[0001]The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that performs control to assist a driver in driving an own vehicle when traveling on a narrow path. Background Art [0002]
In recent years, there has been disclosed a technique of a navigation device that determines whether the own vehicle can pass through a narrow path while traveling on a road (narrow path) having a narrow path width, and aims at driving assistance for avoiding contact (see Patent Literature 1). Citation List Patent Literature [0003]
PTL 1: JP 2013-43563 A
Summary of Invention Technical Problem [0004]
2

In the related art, there has been proposed a vehicle control device that determines whether an own vehicle is physically passable on the basis of information on a lateral width and a height of the own vehicle, a road width, and obstacle information on a road, and provides driving assistance for avoiding contact or derailment when it is determined that the own vehicle is physically passable. [0005]
However, in a case where the driver himself/herself performs assistance such as driving, even if the driver can pass physically, there is a possibility that the driver becomes uneasy about whether the driver does not come in contact with the vehicle, or the driver actually comes in contact with the vehicle. In this way, it is found that it is not sufficient to perform the passable determination only by the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the obstacle on the road. [0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that provides assistance for a driver to drive a narrow path with a sense of security.
Solution to Problem [0007]
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A vehicle control device of the present invention for solving the above problems includes: a three-dimensional information acquisition unit that acquires three-dimensional information of a traveling region of an own vehicle; a passage margin region calculation unit that calculates a passage margin region set around the own vehicle based on the three-dimensional information of the traveling region; and a passage possibility determination unit that calculates a passable width that allows the own vehicle to physically pass based on the three-dimensional information of the traveling region, and determines whether the own vehicle can pass through the traveling region by using the passable width, a lateral width of the own vehicle, and information of the passage margin region.
Advantageous Effects of Invention [0008]
According to the present invention, passable determination is performed in consideration of a margin region in a vehicle width direction so that a driver can pass with security while an own vehicle is traveling on a narrow path. Therefore, when the driver himself/herself drives and passes through the narrow path while traveling, it is possible to provide optimum assistance for psychological margin and avoidance of contact and derailment.
4

[0009]
Other features of the invention will be clear from the description and the accompanying drawings. In addition, objects, configurations, and effects besides the above description will be apparent through the explanation on the following embodiments.
Brief Description of Drawings [0010]
[FIG. 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle control device mounted on an own vehicle.
[FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is an overhead view illustrating an example of a situation where an own vehicle passes through a narrow path.
[FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a situation where an own vehicle passes through a narrow path.
[FIG. 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing of a program of a passage margin region calculation unit.
[FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a flow of processing of a program of a passage possibility determination unit.
[FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram related to
5

steering assistance in processing of a contact and derailment prevention assist unit.
Description of Embodiments [0011]
Next, embodiments of the invention will be described. [0012]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a vehicle control device mounted on an own vehicle. A vehicle control device 1 according to the present embodiment is one of driving assistance devices that assist driving of an own vehicle, and performs driving assistance control for assisting passage when the own vehicle passes through a narrow path. In the present specification, the concept of a narrow path includes a road having a narrow path width in which a distance between an own vehicle and an obstacle on both sides in a vehicle width direction of the own vehicle is equal to or less than a predetermined value. In addition, a place where the width that the own vehicle can pass through is narrowed by an obstacle on a road surface is also included, and the place is not limited to a road, and may be any place where the own vehicle can pass through, and for example, a traveling path in a parking lot is also included. [0013]
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The vehicle control device 1 is mounted on the own vehicle, is connected to a front camera 2, own vehicle information 3, a side camera 8, a display 9, a side mirror 10, a speaker 11, and a steering assistance system 12 as illustrated in FIG. 1, and has a function of inputting and outputting information. The side camera 8, the display 9, the side mirror 10, the speaker 11, and the steering assistance system 12 constitute a control device of the vehicle control device 1. [0014]
The vehicle control device 1 roughly includes four parts: a traveling region three-dimensional information acquisition unit (three-dimensional information acquisition unit) 4, a passage margin region calculation unit 5, a passage possibility determination unit 6, and a contact and derailment prevention assist unit (assistance control unit) 7. [0015]
The traveling region three-dimensional information acquisition unit 4 acquires three-dimensional information of a traveling region existing in front of the own vehicle, and transmits the three-dimensional information to the passage margin region calculation unit 5. The three-dimensional information of the traveling region is acquired by the front camera 2 and supplied to the traveling region three-7

dimensional information acquisition unit 4. The three-dimensional information of the traveling region includes three-dimensional information of a road surface in front of the own vehicle and an obstacle existing on the road surface. [0016]
The passage margin region calculation unit 5 calculates a passage margin region of the own vehicle based on the three-dimensional information of the traveling region acquired by the traveling region three-dimensional information acquisition unit 4. The passage margin region has a width in the vehicle width direction and a height in the vehicle height direction. When there is an obstacle having a possibility of contact or derailment as the own vehicle travels on a narrow path, the passage margin region calculation unit 5 calculates the passage margin region on the basis of a contact possibility and a passage difficulty level, and transmits the calculation result to the passage possibility determination unit 6. [0017]
The passage possibility determination unit 6 determines whether the own vehicle can travel in the confronted scene based on the calculation result of the passage margin region calculation unit 5, and transmits the determination result to the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7. The passage possibility
8

determination unit 6 calculates a passable width by which the own vehicle can physically pass based on the three-dimensional information of the traveling region, and determines whether the own vehicle can pass through the traveling region using the passable width, the lateral width of the own vehicle, and the information of the passage margin region. [0018]
The contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7 controls assistance necessary for the own vehicle to pass through the traveling region based on the determination result of the passage possibility determination unit 6. The contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7 selects control of assistance necessary for the confronted scene, and transmits a control signal to control devices 8 to 12. [0019]
The front camera 2 is a camera mounted on the vehicle to image the front of the own vehicle, and transmits the captured image to the vehicle control device 1. The vehicle control device 1 acquires three-dimensional information of the traveling region from the image captured by the front camera 2. The front camera 2 only needs to be able to acquire three-dimensional information, and in the present embodiment, a stereo camera is used, but a combination of a monocular camera and a laser radar or another sensor such as
9

LIDAR can also be used. [0020]
The own vehicle information 3 transmits, to the vehicle control device 1, information on the own vehicle necessary for determining the passage possibility and performing control. Specifically, at least one of a lateral width, a vehicle speed, a steering angle, a side mirror height, a driver's seat height, and a window frame height of the own vehicle is transmitted. [0021]
The side camera 8 is a camera (side view camera) mounted on the vehicle to capture an image of the side of the own vehicle, and has a configuration to capture an image of the vicinity of the front passenger seat side tire that is a blind spot for the driver. The side camera 8 is automatically activated when it is determined that control is necessary based on the control signal received from the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7, and transmits the captured image to the display 9. The display 9 displays the image captured by the side camera 8. The display 9 is attached to the interior of the own vehicle, and is installed at a position where the driver can check the display content while driving. The captured image of the side camera 8 is used for prevention of a derailment, prevention of contact with a roadside object, and the like,
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and can assist passage of an encountered scene. [0022]
The side mirror 10 has a configuration capable of being automatically stored based on a control signal received from the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7. For example, when the passage possibility determination unit 6 determines that driving assistance is necessary for the own vehicle to pass through the traveling region, and the determination result is transmitted to the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7, an instruction signal for storing the side mirror 10 is output from the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7 to the side mirror 10, and the side mirror 10 is automatically stored. When the side mirror 10 of the own vehicle is automatically stored in the narrow path, the vehicle width is shortened accordingly, the distance between the own vehicle and an obstacle such as a roadside object or a stopped vehicle is increased, and the traveling of the own vehicle is facilitated. Therefore, it is possible to assist the passage of the encountered scene. [0023]
The speaker 11 is mounted in the vehicle interior of the own vehicle, and notifies the driver of the necessity of the passage assistance or the possibility of contact and wheel fall based on the assistance signal received from the
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contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7. Therefore, it is possible to assist the passage of the encountered scene. [0024]
The steering assistance system 12 includes actuators for operating a steering wheel, an accelerator, and a brake of the own vehicle, and performs steering assistance to prevent contact and derailment when passage assistance is required, based on an assistance signal received from the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7. In addition, when there is a margin from the side surface of the own vehicle to the side edge of the roadside object or the road, it is also possible to perform steering assistance for widening by automatically controlling the steering. [0025]
As an example of a scene to which the present embodiment is applied, FIG. 2 illustrates an overhead view of a scene in which the own vehicle passes through a narrow path. [0026]
As illustrated in FIG. 2, roadside objects M1 and M2 such as walls and guard rails, and an obstacle 60 such as a truck vehicle stopped on a road are disposed on a road R. The road R has a narrow path with a narrow width through which the own vehicle passes between the obstacle 60 and the roadside object M1. An own vehicle 50 traveling on the road
12

R travels in the direction indicated by the arrow v50. Therefore, the own vehicle 50 later passes by the obstacle 60. That is, the situation illustrated in FIG. 2 is a situation in which the own vehicle 50 is predicted to pass by the obstacle 60 on a narrow path. [0027]
When the own vehicle 50 passes through a narrow path as illustrated in this example, the vehicle control device 1 determines whether driving assistance of the own vehicle 50 is necessary when there is almost no margin in the interval between the own vehicle and the roadside object M1 or the obstacle 60. Then, control is performed to activate the control devices 8 to 12 on the basis of the determination result that driving assistance is necessary. [0028]
The traveling region three-dimensional information acquisition unit 4 acquires not only the position information on the two-dimensional plane as illustrated in FIG. 2 but also three-dimensional position information including the height direction. The traveling region three-dimensional information acquisition unit 4 acquires the three-dimensional position information of the traveling region of the own vehicle, so that the passage possibility determination unit 6 can determine whether to be able to pass in consideration of the position of the obstacle in the
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height direction. [0029]
In the case of the example illustrated in FIG. 3, by acquiring the three-dimensional information, the height of the roadside object M1 and the height of the left side mirror are different on the left side of the own vehicle 50, and it can be seen that the left side mirror does not interfere with the roadside object M1 even if the own vehicle 50 moves to the left, and there is a margin in which the own vehicle 50 can move to the left up to a position where the body of the own vehicle 50 contacts the roadside object M1. Then, on the right side of the own vehicle 50, the truck side surface of the obstacle 60 faces the right side mirror of the own vehicle 50, and it can be seen that when the own vehicle 50 is moved too far to the right, the front end of the right side mirror may interfere with the obstacle 60. Therefore, a lateral width that may come into contact with the roadside object M1 and the obstacle 60, that is, a range from the left end of the body of the own vehicle 50 to the tip of the right side mirror can be acquired as a lateral width w50 of the own vehicle 50. [0030]
Next, a processing operation of the passage margin region calculation unit 5 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 4.
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[0031]
First, in Step S100, an initial setting of a passage margin region used for passage possibility determination is performed. The initial value of the passage margin region may be a preset value, but may be manually set by the driver himself/herself, or may be set to a value corresponding to the driving level of the driver with reference to the driving history when the control was performed in the past in the vehicle control device 1. In addition, the past widthwise travel and travel track records in the narrow path may be acquired from the driving history of the driver of the own vehicle, and the margin region according to the driving level of the driver may be set. [0032]
In Step S101, it is determined whether the driver can see the obstacle. Whether the driver can see the obstacle is determined based on at least height information of the obstacle, and more precisely, based on height information of the obstacle, driver's seat height and window height information of the own vehicle, and visual line height information of the driver. When it is determined that the obstacle cannot be visually recognized, the first passage margin region is added to the initial value of the passage margin region because the possibility of contact increases. [0033]
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In Step S102, it is determined whether the obstacle is moving based on the speed information of the obstacle. When it is determined that the obstacle is moving, the possibility of contact increases, and thus the second passage margin region is added to the passage margin region calculated in the above step. [0034]
In Step S103, it is determined whether the own vehicle is traveling at a low speed based on the speed information of the own vehicle. When it is determined that the own vehicle is traveling at a low speed, it is considered that the driver is carefully driving by determining that there is a possibility of colliding with an obstacle. Therefore, a third passage margin region is added to the passage margin region calculated in the above step. [0035]
In Step S104, it is determined whether there is unevenness on the road surface on which the own vehicle travels. When there is unevenness on the road surface, the vehicle height of the own vehicle changes depending on the road surface shape, so that it is necessary to expand the passage margin region. When unevenness exists on the road surface on which the own vehicle travels, a fourth passage margin region is added to the passage margin region calculated in the above step.
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[0036]
In Step S105, it is determined whether the type of the obstacle is a person or a vehicle on the basis of the recognition information of the obstacle. When the type of the obstacle is determined to be a person or a vehicle, the possibility of contact is higher than that of a stationary three-dimensional object such as a wall, and the damage caused to the body of the human when the obstacle is contacted is more serious and important than the damage caused to other than the body of the human, so that a fifth passage margin region is added to the passage margin region calculated in the above step. [0037]
Here, the widths in the vehicle width direction among the passage margin regions added in Steps S100 to S105 are added equally to the left and right with respect to the center of the vehicle. [0038]
The margin region calculated in Steps S100 to S105 is transmitted to the passage possibility determination unit 6. [0039]
The passage possibility determination unit 6 determines whether the own vehicle 50 can pass based on the lateral width w50 of the own vehicle and the information of a width w70 and a passable width w60 in the vehicle width
17

direction of the passage margin region calculated by the passage margin region calculation unit 5. Specifically, when the lateral width obtained by adding the lateral width w50 of the own vehicle 50 and the width w70 in the vehicle width direction of the passage margin region calculated by the passage margin region calculation unit 5 is larger than the passable width w60, it is determined that the own vehicle can pass. In this case, since it is determined that the vehicle can pass even when the passable width w60 is sufficiently wide, a threshold w_th for not providing assistance is provided so as not to perform unnecessary control. The passage possibility is determined by the following Expression (1). [Math. 1]
w50 + w70 < w60 < w_th•••(1) [0040]
In the above passage possibility determination, when the passable width w60 is smaller than a lateral width obtained by adding the lateral width w50 of the own vehicle 50 and the width w70 in the vehicle width direction of the margin region calculated by the passage margin region calculation unit 5, and it is determined that the own vehicle is not possible to pass, when the lateral width obtained by adding the lateral width w40 when the side mirror of the own vehicle is stored and the width w70 in the vehicle width
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direction of the margin region calculated by the passage margin region calculation unit 5 is larger than the passable width w60, it is determined that the own vehicle can pass. The above is determined to be passable by Expression (2). [Math. 2]
w40 + w70 < w60•••(2) [0041]
The passage possibility determination information determined by the above Expressions (1) and (2) is transmitted to the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7. [0042]
Next, a processing operation of the contact and derailment prevention assist unit 7 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. 5. [0043]
In Step S200, it is determined whether the driver of the own vehicle can see the obstacle through the window from the driver's seat. The obstacle includes a side groove and the like lower than the road surface. As a method of recognizing whether the obstacle is present, a known method is used, for example, based on three-dimensional information of the traveling region. Then, whether the driver can see the obstacle is geometrically determined based on at least height information of the obstacle, and more precisely, based
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on height information of the obstacle, driver's seat height and window height information of the own vehicle, and visual line height information of the driver. When it is determined that the driver cannot be visually recognized the obstacle, a signal for automatically activating the side camera is transmitted to the side camera 8. [0044]
In Step S201, it is determined whether the obstacle is moving. As a method of recognizing whether the obstacle is moving, for example, a known method such as an optical flow using an image captured by the front camera 2 is used. Then, when it is determined that the obstacle is moving, a signal for changing at least the allocation of the passage margin regions on the right and left sides of the vehicle is transmitted to the steering assistance system 12. [0045]
Here, the change of the allocation of the margin regions will be described with reference to FIG. 6. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the moving obstacle 60 exists in the right region of the own vehicle 50 and the non-moving wall M1 exists in the left region of the own vehicle 50, the driver should drive with a margin for the moving obstacle 60 having a higher risk of coming into contact rather than the wall M1. Therefore, the distribution is changed such that the width w1 on the stationary wall M1
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side is decreased and the width w2 on the moving obstacle 60 side is increased in the margin regions w1 and w2 equally distributed to the own vehicle 50 in the right and left at the normal time. [0046]
In Step S202, it is determined whether the obstacle is a person or a vehicle. As a method of recognizing whether the obstacle is a person or a vehicle, for example, a known method such as template matching using an image captured by the front camera 2 is used. When it is determined that the obstacle is a person or a vehicle, a signal for changing at least the allocation of the margin regions is transmitted to the steering assistance system 12. For example, control is performed to increase the margin region on the side of a person or a vehicle as an obstacle and reduce the margin region on the side of a stationary object. [0047]
In Step S203, it is determined whether it is determined by the passage possibility determination unit 6 that the own vehicle 50 can pass when the side mirror 10 of the own vehicle is stored, that is, whether it is determined by the above Expression (2) that the own vehicle can pass. When it is determined that the vehicle can pass through by the above Expression (2), a signal for automatically storing at least the side mirror is transmitted to the side mirror 10.
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[0048]
As described above, the vehicle control device 1 according to the present embodiment can determine whether the own vehicle can pass through the narrow path on the basis of the information acquired by the front camera 2, and can provide driving assistance suitable for the scene that the own vehicle faces.
According to the vehicle control device 1 of the present embodiment, when there is an obstacle having a possibility of contact or derailment due to traveling of the own vehicle on a narrow path, the passage margin region is calculated on the basis of the contact possibility and the passage difficulty level, and the passage possibility determination is performed on the basis of the calculation result. As a result, for example, in a case where the driver cannot visually recognize the obstacle, the driving assistance is performed with a margin width made larger than that in a case where the driver can visually recognize the obstacle, and the driver can drive the narrow path with a sense of security. [0049]
Hitherto, the embodiments of the invention have been described, but the invention is not limited to the embodiments. Various modifications may be made within a scope not departing from the spirit of the invention
22

disclosed in claims. For example, the above-described embodiments of the invention have been described in detail in a clearly understandable way, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. In addition, some of the configurations of a certain embodiment may be replaced with the configurations of the other embodiments, and the configurations of the other embodiments may be added to the configurations of the subject embodiment. In addition, some of the configurations of each embodiment may be omitted, replaced with other configurations, and added to other configurations. Reference Signs List [0050]
1 vehicle control device
2 front camera
3 own vehicle information
4 traveling region three-dimensional information
acquisition unit (three-dimensional information acquisition
unit)
5 passage margin region calculation unit
6 passage possibility determination unit
7 contact and derailment prevention assist unit (assistance control unit)
8 side camera
9 display
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10 side mirror
11 speaker
12 steering assistance system
50 own vehicle
60 obstacle

WE CLAIMS

A vehicle control device, comprising:
a three-dimensional information acquisition unit that acquires three-dimensional information of a traveling region of an own vehicle;
a passage margin region calculation unit that calculates a passage margin region set around the own vehicle based on the three-dimensional information of the traveling region; and
a passage possibility determination unit that calculates a passable width that allows the own vehicle to physically pass based on the three-dimensional information of the traveling region, and determines whether the own vehicle can pass through the traveling region by using the passable width, a lateral width of the own vehicle, and information of the passage margin region. [Claim 2]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, comprising an assistance control unit that performs control to assist the own vehicle to pass through the traveling region based on a determination result of the passage possibility determination unit. [Claim 3]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
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wherein
the passage margin region calculation unit is configured to set the passage margin region based on a driving history of the own vehicle. [Claim 4]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the passage margin region calculation unit is configured to determine whether a driver of the own vehicle can visually recognize an obstacle from a driver's seat based on height information of the obstacle in the traveling region acquired from the three-dimensional information of the traveling region and add a first passage margin region to the passage margin region when it is determined that the driver cannot visually recognize the obstacle. [Claim 5]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the passage margin region calculation unit is configured to determine whether an obstacle is moving based on speed information of the obstacle in the traveling region acquired from the three-dimensional information of the traveling region, and add a second passage margin region to the passage margin region when it is determined that the obstacle is moving.
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[Claim 6]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the passage margin region calculation unit is configured to determine whether the own vehicle is traveling at a low speed based on speed information of the own vehicle, and add a third passage margin region to the passage margin region when it is determined that the own vehicle is traveling at a low speed. [Claim 7]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the passage margin region calculation unit is configured to determine whether unevenness exists on a road surface of a road on which the own vehicle travels based on road surface information of the road acquired from the three-dimensional information of the traveling region, and add a fourth passage margin region to the passage margin region when it is determined that the unevenness exists. [Claim 8]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the passage margin region calculation unit is configured to determine whether an obstacle in the traveling region is a person or a vehicle based on recognition
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information of the obstacle in the traveling region acquired from the three-dimensional information of the traveling region, and add a fifth passage margin region to the passage margin region when it is determined that the obstacle is a person or a vehicle. [Claim 9]
The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the passage possibility determination unit is configured to determine, when it is determined that the own vehicle cannot pass through the traveling region, whether the own vehicle can pass through if a side mirror of the own vehicle is stored. [Claim 10]
The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein
the assistance control unit is configured to determine whether a driver of the own vehicle can visually recognize an obstacle from a driver's seat based on height information of the obstacle in the traveling region acquired from the three-dimensional information of the traveling region, and activate a side camera that images a side of the own vehicle mounted on the own vehicle when it is determined that the driver cannot visually recognize the obstacle. [Claim 11]
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The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
wherein
the assistance control unit is configured to: determine whether an obstacle is moving based on speed
information of the obstacle in the traveling region acquired
from the three-dimensional information of the traveling
region; and
when it is determined that the obstacle is moving, expand a passage margin region on a side where the
moving obstacle exists, among one side and the other side in
the vehicle width direction of the own vehicle, and reduce
a passage margin region on a side where the moving obstacle
does not exist.
[Claim 12]
The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
wherein
the assistance control unit is configured to:
when it is determined that an obstacle is a person or
a vehicle based on recognition information of the obstacle
in the traveling region acquired from the three-dimensional
information of the traveling region,
determine whether the obstacle is moving based on speed
information of the obstacle in the traveling region acquired
from the three-dimensional information of the traveling
region; and
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when it is determined that the obstacle is moving,
expand a passage margin region on a side where the obstacle exists among one side and the other side in the vehicle width direction of the own vehicle, and reduce a passage margin region on a side where the obstacle does not exist. [Claim 13]
The vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein
the assistance control unit is configured to perform control to store the side mirror when the passage possibility determination unit determines that the own vehicle can pass if the side mirror of the own vehicle is stored.