Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

A vehicle control device comprising:

• a storage medium storing computer-readable instructions;
• and
• at least one processor connected to the storage medium, the processor executing the computer-readable instructions to:
• recognize a road marking of a course of a vehicle,
• perform a control process of providing a notification to a driver of the vehicle or an assistance control process of assisting in driving of the driver so that the vehicle does not deviate from the road marking when it is determined that the remaining time before the vehicle reaches the road marking obtained on the basis of a position of the road marking relative to the vehicle and a state of the vehicle is less than or equal to a threshold value, and
• change a timing when the assistance control process starts on the basis of a degree of change in a degree of curve of the course of the vehicle,
• wherein the at least one processor:
• executes a first change process of increasing the threshold value as the degree of change in the degree of curve increases when the degree of change increases as the degree of curve increases, and
• executes a second change process different from the first change process when the degree of change increases as the degree of curve decreases,
• wherein the second change process is a process of setting a preset threshold value regardless of the degree of change in the degree of curve or a process of setting the threshold value to a second threshold value less than a first threshold value,
• wherein the first threshold value is a set threshold value that increases as the degree of change in the degree of curve increases when the degree of change increases in the first change process, and
• wherein the second threshold value is a set threshold value that increases as the degree of change in the degree of curve increases when the degree of change increases in the second change process.

A vehicle control method comprising:

• recognizing, by a computer, a road marking of a course of a vehicle;
• determining, by the computer, that the vehicle is likely to deviate from the road marking when it is determined that the remaining time before the vehicle reaches the road marking obtained on the basis of a position of the road marking relative to the vehicle and a state of the vehicle is less than or equal to a threshold value;
• changing, by the computer, the threshold value on the basis of a degree of change in a degree of curve of the course;
• controlling, by the computer, assistance for suppressing the vehicle's deviation from the road marking when it is determined that the vehicle is likely to deviate from the road marking;
• executing, by the computer, a first change process of increasing the threshold value as the degree of change in the degree of curve increases when the degree of change increases as the degree of curve increases;
• and
• executing, by the computer, a second change process different from the first change process when the degree of change increases as the degree of curve decreases,
• wherein the second change process is a process of setting a preset threshold value regardless of the degree of change in the degree of curve or a process of setting the threshold value to a second threshold value less than a first threshold value,
• wherein the first threshold value is a set threshold value that increases as the degree of change in the degree of curve increases when the degree of change increases in the first change process, and
• wherein the second threshold value is a set threshold value that increases as the degree of change in the degree of curve increases when the degree of change increases in the second change process.