JP2010191666A - Vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a vehicle periphery monitoring device that detects a traveling path having a more careful shape particularly during night driving and reduces driving load on a driver to assist driving.
A vehicle periphery monitoring device that monitors the periphery of a vehicle using an infrared camera mounted on the vehicle alerts a driver of the vehicle according to an object extracted from a captured image captured by the infrared camera. For identifying at least one of a descending slope and a curvature of the traveling path of the vehicle, and a traveling path shape in which the descending slope of the traveling path or the curvature of the traveling path is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Means. If the traveling road shape is identified, the warning output means outputs the warning in a form different from the case where the traveling road shape is not identified. When a road with a large curvature is identified, a sign indicating the shape of the road is displayed in addition to the display of the object, and when a road with a large downward slope is identified, the alarm output timing is displayed. Advance.
[Selection] Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for monitoring the periphery of a vehicle, and more specifically, to an apparatus for changing the form of an alarm according to the shape of a traveling path of the vehicle.

  In the vicinity of the vehicle, there are pedestrians, artificial structures such as utility poles and walls, etc., and such objects may affect the running of the vehicle. There has been proposed an apparatus that is mounted and detects an object from captured images around the vehicle imaged by the camera and provides the detection result to the driver of the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 below describes that a pedestrian is detected from a captured image obtained by capturing the periphery of a vehicle, and this is presented to the driver to call attention.

Japanese Patent No. 3716623

  By using an infrared camera, even when driving at night, the situation around the vehicle can be displayed on the display device as a video that is easier to visually recognize, so the driving load on the driver can be reduced.

  However, the driver may not be able to recognize the shape of the traveling road well even when viewing the image of the infrared camera. In particular, when driving on a sharp curve or a steep downhill with poor visibility, it is required to drive while paying attention to the situation around the vehicle. Unrecognizable cases may occur. Under such circumstances, the driving load on the driver increases.

  Therefore, there is a demand for a method for assisting driving by reducing the driving load on the driver when traveling on a road with a more careful shape, particularly at night.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a vehicle periphery monitoring device that monitors the periphery of a vehicle using an infrared camera mounted on the vehicle, according to an object extracted from a captured image captured by the infrared camera, Warning output means for outputting a warning to the driver of the vehicle, detection means for detecting at least one of a downward slope and a curvature of the traveling path of the vehicle, and a downward slope of the traveling path or a curvature of the traveling path are predetermined values. Identification means for identifying the traveling road shape as described above. If the traveling road shape is identified, the warning output means outputs the warning in a form different from the case where the traveling road shape is not identified.

  A traveling road having a curvature that is greater than or equal to a predetermined value may have poor visibility due to tight bending of the traveling road, which may increase the driving load on the driver. In addition, on a travel road where the downward slope is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the braking distance (the distance from when the brake starts to the vehicle stops) increases, which may increase the driving load on the driver. According to the present invention, when a travel path having such a shape is identified, a warning to the driver is output in a form different from the normal, so that the driver travels not only the surrounding objects. It is possible to quickly recognize that the driver should drive while paying attention to the shape of the road. Therefore, driving can be supported so as to reduce the driving load on the driver.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, if a traveling road shape whose curvature of the traveling road is greater than or equal to a predetermined value is identified, the alarm output means displays the captured image displayed on the display device as the alarm. The upper object is highlighted and an indication indicating the shape of the traveling road is superimposed on the traveling road on the captured image.

  In particular, when traveling at night, it may not be possible to recognize well the degree of bending of the traveling road even if the captured image obtained by the infrared camera is viewed. The driver can recognize the presence of the target object by highlighting the captured image of the target object. However, if he / she is distracted, the driver may not be able to recognize the bending condition well and may deviate from the traveling road. According to the present invention, not only the attention to the object is drawn, but also the indication indicating the shape of the traveling road is superimposed and displayed, so that the driver can quickly determine not only the presence of the object but also the shape of the traveling road. Can be recognized.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, if a traveling road shape in which the descending slope of the traveling road is greater than or equal to a predetermined value is identified, the warning output means is that the descending slope of the traveling road is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The alarm is output at an earlier timing than when not identified.

  In particular, when traveling at night, it may not be possible to recognize the degree of the downward slope of the traveling road well even if the image captured by the infrared camera is viewed. If the degree of the downward gradient cannot be recognized well, the braking distance is extended on the downgraded road, so that the recognition of the presence of the object may be delayed. According to the present invention, when the vehicle is traveling on such a road, an alarm for notifying that an object is present is output at an earlier timing than usual, so the driver should be careful at an earlier timing. It can be recognized that the object exists. Therefore, the driver can perform driving with more margin.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed description that follows.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the periphery monitoring apparatus according to one Example of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the attachment position of the camera according to one Example of this invention. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process in an image processing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. The figure showing the form of the alarm output according to one Example of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a process of alarm output according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The figure showing the form of the alarm output according to 1st Example of this invention. The flowchart which shows the process of the alarm output according to 2nd Example of this invention. The figure showing the form of the alarm output according to 2nd Example of this invention. The figure for demonstrating the form which changes the timing of alarm output by changing the distance of the processing range according to 2nd Example of this invention.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle periphery monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus is mounted on a vehicle and has two infrared cameras 1R and 1L capable of detecting far infrared rays, and an image processing unit 2 for detecting an object around the vehicle based on image data obtained by the cameras 1R and 1L. And a speaker 3 that generates an alarm by voice based on the detection result, and an image obtained by the camera 1R or 1L, and a head-up display that displays a display for allowing the driver to recognize an object around the vehicle (Hereinafter referred to as HUD) 4.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the cameras 1 </ b> R and 1 </ b> L are arranged at positions symmetric with respect to the central axis passing through the center of the vehicle width at the front of the vehicle 10 so as to capture the front of the vehicle 10. Has been. The two cameras 1R and 1L are fixed to the vehicle so that their optical axes are parallel to each other and their height from the road surface is equal. The infrared cameras 1R and 1L have a characteristic that the level of the output signal becomes higher (that is, the luminance in the captured image becomes higher) as the temperature of the object is higher.

  The image processing unit 2 includes an A / D conversion circuit that converts an input analog signal into a digital signal, an image memory that stores a digitized image signal, a central processing unit (CPU) that performs various arithmetic processing, and a data RAM (Random Access Memory) used to store data, ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs executed by the CPU and data used (including tables and maps), driving signals for the speaker 3, display signals for the HUD 4, etc. Is provided. The output signals of the cameras 1R and 1L are converted into digital signals and input to the CPU. As shown in FIG. 2, the HUD 4 is provided so that a screen 4 a is displayed at a front position of the driver on the front window of the vehicle 10. Thus, the driver can visually recognize the screen displayed on the HUD 4.

  Further, the navigation unit 5 is connected to the image processing unit 2. The navigation unit 5 receives a GPS signal for measuring the position of the vehicle 10 using, for example, an artificial satellite, and detects the current position of the vehicle 10 based on the GPS signal. The navigation unit 5 includes a map information storage unit 7 that stores map information. The map information includes information regarding the shape of each road. In this embodiment, data indicating the curvature of the road is included as information on the shape of the road included in the map information. The map information storage unit 7 can be realized in any storage device (such as a recording medium or a hard disk drive). The navigation unit 5 can read the map information stored in the map information storage unit 7 and display it on the display screen of a predetermined display device (or HUD 4).

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the image processing unit 2. The process is performed at predetermined time intervals.

  In steps S11 to S13, the output signals of the cameras 1R and 1L (that is, captured image data) are received as input, A / D converted, and stored in the image memory. The stored image data is a gray scale image including luminance information.

  In step S14, the right image captured by the camera 1R is used as a reference image (alternatively, the left image may be used as a reference image), and the image signal is binarized. Specifically, a process is performed in which a region brighter than the luminance threshold ITH determined in advance by simulation or the like is set to “1” (white) and a dark region is set to “0” (black). By this binarization process, an object higher than a predetermined temperature is extracted as a white region.

  In step S15, the binarized image data is converted into run-length data. Specifically, with respect to an area that has become white due to binarization, the coordinates of the start point (the leftmost pixel of each line) of the white area (referred to as a line) in each pixel row, and the start point to the end point (each The run length data is represented by the length (expressed by the number of pixels) up to the pixel on the right end of the line. Here, the y-axis is taken in the vertical direction in the image, and the x-axis is taken in the horizontal direction. For example, if the white region in the pixel row whose y coordinate is y1 is a line from (x1, y1) to (x3, y1), this line consists of three pixels, so (x1, y1, 3) This is represented by run-length data.

  In steps S16 and S17, the object is labeled and a process for extracting the object is performed. That is, of the lines converted into run length data, a line having a portion overlapping in the y direction is regarded as one object, and a label is given thereto. Thus, one or a plurality of objects are extracted.

  In addition to the above processing, the same object is tracked (tracked) for a plurality of past captured images, and the distance to the object is calculated based on the two captured images of the cameras 1R and 1L. May be present in a predetermined range around the vehicle, and whether there is a risk of entering the predetermined range. Details of these processes are described in, for example, JP-A-2001-006096.

  Steps S <b> 21 to S <b> 25 indicate processing for determining what the object extracted in this way is. In step S21, it is determined whether the object is an artificial structure. If it is determined that the object is not an artificial structure (No in step S21), it is determined in step S22 whether the object is a pedestrian. If it is determined that the user is a pedestrian (Yes in step S22), the target is determined to be an alarm target that is an alarm target (step S24). If it is determined that the object is an artificial structure (step S21 is Yes), and if it is determined that the object is not a pedestrian (step S22 is No), it is determined in step S23 whether the object is an animal. If it is determined that the object is not an animal (No in step S23), it is determined that the object is not an alarm object (step S25). If it is determined that the object is an animal (Yes in step S23), it is determined that the object is an alarm object (step S24). If it is determined that the object is an alarm object, an alarm is output to the driver in step S26. This alarm output process will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7.

  Here, the process of determining whether the object is an artificial structure, the process of determining whether it is a pedestrian, and the process of determining whether it is an animal can be realized by any appropriate technique. For example, the process for determining an artificial structure is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-310705, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-276787, and the like. For example, the process for determining whether a person is a pedestrian is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-241740, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-334751, and the like. For example, the process for determining whether or not an animal is described in JP 2007-310705 A, JP 2007-310706 A, and the like.

  The alarm can be output in any form. Referring now to FIG. 4, an example of alarm output is shown. A captured image is displayed on the display screen 4a of the HUD 4, and an alarm is performed by highlighting an object determined to be an alarm object in the captured image. In this example, the highlighting is realized by drawing a frame 100 (a frame of a color (for example, red) that can be easily visually recognized by the driver is good) so as to surround the determined object. Yes. The highlighting may be performed in any manner. For example, the frame surrounding the object may be circular, or an arrow may be superimposed on the captured image so as to point to the object. In addition to such highlighting, the driver may be informed through the speaker 3 that an object is present.

  In the present invention, the output form of the alarm is changed according to the shape of the travel path on which the vehicle 10 is traveling. This specific method will be described below.

  In the first embodiment, the curvature of the traveling road on which the vehicle is traveling is examined. When the curvature is large, the object is highlighted on the captured image displayed on the HUD 4 and the shape of the traveling road is displayed. A sign indicating is superimposed and displayed.

  FIG. 5 is a more detailed flow of the alarm output process executed in step S26 of FIG. 3 according to the first embodiment.

  In step S31, the curvature data of the travel path on which the vehicle is currently traveling is acquired via the navigation unit 5. As described above, the map information in the map information storage unit 7 includes information regarding the shape of each road, and the information includes data indicating the curvature of the road. Alternatively, the curvature of the travel path may be estimated by any suitable technique. For example, the curvature of the traveling road can be estimated based on the detected value of the yaw rate sensor mounted on the vehicle, which is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-49875.

  In step S32, it is determined whether the acquired curvature is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The larger the curvature value, the harder the road is. If the curvature is smaller than the predetermined value (No in step S32), an alarm is output in a normal form in step S34. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the normal alarm output form displays the captured image on the display screen 4 a of the HUD 4 and displays the frame 100 superimposed on the detected object. In this form, the object is highlighted. As described above, the highlighting method may be arbitrary, and the frame overlay display is an example.

  If the curvature is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (Yes in step S32), in step S33, a sign indicating the shape of the travel path is displayed on the travel path of the captured image in a form different from the normal form. Are displayed in a superimposed manner. Here, referring to FIG. 6, an example of an alarm output form in step S33 is shown.

  FIG. 6A shows an example of a captured image displayed on the display screen 4a when the vehicle is traveling on a left-curved traveling road. A pedestrian is detected as an alarm object, and the pedestrian is A pedestrian is highlighted by superimposing the frame 101 on the captured image so as to surround it. In addition to this highlighting, an arrow 103 indicating the degree of curve of the travel path is displayed superimposed on the travel path of the captured image.

  FIG. 6 (b) shows an example of a captured image displayed on the display screen 4a when the vehicle is traveling on a right-curved road, and the pedestrian is subject to warning as in the case of (a). The detected pedestrian is highlighted by superimposing and displaying a frame 105 on the captured image so as to surround the pedestrian. Furthermore, an arrow 107 indicating the degree of bending of the traveling road is superimposed on the traveling road of the captured image.

  As shown in FIG. 6, by using an infrared camera, the situation around the vehicle can be visually recognized even during night driving. However, even if such an image is displayed, it may be difficult to recognize the shape of the traveling road. When the target object is highlighted, the driver is alerted to the highlighted target object, so that the driver may deviate from the travel path, particularly on a tightly curved road. According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, on a road with a tight turn, a warning is output with the highlighting of the object and the sign indicating the shape of the road. Accordingly, the driver can quickly recognize not only the presence of the object but also the shape of the travel path. Therefore, the driving load on the driver can be reduced.

  Here, the display method of the arrows (103 and 107 in FIG. 6) indicating the shape of the travel path can be realized by any appropriate method. For example, an arrow for a left curve and an arrow for a right curve are stored in advance in a memory or the like as graphic data, and the graphic data is read at the timing of alarm output. In the case of a right curve, an arrow for the right curve is superimposed and displayed.

  Preferably, for each magnitude of curvature, an arrow indicating the degree of curvature of the curvature is stored in advance in a memory or the like as graphic data. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the arrow 103 is more curved than the arrow 107, so that the traveling path in FIG. 6A is a road having a larger curvature than the traveling path in FIG. Represents. The graphic data of the arrow corresponding to the magnitude of the curvature acquired in step S31 in FIG. 5 is read out and displayed at the alarm output timing. By doing so, it is possible to intuitively inform the driver of the degree of bending of the travel path.

  Alternatively, the map information storage unit 7 of the navigation unit 5 has data representing the shape of the traveling road as map data (how much the vehicle is bent in which direction), so a predetermined distance from the current position of the vehicle. An arrow that imitates the shape of the travel path between the two may be generated and displayed in real time. By doing so, it is possible to display an arrow along the curve of the traveling road. Since the vehicle normally travels substantially in the center of the travel path, the position on the captured image where the arrow is displayed may be fixed. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, an arrow can be displayed starting from substantially the center in the horizontal direction of the lower side of the captured image.

  In this embodiment, an arrow is used for a sign representing the shape of the traveling road, but another sign may be used instead of the arrow. For example, a simple curve along the traveling path may be displayed as a superimposed mark. Further, the color of the sign may be changed depending on the degree of curvature, or the color may be changed between the left curve and the right curve.

  Furthermore, you may perform the display based on the other information regarding the shape of a travel path. For example, it is determined whether or not the travel path is a dead end, and if it is a dead end, predetermined graphic data (for example, an arrow with an X mark) indicating that it is a dead end may be superimposed on the captured image. . Judgment of whether or not it is a dead end can be made by any appropriate method. For example, the connection state ahead of the currently running road is checked based on the map information, and if the connection state is broken, it is determined that the dead end is reached. can do.

  In the second embodiment, the descending slope (inclination) of the traveling path on which the vehicle is traveling is examined, and when the descending slope is large, the alarm output timing is advanced from the normal mode. In this embodiment, as an alarm output, as shown in FIG. 4, highlighting of an object with respect to a captured image displayed on the HUD 4 is used. FIG. 7 is a more detailed flow of the alarm output process executed in step S26 of FIG. 4 according to the second embodiment.

  In step S41, data representing the inclination (gradient) of the travel path on which the vehicle is traveling is acquired. This acquisition can be realized in any manner. In one approach, a known tilt sensor is provided in the vehicle. The inclination sensor is a sensor for detecting the inclination of the road surface (pitch angle of the vehicle). The inclination of the traveling road can be acquired from the detection value of the inclination sensor.

  In another method, a front-rear G sensor that detects acceleration in the front-rear direction of the vehicle is mounted on the vehicle, and the inclination of the traveling road can be estimated based on the detection value of the front-rear G sensor. Such an estimation method is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-162225. In still another method, the inclination (gradient) of the traveling road can be estimated based on the output torque, the braking force, and the like. For example, such a method is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2004-108589 and 2007-. No. 283882 and the like. Further, if the map information of the navigation unit 5 stores information indicating the gradient about the travel route, this information may be used.

  In step S42, it is determined whether or not the acquired slope of the traveling road represents a downward slope and that the magnitude of the slope angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This is a process for determining whether the downhill slope is large.

  If the determination in step S42 is No, it indicates that the slope is small even if the travel path is not downhill or downhill, and therefore in step S44, an alarm is output in a normal form. In this embodiment, the normal alarm output form is a form in which highlighting of an object as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed at a predetermined timing.

  If the determination in step S42 is Yes, it indicates that the travel path is a relatively steep downhill. In step S43, an object highlighting display as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed in a form different from the normal form, more specifically at a timing earlier than the predetermined timing in the normal alarm output form. .

  Referring now to FIG. 8, (a) shows the normal alarm output timing performed in step S44, and (b) is determined in step S43 that the downward slope is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The timing of early warning output in the case of In (a), an alarm target is determined at time t1 (step S24 in FIG. 3), and an alarm output is issued at time t3. The time length from the alarm object determination to the alarm output is T1. In (b), an alarm target is determined at time t1 (step S24 in FIG. 3), and an alarm output is issued at time t2. The time length from the alarm object determination to the alarm output is T2, which is shorter than T1. Thus, in step S44, an alarm is output at the timing (a), and in step S43, an alarm is output at a timing (b) earlier than (a). As described above, the warning output may be performed by notifying the driver of the presence of the target object via the speaker 3 in addition to the highlighting of the target object or instead of the highlighting display. The display form of the display is not limited to that shown in FIG. 4, and arbitrary highlighting can be performed. Whatever type of alarm is issued, if it is determined that the downward slope is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the alarm output timing is advanced compared to the normal case.

  The alarm output timing may be further changed according to the magnitude of the downward slope. For example, the alarm output timing may be advanced as the downward slope increases.

  In this embodiment, early warning output is realized by changing the timing of warning output on the time axis. Alternatively, early warning output can be achieved by changing the size of the processing range in the distance direction. May be realized.

  Referring to FIG. 9, an imaging range P <b> 0 determined by the viewing angles of the cameras 1 </ b> R and 1 </ b> L of the vehicle 10 is represented by the XZ plane, where X indicates the vehicle width direction of the vehicle 10 and Z indicates the distance direction of the vehicle 10. (A) shows the process area P1 used for the form of the normal warning output of step S44 of FIG. 7, and the distance range from the vehicle 10 is Z1. An object existing in the processing area P1 is determined as an alarm object (step S24 in FIG. 3). (B) shows the process area P2 used for the form of the alarm output of step S43 of FIG. 7, and the distance range from the vehicle 10 is Z2 (> Z1). An object existing in the processing area P2 is determined as an alarm object. Since the distance range Z2 in (b) is larger than the distance range Z1 in (a), in the case of (b), an object that exists farther away is determined as an alarm object. Therefore, in (b), compared with (a), the driver can recognize the presence of the alarm object earlier.

  In the case of changing the size of the processing area in this way, the processing by the image processing unit 2 is as follows. That is, in FIG. 7, when step S44 is executed, the distance value of the alarm target (if two infrared cameras are used as shown in FIG. 1, the distance to the target is Can be calculated by a known method as described in Japanese Patent Application No. 006096), and if this is equal to or less than Z1, an alarm is output. When step S43 is executed, the distance value of the alarm object is checked, and if this is less than or equal to Z2, alarm output is performed.

  Alternatively, after extracting the object in step S17 of FIG. 3, steps S41 and S42 of FIG. 7 are executed, and if the downward slope is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, steps S21 to S26 are performed for the object of distance Z2 or less. If it is executed and the downward slope is smaller than a predetermined value, steps S21 to S26 may be executed for an object having a distance Z1 or less.

  The distance value Z of the processing range may be further changed according to the magnitude of the downward slope. For example, as the downward slope increases, the distance value Z may be increased so that a warning output is performed for an object located further away.

  As shown in FIG. 6, by using an infrared camera, the situation around the vehicle can be visually recognized even when traveling at night. However, even if such an image is displayed, it may be difficult to recognize the shape of the traveling road. If it is not possible to determine how much descending the vehicle has entered the downhill traveling road, there is a possibility that alerting the target object will be delayed. According to the present invention, when traveling on a slope with a large downward slope, the presence of the object is notified to the driver at an early timing. Therefore, even when it is difficult to recognize the magnitude of the downward gradient, the driver can recognize the presence of the object earlier than the normal timing, so that the driver's load can be reduced.

  In addition to advancing the alarm output timing, a sign indicating that the descending slope is relatively large may be superimposed on the captured image. For example, as in the first embodiment, by displaying a downward arrow, the driver can be more surely informed that the vehicle is descending, and the display form for highlighting the object is a normal case. The driver may be informed that the vehicle is in a downward slope. For example, the color of the frame 100 as shown in FIG. 4 can be changed, the frame 100 can be blinked while being lowered, or the thickness of the frame can be changed. In this way, not only the timing but also the display form can be changed to inform the driver that the vehicle has entered the downhill traveling path.

  In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the configuration uses two infrared cameras. However, the present invention can also be applied to an image picked up using one infrared camera. In the case of one infrared camera, the distance value to the target may be detected using, for example, a radar, or the distance from the position where the target is captured in the captured image of the infrared camera to the target. May be estimated.

  As described above, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

1R, 1L infrared camera (imaging means)
2 Image processing unit 3 Speaker 4 Head-up display

Claims (3)

A vehicle periphery monitoring device that monitors the periphery of a vehicle using an infrared camera mounted on the vehicle,
In accordance with an object extracted from a captured image captured by the infrared camera, an alarm output means for outputting an alarm to the driver of the vehicle;
Detecting means for detecting at least one of a downward slope and a curvature of the traveling path of the vehicle;
Identifying means for identifying a traveling road shape in which a curvature or a downward slope of the traveling road is a predetermined value or more,
If the traveling road shape is identified, the warning output means outputs the warning in a form different from the case where the traveling road shape is not identified.
Vehicle periphery monitoring device. If a traveling road shape having a curvature of the traveling road equal to or greater than a predetermined value is identified, the alarm output means highlights the object on the captured image displayed on the display device as the alarm. In addition, an indication indicating the shape of the traveling road is superimposed and displayed on the traveling road on the captured image.
The vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1. If a traveling road shape with a downward slope of the traveling road being greater than or equal to a predetermined value is identified, the alarm output means is earlier than when the downward slope of the traveling road is not identified as being greater than or equal to a predetermined value. Outputting the alarm,
The vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.