Vehicle control device

A vehicle control device mounted in a vehicle and capable of performing cruise control of the vehicle according to an external environment of the vehicle, the device comprising:

• a first integrated circuit (IC) unit mounted in the vehicle, and for performing image processing on an output from a camera for capturing the external environment of the vehicle to output image processing data obtained through the image processing;
• a second IC unit different from the first IC unit, and for performing recognition processing of the external environment of the vehicle based on the image processing data to output external environment data obtained through the recognition processing;
• a third IC unit different from the first and second IC units, and for performing judgment processing for the cruise control of the vehicle based on the image processing data or the external environment data;
• a power management unit capable of controlling an on or off state of a recognition function of the external environment of the vehicle in the second IC unit according to a condition of the vehicle;
• and
• a bypass path for enabling data communication of the image processing data from the first IC unit to the third IC unit without performing the recognition processing of the external environment of the vehicle by the second IC unit, wherein
• the second IC unit generates information about a first traveling route of the vehicle based on the external environment of the vehicle and outputs the information about the first traveling route as the external environment data to the third IC unit,
• the third unit generates information about a second traveling route of the vehicle by a method different from that of the second IC unit based on the image processing data obtained through the bypass path, and
• the third IC unit determines which of the first traveling route and the second traveling route that the vehicle travels on based on the information about the first traveling route generated by the second IC unit or the information about the second traveling route generated by the third IC unit.