JP2009040272A - Vehicle periphery monitoring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide "a vehicle periphery monitoring device" previously avoiding a collision with an obstacle existing at the periphery of one's own vehicle when a peripheral image of the one's own vehicle is displayed. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle periphery monitoring device has an obstacle detection means for detecting the obstacle at the periphery of the one's own vehicle; a photographing means for photographing the periphery of the one's own vehicle; a display means for displaying a top view image T at the periphery of the one's own vehicle photographed by the photographing means on a display; and an obstacle shielding means for shielding at least a part of the obstacle 14 included in the top view image displayed by the display means by a mask pattern 142 when the obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle periphery monitoring device having a function of capturing an image of the periphery of the vehicle with an imaging camera or the like and displaying an image of the periphery of the vehicle, and in particular, displaying an obstacle when an obstacle is detected around the vehicle. Regarding the method.

  The vehicle periphery monitoring device has a plurality of imaging cameras mounted on the front, rear, left, and right sides of the vehicle, and displays an image of the periphery of the vehicle captured by the imaging camera on a display. As a result, the user can be aware of the dangers of automobiles, people, and other obstacles around the vehicle. In particular, when driving on a narrow parking lot, a garage, or a narrow road, the driver can be supported.

  Since an imaging camera generally uses a wide-angle lens, distortion or the like is included in the peripheral image of the lens, and it may be difficult to grasp a sense of distance from an obstacle displayed there. In order to compensate for this, it has been proposed to attach a distance sensor for measuring the distance to an obstacle to the vehicle. For example, ultrasonic sonar is attached to a plurality of corner portions of a vehicle, and the distance to an obstacle is measured by reflected waves.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for detecting an obstacle using such an ultrasonic sonar. Patent Document 1 discloses an image showing an obstacle detection range in the vehicle periphery image so that the user can specify which sonar detects an obstacle when a plurality of sonars are mounted on the vehicle. Is also displayed.

JP 2006-352368 A

  When displaying the surrounding image of the vehicle captured by the imaging camera on the display, it is practical to convert the viewpoint of the captured image and display an image that looks down from directly above the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as a top view image). ing. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the top view image is a projected image obtained by looking down at the front image F, the left and right images SR and SL, and the rear image R of the host vehicle 10 in a bird's eye view.

  The top-view image T has an advantage that it can be easily recognized even if it is an obstacle at a position that can be a blind spot for the user because the entire view around the host vehicle can be seen. On the other hand, in the top view image T, since the imaged data is projected from directly above the own vehicle to the ground, the obstacle images closer to the own vehicle and the obstacles that are higher from the ground have a longer image of the obstacle. There is a disadvantage that it is distorted greatly. If the obstacle image in the top view image is largely distorted, the sense of distance between the vehicle and the obstacle may be mistaken. For example, when the user parks relying on the top view image, the user may bring his / her vehicle closer to the obstacle and contact the obstacle than when driving visually.

  FIG. 2 is an example when the vehicle collides with an obstacle on the right rear side. 2A shows the state before the collision, FIG. 2B shows the state immediately before the collision, and FIG. 2C shows the time of the collision, and the display shows the top view image T and the side view S that reflects the rear of the vehicle from the side. 2 screens are displayed. In the side view S and the top view T, the prediction line 12 indicating the own vehicle 10 and the traveling locus of the own vehicle 10 is also displayed. As shown in the side view S of FIG. 2A, there is an obstacle 14 behind the host vehicle. In the top view image T, the obstacle 14 extends and is distorted. 14a). When the user reverses the vehicle while looking at the top view image T, it appears that there is a certain distance from the obstacle 14 as shown in FIG. Is very close. If the vehicle continues to move backward, it will come into contact with the obstacle 14 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows an example when the vehicle collides with an obstacle ahead. 3A shows the state before the collision, FIG. 3B shows the state immediately before the collision, and FIG. 3C shows the time of the collision. Even when the vehicle moves away from the parking position in the forward direction, the top view image T and the side view S that reflects the front of the host vehicle from the side are displayed on the display. In the side view image S, a host vehicle 10 and a vehicle frame 13 showing the outer shape of the host vehicle are displayed. As shown in FIG. 3A, an obstacle 14 is present in front of the host vehicle. Similar to the case of FIG. 2, in the top view image T, the obstacle 14 extends and becomes a distorted image 14a. Is displayed. When the user moves the vehicle forward while looking at the top view image T, it appears that a certain distance exists between the obstacle 14 and the obstacle 14 as shown in FIG. Things are very close. If the vehicle continues to move forward, it will come into contact with the obstacle 14 as shown in FIG.

  The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle periphery monitoring device that avoids a collision with an obstacle existing around the vehicle when displaying the vehicle periphery image. And

  The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the present invention displays on the display an obstacle detection unit that detects an obstacle around the host vehicle, an imaging unit that captures an image of the periphery of the host vehicle, and an image of the vehicle periphery captured by the imaging unit. A display means, and an obstacle shielding means for shielding at least a part of the obstacles included in the vehicle periphery image displayed by the display means with a mask pattern when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection means. Have

  Preferably, the display means displays an image around the host vehicle as if looking down from directly above the vehicle. The vehicle periphery monitoring device further includes distance measuring means for measuring a distance from the vehicle position to the obstacle, and the obstacle shielding means has a first distance to the obstacle measured by the distance measuring means. When the threshold value is below the threshold value, the first mask pattern is used for shielding. Further, the obstacle shielding means performs shielding with a second mask pattern different from the first mask pattern when the distance to the obstacle is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. be able to. For example, the second mask pattern has a larger shielding area than the first mask pattern. Further, the first and second mask patterns can include a distance display from the vehicle position to the obstacle.

  Preferably, the vehicle periphery monitoring device further includes a traveling direction determining unit that determines a traveling direction of the host vehicle, and the obstacle shielding unit is shielded by a mask pattern corresponding to the traveling direction determined by the traveling direction determining unit. I do. The vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of mask patterns, and the obstacle shielding unit can select a predetermined mask pattern from the plurality of mask patterns stored in the storage unit. .

  A vehicle periphery monitoring method or program having a function of displaying a vehicle periphery image according to the present invention images a vehicle periphery and displays the captured vehicle periphery image on a display so as to look down on the vehicle. A step, a step of detecting an obstacle around the vehicle, a step of measuring a distance to the detected obstacle, and a display on the display when the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than a first threshold value. Shielding at least a part of the obstacle included in the surrounding image of the subject vehicle with the first mask pattern, and the distance to the obstacle is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value which is smaller than the first threshold value. And blocking at least a part of the obstacle included in the vehicle periphery image displayed on the display with the second mask pattern. Preferably, when performing shielding with the first or second mask pattern, voice guidance regarding the obstacle is performed.

  According to the present invention, when an obstacle is detected around the vehicle, the display of the obstacle is shielded, so the user can see the distance from the vehicle to the obstacle by looking at the image around the vehicle. You will not be able to see the obstacles, you will not be able to drive your vehicle based on the wrong sense of distance, and by changing the mask pattern by setting the threshold, And can avoid collisions and contact with obstacles.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 4A is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle periphery monitoring device 100 detects a plurality of imaging cameras 20 that image the periphery of the vehicle, an obstacle detection sensor 30 that detects an obstacle around the vehicle, a steering angle of the vehicle, a vehicle speed, a gear position, and the like. A vehicle state sensor 40 that performs display, a display control unit 50 that controls display on the display 52, a sound output unit 60 that outputs sound data to the speaker 62, an obstacle shielding program 72, and a viewpoint conversion processing program 74. It includes a memory 70, a data memory 80 for storing obstacle data 82 relating to obstacles detected by the obstacle detection sensor 30, mask pattern data 84 for shielding the display of obstacles, and a control unit 90. Is done.

  The imaging camera 20 is configured by an optical system including, for example, a CCD imaging device and a lens, and is attached to, for example, a vehicle front bumper, a rear bumper, and left and right door mirrors. The mounting position and number of the imaging camera 20 are not particularly limited, but preferably, a 360-degree range around the host vehicle can be captured. The image data captured by the imaging camera 20 is subjected to viewpoint conversion by the viewpoint conversion processing program 74 and displayed as a top view image T on the display 52 (see FIG. 1). Further, when the side view image S is displayed, imaging data of the imaging camera corresponding to the traveling direction of the host vehicle and the steering angle of the vehicle based on the output signal from the vehicle state sensor 40 is used for the side view image. For example, when the host vehicle turns rightward, imaging data of an imaging camera that projects the left side of the host vehicle is used.

  The obstacle detection sensor 30 can use known detection means. For example, an obstacle is detected by irradiating millimeter wave radar, ultrasonic waves, infrared rays, or the like and receiving a reflected wave from the irradiated obstacle. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, ultrasonic sonar 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d for irradiating ultrasonic waves to the left and right positions of the front bumper and the left and right positions of the rear bumper, and ultrasonic waves An ultrasonic sonar receiver 34 that receives ultrasonic waves irradiated by the sonars 32a to 32d and reflected by the obstacle is attached. Each of the ultrasonic sonars 32 a to 32 d has a certain detection range, and preferably, the detection range by the ultrasonic sonars 32 a to 32 d corresponds to the imaging region of the imaging camera 20. In other words, if the imaging range is 360 degrees around the vehicle, the obstacle detection range is preferably 360 degrees. The obstacle detection sensor may detect the obstacle existing in the imaging data by image recognition processing or the like using the imaging data of the imaging camera.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the obstacle shielding program 72. As shown in the figure, the obstacle shielding program 72 determines the position of the obstacle based on the output signal from the distance measuring unit 110 that measures the distance to the obstacle based on the output signal from the obstacle detection sensor 30. A position determination unit 112 that performs determination, a traveling direction determination unit 114 that determines a traveling direction of the host vehicle based on an output signal from the vehicle state sensor 40, and a determination as to whether or not to block an obstacle reflected in the surrounding image of the host vehicle. And a mask pattern selection unit 118 that selects a mask pattern for shielding an obstacle based on the determination result of the shielding determination unit 116, and a mask pattern output unit 120 that outputs the selected mask pattern. I have.

  The distance measuring unit 110 can measure the distance of the obstacle from the time until an irradiation wave such as an ultrasonic wave or a radar hits the obstacle and returns from there. The position discriminating unit 112 can discriminate the position of the obstacle based on the angle when the irradiation wave such as the ultrasonic wave or the radar is irradiated or the incident angle of the reflected wave from the obstacle. Of course, the distance and position to the obstacle may be measured and discriminated by other methods. The traveling direction discriminating unit 114 discriminates the traveling direction of the host vehicle from the steering wheel steering angle and the gear position. For example, the traveling direction of the own vehicle is classified into eight directions of the front right, front left, front, left, right, rear right, rear left, and rear of the own vehicle, centered on the position of the own vehicle. May be the traveling direction.

  The occlusion determination unit 116 determines whether or not it is necessary to occlude the surrounding image of the host vehicle, that is, whether or not there is an obstacle that may cause image distortion. As described above, in the top view image, the closer the obstacle is to the host vehicle and the higher the obstacle from the ground, the more likely the distortion image is distorted. In the present embodiment, the shielding determination unit 116 determines whether or not the obstacle image should be shielded based on the distance to the obstacle.

  The mask pattern selection unit 118 selects a desired mask pattern from a plurality of mask patterns prepared in advance in the data memory. In the present embodiment, when the display performs two-screen display, that is, when the side view image and the top view image are displayed, the respective images can be shielded by the mask pattern. For this reason, a plurality of mask patterns for the side view image and the top view image are prepared.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the side view mask pattern 130 indicates a screen shielding mask 132 that shields the entire side view screen, a car frame 134 that is synthesized on the screen shielding mask 132, and a direction in which an obstacle exists. An obstacle direction display 136 and text data 138 synthesized on the screen shielding mask 132 are included. These detailed examples will be described later. The top-view mask pattern 140 includes a region mask 142 that blocks an obstacle included in the top-view image, and a distance display 144 that indicates a distance to the obstacle combined with the region mask 142.

  FIG. 7 shows a specific example of the mask pattern. The mask pattern shown in FIG. 7A is an example of a mask pattern when there is an obstacle on the right front side of the host vehicle. The side view mask pattern 130 includes a rectangular screen shielding mask 132 that shields the entire side view screen, a rectangular vehicle frame 134 displayed at the center thereof, and an obstacle on the right front of the vehicle frame 134. An obstacle direction display 136 shown, and text data (“note right front”) 138 displayed on the screen shielding mask 132 are included. The top view mask 140 includes a circular area mask 142 that shields an obstacle on the right front included in the top view image, and a distance display to the obstacle displayed in the area mask 142 (in this example, 50 cm). 144. Note that the rectangular frame 146 indicated by the alternate long and short dash line corresponds to the screen size of the top view image, and the area mask 142 includes a relative positional relationship with the screen size, and is combined and displayed on the upper right of the top view image. It is shown that. Similarly, FIGS. 7B to 7H are examples when the obstacle is on the left front, right rear, left rear, front front, rear front, right side, and left side.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the mask pattern has two types for caution and warning. The basic structure of the attention mask pattern and the warning mask pattern is the same, but the only difference is the level of alerting the user. FIG. 8 is an example of a caution mask pattern and a warning mask pattern when there is an obstacle on the right front side. For example, the warning mask pattern is displayed in red while the warning mask pattern is displayed in yellow. Alternatively, the area mask 142 of the top view mask pattern has a larger warning size than that for caution, that is, a larger shielding area. The distance display 144 to the obstacle is, for example, 30 cm for warning while it is 50 cm for warning.

  The mask pattern output unit 120 outputs the mask pattern selected by the mask pattern selection unit 118. Since the selected side view mask pattern 130 blocks the entire side view screen, it does not necessarily require position information on which position of the side view image is to be blocked. On the other hand, in the top view mask pattern 140, as described above, the area mask 142 includes positional information relative to the top view image. For example, if a mask pattern with an obstacle on the right front is selected, the area mask 142 includes position information that is displayed at a position on the right front. Accordingly, the display control unit 50 combines the mask pattern output from the mask pattern output unit 120 with the side view image and the top view image as they are, thereby blocking the entire side view image and blocking the obstacles in the top view image. It can be carried out.

  If the mask pattern does not include relative position information about the image to be shielded, the mask pattern output unit 120 can add such position information. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the position information may be information for identifying any of the ultrasonic sonars 32a to 32d that detected the obstacle, or centered on the position of the vehicle. The coordinates (x, y) on the xy plane of the obstacle may be used. When the position information is added, the display control unit 50 synthesizes the area mask 142 on the top view image based on the position information.

  Next, the operation of the vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Preferably, when the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is below a certain level based on the output from the vehicle state sensor 40, when the gear position is reverse, the control unit 90 can recognize a parking lot or garage entry in conjunction with the navigation device, Alternatively, when there is an instruction from the user, the vehicle periphery monitoring mode is started, and the obstacle shielding program 72 and the viewpoint conversion processing program 74 are executed. Of course, the vehicle periphery monitoring mode may be activated at other times.

  First, image data obtained by the imaging camera 20 is received, and the vehicle surrounding image is displayed. As the own vehicle periphery image, a top view image T and a side view image S showing the front or the rear according to the gear position are displayed on the display. Further, the obstacle detection sensor 30 detects obstacles around the own vehicle, and monitoring of the vicinity of the own vehicle is started (step S100).

  Next, the distance measurement unit 110 measures the distance to the obstacle based on the output signal from the obstacle detection sensor 30 (step S101), and the position determination unit 112 determines the position of the obstacle (step S102). For example, when a plurality of ultrasonic sonars are mounted as shown in FIG. 4B, the distance and the position to the obstacle are measured based on signals received from all the ultrasonic sonars.

  Next, the traveling direction determination unit 114 determines the traveling direction of the host vehicle based on the output signal from the vehicle state sensor 40 (step S103). Preferably, based on the gear position and the steering angle of the steering wheel, it is determined whether the vehicle corresponds to one of eight directions (front right, front left, front, left, right, rear right, rear left, rear).

  Next, the shielding determination unit 116 determines whether or not the distance is necessary to be shielded by the mask pattern (step S104). This distance is, for example, a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle that is 50 cm, and the image of the obstacle can be distorted. If it is determined that shielding is necessary, it is next determined whether shielding is necessary between the caution mask pattern and the warning mask pattern (step S105). If the distance to the obstacle is, for example, 50 cm or less, it is determined that shielding with a caution mask pattern is necessary. If the distance to the obstacle is 30 cm or less, shielding with a warning mask pattern is necessary. judge.

  The mask pattern selection unit 118 selects a caution mask pattern or a warning mask pattern based on the determination result of the traveling direction determination unit 114 and the determination result of the shielding determination unit 116 (steps S106 and S107). For example, if the distance to the obstacle is a caution level and the obstacle is in the right front, the mask pattern shown in FIG. 7A or FIG. 8A is selected, and if it is a warning level, The mask pattern shown in FIG. 8B is selected.

  The selected mask pattern is output to the display control unit 50 by the mask pattern output unit 120 (step S108), and the display control unit 50 uses the mask pattern to display the side view image S and the top view image T displayed on the display. Shield (step S109). In addition, when shielding an image with a mask pattern, you may make it output text information with an audio | voice simultaneously.

  In this way, by blocking the distortion of the image of the obstacle included in the top view image, the user can not travel by recognizing the sense of distance from the top view image to the obstacle. You will be forced to see things.

  In FIG. 10, two screens of a side view image S and a top view image T are displayed on the display, and when the vehicle travels backward and parks, an obstacle 14 is detected on the right rear side and is blocked by a caution mask pattern. Shows the state in which is performed.

  The entire side view screen S is shielded by the screen shielding mask 132. On the screen shielding mask 132, a car frame 134, an obstacle direction display 136 indicating that there is an obstacle on the right rear, The “Caution” text 136 is displayed. Further, the screen shielding mask 132 is displayed in, for example, black or gray, but the vehicle frame 134, the obstacle direction display 136, and the text 138 are displayed in yellow so as to stand out. In the top view image T, a circular area shielding mask 142 is synthesized, and a part of the obstacle 14 is shielded by the area shielding mask 142. The area shielding mask 142 displays a distance to the obstacle, here 50 cm. Similarly, the area shielding mask 142 is displayed in yellow.

  When the masking by the attention mask pattern is performed, the side view image S is shielded from all images projected from the side, and information for calling attention is displayed there. In addition, while the entire image of the host vehicle 10 is displayed in the top view image T, at least a part of the obstacle 14 is shielded, so the user can go backward by relying only on the top view image. It becomes impossible to grasp the sense of distance by visually checking the obstacle.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of shielding by the warning mask pattern when the obstacle is further approached from the state of FIG. Here, the car frame 134, the obstacle direction display 136, and the text 138 of the side view image S are displayed in red, the area shielding mask 142 of the top view image T is displayed in red, and the area shielding mask 142 is displayed up to the obstacle. The distance, 30 cm, is displayed. Note that the area shielding mask 142 has the same size as that in FIG. 10, but this size can be increased. By shielding the obstacle by the warning mask pattern, the user is more alerted to the obstacle.

  In the above embodiment, the two-screen display of the side view image and the top view image is illustrated, but the two-screen display is not necessarily required, and only the top view display may be used. Moreover, although the top view image displayed the entire periphery of the own vehicle, a part of the periphery of the own vehicle may be displayed.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the area shielding mask that shields the obstacle in the top view image is circular, but may have other shapes. For example, the shape of the area shielding mask may be changed according to the position where the obstacle exists. For example, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the vehicle is divided into eight directions (front right, front left, front, left, right, rear right, rear left, rear) about the host vehicle, and the area corresponding to the direction. Shielding masks 200 to 214 may be prepared, and an area shielding mask corresponding to the detected position of the obstacle may be selected.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example in which one obstacle is detected around the own vehicle is shown. However, when a plurality of obstacles are detected, the image is similarly shielded. In the above embodiment, a plurality of mask patterns are prepared and a desired mask pattern is selected therefrom. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when an obstacle is detected, the position and distance of the obstacle are determined. Accordingly, a mask pattern may be generated in real time according to the traveling direction of the host vehicle, and the image may be blocked by the generated mask pattern.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when the obstacle is less than a certain distance, the image of the obstacle is automatically shielded by the area shielding mask. However, the original image distortion of the top view image may be considered. As shown in FIG. 1, the top view image is particularly distorted at the synthesis positions 11a and 11b between the front image F, the left and right images SL and SR, and the rear image R. Therefore, if the detected position of the obstacle overlaps with the combined positions 11a and 11b, the area including the combined positions 11a and 11b may be shielded by the area shielding mask regardless of the distance to the obstacle. Good.

  Further, in the top view image, the distortion of the image of the obstacle depends on the height of the obstacle. Therefore, as long as the obstacle detection sensor can detect the height of the obstacle from the ground, the obstacle image may be shielded when the obstacle has a certain height. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the size and color of the area shielding mask are made different between the caution and warning mask patterns. However, in addition to this, the shape of the area shielding mask can be changed, the voice guide The contents may be different.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to specific embodiments according to the present invention, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. Deformation / change is possible.

It is a figure which shows the top view image around the own vehicle. This is an example when the vehicle collides with the right rear and an obstacle. FIG. 2A shows the state before the collision, FIG. 2B shows the state immediately before the collision, and FIG. 2C shows the state at the time of the collision. FIGS. 3A and 3B show examples when the own vehicle collides with an obstacle ahead, FIG. 3A shows the state before the collision, FIG. 3B shows the state immediately before the collision, and FIG. FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing a configuration of the vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing an example of an obstacle detection sensor. It is a functional block diagram of the obstacle shielding program of a present Example. It is an example of the mask pattern for the side view image and top view image in a present Example. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the mask pattern for side views, and the mask pattern for top views. It is a figure which shows the example of a caution mask pattern and a warning mask pattern. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the vehicle peripheral vision apparatus of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the example of shielding of the image by the caution mask pattern by a present Example. It is a figure which shows the example of the shielding of the image by the mask pattern for warning in a present Example. It is a figure which shows the modification of a mask pattern.

Explanation of symbols

F: Front image SL, SR: Left and right image R: Rear image S: Side view image T: Top view image 10: Own vehicle 11a, 11b: Composite position 12: Prediction line 14: Obstacle 14a: Image extending between obstacles 16: Vehicle frame
130: Side view mask pattern 132: Screen shielding mask 134: Car frame 136: Obstacle direction display 138: Text data 140: Top view mask pattern 142: Area shielding mask 144: Distance display

Claims (12)

Obstacle detection means for detecting obstacles around the vehicle;
Imaging means for imaging the periphery of the vehicle;
Display means for displaying on the display a surrounding image of the vehicle imaged by the imaging means;
When an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection means, an obstacle shielding means for shielding at least a part of the obstacle included in the vehicle periphery image displayed by the display means with a mask pattern;
A vehicle periphery monitoring device. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the display means displays a vehicle periphery image as if looking down from directly above the vehicle. The vehicle periphery monitoring device further includes distance measuring means for measuring a distance from the vehicle position to the obstacle, and the obstacle shielding means has a first distance to the obstacle measured by the distance measuring means. The vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein shielding with the first mask pattern is performed when the threshold value is not more than a threshold value. The obstacle shielding means performs shielding with a second mask pattern different from the first mask pattern when the distance to the obstacle is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 3. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 4, wherein the second mask pattern has a larger shielding area than the first mask pattern. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first and second mask patterns include a distance display from the vehicle position to the obstacle. The vehicle periphery monitoring device further includes a traveling direction determination unit that determines a traveling direction of the host vehicle, and the obstacle shielding unit performs shielding with a mask pattern corresponding to the traveling direction determined by the traveling direction determination unit. The vehicle periphery monitoring apparatus according to claim 1. The vehicle periphery monitoring device further includes storage means for storing a plurality of mask patterns, and the obstacle shielding means selects a predetermined mask pattern from the plurality of mask patterns stored in the storage means. 7. The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to any one of 7 above. A vehicle periphery monitoring method having a function of displaying a surrounding image of the own vehicle,
Imaging the vicinity of the vehicle and displaying the captured image of the vehicle periphery on the display so that the vehicle is viewed from directly above the vehicle;
Detecting obstacles around the vehicle,
Measuring the distance to the detected obstacle;
When the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than the first threshold, shielding at least a part of the obstacle included in the vehicle periphery image displayed on the display with the first mask pattern;
When the distance to the obstacle is equal to or smaller than the second threshold value, which is smaller than the first threshold value, at least a part of the obstacle included in the vehicle surrounding image displayed on the display is set to the second mask pattern. A step of shielding by,
A vehicle periphery monitoring method comprising: The vehicle periphery monitoring method according to claim 9, wherein the second mask pattern has a larger shielding area than the first mask pattern. The vehicle periphery monitoring method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of performing voice guidance regarding an obstacle when performing shielding with the first or second mask pattern. A vehicle periphery monitoring program having a function of displaying a vehicle periphery image,
Imaging the vicinity of the vehicle and displaying the captured image of the vehicle periphery on the display so that the vehicle is viewed from directly above the vehicle;
Detecting obstacles around the vehicle,
Measuring the distance to the detected obstacle;
When the distance to the obstacle is equal to or less than the first threshold, shielding at least a part of the obstacle included in the vehicle periphery image displayed on the display with the first mask pattern;
When the distance to the obstacle is equal to or smaller than the second threshold value, which is smaller than the first threshold value, at least a part of the obstacle included in the vehicle surrounding image displayed on the display is set to the second mask pattern. A step of shielding by,
A vehicle periphery monitoring program.

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