# US 12,214,823 B2 · Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and non-transitory storage medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,214,823 B2 - Document ID: US12214823B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/978,510 - Filed: 2022-11-01 - Published: 2023-06-22 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2021-12-22 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Kentaro Takahashi; Naoyuki Muramatsu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12214823B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/12: Lane keeping - B62D 15/0255: {Automatic changing of lane, e.g. for passing another vehicle} - B60W 50/0098: {Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for} - B60W 2554/4041: Position - B60W 2554/4043: Lateral speed - B60W 2554/4045: Intention, e.g. lane change or imminent movement - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W 2554/803: Relative lateral speed - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract A vehicle control device includes a processor. The processor is configured to: detect a mobile body located in a region that is not a host vehicle lane in which a host vehicle is traveling, out of regions that are adjacent to an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the host vehicle lane; detect entry operation of the mobile body to enter the adjacent lane; and when the processor detects the entry operation, perform steering control for the host vehicle such that a travel position of the host vehicle within the host vehicle lane in a width direction of the host vehicle lane is moved in a direction away from the adjacent lane before the entry operation is completed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control device comprising a processor configured to: detect a mobile body located in a region that is not a host vehicle lane in which a host vehicle is traveling, out of regions that are adjacent to an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the host vehicle lane; detect entry operation of the mobile body to enter the adjacent lane; and when the processor detects the entry operation, perform steering control for the host vehicle such that a travel position of the host vehicle within the host vehicle lane in a width direction of the host vehicle lane is moved in a direction away from the adjacent lane before the entry operation is completed. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the region that is not the host vehicle lane is a lane that is adjacent to the adjacent lane. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the region that is not the host vehicle lane is a merging path to be merged with the adjacent lane. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the region that is not the host vehicle lane is an entry and exit path for a facility that faces the adjacent lane. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the steering control includes correcting a target travel trajectory for the host vehicle in a direction away from the adjacent lane, and moving the host vehicle onto the corrected target travel trajectory. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to render an amount of movement of the host vehicle in a direction away from the adjacent lane in the steering control larger as a lateral speed of the mobile body in the entry operation is higher. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: the processor is configured to predict an initial predicted position at a time before start of the steering control, the initial predicted position being a predicted position of the mobile body at a time when the entry operation is completed; the processor is configured to determine whether the initial predicted position is included in a control execution area determined in advance with reference to a host vehicle position; the processor is configured to perform the steering control when the processor has determined that the initial predicted position is included in the control execution area; and the processor is configured not to perform the steering control when the processor has determined that the initial predicted position is not included in the control execution area. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to: set a predicted travel trajectory that is a predicted trajectory for travel of the mobile body; and predict the initial predicted position based on the predicted travel trajectory and a target travel trajectory for the host vehicle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein: the processor is configured to acquire a size of the mobile body in a lateral direction; the processor is configured to determine whether the size in the lateral direction is more than a predetermined threshold; the processor is configured to perform the steering control when the processor has determined that the size in the lateral direction is more than the predetermined threshold; and the processor is configured not to perform the steering control when the processor has determined that the size in the lateral direction is not more than the predetermined threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined threshold is smaller as a lane width of the host vehicle lane is smaller. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined threshold is smaller as a lane width of the adjacent lane is smaller. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform cancellation steering control when the entry operation is canceled at a time during execution of the steering control or after completion of the steering control, the cancellation steering control being performed to control steering of the host vehicle such that the travel position of the host vehicle in the width direction of the host vehicle lane is returned to a position before start of the steering control. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: predict a during-execution predicted position at a time during execution of the steering control or after completion of the steering control, the during-execution predicted position being a predicted position of the mobile body at a time of completion of the entry operation; determine whether the during-execution predicted position is included in a control continuation area determined in advance with reference to a host vehicle position; and perform cancellation steering control when the processor has determined that the during-execution predicted position is not included in the control continuation area, the cancellation steering control being performed to control steering of the host vehicle such that the travel position of the host vehicle in the width direction of the host vehicle lane is returned to a position before start of the steering control. ### Claim 14 A vehicle control method executed by a computer, the vehicle control method comprising: detecting a mobile body located in a region that is not a host vehicle lane in which a host vehicle is traveling, out of regions that are adjacent to an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the host vehicle lane; detecting entry operation of the mobile body to enter the adjacent lane; and when the entry operation is detected, performing steering control for the host vehicle such that a travel position of the host vehicle within the host vehicle lane in a width direction of the host vehicle lane is moved in a direction away from the adjacent lane before the entry operation is completed. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that are executable by one or more processors and that cause the one or more processors to perform functions comprising: detecting a mobile body located in a region that is not a host vehicle lane in which a host vehicle is traveling, out of regions that are adjacent to an adjacent lane that is adjacent to the host vehicle lane; detecting entry operation of the mobile body to enter the adjacent lane; and when the entry operation is detected, performing steering control for the host vehicle such that a travel position of the host vehicle within the host vehicle lane in a width direction of the host vehicle lane is moved in a direction away from the adjacent lane before the entry operation is completed.