Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium for lane change of host vehicle

Inventor: Daichi Kato (Wako, JP)

Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.

B60W30/18163 B60W2520/10 B60W2552/10 B60W2554/4041 B60W2554/4042 B60W2554/4045 B60W2710/20 B60W2720/10

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12662126
App. No.: 18/178,564
Granted: Jun 23, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A vehicle control device of an embodiment performs a lane change from a first lane in which the host vehicle travels to a second lane in a case where a first condition is satisfied, performs a lane change of returning from the second lane to the first lane in a case where a second condition is satisfied after the lane change to the second lane, determines, in a case where there are one or more preceding vehicles traveling in front of the host vehicle in the first lane, whether the set vehicle speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change from the second lane to the first lane, and determines whether a return lane change from the second lane to the first lane is performed.

Claims (38)

1 . A vehicle control device comprising:

a processor that executes instructions to:

recognize a peripheral situation of a host vehicle; and

control one or both of steering and speed of the host vehicle on the basis of a result of recognition performed,

wherein the processor performs a lane change from a first lane in which the host vehicle travels to a second lane in a case where a first condition is satisfied, and performs a lane change of returning from the second lane to the first lane in a case where a second condition is satisfied after the lane change to the second lane,

the second condition including that a set speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change to the first lane, and

in a case where there are a plurality of preceding vehicles traveling in front of the host vehicle in the first lane, the processor determines whether the set speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change from the second lane to the first lane on the basis of a speed of the slowest of the plurality of preceding vehicles and a speed of the host vehicle, and determines whether a return lane change from the second lane to the first lane is performed on the basis of a determination result,

wherein, in a case where there are a first preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle in the first lane and a second preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle in the second lane and the second preceding vehicle is predicted to perform a lane change from the second lane to the first lane, the processor considers that the second preceding vehicle traveling in the second lane is traveling in the first lane, and determines whether the set speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change from the second lane to the first lane on the basis of a speed of the first preceding vehicle, a speed of the second preceding vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle,

wherein,

when the first preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than the set speed and the second preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than the set speed, the processor determines that the set speed of the host vehicle cannot be maintained after the host vehicle changes lanes from the second lane to the first lane,

when the first preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than the set speed and the second preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than the set speed, the processor determines that the set speed of the host vehicle can be maintained after the host vehicle changes lanes from the second lane to the first lane,

wherein the set speed is a speed that can be changed within a predetermined tolerance range based on the speed limit of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling by operating a switch by an occupant of the host vehicle, and

the first condition includes a case where the host vehicle goes from a state in which the host vehicle is following the first preceding vehicle at a speed within a predetermined range of the set speed to a state in which the host vehicle is unable to maintain a speed within the predetermined range of the set speed.

2 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor inhibits the host vehicle from performing the lane change from the second lane to the first lane in a case where the speed of the first preceding vehicle in the first lane is lower than the set speed of the host vehicle, even if there is a possibility that the second preceding vehicle will accelerate after changing lanes to follow the first preceding vehicle.

3 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor inhibits the host vehicle from performing the lane change from the second lane to the first lane in a case where the speed of the second preceding vehicle predicted to perform the lane change from the second lane to the first lane is lower than the set speed of the host vehicle even in a case where the speed of the first preceding vehicle in the first lane is higher than the set speed of the host vehicle.

4 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 , wherein, after the host vehicle performs the lane change from the first lane to the second lane, the processor executes the return lane change from the second lane to the first lane in a case where there is a preceding vehicle in front of the host vehicle in the first lane and a speed of the preceding vehicle is higher than the set speed of the host vehicle.

5 . A vehicle control method comprising causing a computer to:

recognize a peripheral situation of a host vehicle;

execute driving control to control one or both of steering and speed of the host vehicle on the basis of a recognized result;

perform a lane change from a first lane in which the host vehicle travels to a second lane in a case where a first condition is satisfied, and perform a lane change of returning from the second lane to the first lane in a case where a second condition is satisfied after the lane change to the second lane,

the second condition including that a set speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change to the first lane;

determine, in a case where there are a plurality of preceding vehicles traveling in front of the host vehicle in the first lane, whether the set speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change from the second lane to the first lane on the basis of a speed of the slowest of the plurality of preceding vehicles and a speed of the host vehicle, and determine whether a return lane change from the second lane to the first lane is performed on the basis of a determination result;

in a case where there are a first preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle in the first lane and a second preceding vehicle traveling in front of the host vehicle in the second lane and the second preceding vehicle is predicted to perform a lane change from the second lane to the first lane, consider that the second preceding vehicle traveling in the second lane is traveling in the first lane; and determine whether the set speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change from the second lane to the first lane on the basis of a speed of the first preceding vehicle, a speed of the second preceding vehicle, and the speed of the host vehicle;

determine that the set speed of the host vehicle cannot be maintained after the host vehicle changes lanes from the second lane to the first lane, when the first preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than the set speed and the second preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed lower than the set speed;

determine that the set speed of the host vehicle can be maintained after the host vehicle changes lanes from the second lane to the first lane, when the first preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than the set speed and the second preceding vehicle is traveling at a speed equal to or greater than the set speed;

the set speed is a speed that can be changed within a predetermined tolerance range based on the speed limit of the lane in which the host vehicle is traveling by operating a switch by an occupant of the host vehicle; and

6 . A computer readable non-transitory storage medium having a program stored therein, the program causing a computer to:

recognize a peripheral situation of a host vehicle;

execute driving control to control one or both of steering and speed of the host vehicle on the basis of a recognized result;

the second condition including that a set speed of the host vehicle is able to be maintained after the host vehicle performs the lane change to the first lane;