Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and non-transitory storage medium

A vehicle control method comprising:

• by a vehicle control device:
• acquiring a positional relationship between a vehicle and a lane;
• performing in-lane travel control that causes an actuator comprised in a steering device of the vehicle to output a force for causing the vehicle to travel in the lane within a range not exceeding a lateral upper limit based on the positional relationship;
• adjusting the lateral upper limit in a predetermined case;
• and
• switching a change rate of the lateral upper limit in response to a change of state of an operator that accepts a steering operation performed by an occupant of the vehicle,
• the lateral upper limit adjustment part reduces the lateral upper limit from a specified value toward zero in response to the control part stopping the in-lane travel control, and
• in response to the control part stopping the in-lane travel control, the lateral upper limit adjustment part causes a reduction speed of the lateral upper limit during a period before a timing at which the operator starts to be displaced regardless of the in-lane travel control to be greater than the reduction speed of the lateral upper limit during a period after the timing.

A non-transitory storage medium, storing a program causing a processor of a vehicle control device to execute:

• acquiring a positional relationship between a vehicle and a lane;
• performing in-lane travel control that causes an actuator comprised in a steering device of the vehicle to output a force for causing the vehicle to travel in the lane within a range not exceeding a lateral upper limit based on the positional relationship;
• adjusting the lateral upper limit in a predetermined case;
• and
• switching a change rate of the lateral upper limit in response to a change of state of an operator that accepts a steering operation performed by an occupant of the vehicle,
• the lateral upper limit adjustment part reduces the lateral upper limit from a specified value toward zero in response to the control part stopping the in-lane travel control, and
• in response to the control part stopping the in-lane travel control, the lateral upper limit adjustment part causes a reduction speed of the lateral upper limit during a period before a timing at which the operator starts to be displaced regardless of the in-lane travel control to be greater than the reduction speed of the lateral upper limit during a period after the timing.