VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE AND VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control device that can suppress unnecessary operations of safety devices with respect to targets low in possibility of crossing an advance direction forward a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device 10 comprises: a collision time calculation unit 12 that calculates a collision prediction time; an operation area setting unit 13 that forward an advance direction, sets an operation area serving as an area having a prescribed width in a lateral direction serving as a direction orthogonal to an advance road of an own vehicle; a timing setting unit 14 that sets operation timing of safety devices 31 and 32; a judgement area setting unit 18 that obliquely forward the advance direction of the own vehicle, sets a judgement area having the prescribed width in the lateral direction; a time-counting unit 19 that counts a time for which a target exists in the judgement area; a correction unit 15 that, when the time counted by the time-counting unit is long, conducts processing of making a width of the operation area small and processing of making the operation timing small; and an operation judgement unit 16 that, when a location of the object is present within the operation area and a collision prediction time is below the operation timing, causes the safety devices 31 and 32 to be operated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】自車の進行方向前方を横切る可能性の低い物標に対する安全装置の不要作動を抑制することが可能な車両制御装置を提供する。【解決手段】車両制御装置１０であって、衝突予測時間を算出する衝突時間算出部１２と、進行方向前方に、自車の進路に直交する方向である横方向に所定の幅を有する領域である作動領域を設定する作動領域設定部１３と、安全装置３１，３２の作動タイミングを設定するタイミング設定部１４と、自車の進行方向の斜め前方に、横方向に所定の幅を有する判定領域を設定する判定領域設定部１８と、判定領域に物標が滞在する時間を計時する計時部１９と、計時部が計時した時間が長い場合、作動領域の幅を小さくする処理及び作動タイミングを小さくする処理を行う補正部１５と、物標の位置が作動領域内であり、且つ、衝突予測時間が作動タイミングを下回った場合に、安全装置３１，３２を作動させる作動判定部１６と、を備える。【選択図】 図１