Vehicle control device

Abstract

A vehicle control device (100) comprises: an imaging unit (1) and an imaging unit (2) that each detect an external situation around a vehicle; a recognition part (1a, 2a) that uses a first algorithm on the basis of the image data captured by the imaging unit (1) to recognize the lane markings that define the lane in which the vehicle (101) travels, and uses a second algorithm different from the first algorithm on the basis of the image data captured by the imaging unit (2) to recognize the lane markings; and a control part (112) that controls an actuator AC on the basis of the recognition results of the lane markings by the recognition part (1a, 2a).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that controls the running operation of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A known example of this type of device is one that determines the possibility of a vehicle leaving its lane based on images obtained by capturing images of the area around the vehicle, and switches driving assistance functions in accordance with the determination result (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The device described in Patent Document 1 recognizes marking lines that define the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, based on captured images obtained by an imaging unit that captures images in front of the vehicle and an imaging unit that captures images behind the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4654208 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the device described in Patent Document 1 is designed to recognize lane markings based on images captured by multiple cameras with different imaging ranges, it becomes necessary to align the coordinate systems of the multiple captured images, which can easily lead to errors when recognizing lane markings. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A vehicle control device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a first external environment detection unit and a second external environment detection unit, each of which detects an external environment around a host vehicle using a sensor; The first external environment detection unit and the second external environment detection unit are a first imaging unit and a second imaging unit that capture an image of a predetermined area around the vehicle, and each has the same type of sensor, and captures image data acquired by the first imaging unit. Based on the above, a first algorithm is used to recognize a lane marking that defines the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and Image data captured by the second imaging unit a recognition unit that recognizes the lane markings using a second algorithm different from the first algorithm based on the A difference between the recognition result of the lane markings based on the detection values ​​of the first external environment detection unit and the recognition result of the lane markings based on the detection values ​​of the second external environment detection unit.Based on a determination unit that determines an autonomous driving function or a driving assistance function to be applied to the host vehicle; and and a control unit that controls the traveling actuator. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately control the running of a vehicle in accordance with the dividing lines that define the lanes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a vehicle to which a vehicle control device is applied; [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a table for determining an autonomous driving level. [Figure 4A] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operation of the vehicle control device. [Figure 4B] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle control device. [Figure 4C] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle control device. [Figure 4D] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of the operation of the vehicle control device. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a main part of a vehicle control device according to a modified example of the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a vehicle having an automatic driving function, that is, an automatic driving vehicle. A vehicle to which a vehicle control device according to the present embodiment is applied may be referred to as the host vehicle to distinguish it from other vehicles. The host vehicle may be an engine vehicle having an internal combustion engine (engine) as a driving source, an electric vehicle having a driving motor as a driving source, or a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a driving motor as driving sources. The host vehicle can run not only in an automatic driving mode in which no driving operation by the driver is required, but also in a manual driving mode in which the driver operates the vehicle.

[0009] An autonomous vehicle has the function of recognizing the dividing lines that define the lane in which the vehicle is traveling, and controlling the driving actuators based on the information on the recognized dividing lines to prevent the vehicle from deviating outside the lane (hereinafter referred to as the road departure prevention function).

[0010] One method for recognizing lane markings involves installing a stereo camera consisting of two cameras at the front of the vehicle, calculating the disparity (parallax) between the captured images obtained from each camera, and recognizing the position and shape of the lane markings based on the parallax and the distance between the cameras. This method of recognizing lane marks using a single device (stereo camera) requires a high-precision map containing detailed information about the actual lane markings when determining whether the recognized lane markings match the actual lane markings. However, high-precision maps are expensive, and using a high-precision map to detect misrecognition of lane markings may increase the cost of the vehicle. Therefore, in this embodiment, the vehicle control device is configured as follows.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of a vehicle control device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the vehicle control device 100 includes a controller 10, an imaging unit 1, an imaging unit 2, a communication unit 3, and a traveling actuator (traveling actuator) AC, which are each communicatively connected to the controller 10.

[0012] The imaging units 1 and 2 have imaging elements (image sensors) such as CCD or CMOS. The imaging units 1 and 2 capture images of a predetermined area around the host vehicle. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a host vehicle 101 to which the vehicle control device 100 is applied. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging units 1 and 2 are attached to predetermined positions (front) of the host vehicle 101, and continuously capture images of the space ahead of the host vehicle 101 to obtain image data (hereinafter referred to as captured image data or simply captured images). The imaging units 1 and 2 are installed so that their imaging ranges are approximately the same. Note that the imaging units 1 and 2 may be made by different manufacturers, of different types, with different performance, and each may be configured in a single housing. The imaging units 1 and 2 may be monocular cameras or stereo cameras.

[0013] The imaging units 1 and 2 further include a computer having a calculation unit (not shown) such as a CPU (microprocessor), a storage unit (not shown) such as a ROM or RAM, and other peripheral circuits (not shown) such as an I / O interface. The calculation unit of the imaging units 1 and 2 has recognition units 1a and 2a as functional components.

[0014] The recognition units 1a and 2a recognize the external environment in a predetermined area around the vehicle 101 based on the captured image data acquired by the imaging elements of the imaging units 1 and 2. Specifically, the recognition units 1a and 2a recognize lane markings included in the captured image range based on the captured image data of the imaging units 1 and 2. The recognition units 1a and 2a also recognize roadway abnormalities within the captured image range based on the captured image data of the imaging units 1 and 2. Roadway abnormalities are factors that hinder the travel of the vehicle 101, such as lane marking abnormalities such as rubbed lane markings, obstacles such as fallen objects, and road depressions. The recognition units 1a and 2a output information indicating the lane marking recognition results (hereinafter referred to as lane marking information) and information indicating the lane marking abnormality recognition results (hereinafter referred to as lane marking abnormality information) to the controller 10. The recognition units 1a and 2a each use different algorithms to recognize lane markings and roadway abnormalities. Therefore, the recognition units 1a and 2a may output lane line information indicating lane lines with different positions and shapes based on different captured image data of the same scene. Similarly, the recognition units 1a and 2a may output lane abnormality information indicating different lane abnormalities based on different captured image data of the same scene. Note that the recognition units 1a and 2a may output the captured image data of the imaging units 1 and 2 to the controller 10 together with the lane line information and lane abnormality information.

[0015] The communication unit 3 communicates with various devices (not shown) via a network including a wireless communication network such as the Internet network, a mobile phone network, etc. The network includes not only a public wireless communication network but also a closed communication network established for each predetermined management area, such as a wireless LAN, Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0016] The controller 10 is composed of an electronic control unit (ECU). More specifically, the controller 10 includes a computer having an arithmetic unit 11 such as a CPU (microprocessor), a storage unit 12 such as a ROM and RAM, and other peripheral circuits (not shown) such as an I / O interface. Note that although multiple ECUs with different functions, such as an engine control ECU, a traction motor control ECU, and a braking device ECU, can be provided separately, for convenience, the controller 10 is shown in FIG. 2 as a collection of these ECUs.

[0017] Various control programs, threshold values ​​used in the programs, and other information are stored in the storage unit 12. The calculation unit 11 has a determination unit 111 and a control unit 112 as functional components.

[0018] Based on the lane marking information from the imaging units 1 and 2 (recognition units 1a and 2a), the determination unit 111 obtains a difference between the lane marking recognition result recognized by the recognition unit 1a based on the image data captured by the imaging unit 1 and the lane marking recognition result recognized by the recognition unit 2a based on the image data captured by the imaging unit 2. The determination unit 111 determines the autonomous driving level to be applied to the host vehicle 101 based on the obtained difference. The autonomous driving level represents the degree of automation of driving operations in multiple stages. For the sake of simplicity, the following description assumes that the host vehicle 101 has an autonomous driving function divided into three levels: high level, medium level, and low level. However, the autonomous driving level may be divided into levels other than three. The control unit 112 controls the actuator AC so that the host vehicle 101 travels in accordance with the autonomous driving level determined by the determination unit 111.

[0019] More specifically, when the degree of match between the lane markings recognized based on the image data captured by imaging unit 1 and the lane markings recognized based on the image data captured by imaging unit 2 is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, determination unit 111 determines that the reliability of the lane marking recognition results (hereinafter referred to as lane marking reliability) is high and determines the autonomous driving level to be high. When the autonomous driving level is determined to be high, control unit 112 enables a road departure mitigation function and controls the driving actuators so that the host vehicle 101 travels in accordance with the recognized lane markings, i.e., so that the host vehicle 101 does not deviate outside the lane defined by the recognized lane markings.

[0020] On the other hand, when the degree of coincidence of the lane markings is less than a predetermined level, there is a possibility that the host vehicle 101 will deviate from the road if it travels according to the recognized lane markings. Therefore, when the degree of coincidence of the lane markings is less than a predetermined level, the determination unit 111 determines the autonomous driving level to be medium. When the autonomous driving level is determined to be medium, the control unit 112 enables the road departure mitigation function and, if necessary, requests the occupant to perform driving operations (steering wheel operations) to prevent the host vehicle 101 from deviating from the road. In this way, when the autonomous driving level is determined to be medium, the road departure mitigation function remains enabled temporarily (until a request for driving operations is made).

[0021] On the other hand, there are cases where the lane markings cannot be recognized based on the image data captured by the imaging units 1 and 2 due to dirt on the camera lenses or halation. In such cases, the recognition units 1a and 2a output lane marking information indicating that lane marking recognition is not possible to the controller 10. In such cases, the determination unit 111 cannot compare the lane markings recognized based on the image data captured by the imaging units 1 and 2 with each other, so it determines that the lane marking reliability is low and sets the autonomous driving level to a low level. When the autonomous driving level is set to a low level, the control unit 112 disables the road departure mitigation function and controls the driving actuators based on the driving operation of the occupant.

[0022] The determination unit 111 may take into account the lane abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2 when determining the autonomous driving level of the host vehicle 101. Specifically, the determination unit 111 determines whether or not there is an abnormality in the lane in which the host vehicle 101 is traveling, based on the lane abnormality information from the recognition units 1a and 2a. When the determination unit 111 determines that the lane marking reliability is high and at least one of the lane abnormality information from the recognition units 1a and 2a indicates that there is no abnormality in the lane, the determination unit 111 determines that the road departure prevention function can be continued and determines the autonomous driving level to be high. On the other hand, when at least one of the lane abnormality information from the recognition units 1a and 2a indicates that there is an abnormality in the lane, it may be necessary to request the occupant to perform driving operations to prevent the host vehicle 101 from a pothole, an obstacle, or the like. Therefore, even if the determination unit 111 determines that the lane marking reliability is high, when at least one of the lane abnormality information from the recognition units 1a and 2a indicates that there is an abnormality in the lane, the determination unit 111 determines the autonomous driving level to be medium, not high. Furthermore, even if the determination unit 111 determines that the reliability of the lane marking recognition results is high, if neither the recognition unit 1a nor 2a can recognize an abnormality in the road due to dirt on the camera lens or halation as described above, it may determine that it may be necessary to request driving operations from the occupant, and determines the autonomous driving level to be medium rather than high.

[0023] Even when the determination unit 111 determines that the lane marking reliability is low, it does not uniformly determine the autonomous driving level to be a low level, but determines the autonomous driving level taking into account the road abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a table for determining the autonomous driving level. The determination unit 111 determines the autonomous driving level based on the table in Fig. 3. The table in Fig. 3 is stored in advance in the storage unit 12. Note that the determination unit 111 may obtain the table in Fig. 3 from an external server or the like via the communication unit 3.

[0025] In the table of Figure 3, an "○" in the "Landmark Comparison" column indicates that the lane marks of the recognition units 1a and 2a match each other. An "×" indicates that the lane marks do not match each other. An "▲" indicates that one of the recognition units 1a and 2a is unable to recognize the lane marking. A "-" indicates that neither of the recognition units 1a and 2a is able to recognize the lane marking. An "○" in the "Lane Abnormality Determination" column indicates that the recognition units 1a and 2a did not recognize an abnormality in the lane. An "×" indicates that the recognition units 1a and 2a recognized an abnormality in the lane. A "-" indicates that the recognition units 1a and 2a were unable to recognize an abnormality in the lane. The "Autonomous Driving Level" column indicates the autonomous driving level that is determined based on the information in the "Landmark Comparison" column and the information in the "Lane Abnormality Determination" column.

[0026] The operation of the vehicle control device 100 according to this embodiment can be summarized as follows. FIGS. 4A to 4D are diagrams for explaining the operation of the vehicle control device 100. FIGS. 4A to 4D schematically show examples of the lane markings LN1 and LN2 recognized by the recognition unit 1a based on the image data captured by the imaging unit 1, and the lane markings LN1 and LN2 recognized by the recognition unit 2a based on the image data captured by the imaging unit 2. Note that in FIGS. 4A to 4C, it is assumed that there are no objects or the like that may obstruct the travel of the host vehicle 101. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the lane markings LN1 and LN2 recognized by the recognition units 1a and 2a match, the autonomous driving mode is set to high level or medium level based on the roadway abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2 according to the table in FIG. 3.

[0027] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 4B, if the recognition unit 2a cannot recognize the lane marking LN2 due to dirt on the camera lens or halation, the recognition results of the recognition units 1a and 2a cannot be compared with each other. In this case, the autonomous driving mode is determined to be medium or low level based on the road abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2 in accordance with the table in Fig. 3.

[0028] When a lane branching off from the lane of the host vehicle 101 (branching lane) is included in the imaging range of the imaging units 1 and 2, the recognition units 1a and 2a may erroneously recognize a marking line defining the branching lane as a marking line defining the lane of the host vehicle 101. FIG. 4C shows an example in which the recognition unit 2a erroneously recognizes a marking line defining a lane branching off from the lane of the host vehicle 101 (branching lane) as part (the diagonal portion in the figure) of the marking line LN2 defining the lane of the host vehicle 101. In such a case, the shapes of the marking lines LN1 and LN2 recognized by the recognition units 1a and 2a do not match each other, and therefore the autonomous driving mode is set to medium level or low level based on the roadway abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2 in accordance with the table of FIG.

[0029] Also, as shown in Figure 4D, when the recognition units 1a and 2a recognize an object OB that obstructs the travel of the vehicle 101, even if the marking lines LN1 and LN2 recognized by the recognition units 1a and 2a match, the autonomous driving level is determined to be medium rather than high according to the table in Figure 3.

[0030] According to this embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. (1) The vehicle control device 100 includes an imaging unit 1 and an imaging unit 2, each of which detects the external environment surrounding the host vehicle; recognition units 1a and 2a that recognize marking lines that define the lane in which the host vehicle 101 is traveling using a first algorithm based on the detection value (captured image data) of the imaging unit 1, and recognize the marking lines using a second algorithm different from the first algorithm based on the detection value (captured image data) of the imaging unit 2; and a control unit 112 that controls an actuator AC based on the recognition results of the marking lines by the recognition units 1a and 2a. By recognizing the marking lines using different algorithms in this way, the recognition results of the marking lines can be accurately evaluated. This allows the host vehicle 101 to be appropriately controlled to travel in accordance with the marking lines that define the lane in which the host vehicle 101 is traveling. Furthermore, traffic safety can be ensured even if autonomous vehicles become more common and the number of autonomous vehicles traveling on roads increases.

[0031] (2) The imaging units 1 and 2 capture images of a predetermined area around the vehicle 101. More specifically, the imaging units 1 and 2 are installed on the vehicle 101 so that their imaging ranges are approximately the same, and capture images of the space ahead of the vehicle 101. The recognition units 1a and 2a recognize the lane markings using a first algorithm based on the captured image data acquired by the imaging unit 1, and also recognize the lane markings using a second algorithm based on the captured image data acquired by the imaging unit 2. This eliminates the need to align the coordinate systems of the multiple imaging units, and allows the lane markings that define the lane the vehicle 101 is traveling in to be recognized with high accuracy.

[0032] (3) The vehicle control device 100 further includes a determination unit 111 that determines an autonomous driving function or a driving assistance function to be applied to the host vehicle 101 based on the difference between the recognition result of the lane markings based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 1 and the recognition result of the lane markings based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 2. The control unit 112 controls the actuator AC so that the autonomous driving function or the driving assistance function determined by the determination unit 111 is applied to the host vehicle 101. This allows the host vehicle 101 to be appropriately controlled to travel in accordance with the lane markings even in a driving mode in which the autonomous driving function or the driving assistance function is enabled.

[0033] (4) The recognition units 1a and 2a further recognize factors (roadway abnormalities) that impede the traveling of the host vehicle 101 based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 1, and also recognize factors (roadway abnormalities) that impede the traveling of the host vehicle 101 based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 2. The determination unit 111 determines the autonomous driving function or driving assistance function to apply to the host vehicle 101 based on the difference between the recognition results of the recognition units 1a and 2a of the lane markings based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 1 and the lane markings based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 2, and the difference between the recognition results of the recognition units 1a and 2a of the lane abnormalities based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 1 and the lane abnormalities based on the detection values ​​of the imaging unit 2. Therefore, in a driving mode in which the autonomous driving function or driving assistance function is enabled, the host vehicle 101 can be appropriately controlled to travel in accordance with the lane markings while taking the lane abnormalities into consideration.

[0034] The above-described embodiment can be modified in various ways. Some modifications will be described below. In the above-described embodiment, the imaging unit 1 and the imaging unit 2 are configured to detect the external environment around the vehicle 101 as the first external environment detection unit and the second external environment detection unit, respectively. However, the first external environment detection unit and the second external environment detection unit may be devices other than imaging units (cameras), and may be radar or lidar. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment has been described as an example of a vehicle control device 100 having a first imaging unit (imaging unit 1) as the first external environment detection unit and a second imaging unit (imaging unit 2) as the second external environment detection unit, but the vehicle control device may be provided with three or more external environment detection units.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the determination unit 111 determines the autonomous driving level using the table in Fig. 3, but the determination unit may determine the autonomous driving level using other methods without using a table. For example, the autonomous driving level may be determined according to a predetermined processing flow for determining the autonomous driving level based on the lane marking information and road abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2.

[0036] In the above embodiment, the determination unit 111 determines the autonomous driving level based on the lane marking information and roadway abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2. However, the configuration of the determination unit is not limited to this, as long as it determines the autonomous driving function or driving assistance function to be applied to the host vehicle 101. For example, the determination unit may determine whether to enable a specific function, such as a road departure prevention function, of the host vehicle 101 based on the lane marking information and roadway abnormality information from the imaging units 1 and 2.

[0037] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the vehicle control device 100 is exemplified in which the calculation units of the imaging units 1 and 2 function as the recognition units 1a and 2a as functional components. However, the configuration of the vehicle control device is not limited to this. FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the main components of the vehicle control device 100 according to a modified embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the vehicle control device 100 in which the calculation unit 11 of the controller 10 functions as the recognition units 1a and 2a as functional components. As shown in FIG. 5, when the calculation unit 11 has the recognition units 1a and 2a as functional components, the recognition unit 1a acquires captured image data output from the imaging unit 1. The recognition unit 2a acquires captured image data output from the imaging unit 2. The recognition units 1a and 2a each use a different algorithm to recognize abnormalities in the lane markings included in the captured image range and the road within the captured image range based on the acquired captured image data.

[0038] The above description is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and modifications, as long as the features of the present invention are not impaired. One or more of the above-described embodiment and modifications can be arbitrarily combined, and modifications can also be combined with each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1, 2 imaging unit, 1a, 2a recognition unit, 3 communication unit, 10 controller, 12 memory unit, 111 determination unit, 112 control unit, AC actuator

Claims

1. a first external environment detection unit and a second external environment detection unit that detect an external environment around the host vehicle using sensors, respectively; the first external environment detection unit and the second external environment detection unit are a first imaging unit and a second imaging unit that capture an image of a predetermined area around the host vehicle, and each have the same type of sensor; a recognition unit that recognizes a lane marking that defines the lane in which the vehicle is traveling using a first algorithm based on image data acquired by the first imaging unit, and recognizes the lane marking using a second algorithm that is different from the first algorithm based on image data acquired by the second imaging unit; a determination unit that determines an autonomous driving function or a driving assistance function to be applied to the vehicle based on a difference between a recognition result of the lane marking based on a detection value of the first external environment detection unit and a recognition result of the lane marking based on a detection value of the second external environment detection unit, by the recognition unit; A vehicle control device comprising: a control unit that controls a driving actuator so that the automatic driving function or the driving assistance function determined by the determination unit is applied to the vehicle.

2. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The recognition unit further recognizes factors that hinder the running of the host vehicle based on the detection value of the first external environment detection unit, and recognizes factors that hinder the running of the host vehicle based on the detection value of the second external environment detection unit, A vehicle control device characterized in that the determination unit determines the autonomous driving function or the driving assistance function to be applied to the vehicle based on the difference between the recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the first external environment detection unit and the recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the second external environment detection unit, as recognized by the recognition unit, and the difference between the recognition result of factors that hinder the vehicle's travel based on the detection value of the first external environment detection unit and the recognition result of factors that hinder the vehicle's travel based on the detection value of the second external environment detection unit, as recognized by the recognition unit.

3. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, Determining the autonomous driving function or the driving assistance function includes determining an autonomous driving level consisting of a plurality of levels; the plurality of levels includes a first level, a second level lower than the first level, and a third level lower than the second level; The determination unit determines the autonomous driving level to the first level when the degree of agreement between the recognition unit's recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the first external environment detection unit and the recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the second external environment detection unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, and determines the autonomous driving level to the second level when the degree of agreement is less than a predetermined level, and further determines the autonomous driving level to the third level when the recognition unit is unable to recognize the lane marking based on the detection value of the first external environment detection unit or is unable to recognize the lane marking based on the detection value of the second external environment detection unit and is unable to compare the recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the first external environment detection unit and the recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the second external environment detection unit.

4. 3. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, Determining the automated driving function or the driving assistance function includes determining an automated driving level consisting of a plurality of levels. the plurality of levels includes a first level, a second level lower than the first level, and a third level lower than the second level; A vehicle control device characterized in that the determination unit determines the autonomous driving level to the first level when the degree of agreement between the recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the first external environment detection unit and the recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection value of the second external environment detection unit by the recognition unit is at least a predetermined level, and the recognition unit does not recognize any factors that hinder the vehicle's driving based on at least one of the detection values ​​of the first external environment detection unit and the second external environment detection unit.

5. 5. The vehicle control device according to claim 4, A vehicle control device characterized in that the determination unit determines the autonomous driving level to the second level when the recognition unit cannot recognize a factor that hinders the vehicle's travel based on either the detection values ​​of the first external environment detection unit or the detection values ​​of the second external environment detection unit, even if the degree of agreement between the recognition unit's recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection values ​​of the first external environment detection unit and the recognition unit's recognition result of the lane marking based on the detection values ​​of the second external environment detection unit is greater than or equal to a predetermined level.

6. 6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, The vehicle control device is characterized in that the sensor is an image sensor.

Images