Patent Publication Number: US-2019193726-A1

Title: Vehicle control device, vehicle control method, and storage medium

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-250996, filed Dec. 27, 2017, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium. 
     Description of Related Art 
     In recent years, a technology for supporting driving of a driver has been developed. For example, a technology for performing inter-vehicle communication between a public vehicle such as a bus or a taxi and a nearby vehicle traveling near the public vehicle, transmitting travel information of the public vehicle to the nearby vehicle, and supporting driving of the nearby vehicle is known (for example, Japanese Patent No. 5994526). 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     However, execution of driving support such as contact avoidance for a following vehicle that does not perform inter-vehicle communication is not considered in the related art. 
     An aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium capable of executing more appropriate contact avoidance control for a following vehicle. 
     A vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention adopt the following configurations. 
     (1) A vehicle control device according to an aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control device including: a recognition unit that recognizes moving bodies present near a subject vehicle; a deriving unit that derives an index value indicating that a following vehicle present behind the subject vehicle in a subject lane among the moving bodies recognized by the recognition unit approaches the subject vehicle; and a driving control unit that performs predetermined control in a case that the index value derived by the deriving unit is smaller than a threshold value in a case that the subject vehicle changes a route to another lane. 
     (2) In the aspect (1), the vehicle control device further includes an outside notification unit that performs a predetermined notification to surroundings of the subject vehicle, wherein the driving control unit performs a notification using the outside notification unit in a case that the index value derived by the deriving unit is smaller than a threshold value in a case in which the subject vehicle changes a route to another lane. 
     (3) In the above aspect (1), the deriving unit derives a headway time obtained by dividing a relative distance between the subject vehicle and the following vehicle by a speed of the following vehicle, as the index value. 
     (4) In the above aspect (1), the driving control unit performs the predetermined control in a case that it is predicted that the moving body recognized by the recognition unit will interfere with the subject vehicle in a case that the subject vehicle turns right or turns left to change the route. 
     (5) A vehicle control method according to an aspect of the present invention is a vehicle control method including recognizing, by a recognition unit, moving bodies present near a subject vehicle; deriving, by a deriving unit, an index value indicating that a following vehicle present behind the subject vehicle in a subject lane among the moving bodies recognized by the recognition unit approaches the subject vehicle; and performing, by a driving control unit, predetermined control in a case that the index value derived by the deriving unit is smaller than a threshold value in a case that the subject vehicle changes a route to another lane. 
     (6) A storage medium according to an aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing a program, the program causing a computer to: recognize moving bodies present near a subject vehicle; derive an index value indicating that a following vehicle present behind the subject vehicle in a subject lane among the recognized moving bodies approaches the subject vehicle; and perform predetermined control in a case that the derived index value is smaller than a threshold value in a case that the subject vehicle changes a route to another lane. 
     According to the above aspects (1) to (6), it is possible to execute more appropriate contact avoidance control for a following vehicle. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a functional configuration diagram of a first control unit and a second control unit. 
         FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a state in which a target trajectory is generated on the basis of a recommended lane. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an example of a process of an index value deriving unit. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an example of a process of a contact avoidance control unit. 
         FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an example of first contact avoidance control. 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an example of second contact avoidance control. 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process that is executed by an automated driving control device according to the embodiment. 
         FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the automated driving control device according to the embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a storage medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an automated driving vehicle will be used for description. Automated driving is control of one or both of steering and acceleration/deceleration of a vehicle to cause the vehicle to travel regardless of an operation of an occupant. Manual driving of the automated driving vehicle may be performed by an occupant. Further, a case in which left-hand driving is applied will be described below, but the right and the left may be reversed in a case that right-hand driving is applied. 
     [Overall Configuration] 
       FIG. 1  is a configuration diagram of a vehicle system  1  using a vehicle control device according to an embodiment. A vehicle on which the vehicle system  1  is mounted is, for example, a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a three-wheeled vehicle, or a four-wheeled vehicle. A driving source thereof is an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, an electric motor, or a combination thereof. When the electric motor is included, the electric motor operates using power generated by a power generator connected to the internal combustion engine, or discharge power of a secondary battery or a fuel cell. 
     The vehicle system  1  includes, for example, a camera  10 , a radar device  12 , a finder  14 , an object recognition device  16 , a communication device  20 , a human machine interface (HMI)  30 , a vehicle sensor  40 , a navigation device  50 , a map positioning unit (MPU)  60 , an outside notification unit  70 , a driving operator  80 , an automated driving control device (an example of a vehicle control device)  100 , a travel driving force output device  200 , a brake device  210 , and a steering device  220 . These units or devices are connected to each other by a multiplex communication line such as a controller area network (CAN) communication line, a serial communication line, or a wireless communication network. The configuration illustrated in  FIG. 1  is merely an example, and a part of the configuration may be omitted or another configuration may be added. 
     The camera  10  is, for example, a digital camera using a solid-state imaging device such as a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS). One or a plurality of cameras  10  are attached to any places of the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a subject vehicle M) on which the vehicle system  1  is mounted. In the case of imaging the front, the camera  10  is attached to an upper portion of a front windshield, a rear surface of a rearview mirror, or the like. The camera  10 , for example, periodically repeatedly images the periphery of the subject vehicle M. The camera  10  may be a stereo camera. 
     The radar device  12  radiates radio waves such as millimeter waves to the surroundings of the subject vehicle M and detects radio waves (reflected waves) reflected by an object to detect at least a position (distance and orientation) of the object. One or a plurality of radar devices  12  are attached to any places on the subject vehicle M. The radar device  12  may detect a position and a speed of the object using a frequency modulated continuous wave (FM-CW) scheme. 
     The finder  14  is a light detection and ranging (LIDAR). The finder  14  radiates light near the subject vehicle M and measures scattered light. The finder  14  detects a distance to a target on the basis of a time from light emission to light reception. The radiated light is, for example, pulsed laser light. One or a plurality of finders  14  are attached to any places on the subject vehicle M. 
     The object recognition device  16  performs a sensor fusion process on detection results of some or all of the camera  10 , the radar device  12 , and the finder  14  to recognize a position, type, speed, and the like of an object. The object recognition device  16  outputs recognition results to the automated driving control device  100 . The object recognition device  16  may output the detection results of the camera  10 , the radar device  12 , or the finder  14  to the automated driving control device  100  as they are according to necessity. 
     The communication device  20 , for example, communicates with another vehicle near the subject vehicle M using a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), dedicated short range communication (DSRC), or the like or communicates with various server devices via a wireless base station. 
     The HMI  30  presents various types of information to an occupant of the subject vehicle M and receives an input operation from the occupant. The HMI  30  includes various display devices, speakers, buzzers, a touch panel, switches, keys, and the like. 
     The vehicle sensor  40  includes, for example, a vehicle speed sensor that detects a speed of the subject vehicle M, an acceleration sensor that detects an acceleration, a yaw rate sensor that detects an angular speed around a vertical axis, and an orientation sensor that detects a direction of the subject vehicle M. 
     The navigation device  50  includes, for example, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver  51 , a navigation HMI  52 , and a route determination unit  53 , and holds first map information  54  in a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a flash memory. The GNSS receiver  51  specifies a position of the subject vehicle M on the basis of a signal received from a GNSS satellite. The position of the subject vehicle M may be specified or supplemented by an inertial navigation system (INS) using an output of the vehicle sensor  40 . The navigation HMI  52  includes a display device, a speaker, a touch panel, keys, and the like. The navigation HMI  52  may be partly or wholly shared with the above-described HMI  30 . The route determination unit  53 , for example, determines a route (hereinafter, an on-map route) from the position of the subject vehicle M (or any input position) specified by the GNSS receiver  51  to a destination input by the occupant using the navigation HMI  52  by referring to the first map information  54 . The first map information  54  is, for example, information in which a road shape is represented by links indicating roads and nodes connected by the links. The first map information  54  may include a curvature of the road, point of interest (POI) information, and the like. The on-map route determined by the route determination unit  53  is output to the MPU  60 . The navigation device  50  may perform route guidance using the navigation HMI  52  on the basis of the on-map route determined by the route determination unit  53 . The navigation device  50  may be realized, for example, by a function of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal possessed by the occupant. The navigation device  50  may transmit a current position and a destination to a navigation server via the communication device  20  and acquire the on-map route with which the navigation server replies. 
     The MPU  60 , for example, functions as a recommended lane determination unit  61 , and holds second map information  62  in a storage device such as an HDD or a flash memory. The recommended lane determination unit  61  divides the route provided from the navigation device  50  into a plurality of blocks (for example, divides the route every 100 [m] in a progression direction of the vehicle), and determines a recommended lane for each block by referring to the second map information  62 . The recommended lane determination unit  61  determines in which lane from the left the subject vehicle M travels. The recommended lane determination unit  61  determines the recommended lane so that the subject vehicle M can travel on a reasonable route for progression to a branch destination when there is a branch point, a merging point, or the like in the route. 
     The second map information  62  is map information with higher accuracy than the first map information  54 . The second map information  62  includes, for example, information on a center of the lane or information on a boundary of the lane. The second map information  62  may include road information, traffic regulation information, address information (address and postal code), facility information, telephone number information, and the like. The second map information  62  may be updated at any time by accessing another device using the communication device  20 . 
     The outside notification unit  70  notifies of information on a behavior of the subject vehicle M to the outside. The outside notification unit  70  includes, for example, blinkers  72  and a brake lamp  74 . The blinkers  72  are disposed at predetermined positions between a front end portion and a rear end portion on the side of the subject vehicle. The blinkers  72  are disposed on left and right sides of the subject vehicle M. For the blinkers  72 , the blinker on one of the right and left sides starts or stops blinking based on operation control of the outside notification control unit  170 . The blinkers  72  may function as a hazard lamp (an emergency blinking light). In this case, the outside notification control unit  170  starts or stops blinking of the blinkers  72  on the left and right sides on the basis of the operation control of the outside notification control unit  170 . 
     The brake lamp  74  is disposed at the rear end portion of the vehicle body of the subject vehicle M. Power of the brake lamp  74  starts or stops on the basis of the operation control of the outside notification control unit  170 . 
     The driving operator  80  includes, for example, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, a shift lever, a steering wheel, a modified steering wheel, a joystick, and other operators. A sensor that detects the amount of operation or the presence or absence of the operation is attached to the driving operator  80 , and a result of the detection is output to one or both of the automated driving control device  100 , and the travel driving force output device  200 , the brake device  210  and the steering device  220 . 
     The automated driving control device  100  includes, for example, a first control unit  120 , a second control unit  160 , and an outside notification control unit  170 . Each of the first control unit  120 , the second control unit  160 , and the outside notification control unit  170  is realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) executing a program (software). Some or all of such components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as a large scale integration (LSI), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a graphics processing unit (GPU) or may be realized by software and hardware in cooperation. 
       FIG. 2  is a functional configuration diagram of the first control unit  120  and the second control unit  160 . In  FIG. 2 , the outside notification control unit  170  is illustrated. The first control unit  120  includes, for example, a recognition unit  130  and an action plan generation unit  140 . The recognition unit  130  includes, for example, an index value deriving unit  132  and an interference determination unit  134 . The action plan generation unit  140  includes, for example, a contact avoidance control unit  142 . The index value deriving unit  132  is an example of a “deriving unit”. A combination of the outside notification unit  70  and the outside notification control unit  170  is an example of an “outside notification unit”. A combination of the interference determination unit  134 , the contact avoidance control unit  142 , and the second control unit  160  is an example of a “driving control unit”. 
     The first control unit  120  realizes, for example, a function based on artificial intelligence (AI) and a function based on a previously given model in parallel. For example, in a function of “recognizing an intersection,” recognition of the intersection through an image recognition scheme using deep learning or the like and recognition based on previously given conditions (a signal which can be subjected to pattern matching, a road sign, or the like) are executed in parallel, and the function of recognizing an intersection is realized by scoring both recognitions and comprehensively evaluating the recognitions. Accordingly, the reliability of automated driving is guaranteed. 
     The recognition unit  130  recognizes a position and a state such as a speed or an acceleration of an object near the subject vehicle M on the basis of information input from the camera  10 , the radar device  12 , and the finder  14  via the object recognition device  16 . Examples of the object include a moving body such as a pedestrian, a bicycle, another vehicle, and a stationary obstacle. Examples of the other vehicle include a preceding vehicle, a following vehicle, and other vehicles traveling in the vicinity. When the object is the moving body, the position of the object is recognized, for example, as a position based on absolute coordinates with a representative point (for example, a centroid or a driving axis center) of the subject vehicle M as an origin, and is used for control. The position of the object may be represented by a representative point such as a centroid or a corner of the object or may be represented by an indicated area. The “state” of the object may include an acceleration or jerk of the object, or an “action state” (for example, whether or not the object is changing lanes or is about to change lanes). The recognition unit  130  recognizes a shape of a curve that the subject vehicle M is about to pass on the basis of a captured image of the camera  10 . The recognition unit  130  converts the shape of the curve from the captured image of the camera  10  to a real plane and outputs, for example, two-dimensional point sequence information or information represented by using a model equivalent thereto to the action plan generation unit  140  as information indicating the shape of the curve. 
     The recognition unit  130  recognizes a lane (traveling lane) in which the subject vehicle M is traveling. For example, the recognition unit  130  compares a pattern of a road marking line (for example, an arrangement of a solid line and a broken line) obtained from the second map information  62  with a pattern of a road marking line near the subject vehicle M recognized from the image captured by the camera  10  to recognize the traveling lane. The recognition unit  130  may recognize not only the road marking line but also a traveling road boundary (road boundary) including the road marking line, a road shoulder, a curb, a median strip, a guard rail, or the like to recognize the traveling lane. In this recognition, the position of the subject vehicle M acquired from the navigation device  50  or a processing result of an INS may be added. The recognition unit  130  recognizes a temporary stop line, an obstacle, a traffic light, a toll gate, and other road events. 
     The recognition unit  130  recognizes a position or a posture of the subject vehicle M relative to the traveling lane in a case that recognizing the traveling lane. The recognition unit  130  may recognize, for example, a deviation of a reference point of the subject vehicle M from a center of the lane, and an angle formed between a progression direction of the subject vehicle M and a line connecting a center of a lane as a relative position and a posture of the subject vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. Instead, the recognition unit  130  may recognize, for example, a position of the reference point of the subject vehicle M with respect to any one of side end portions (the road marking line or the road boundary) of the traveling lane as the relative position of the subject vehicle M with respect to the traveling lane. 
     The recognition unit  130  may derive recognition accuracy in the above recognition process and output the recognition accuracy as recognition accuracy information to the action plan generation unit  140 . For example, the recognition unit  130  generates the recognition accuracy information on the basis of a frequency of recognition of the road marking lines in a certain period. Functions of the index value deriving unit  132  and the interference determination unit  134  of the recognition unit  130  will be described below. 
     In principle, the action plan generation unit  140  determines events to be sequentially executed in automated driving so that the subject vehicle M can travel on the recommended lane determined by the recommended lane determination unit  61  and cope with the surrounding situation of the subject vehicle M. Events include, for example, a constant speed traveling event in that a vehicle travels on the same lane at a constant speed, a following traveling event in which a vehicle follows a preceding vehicle, an overtaking event in which a vehicle overtakes a preceding vehicle, an avoidance event in which a vehicle performs braking and/or steering for avoiding approaching an obstacle, a curved traveling event in which a vehicle travels on a curve, a passage event in which a vehicle passes through a predetermined point such as an intersection, a crosswalk, a railroad crossing, or a traffic light, a lane change event, a merging event, a branching event, an automated stop event, and a takeover event for ends automated driving and switching to manual driving. 
     The action plan generation unit  140  generates a target trajectory along which the subject vehicle M will travel in the future according to an activated event. The target trajectory includes, for example, a speed element. For example, the target trajectory is represented as a sequence of points (trajectory points) to be reached by the subject vehicle M. The trajectory point is a point that the subject vehicle M is to reach for each predetermined travel distance (for example, several meters) at a road distance, and a target speed and a target acceleration at every predetermined sampling time (for example, several tenths of a [sec]) are separately generated as part of the target trajectory. The trajectory point may be a position that the subject vehicle M is to reach at the sampling time at every predetermined sampling time. In this case, information on the target speed or the target acceleration is represented by the interval between the trajectory points. 
       FIG. 3  is a diagram illustrating a state in which the target trajectory is generated on the basis of the recommended lane. As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the recommended lane is set so that a vehicle conveniently travels along a route to a destination. The action plan generation unit  140  activates the passage event, the lane change event, the branching event, the merging event, or the like in a case that a vehicle approach a predetermined distance (which may be determined according to a type of event) at a point at which the recommended lane is switched. In a case that it is necessary to avoid an obstacle during the execution of each event, an avoidance trajectory is generated as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . A function of the contact avoidance control unit  142  of the action plan generation unit  140  will be described below. 
     The second control unit  160  controls the travel driving force output device  200 , the brake device  210 , and the steering device  220  so that the subject vehicle M passes through the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit  140  or the contact avoidance control unit  142  at a scheduled time. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the second control unit  160  includes, for example, an acquisition unit  162 , a speed control unit  164 , and a steering control unit  166 . The acquisition unit  162  acquires information on the target trajectory (trajectory points) generated by the action plan generation unit  140  or the contact avoidance control unit  142  and stores the information on the target trajectory in a memory (not illustrated). The speed control unit  164  controls the travel driving force output device  200  or the brake device  210  on the basis of the speed element incidental to the target trajectory stored in the memory. The steering control unit  166  controls the steering device  220  according to a degree of bend of the target trajectory stored in the memory. Processes of the speed control unit  164  and the steering control unit  166  are realized by, for example, a combination of feedforward control and feedback control. For example, the steering control unit  166  executes a combination of feedforward control according to a curvature of a road in front of the subject vehicle M and feedback control based on a deviation from the target trajectory. 
     The outside notification control unit  170  controls start or end of an operation of the outside notification unit  70 . For example, in a case that the outside notification control unit  170  receives a manipulation of a blinker lever (not illustrated) which is a switch for instructing an operation of the blinker  72 , the outside notification control unit  170  turns on the blinker  72  corresponding to an instructed direction or causes the blinker  72  to blink. The outside notification control unit  170  turns on the blinker  72  or causes the blinker  72  to blink in a direction corresponding to the progression direction of the subject vehicle M in a case that a route of the subject vehicle M is changed in the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit  140 . The route change is, for example, right turn, left turn, or lane change of subject vehicle M. The lane change is, for example, a case in which the lane is changed from a traveling lane to an adjacent lane in a plurality of lanes having the same progression direction, or a case in which a lane is changed due to branching or merging. 
     For example, in a case that an occupant of the subject vehicle M has executed a manipulation with respect to the brake device  210 , the outside notification control unit  170  turns on the brake lamp  74 . The manipulation with respect to the brake device  210  is, for example, a manipulation in which the occupant depresses the brake pedal. The outside notification control unit  170  turns on the brake lamp  74  in a case that control of the brake device  210  is being executed according to deceleration control of the speed control unit  164 . The outside notification control unit  170  turns on the brake lamp  74  at a predetermined timing on the basis of contact avoidance control of the contact avoidance control unit  142 . Details of the function of the outside notification control unit  170  will be described below. 
     The travel driving force output device  200  outputs a travel driving force (torque) for traveling of the vehicle to the driving wheels. The travel driving force output device  200  includes, for example, a combination of an internal combustion engine, an electric motor, a transmission, and the like, and an ECU that controls these. The ECU controls the above configuration according to information input from the second control unit  160  or information input from the driving operator  80 . 
     The brake device  210  includes, for example, a brake caliper, a cylinder that transfers hydraulic pressure to the brake caliper, an electric motor that generates hydraulic pressure in the cylinder, and a brake ECU. The brake ECU controls the electric motor according to information input from the second control unit  160  or information input from the driving operator  80  so that a brake torque according to a braking operation is output to each wheel. The brake device  210  may include a mechanism that transfers the hydraulic pressure generated by the operation of the brake pedal included in the driving operator  80  to the cylinder via a master cylinder as a backup. 
     The brake device  210  is not limited to the configuration described above and may be an electronically controlled hydraulic brake device that controls the actuator according to information input from the second control unit  160  and transfers the hydraulic pressure of the master cylinder to the cylinder. 
     The steering device  220  includes, for example, a steering ECU and an electric motor. The electric motor, for example, changes a direction of the steerable wheels by causing a force to act on a rack and pinion mechanism. The steering ECU drives the electric motor according to information input from the second control unit  160  or information input from the driving operator  80  to change the direction of the steerable wheels. 
     [Function of Index Value Deriving Unit] 
     The index value deriving unit  132  derives an index value indicating that the following vehicle present behind the subject vehicle in the subject lane among the moving bodies recognized by the recognition unit  130  approaches the subject vehicle M. 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating an example of a process of the index value deriving unit  132 . In the example of  FIG. 4 , road links RL 1  to RL 4  connected to an intersection CR are shown. The road link RL is obtained by cutting out a road between a node and a node in map information, and is typically a road corresponding to one block. In the road links RL 1  to RL 4  illustrated in  FIG. 4 , a road marking line that partitions a traveling lane of the subject vehicle M and an opposite lane within the same road link is shown. 
     The recognition unit  130  recognizes the traveling road link RL 1 , the other road links RL  2  to RL 4 , the road marking lines, and the intersection CR. The recognition unit  130  recognizes a following vehicle ml as a moving body present in the vicinity. 
     The recognition unit  130  recognizes a position or a speed VM of the subject vehicle M and a position and a speed Vm 1  of the following vehicle ml in the traveling road link RL 1 . 
     The index value deriving unit  132  derives an inter-vehicle distance D 1  between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml recognized by the recognition unit  130  as an index value (hereinafter referred to as a first index value). The inter-vehicle distance D 1  is, for example, a distance from a rear end portion of the vehicle body of the subject vehicle M to a front end portion of the following vehicle ml. 
     The index value deriving unit  132  may derive a headway time obtained by dividing a relative distance between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml by a speed of the following vehicle as an index value (hereinafter referred to as a second index value). The relative distance is, for example, the inter-vehicle distance D 1 . The relative distance may be a distance from a centroid of the subject vehicle M to a centroid of the following vehicle ml or a distance from a front end portion of the subject vehicle M to a front end portion of the following vehicle ml. 
     The index value deriving unit  132  may derive a margin time until the subject vehicle M comes into contact with the following vehicle ml (TTC: Time To Collision), which is obtained by dividing the relative distance between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml by the relative speed between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml, as an index value (hereinafter referred to as a third index value). 
     Here, the smaller the first to third index values, the higher the likelihood of the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml coming in contact with each other. Therefore, for example, in a case that the subject vehicle M changes a route on the basis of the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit  140 , the contact avoidance control unit  142  determines whether or not at least one index value among the first to third index values derived by the index value deriving unit  132  is smaller than a threshold value. In a case that the at least one index value is smaller than the threshold value, the contact avoidance control unit  142  performs predetermined control for avoiding contact with the following vehicle ml. The predetermined control means, for example, to make a timing of blinking of the blinker  72  earlier than a timing of turn-on of the blinker  72  at a normal time or to make a timing of turn-on of the brake lamp  74  earlier than a timing of turn-on of the brake lamp  74  at a normal time. The normal time is, for example, a case in which the first to third index values are equal to or greater than first to third threshold values. The normal time is, for example, a state in which the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml do not approach each other or a state in which it is not predicted that the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml will approach each other in the near future. The contact avoidance control unit  142  may select at least one of the first to third index values, and execute control for avoidance of contact with the following vehicle ml on the basis of whether or not the selected index value is smaller than the threshold value. 
     [Function of Contact Avoidance Control Unit] 
       FIG. 5  is a diagram illustrating an example of a process of the contact avoidance control unit  142 .  FIG. 5  illustrates a scene in which the subject vehicle M traveling on the road link RL 1  turns left at the intersection CR and travels on the road link RL 2  that is another lane on the basis of the target trajectory K 1  generated by the action plan generation unit  140 . In the example of  FIG. 5 , it is assumed that blinkers  721   f ,  72   rf ,  721   r , and  72   rr  are provided in the subject vehicle M. 
     In the scene illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the contact avoidance control unit  142  determines whether or not the subject vehicle M turns left and the inter-vehicle distance D 1  between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml derived by the index value deriving unit  132  is less than a predetermined distance Dth that is a first threshold value. In a case that the inter-vehicle distance D 1  is less than the predetermined distance Dth, the contact avoidance control unit  142 , at the normal time, causes the outside notification control unit  170  to cause the blinker  72  to blink at a timing earlier than a timing of blinking of the blinker  72  at the normal time. 
     For example, in automated driving, in a case that the blinkers  721   f  and  721   r  provided on the left side of the vehicle body of the subject vehicle M are cause to blink at a timing when the traveling subject vehicle M has reached a distance Dlp 1  from a link portion between the road link RL 1  and the intersection CR at the normal time, the contact avoidance control unit  142  causes the blinkers  721   f  and  721   r  to blink at a timing when the traveling subject vehicle M has reached a distance Dlp 2  longer than the distance Dlp 1 . In a case that the subject vehicle M turns left and the inter-vehicle distance D 1  between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance Dth, the second control unit  160  causes the blinkers  721   f  and  721   r  to blink at a timing at a normal time (a timing at which the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 1 ). 
     Accordingly, in a case that the following vehicle ml is approaching the subject vehicle M, it is possible to notify the occupant of the following vehicle ml of a near future behavior of the subject vehicle M earlier than usual. Thus, it is possible to suppress contact with the following vehicle ml. 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  may cause the outside notification control unit  170  to execute predetermined control in a case that the headway time is less than a predetermined time Tth 1  that is a second threshold value in place of (or in addition to) the inter-vehicle distance D 1  described above. This control is referred to as first contact avoidance control.  FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating an example of the first contact avoidance control.  FIG. 6  illustrates an example of the predetermined control in which the brake lamp  74  provided at the rear end of the vehicle body of the subject vehicle M is turned on. 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  determines whether the subject vehicle M turns left along the target trajectory K 1  and the headway time between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml derived by the index value deriving unit  132  is less than the predetermined time Tth 1 . When the headway time is less than the predetermined time Tth 1 , the contact avoidance control unit  142 , at a normal time, causes the outside notification control unit  170  to turn on the brake lamp  74  at a timing earlier than a timing of turn-on of the brake lamp  74  at the normal time. 
     For example, in automated driving, in a case in which the brake lamp  74  has been turned on at a timing when the traveling subject vehicle M has reached a distance Dlp 3  from a link portion between the road link RL 1  and the intersection CR at the normal time, the contact avoidance control unit  142  turns on the brake lamp  74  at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached a distance Dlp 4  longer than the distance Dlp 3 . The distance Dlp 3  may be the same distance as the distance Dlp 1  and the distance Dlp 4  may be the same distance as the distance Dlp 2 . 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  generates a target trajectory for decelerating the subject vehicle M turning left at a timing when the outside notification control unit  170  is caused to turn on the brake lamp  74  at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 4 . Accordingly, deceleration can be started in a case that the brake lamp  74  has been turned on. 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  may turn on the brake lamp  74  before starting deceleration control for left turn of the subject vehicle M. In this case, the contact avoidance control unit  142  turns on the brake lamp  74  at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 4 , and starts the deceleration control at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 3 . 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  may cause the outside notification control unit  170  to temporarily cause the hazard lamp to blink instead of turning on the brake lamp  74  at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 4 . In this case, the contact avoidance control unit  142  causes the hazard lamps (for example, the blinkers  721   f ,  72   rf ,  721   r , and  72   rr ) to blink at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 4 , causes the blinking of the hazard lamps to end at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 3 , and causes the blinkers  721   f  and  721   r  to blink or causes the brake lamp  74  to be turned on to start the deceleration control. 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  may alternatively repeat the acceleration and deceleration of the subject vehicle M temporarily instead of causing the outside notification control unit  170  to turn on the brake lamp  74  at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 4 . In this case, the contact avoidance control unit  142  executes control for repeating the acceleration and deceleration of the subject vehicle M at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached the distance Dlp 4 , causes blinking of the hazard lamp to end at a timing when the subject vehicle M has reached Dlp 3 , and causes the brake lamp  74  to be turned on to start the deceleration control. 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  may execute the blinking of the blinker  72 , the turn-on of the brake lamp  74 , or the like earlier than control at a normal time in the automated driving to perform the contact avoidance control in a case that a margin time until the subject vehicle M comes in contact with the following vehicle ml is less than a predetermined time Tth 2  that is a third threshold value, instead of (or in addition to) the inter-vehicle distance D 1  and the headway time described above. 
     [Function of Interference Determination Unit] 
     The contact avoidance control unit  142  may execute predetermined control for avoiding contact with a moving body on the basis of a result of a determination on whether or not the moving body present near the subject vehicle M and the subject vehicle M interfere each other. This control is referred to as a second contact avoidance control.  FIG. 7  is a diagram illustrating an example of the second contact avoidance control.  FIG. 7  illustrates an example in which the pedestrian P is present in a direction in which the subject vehicle M turns left at the intersection CR along the target trajectory K 1 . 
     The interference determination unit  134  predicts a future movement route on the basis of a current position, a movement speed VP, and a movement direction of the pedestrian P recognized by the recognition unit  130 , and predicts whether the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P will interfere each other on the basis of the predicted future movement route (hereinafter referred to as a predicted movement route) and the target trajectory K 1  of the subject vehicle M. For example, the interference determination unit  134  determines that the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P interfere with each other in a case that the target trajectory K 1  of the subject vehicle M crosses the predicted movement route of the pedestrian P 1  at a certain time. In a case that the target trajectory K 1  of the subject vehicle M does not cross the predicted movement route of the pedestrian P 1  at a certain time, the interference determination unit  134  determines that the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P do not interfere each other. 
     The interference determination unit  134  may set a predetermined width (range) in the target trajectory K 1  in the future of the subject vehicle and the movement route of the pedestrian P on the basis of the shapes of the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P, and determine whether or not the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P interfere with each other on the basis of whether or not at least parts of areas formed by the respective width overlap each other at a certain time. In this case, the interference determination unit  134  determines that the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P interfere with each other when at least the parts of the respective areas overlap each other at a certain time, and determines that the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P do not interfere each other when at least the parts of the respective areas do not overlap each other. 
     In a case that the interference determination unit  134  determines that the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P interfere with each other, the contact avoidance control unit  142  executes driving control for accelerating or decelerating the subject vehicle M to avoid contact between the subject vehicle M and the pedestrian P. Specifically, the contact avoidance control unit  142  generates a target trajectory in which the subject vehicle M is decelerated or stopped before the subject vehicle M turns left at an intersection, the pedestrian P is caused to cross the intersection CR first, and then, the subject vehicle M turns left at the intersection CR. The contact avoidance control unit  142  generates a target trajectory in which the subject vehicle M is accelerated and the left turn is completed before the pedestrian P starts crossing. Accordingly, the subject vehicle M can travel without interfering with surrounding moving bodies. 
     [Process Flow] 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process that is executed by the automated driving control device  100  according to the embodiment. A process of this flowchart may be repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle or predetermined timing, for example. In the process of this flowchart, it is assumed that automated driving is being executed on the basis of the target trajectory generated by the action plan generation unit  140  in the subject vehicle M. 
     First, the first control unit  120  determines whether or not the subject vehicle M changes the route on the basis of the position of the subject vehicle M and the target trajectory of the subject vehicle M (step S 100 ). When it is determined that the subject vehicle M changes the route, the contact avoidance control unit  142  determines whether or not the inter-vehicle distance D 1  with the following vehicle ml derived by the index value deriving unit  132  is less than a predetermined distance Dthl (step S 102 ). When it is determined that the inter-vehicle distance with the following vehicle is less than the predetermined distance Dthl, the contact avoidance control unit  142  causes the blinker corresponding to a route change destination of the subject vehicle M to blink earlier than the blinking of the blinker at a normal time (step S 104 ). 
     When it is determined in the process of step S 102  that the inter-vehicle distance with the following vehicle ml is equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, the contact avoidance control unit  142  determines whether the headway time with the following vehicle ml derived by the index value deriving unit  132  is less than the predetermined time Tth 1  (step S 106 ). When it is determined that the headway time with the following vehicle ml is less than the predetermined time Tth 1 , the contact avoidance control unit  142  executes the first contact avoidance control (step S 108 ). 
     When it is determined in the process of step S 106  that the headway time is equal to or more than the predetermined time Tth 1 , the contact avoidance control unit  142  determines whether the route change is a right turn or a left turn of the subject vehicle M (step S 110 ). When it is determined that the route change is a right turn or a left turn of the subject vehicle M, the interference determination unit  134  determines whether or not the subject vehicle M interferes with the moving body present near the subject vehicle M recognized by the recognition unit  130  (step S 112 ). When it is determined that the subject vehicle M interferes with the moving body, the contact avoidance control unit  142  executes the second contact avoidance control (step S 114 ). Accordingly, this flowchart ends. When it is determined in the process of step S 100  that the subject vehicle M does not change the route, when it is determined in the process of step S 110  that the route change of the subject vehicle is not the right turn or the left turn, or when it is determined in the process of step S 112  that the subject vehicle M does not interfere with the moving body, this flowchart ends. Although the process of combining the first index value (the inter-vehicle distance) and the second index value (the headway time) described above has been described in the process flow of  FIG. 8 , the contact avoidance control of the embodiment may be performed by using the third index value (the margin time up to contact) instead of (or in addition to) such a process. In the embodiment, for example, the process of step S 104  and the process of step S 108  illustrated in  FIG. 8  may be interchanged. 
     According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to execute more appropriate contact avoidance control for the moving body such as the following vehicle ml or the pedestrian P by including the recognition unit  130  that recognizes moving bodies present near the subject vehicle M, the index value deriving unit  132  that derives the index value indicating that the following vehicle ml present behind the subject vehicle M in the subject lane among the moving bodies recognized by the recognition unit  130  approaches the subject vehicle M, and the contact avoidance control unit  142  and the second control unit  160  that perform predetermined control in a case that the index value derived by the index value deriving unit  132  is smaller than the threshold value in a case in which the subject vehicle M changes the route to another lane. 
     According to the above-described embodiment, in a case that the subject vehicle M changes the route and the following vehicle ml is approaching or is likely to approach in the future, the blinkers  72  or the brake lamp  74  is caused to operate earlier than a normal time. Thus, it is possible to cause an occupant of the following vehicle ml to recognize a behavior of the subject vehicle M and to suppress contact between the subject vehicle M and the following vehicle ml. According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to execute more appropriate contact avoidance control by performing driving control so that the subject vehicle M does not interfere with a pedestrian or a bicycle near the intersection in a case that the subject vehicle M turns right or left. 
     [Hardware Configuration] 
     The automated driving control device  100  of the embodiment described above is realized by, for example, a hardware configuration as illustrated in  FIG. 9 .  FIG. 9  is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the automated driving control device  100  according to the embodiment. 
     The automated driving control device  100  has a configuration in which a communication controller  100 - 1 , a CPU  100 - 2 , a RAM  100 - 3 , a ROM  100 - 4 , a storage device  100 - 5  such as a flash memory or an HDD, and a drive device  100 - 6  are connected to each other by an internal bus or a dedicated communication line. A portable storage medium (for example, a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium) such as an optical disc is mounted on the drive device  100 - 6 . A program  100 - 5   a  stored in the storage device  100 - 5  is developed in the RAM  100 - 3  by a DMA controller (not illustrated) or the like and executed by the CPU  100 - 2 , such that the first control unit  120  and the second control unit  160  are realized. A program referred to by the CPU  100 - 2  may be stored in a portable storage medium mounted on the drive device  100 - 6  or may be downloaded from another device via a network NW. 
     The above embodiment can be represented as follows. 
     A vehicle control device including 
     a storage device that stores information, and 
     a hardware processor that executes a program stored in the storage device, 
     wherein the hardware processor is configured to 
     recognize moving bodies present near a subject vehicle, 
     derive an index value indicating that a following vehicle present behind the subject vehicle in a subject lane among the recognized moving bodies approaches the subject vehicle, and 
     perform predetermined control in a case that the derived index value is smaller than a threshold value in a case that the subject vehicle changes a route to another lane. 
     Although a mode for carrying out the present invention has been described above using the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment at all, and various modifications and substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.