Vehicle control device and vehicle control method
To prevent the occupants of a vehicle from feeling uneasy by offset, provided is a control device configured to control the travel of the vehicle so that a lateral position of the vehicle is maintained a target lateral position. The control device comprising a longitudinal control unit configured to execute, when detect a front object in an adjacent area and an approaching vehicle in an adjacent lane, controlling a longitudinal acceleration or a longitudinal deceleration of the vehicle, so that a first timing and a second timing is different from each other, and a lateral control unit configured to control a lateral speed of the vehicle so that the lateral direction position of the vehicle at the first timing is laterally separated from the front object and the lateral direction position of the vehicle at the second timing is laterally separated from the approaching vehicle.
1 . A vehicle control device configured to control travel of an own vehicle so that a lateral position of the own vehicle is maintained at a predetermined target lateral position set in an own lane, comprising:
an electronic control unit (ECU) having one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processors, cause the ECU to:
execute longitudinal control, when a leading vehicle approaching the own vehicle is detected in an adjacent lane that is on one side of the own lane, and a following vehicle approaching the own vehicle is detected in an adjacent lane that is on an opposite side of the own lane,
determine that the leading vehicle has a vehicle speed lower than that of the own vehicle and that the following vehicle has a vehicle speed higher than that of the own vehicle,
when the own vehicle is unable to advance a second timing, at which the following vehicle overtakes the own vehicle, to be earlier than a first timing, at which the own vehicle overtakes the leading vehicle, even by accelerating the own vehicle with a predetermined upper-limit acceleration of the own vehicle, decelerate the own vehicle so as to allow the following vehicle to overtake the own vehicle before the own vehicle overtakes the leading vehicle; and
after the following vehicle has overtaken the own vehicle, increase a lateral speed of the own vehicle to offset the own vehicle to a target lateral position laterally separated from the leading vehicle before the first timing.
2 . The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, when the own vehicle is able to advance the second timing to be earlier than the first timing by accelerating the own vehicle with an acceleration equal to or lower than the predetermined upper-limit acceleration, the longitudinal control accelerates the own vehicle so that the own vehicle overtakes the leading vehicle before the following vehicle overtakes the own vehicle; and
wherein, after the own vehicle has overtaken the leading vehicle, the lateral control increases the lateral speed of the own vehicle to return the own vehicle toward a center of the own lane before the second timing.