36 ​​of the processor 23 determines whether the value of the continuous operation count CC exceeds the predetermined number of times ThN (step S107). If the value of the continuous operation count CC exceeds the predetermined number of times ThN (step S107-Yes), the change unit 36 ​​rewrites the value of the control flag so as to change the control to be applied the next time the merging control is interrupted to continuous control (step S108). After step S108, or if the value of the continuous operation count CC does not exceed the predetermined number of times ThN (step S107-No), the processor 23 ends the vehicle control process. Furthermore, if a continuous operation is not being performed in step S105 (step S105-No), the processor 23 also ends the vehicle control process.

[0080] Furthermore, in step S103, if the set control is the continuous control (step S103-No), the control unit 33 interrupts the merging control and executes the continuous control so that the vehicle 10 continues to enter the adjacent lane while transferring driving control of the vehicle 10 to the driver (step S109). Furthermore, the control unit 33 determines whether or not the driver has performed a stopping operation to stop the vehicle 10 while the continuous control is being executed (step S110). If a stopping operation has been performed (step S110-Yes), the control unit 33 stops the continuous control and thereafter controls the vehicle 10 according to the driver's operation. Furthermore, the control unit 33 increments the value of the stopping operation count SC by 1 (step S111).

[0081] After step S111, the change unit 36 ​​of the processor 23 determines whether the value of the stopping operation count SC exceeds the predetermined number of times ThN (step S112). If the value of the stopping operation count SC exceeds the predetermined number of times ThN (step S112-Yes), the change unit 36 ​​rewrites the value of the control flag so as to change the control to be applied when the next merging control is interrupted to stopping control (step S113). After step S113, or if the value of the stopping operation count SC does not exceed the predetermined number of times ThN (step S112-No), the processor 23 ends the vehicle control process. Furthermore, if a stopping operation is not performed in step S110 (step S110-No), the processor 23 also ends the vehicle control process.

[0082] As described above, the vehicle control device according to the first embodiment sets the control to be applied, either the continuation control or the stop control, in accordance with the driver's operation during execution of the continuation control or the stop control after the merge control is interrupted. Therefore, this vehicle control device can adjust the behavior of the vehicle when the merge control is interrupted to suit the driver's preference. Therefore, this vehicle control device can appropriately determine whether to continue the control to change the lane in which the vehicle is traveling.

[0083] According to a modified example, a control to be applied when merging control is interrupted may be set for each of the predetermined possible situations around the vehicle 10. In this case, the memory 22 stores a control flag, a stop operation count, and a continuation operation count for each of the predetermined possible situations around the vehicle 10. For example, different controls may be set for when the nearby vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane of the merging destination is a large vehicle and when the nearby vehicle is a non-large vehicle. In this case, the memory 22 stores a control flag for each vehicle type of the nearby vehicle. The interrupt instruction unit 35 may then refer to the control flag corresponding to the vehicle type of the nearby vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane of the merging destination, detected by the detection unit 32, and determine whether the control to be applied is stop control or continuation control. Note that when multiple nearby vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane of the merging destination are detected, the interrupt instruction unit 35 may refer to the control flag corresponding to the vehicle type of the nearby vehicle closest to the vehicle 10.

[0084] The change unit 36 ​​may count the stopping operation count and the continuing operation count for each vehicle type of the surrounding vehicles, and may compare the value of the stopping operation count or the value of the continuing operation count with a predetermined number of times for each vehicle type of the surrounding vehicles to determine whether to change the control applied when the merging control is interrupted.

[0085] Similarly, the control to be applied when the merging control is interrupted may be individually set depending on the speed of vehicle 10 when the merging control is being executed, the speed of surrounding vehicles, the speed of vehicles following vehicle 10, the lane width of the vehicle's own lane or adjacent lane, the time period during which the merging control is being executed, weather, etc. For example, the control to be applied when the merging control is interrupted may be individually set when the speed of vehicle 10 when the merging control is being executed is 30 km / h or less and when the speed is higher than 30 km / h. In this case, the interrupt instruction unit 35 may refer to a control flag corresponding to the speed of vehicle 10 measured by a vehicle speed sensor (not shown) mounted on vehicle 10. Similarly, the control unit 33 and the change unit 36 ​​may refer to the stop operation count or the continuous operation count corresponding to the speed of vehicle 10 measured by the vehicle speed sensor. Furthermore, when control that is applied individually depending on the speed of the surrounding vehicle or the following vehicle is set, the control unit 33, the interruption instruction unit 35, and the change unit 36 ​​may calculate the speed of the surrounding vehicle or the following vehicle based on the speed of the vehicle 10 measured by the vehicle speed sensor and the relative speed between the surrounding vehicle or the following vehicle and the vehicle 10. The interruption instruction unit 35 may identify, as the following vehicle, a surrounding vehicle that is displayed in an area on the image corresponding to the area directly behind the vehicle 10, among the surrounding vehicles detected from the image generated by the camera 3-2. Furthermore, the control unit 33, the interruption instruction unit 35, and the change unit 36 ​​may identify the lane width of the own lane or the adjacent lane to be merged into by referring to the latest position of the vehicle 10 measured by the GPS receiver 2 and the high-precision map. Furthermore, the control unit 33, the interrupt instruction unit 35, and the change unit 36 ​​may determine the weather around the vehicle 10 when the merging control is executed based on weather information about the current location of the vehicle 10 received via a wireless communication terminal (not shown), or the detection results of a rainfall sensor (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 10.

[0086] According to this modification, the interruption instruction unit 35 and the change unit 36 ​​can appropriately set the control to be applied when the merging control is interrupted, depending not only on the driver's preferences but also on the situation around the vehicle 10.

[0087] According to another modification, the control unit 33 may change the increment of the continuation operation count for the driver's continuation operation or the stop operation count for the stop operation depending on the circumstances around the vehicle 10 when the operation is performed. For example, if the nearby vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane of the merging destination is a large vehicle or a motorcycle, the change unit 36 ​​sets the increment of the continuation operation count or the stop operation count to a value smaller than normal (e.g., 0.5) or to 0. Furthermore, if the applied control is set to stop control and a following vehicle is present behind the vehicle 10 when the merging control is interrupted, the change unit 36 ​​may set the increment of the continuation operation count to a value smaller than normal or to 0. Furthermore, if the road including the adjacent lane of the merging destination has two or more lanes, the change unit 36 ​​may also set the increment of the continuation operation count or the stop operation count to a value smaller than normal or to 0. In this case, the change unit 36 ​​may determine whether the road including the adjacent lane of the merging destination has two or more lanes by referring to the current position of the vehicle 10 and the high-precision map.

[0088] This modification reduces the impact of the driver performing an operation that differs from his or her original preference due to the circumstances around the vehicle 10. Therefore, the change unit 36 ​​can prevent the control applied when the merging control is interrupted from being changed in a way that does not suit the driver's preference.

[0089] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment or each modification, the stop control or the continuous control may be set for each region as an initial setting of the control to be applied when the merging control is interrupted. This is because the shape of the road in the merging section varies depending on the region, or the driving habits of typical drivers vary depending on the region. Therefore, the interrupt instruction unit 35 can appropriately set the control to be applied, either the stop control or the continuous control, depending on the region by applying the control that is initially set to be consistent with the shape of the road in the merging section or the driving habits.

[0090] 7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams showing an example of the initial settings of the stop control and the continuation control according to this modified example. In the example shown in FIG. 7(a), the shoulder 701a beyond the merging section where the own lane 700 merges into the adjacent lane 701 is narrow. Therefore, as an initial setting of control to be executed when merging control is interrupted due to the approach of a nearby vehicle 710, stop control is set so that the vehicle 10 stops within the own lane 700. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 7(b), the shoulder 701b beyond the merging section where the own lane 700 merges into the adjacent lane 701 has enough space for the vehicle 10 to travel. Therefore, even if the nearby vehicle 710 approaches the vehicle 10, it is possible to maintain a certain distance between the nearby vehicle 710 and the vehicle 10. Therefore, as an initial setting of control to be executed when merging control is interrupted due to the approach of the nearby vehicle 710, continuation control is set so that the vehicle 10 continues entering the adjacent lane 701 while a driver is handed over to another driver.

[0091] In this case, a reference table indicating the relationship between regions and control flag values ​​is stored in advance in the memory 22. This reference table is an example of region information. The interrupt instruction unit 35 then refers to this reference table to identify a region including the current location of the vehicle 10 measured by the GPS receiver 2, and sets the control to be applied, either the stop control or the continuation control, according to the value of the control flag set for the identified region. A stop operation flag and a continuation operation flag may also be prepared for each region. The change unit 36 ​​then refers to the stop operation flag and the continuation operation flag corresponding to the region including the current location of the vehicle 10, and changes the control to be set for each region in response to the driver's operation. Note that the individual regions shown in the reference table are defined, for example, by country, region, road type (motorway, general road, etc.), or road section. According to this modification, the control to be applied for each region is set in advance, so there is no need to change the control to be applied in response to the driver's operation. Therefore, in this modification, the processing of the change unit 36 ​​may be omitted.

[0092] <Second embodiment> Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the second embodiment, when an interruption condition is satisfied during execution of lane change control for changing the lane in which the vehicle 10 is traveling, other than merging control, the ECU 6 interrupts the lane change control. The ECU 6 then adjusts the interruption condition in accordance with the driver's operation before and after the interruption condition is satisfied.

[0093] In the following, only the differences between the processing performed in the second embodiment and the processing performed in the first embodiment will be described. For details of other processing, please refer to the description of the corresponding processing in the first embodiment.

[0094] The lane change determination unit 31 determines whether a predetermined condition for applying lane change control other than merging control to the vehicle 10 is satisfied. For example, when the driver operates a turn signal, the lane change determination unit 31 determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied. The lane change determination unit 31 then determines to apply lane change control to an adjacent lane adjacent to the vehicle's own lane in the direction indicated by the turn signal. Alternatively, the lane change determination unit 31 may determine that the predetermined condition is satisfied and determine to apply lane change control when the vehicle's own lane and a lane heading toward the vehicle's destination are different, when the vehicle is overtaking a preceding vehicle, or when the vehicle is returning from an overtaking lane to the driving lane.

[0095] To determine whether the vehicle's own lane and the lane heading toward the destination of the vehicle 10 are different, the lane change determination unit 31 refers to the driving route to the destination of the vehicle 10, the current position of the vehicle 10, and a high-precision map, all of which are received by the ECU 6 from a navigation device (not shown). The lane change determination unit 31 then determines whether a branch point exists at which a lane heading toward the destination branches off from the road on which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling, within a section a predetermined distance from the current position of the vehicle 10. If a branch point exists, the lane change determination unit 31 determines whether the vehicle's own lane and the lane heading toward the destination are different. If the vehicle's own lane and the lane heading toward the destination are different, the lane change determination unit 31 determines to apply lane change control at least once, with the lane heading toward the destination being the target lane. As described for the control unit 33 in the first embodiment, the lane change determination unit 31 measures the exact position of the vehicle 10 by comparing the image generated by the camera 3-1 or the camera 3-2 with the high-precision map, and identifies the lane shown on the high-precision map that includes the measured position of the vehicle 10 as the vehicle's own lane.

[0096] Furthermore, when the speed of the vehicle 10 becomes equal to or less than a predetermined speed threshold and the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle 10 remains equal to or less than a predetermined distance for a predetermined period of time, the lane change determination unit 31 determines to apply lane change control to overtake the preceding vehicle. The predetermined period of time may be, for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds. In this case, the lane change determination unit 31 preferably sets an overtaking lane among lanes adjacent to the vehicle's own lane as the target lane to which the vehicle 10 will be changed. The lane change determination unit 31 may identify, as the preceding vehicle, a nearby vehicle that is represented in an object region located within a range corresponding to the front of the vehicle 10 on the image generated by the camera 3-1, among the nearby vehicles detected by the detection unit 32. The predetermined speed threshold is set to, for example, the legal speed or speed limit of the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling, minus a predetermined offset value (for example, 10 km / h to 20 km / h). Therefore, the lane change determination unit 31 may set the speed threshold by referring to the current position of the vehicle 10 and the high-precision map to identify the legal speed or the speed limit of the road on which the vehicle 10 is currently traveling. Furthermore, the lane change determination unit 31 may determine the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle based on the relative positional relationship between the vehicle 10 and the preceding vehicle detected by the detection unit 32.

[0097] Furthermore, if the vehicle 10's own lane is an overtaking lane and the vehicle 10 has been traveling in the overtaking lane for a recent predetermined period, the lane change determination unit 31 determines to apply lane change control to return the vehicle 10 to the driving lane. The lane change determination unit 31 may determine whether the vehicle 10's own lane is an overtaking lane by referring to a high-precision map. In this case, the lane change determination unit 31 sets one of the driving lanes on the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling as a target lane to which the vehicle 10 will be changed.

[0098] When the lane change determination unit 31 determines that lane change control should be applied to the vehicle 10, it notifies the detection unit 32, the control unit 33, the determination unit 34, the interrupt instruction unit 35, and the change unit 36 ​​of the determination result and the direction (right or left) of the adjacent lane to be changed to as viewed from the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling.

[0099] Similar to the detection unit 32 in the first embodiment, the detection unit 32 detects surrounding vehicles traveling around the vehicle 10 and detects the relative position and relative speed between the detected surrounding vehicles and the vehicle 10. In particular, the detection unit 32 detects the relative position and relative speed between the vehicle 10 and a surrounding vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane that is a target for a lane change.

[0100] When lane change control is applied, the control unit 33 generates a planned driving route for moving from the vehicle's own lane to an adjacent lane to which the vehicle 10 is to change, similar to the merging control in the first embodiment, and controls each unit of the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 travels along the planned driving route. Note that in this embodiment, the control unit 33 only needs to generate the planned driving route so that the vehicle 10 enters the adjacent lane within a section from the current position of the vehicle 10 up to a predetermined distance ahead. Then, when the vehicle 10 is traveling completely in the adjacent lane, the control unit 33 ends the lane change control.

[0101] Furthermore, when the interruption instruction unit 35 instructs the control unit 33 to interrupt the lane change control before the lane change control is completed, the control unit 33 interrupts the execution of the lane change control. The control unit 33 then controls each unit of the vehicle 10 so that the vehicle 10 continues traveling in the own lane. At this time, the control unit 33 may control the steering in the same way as when the stop control in the first embodiment is executed.

[0102] Furthermore, if the driver performs an operation to continue lane change control after the lane change control is interrupted, the control unit 33 thereafter controls the vehicle 10 in accordance with the driver's operation. For example, if the steering angle of the driver indicates a direction in which the vehicle 10 is heading toward the adjacent lane to which the lane change control is to be changed, the control unit 33 determines that the driver has performed a continuing operation to continue the lane change control. Alternatively, the control unit 33 may determine that the driver has performed a continuing operation when it detects that the driver has depressed the accelerator. The control unit 33 then updates the continuing operation count (hereinafter referred to as the continuing operation count) representing the number of times the driver has performed the continuing operation by incrementing the count by one, and stores the updated value of the continuing operation count in the memory 22.

[0103] Conversely, if the driver performs an interruption operation to interrupt the lane change control during execution of the lane change control, the control unit 33 controls each unit of the vehicle 10 to continue traveling in the current lane, as in the case where the interruption instruction unit 35 has instructed the vehicle 10 to interrupt the lane change control. Alternatively, the control unit 33 may control the vehicle 10 in accordance with the driver's operation. For example, if the steering angle of the steering wheel by the driver indicates a direction in which the vehicle 10 will remain in the current lane, the control unit 33 determines that the driver has performed the interruption operation. Alternatively, if the driver applies pressure to the brakes to a predetermined braking amount or greater, the control unit 33 determines that the driver has performed the interruption operation. Alternatively, if the driver performs an operation to interrupt the lane change operation via the user interface 4, the control unit 33 also determines that the driver has performed the interruption operation. The control unit 33 then updates the interruption operation count (hereinafter referred to as the interruption operation count) representing the number of times the driver has performed the interruption operation during execution of the lane change control by incrementing the count by one, and stores the updated value of the interruption operation count in the memory 22.

[0104] As in the first embodiment, the determination unit 34 determines whether or not at least one of the relative position and relative speed between the vehicle 10 and the surrounding vehicles satisfies an interruption condition while lane change control is being performed. If it determines that the interruption condition is satisfied, it notifies the interruption instruction unit 35 of the determination result. If the interruption instruction unit 35 is notified of the determination result that the interruption condition is satisfied, it instructs the control unit 33 to interrupt the lane change control.

[0105] At a predetermined timing, the change unit 36 ​​determines whether to change the interruption condition by referring to the continuation operation count or the interruption operation count stored in the memory 22. The predetermined timing may be the timing when a predetermined time has elapsed since the completion of lane change control or the interruption of lane change control.

[0106] For example, when the continuous operation count exceeds a predetermined number, the change unit 36 ​​changes the interruption condition to make it stricter. In this case, for example, the change unit 36 ​​reduces the time threshold for the predicted time until a collision between the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle 10 by a predetermined amount. Alternatively, the change unit 36 ​​reduces the interruption determination threshold for the inter-vehicle distance between the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle 10 by a predetermined amount. Alternatively, the change unit 36 ​​increases the speed threshold for the relative speed between the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle 10 by a predetermined amount. By changing the interruption determination condition in this manner, the lane change control becomes less likely to be interrupted as the number of operations by the driver to continue the lane change control increases. Therefore, the timing at which the lane change control is interrupted becomes later. As a result, the timing at which the lane change control is interrupted approaches the timing preferred by the driver.

[0107] After the continuous operation count exceeds a predetermined number, the change unit 36 ​​may further tighten the interruption conditions each time the value of the continuous operation count increases by a predetermined number of additional changes (e.g., one to several times). That is, each time the value of the continuous operation count increases by a predetermined number of additional changes, the change unit 36 ​​decreases the time threshold or the interruption determination threshold by a predetermined amount, or increases the speed threshold by a predetermined amount. However, it is preferable that the change unit 36 ​​does not change the interruption conditions to be stricter than the interruption conditions required to ensure the safety of the vehicle 10. Therefore, regardless of the value of the continuous operation count, the change unit 36 ​​does not change the time threshold and the interruption determination threshold to values ​​smaller than their lower limit values. Similarly, the change unit 36 ​​does not change the speed threshold to a value larger than its upper limit value.

[0108] 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the continuous operation count and a time threshold, which is an example of an interruption condition. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents the value of the continuous operation count, and the vertical axis represents the time threshold. Graph 800 shows the relationship between the value of the continuous operation count and the time threshold.

[0109] As shown in graph 800, the time threshold is kept constant until the value of the continuous operation count exceeds a predetermined number N. Thereafter, the time threshold decreases each time the value of the continuous operation count increases. However, once the time threshold reaches its lower limit ThL, the time threshold is kept constant thereafter even if the value of the continuous operation count increases.

[0110] Furthermore, when the interruption operation count exceeds a predetermined number, the change unit 36 ​​changes the interruption condition to relax the interruption condition. In this case, for example, the change unit 36 ​​increases the time threshold for the predicted time until a collision between the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle 10 by a predetermined amount. Alternatively, the change unit 36 ​​increases the interruption determination threshold for the inter-vehicle distance between the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle 10 by a predetermined amount. Alternatively, the change unit 36 ​​decreases the speed threshold for the relative speed between the surrounding vehicle and the vehicle 10 by a predetermined amount. By changing the interruption determination condition in this manner, the lane change control becomes more likely to be interrupted as the number of operations by the driver to interrupt the lane change control increases. Therefore, the timing at which the lane change control is interrupted becomes earlier. As a result, the timing at which the lane change control is interrupted approaches the timing preferred by the driver.

[0111] After the interruption operation count exceeds a predetermined number, the change unit 36 ​​may further relax the interruption condition each time the value of the interruption operation count increases by a predetermined number of additional changes (e.g., one to several times). That is, each time the value of the interruption operation count increases by a predetermined number of additional changes, the change unit 36 ​​increases the time threshold or the interruption determination threshold by a predetermined amount, or decreases the speed threshold by a predetermined amount. However, in order to avoid lane change control becoming excessively prone to interruption, it is preferable that the change unit 36 ​​does not change the time threshold or the interruption determination threshold to a value greater than its upper limit. Similarly, it is preferable that the change unit 36 ​​does not change the speed threshold to a value less than its lower limit.

[0112] According to a modified example, the change unit 36 ​​may change the interruption condition to be stricter when the value of the continued operation count becomes larger than the sum of the value of the interruption operation count and a predetermined number of times. Conversely, the change unit 36 ​​may change the interruption condition to be looser when the value of the interruption operation count becomes larger than the sum of the value of the continued operation count and a predetermined number of times.

[0113] According to another modification, the modification unit 36 ​​may modify the interruption condition to be stricter when the ratio of the continuation operation count to the number of times lane change control is interrupted exceeds a predetermined ratio. Furthermore, the modification unit 36 ​​may modify the interruption condition to be stricter as the ratio of the continuation operation count to the number of times lane change control is interrupted increases. Furthermore, the modification unit 36 ​​may modify the interruption condition to be more relaxed when the ratio of the interruption operation count to the number of times lane change control is performed exceeds a predetermined ratio. Furthermore, the modification unit 36 ​​may modify the interruption condition to be more relaxed as the ratio of the interruption operation count to the number of times lane change control is performed increases.

[0114] 9 is an operational flowchart of vehicle control processing according to the second embodiment. When the lane change determination unit 31 determines that lane change control is to be applied, the processor 23 executes vehicle control processing related to lane change control in accordance with the following operational flowchart.

[0115] The determination unit 34 of the processor 23 determines whether an interruption condition is satisfied while the control unit 33 of the processor 23 is executing lane change control for the vehicle 10 (step S201). If the interruption condition is not satisfied (step S201-No), the control unit 33 determines whether the driver has performed an interruption operation to interrupt the lane change control (step S202). If an interruption operation has not been performed (step S202-No), the control unit 33 determines whether movement of the vehicle 10 to the adjacent lane to which the vehicle 10 is to be changed has been completed (step S203-Yes). If movement of the vehicle 10 to the adjacent lane has been completed (step S203-Yes), the processor 23 ends the vehicle control processing related to the lane change control. On the other hand, if movement of the vehicle 10 to the adjacent lane has not been completed (step S203-No), the processor 23 repeats the processing from step S201 onwards.

[0116] In step S202, if an interruption operation is performed (step S202-Yes), control unit 33 interrupts the lane change control and controls vehicle 10 to continue traveling in the own lane (step S204). Furthermore, control unit 33 increments the value of interruption operation count IC by 1 (step S205). Then, change unit 36 ​​changes the interruption condition to be applied from the next time onwards, depending on the value of interruption operation count IC, so as to ease the interruption condition (step S206). Thereafter, processor 23 ends the vehicle control process related to lane change control.

[0117] Furthermore, if the interruption condition is satisfied in step S201 (step S201-Yes), control unit 33 interrupts the lane change control and controls vehicle 10 to continue traveling in the own lane (step S207). Then, control unit 33 determines whether or not the driver has performed a continuing operation to continue lane change control (step S208). If the driver has not performed a continuing operation (step S208-No), processor 23 ends the vehicle control processing related to lane change control.

[0118] On the other hand, if the driver performs a continuing operation (step S208-Yes), control unit 33 thereafter controls vehicle 10 in accordance with the driver's operation and increments the value of continuing operation count CC by 1 (step S209). Then, change unit 36 ​​changes the interruption condition to be applied from the next time onwards to be stricter according to the value of continuing operation count CC (step S210). Thereafter, processor 23 ends the vehicle control process related to lane change control.

[0119] As described above, the vehicle control device according to the second embodiment changes the interruption condition in response to the driver's operation before or after the interruption of lane change control. Therefore, this vehicle control device can adjust the interruption condition used to determine whether to interrupt lane change control to suit the driver's preferences. Therefore, this vehicle control device can adjust the timing of interrupting lane change control to a timing that matches the driver's preferences.

[0120] According to the modified example, similar to the modified example of the first embodiment, an interruption condition may be set for each situation around the vehicle 10, and the change unit 36 ​​may change the interruption condition for each situation around the vehicle 10. For example, separate interruption conditions may be set for when the nearby vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane to which the lane is to be changed is a large vehicle and when the nearby vehicle is a non-large vehicle. The determination unit 34 may then determine whether to interrupt lane change control based on the interruption condition corresponding to the vehicle type of the nearby vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane to which the lane is to be changed, as detected by the detection unit 32. Note that when multiple nearby vehicles traveling in the adjacent lane to which the lane is to be changed are detected, the determination unit 34 may use the interruption condition corresponding to the vehicle type of the nearby vehicle closest to the vehicle 10.

[0121] The change unit 36 ​​may count the interrupted operation count and the continued operation count for each vehicle type of the surrounding vehicles, and may change the interruption condition based on the value of the interrupted operation count or the value of the continued operation count for each vehicle type of the surrounding vehicles.

[0122] Similarly, the interruption conditions may be individually set depending on the speed of the vehicle 10 when the lane change control is being executed, the speed of surrounding vehicles, the speed of the following vehicle following the vehicle 10, the lane width of the vehicle's own lane or adjacent lanes, the type of adjacent lane (e.g., passing lane, driving lane), the time period during which the lane change control is being executed, or the weather. In this case, similar to the modification of the first embodiment, the control unit 33, the determination unit 34, and the change unit 36 ​​may identify the interruption conditions to be used and the interruption operation count and the continuation operation count corresponding to the interruption condition by referring to the speed of the vehicle 10 measured by the vehicle speed sensor, a high-precision map, weather information, or the like. Furthermore, the interruption conditions may be individually set depending on the event that triggered the lane change (e.g., changing lanes to pass a preceding vehicle, changing lanes to move to a lane leading to a destination, etc.). In this case, the determination unit 34 may receive trigger information indicating the event that triggered the lane change from the lane change determination unit 31 and select the interruption condition according to the trigger information. Furthermore, the control unit 33 and the change unit 36 ​​may also receive trigger information from the lane change determination unit 31 and identify the corresponding interrupted operation count and continued operation count according to the trigger information.

[0123] According to this modification, the change unit 36 ​​can appropriately set the interruption condition according to the circumstances around the vehicle 10 as well as the driver's preference.

[0124] According to another modification, the control unit 33 may change the increase in the continuous operation count or the interrupted operation count in response to the driver's operation, depending on the circumstances around the vehicle 10. For example, if the nearby vehicle traveling in the adjacent lane to which the change is made is a large vehicle or a motorcycle, the change unit 36 ​​sets the increase in the continuous operation count or the interrupted operation count to a value smaller than normal (for example, 0.5), or to 0. Furthermore, if the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling has three or more lanes, the change unit 36 ​​may also set the increase in the continuous operation count or the interrupted operation count to a value smaller than normal, or to 0. In this case, the change unit 36 ​​may determine whether the road on which the vehicle 10 is traveling has three or more lanes by referring to the current position of the vehicle 10 and the high-precision map.

[0125] This modification reduces the impact of the driver performing an operation that differs from his or her preference due to the circumstances around the vehicle 10. Therefore, the change unit 36 ​​can prevent the timing at which the lane change control is interrupted from being changed so as to deviate from the timing preferred by the driver.

[0126] According to yet another modification, the processor 23 may switch the vehicle control process to be executed between the vehicle control process for merging control according to the first embodiment or its modification and the vehicle control process for lane change control according to the second embodiment or its modification, based on the determination result by the lane change determination unit 31. That is, when the lane change determination unit 31 determines that merging control should be executed, the processor 23 may execute the vehicle control process for merging control according to the first embodiment or its modification. On the other hand, when the lane change determination unit 31 determines that lane change processing other than merging control should be executed, the processor 23 may execute the vehicle control process for lane change control according to the second embodiment or its modification.

[0127] A computer program that realizes the functions of the processor 23 of the ECU 6 according to any of the above embodiments or any of the variations thereof may be provided in a form recorded on a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic recording medium or an optical recording medium.

[0128] As described above, those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0129] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above-described embodiment and its modified examples. (Appendix 1) a detection unit that detects a relative position and a relative speed between the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling on a lane that is merging into another lane when the host vehicle is traveling on the lane that is merging into the other lane; a control unit that executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; a determination unit that determines whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; an interruption instruction unit that, when the interruption condition is satisfied, causes the control unit to interrupt the merging control and execute a selected control from the stopping control and the continuous control; a change unit that changes the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue entering the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control, and changes the set control to the stop control in response to a stop operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle, which is performed during execution of the continuation control; A vehicle control device having the above. (Appendix 2) The vehicle control device described in Appendix 1, wherein the change unit does not change the set control until the number of times the continuing operation is performed or the number of times the stopping operation is performed exceeds a predetermined number, changes the set control to the continuing control when the number of times the continuing operation performed during execution of the stopping control exceeds the predetermined number, and changes the set control to the stopping control when the number of times the stopping operation performed during execution of the continuing control exceeds the predetermined number. (Appendix 3) The vehicle control device described in Appendix 1, wherein the change unit changes the set control to the continuous control when a ratio of the number of times the continuous operation performed during the execution of the stopping control to the number of times the stopping control is performed exceeds a predetermined ratio. (Appendix 4) The vehicle control device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the control unit changes the increase in the number of times the driver performs the continuing operation while the stopping control is being executed, depending on the situation around the vehicle when the continuing operation is performed. (Appendix 5) a storage unit configured to store control information indicating the set control of the stop control and the continuous control for each predetermined situation; 5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the interruption instruction unit refers to the control information to identify the set control corresponding to a situation around the host vehicle. (Appendix 6) a detection unit that, when the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, detects a relative position and a relative speed between the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling on the other lane; a control unit that executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; a storage unit that stores regional information indicating a region where the stop control is implemented and a region where the continuous control is implemented; a determination unit that determines whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; an interruption instruction unit that, when the interruption condition is satisfied, identifies a control to be applied from the stop control and the continuation control by referring to the position of the host vehicle and the area information, and causes the control unit to interrupt the merging control and execute the identified control; A vehicle control device having the above. (Appendix 7) a detection unit that detects a relative position and a relative speed between the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane adjacent to the host vehicle's own lane; a control unit that executes lane change control of the host vehicle so as to change lanes from the host lane to the adjacent lane when a predetermined condition is satisfied; a determination unit that determines whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the lane change control; an interruption instruction unit that causes the control unit to interrupt the lane change control when the interruption condition is satisfied; a change unit that relaxes the interruption condition in response to an operation by the driver of the host vehicle to interrupt the lane change control, which is performed before the interruption condition is satisfied, and that tightens the interruption condition in response to an operation by the driver to continue the lane change control, which is performed when the interruption condition is satisfied; A vehicle control device having the above. (Appendix 8) The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the change unit does not change the interruption condition until the number of times the continuing operation is performed or the number of times the interrupting operation is performed exceeds a predetermined number. (Appendix 9) a storage unit configured to store, for each predetermined situation, the interruption condition corresponding to the situation; 9. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit determines whether at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies the interruption condition corresponding to a situation around the host vehicle. (Appendix 10) When the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, the system detects the relative position and relative speed of the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane; executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; determining whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; When the interruption condition is satisfied, the merging control is interrupted and a set control of the stopping control or the continuous control is executed; changing the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue the entry of the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control; changing the set control to the stop control in response to a stopping operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during execution of the continuous control; A vehicle control method comprising: (Appendix 11) When the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, the system detects the relative position and relative speed of the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane; executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; determining whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; When the interruption condition is satisfied, the merging control is interrupted and a set control of the stopping control or the continuous control is executed; changing the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue the entry of the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control; changing the set control to the stop control in response to a stopping operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during execution of the continuous control; A computer program for vehicle control that causes a processor mounted on the vehicle to execute the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0130] 1. Vehicle control system 10 vehicles 2 GPS receivers 3-1, 3-2 Camera 4 User Interface 5. Storage devices 6 Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 21 Communication Interface 22 Memory 23 processors 31 Lane change judgment unit 32 Detection unit 33 Control Unit 34 Judgment section 35 Interruption instruction section 36 Changes

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects a relative position and a relative speed between the host vehicle and another vehicle traveling on a lane that is merging into another lane when the host vehicle is traveling on the lane that is merging into the other lane; a control unit that executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; a determination unit that determines whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; an interruption instruction unit that, when the interruption condition is satisfied, causes the control unit to interrupt the merging control and execute a selected control from the stopping control and the continuous control; a change unit that changes the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue entering the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control, and changes the set control to the stop control in response to a stop operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle, which is performed during execution of the continuation control; and The change unit does not change the set control until the number of times the continuing operation is performed or the number of times the stopping operation is performed exceeds a predetermined number, changes the set control to the continuing control when the number of times the continuing operation performed during execution of the stopping control exceeds the predetermined number, and changes the set control to the stopping control when the number of times the stopping operation performed during execution of the continuing control exceeds the predetermined number. Vehicle control device.

2. A detection unit that detects the relative position and relative speed of the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane when the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane; a control unit that executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; a determination unit that determines whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; an interruption instruction unit that, when the interruption condition is satisfied, causes the control unit to interrupt the merging control and execute a selected control from the stopping control and the continuous control; a change unit that changes the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue entering the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control, and changes the set control to the stop control in response to a stop operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle, which is performed during execution of the continuation control; and The change unit changes the set control to the continuous control when a ratio of the number of times the continuous operation performed during the execution of the vehicle stop control to the number of times the vehicle stop control is executed exceeds a predetermined ratio. Vehicle control device.

3. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes an increase in the number of times the driver performs the continuing operation while the stopping control is being executed, depending on the situation around the vehicle when the continuing operation is performed.

4. a storage unit configured to store control information indicating the set control of the stop control and the continuous control for each predetermined situation; The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the interruption instruction unit refers to the control information to identify the set control corresponding to a situation around the host vehicle.

5. When the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, the system detects the relative position and relative speed of the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane; executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; determining whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; When the interruption condition is satisfied, the merging control is interrupted and a set control of the stopping control or the continuous control is executed; changing the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue the entry of the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control; changing the set control to the stop control in response to a stopping operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during execution of the continuous control; This includes: changing the set control to the continuous control includes not changing the set control until the number of times the continuous operation has been performed exceeds a predetermined number of times, and changing the set control to the continuous control when the number of times the continuous operation performed during execution of the vehicle stop control has been performed exceeds the predetermined number of times, The vehicle control method includes changing the set control to the stopping control by not changing the set control until the number of times the stopping operation is performed exceeds the predetermined number, and changing the set control to the stopping control when the number of times the stopping operation performed during execution of the continuous control exceeds the predetermined number.

6. When the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, the system detects the relative position and relative speed between the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane, executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; determining whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; When the interruption condition is satisfied, the merging control is interrupted and a set control of the stopping control or the continuous control is executed; changing the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue the entry of the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control; changing the set control to the stop control in response to a stopping operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during execution of the continuous control; This includes: The vehicle control method includes changing the set control to the continuous control when a ratio of the number of times the continuous operation is performed during execution of the stopping control to the number of times the stopping control is performed exceeds a predetermined ratio.

7. When the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, the system detects the relative position and relative speed of the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane; executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; determining whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; When the interruption condition is satisfied, the merging control is interrupted and a set control of the stopping control or the continuous control is executed; changing the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue the entry of the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control; changing the set control to the stop control in response to a stopping operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during execution of the continuous control; causing a processor mounted on the vehicle to execute the above steps; changing the set control to the continuous control includes not changing the set control until the number of times the continuous operation has been performed exceeds a predetermined number of times, and changing the set control to the continuous control when the number of times the continuous operation performed during execution of the vehicle stop control has been performed exceeds the predetermined number of times, Changing the set control to the stop control includes not changing the set control until the number of times the stop operation is performed exceeds the predetermined number of times, and changing the set control to the stop control when the number of times the stop operation performed during execution of the continuous control exceeds the predetermined number of times. A computer program for vehicle control.

8. When the lane in which the vehicle is traveling merges into another lane, the system detects the relative position and relative speed between the vehicle and another vehicle traveling in the other lane, executes merging control of the host vehicle to cause the host vehicle to enter the other lane, and when the merging control is interrupted, executes stop control to stop the host vehicle in the host lane or continuation control to transfer driving control to a driver of the host vehicle while continuing the host vehicle to enter the other lane; determining whether or not at least one of the detected relative position and the detected relative speed satisfies an interruption condition during execution of the merging control; When the interruption condition is satisfied, the merging control is interrupted and a set control of the stopping control or the continuous control is executed; changing the set control to the continuation control in response to a continuation operation by the driver to continue the entry of the host vehicle into the other lane, which is performed during execution of the stop control; changing the set control to the stop control in response to a stopping operation by the driver to stop the host vehicle performed during execution of the continuous control; causing a processor mounted on the vehicle to execute the above steps; Changing the set control to the continuous control includes changing the set control to the continuous control when a ratio of the number of times the continuous operation performed during execution of the vehicle stop control to the number of times the vehicle stop control is executed exceeds a predetermined ratio. A computer program for vehicle control.

Images