Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

1. A vehicle control device comprising:

a storage device storing a program; and

a hardware processor executing the program stored in the storage device to:

recognize a runway area in which a vehicle is to travel;

generate a target trajectory such that the target trajectory follows a center of the recognized runway area in a lateral direction and cause the vehicle to travel along the target trajectory without depending on an operation of a driver of the vehicle;

determine a drive mode of the vehicle as one of a plurality of drive modes including a first drive mode and a second drive mode, the second drive mode being a drive mode in which a lighter task is imposed on the driver than that in the first drive mode, some of the plurality of drive modes including at least the second drive mode being modes in which the vehicle is caused to travel along the target trajectory without depending on an operation of a driver of the vehicle;

change the drive mode of the vehicle to a drive mode in which a heavier task is imposed on the driver, in a case in which a task relating to the determined drive mode is not performed by the driver; and

change the drive mode of the vehicle from the second drive mode to the first drive mode, in a case in which a distance between the center and a reference point of the vehicle is equal to or longer than a reference distance.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the hardware processor sets the reference distance to a distance that is longer than a lane width of one lane and is shorter than a lane width of two lanes.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,

wherein a plurality of drive modes of which tasks imposed on the driver are different from each other are included in the second drive mode, and

wherein the hardware processor changes the reference distance based on a drive mode that is being executed among the second drive modes.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the hardware processor changes the reference distance based on a speed of the vehicle.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the hardware processor changes the reference distance based on a curvature of a road on which the vehicle is present.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the reference point of the vehicle is a point on a center axis in a vehicle width direction of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle control method using a computer, the vehicle control method comprising:

recognizing a runway area in which a vehicle is to travel;

generating a target trajectory such that the target trajectory follows a center of the recognized runway area in a lateral direction without depending on an operation of a driver of the vehicle and causing the vehicle to travel along the target trajectory;

determining a drive mode of the vehicle as being one of a plurality of drive modes including a first drive mode and a second drive mode, the second drive mode being a drive mode in which a lighter task is imposed on the driver than that in the first drive mode, some of the plurality of drive modes including at least the second drive mode being modes in which the vehicle is caused to travel along the target trajectory without depending on an operation of a driver of the vehicle;

changing the drive mode of the vehicle to a drive mode in which a heavier task is imposed on the driver in a case in which a task relating to the determined drive mode is not performed by the driver; and

changing the drive mode of the vehicle from the second drive mode to the first drive mode in a case in which a distance between the center and a reference point of the vehicle is equal to or longer than a reference distance.