Device and method for monitoring surroundings of vehicle

Abstract

To provide a device and a method for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle allowing the position of an object to be intuitively known even when a plurality of objects is detected.SOLUTION: A monitoring device 3 according to an embodiment includes: an image acquisition unit 15 for acquiring an image captured by a monitoring camera 2 for monitoring surroundings of a vehicle 1; an object detection unit 16 for detecting an object from the acquired image; and an image display unit 17 for displaying an identification image 22 indicating that an object has been detected in the corresponding area 21, at a predetermined display position 23, for each of a plurality of areas 21 obtained by dividing a display screen 18 on which the image is displayed in a lateral direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle periphery monitoring device and a vehicle periphery monitoring method using a monitoring camera mounted on a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the surroundings of a vehicle are monitored using a surveillance camera mounted on the vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of detecting an object from an image captured by the surveillance camera and notifying the driver by attaching an image of the detected object. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-6776 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when an image of a detected object is displayed, even if an upper limit is set on the number of images that can be displayed, if multiple objects are detected, multiple images will be displayed, which can result in the risk of it taking time to grasp the position of each image and to recognize in which direction the object is located as viewed from the vehicle. In other words, with conventional methods, even if a notification is received that an object has been detected, it is difficult to intuitively grasp in which direction attention should be paid.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle periphery monitoring device and a vehicle periphery monitoring method that enable a driver to intuitively grasp the direction in which an object is located even when multiple objects are detected. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The vehicle periphery monitoring device according to the embodiment includes an image acquisition unit (15) that acquires images captured by a surveillance camera (2) that monitors the periphery of a vehicle (1), an object detection unit (16) that detects objects from the acquired images, and an image display unit (17) that displays, at a predetermined display position (23), an identification image (22) indicating that the area is an area in which an object has been detected, for each of a plurality of areas (21) that are obtained by horizontally dividing a display screen (18) on which images are displayed.

[0007] Furthermore, the vehicle periphery monitoring method according to the embodiment includes the steps of acquiring an image captured by a surveillance camera (2) that monitors the periphery of the vehicle (1), detecting an object from the acquired image, and displaying an identification image (22) indicating that the object has been detected in each of a plurality of areas (21) obtained by horizontally dividing a display screen (18) on which the image is displayed, at a predetermined display position (23). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an installation mode of a surveillance camera according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle surroundings monitoring device; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of an area and an image display region on a display screen. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the flow of processing for displaying an identification image. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a process from image acquisition to display of an identification image. [Figure 6] Diagram 1 showing another example of the display of the identification image [Figure 7] Diagram 2 showing another example of the display of the identification image [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an out-of-range object image and a display example thereof; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, vehicle 1 is equipped with multiple surveillance cameras 2, indicated by hatching, which monitor the periphery of vehicle 1. For example, surveillance camera 2A is mounted at the front end of vehicle 1 to monitor the front of vehicle 1, surveillance camera 2B is mounted at the rear end of vehicle 1 to monitor the rear of vehicle 1, surveillance camera 2C is mounted on the left side of vehicle 1 to monitor the left side of vehicle 1, and surveillance camera 2D is mounted on the right side of vehicle 1 to monitor the right side of vehicle 1. Note that the mounting positions and number of surveillance cameras 2 are merely examples and are not limited thereto. For example, the cameras can be mounted inside the vehicle cabin, such as near the back of the rearview mirror, or outside the vehicle cabin, such as near the rear end of the roof or near the tip of the side mirror.

[0010] Images captured by the surveillance camera 2 are captured by a vehicle periphery monitoring device (hereinafter simply referred to as monitoring device 3) shown in FIG. 2 and displayed on a display such as CID 4. CID 4 stands for Center Information Display, and is a display made up of an LCD display or a touch panel, and is located, for example, near the center of the front of the vehicle interior. This CID 4 displays various information such as navigation information and entertainment information, and also allows various operations to be input, for example, to command the operation of the navigation function or air conditioner. Note that CID 4 may be equipped with an organic EL display or a physical switch.

[0011] In this embodiment, the monitoring device 3 is realized as a so-called integrated ECU that controls multiple display devices such as the CID 4 and a meter display (not shown). However, it is also possible to configure the monitoring device 3 as a dedicated device. The monitoring device 3 includes a control unit 10, a storage unit 11, a display circuit 12, an audio circuit 13, an operation circuit 14, etc.

[0012] The control unit 10 is composed of a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and controls the entire monitoring device 3 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 11. For example, the control unit 10 performs processes such as displaying images and videos on the CID 4 by outputting signals from the display circuit 12, outputting audio from the speaker 5 by outputting signals from the audio circuit 13, accepting operations via the operation circuit 14 when a user operates switches 6, and acquiring various information such as the distance to surrounding objects from sensors 7 provided in the vehicle 1.

[0013] Furthermore, in relation to this embodiment, the control unit 10 includes functional units such as an image acquisition unit 15, an object detection unit 16, and an image display unit 17. Each functional unit is configured as software using a program executed by the control unit 10, but can also be configured as hardware.

[0014] Image acquisition unit 15 acquires images captured by surveillance camera 2. Image acquisition unit 15 can be configured to receive image signals directly from surveillance camera 2, or, if surveillance camera 2 is controlled by a dedicated control device, can be configured to acquire images by communicating with the control device. Image acquisition unit 15 acquires images by temporarily storing the video signals input from surveillance camera 2 in storage unit 11 or the like.

[0015] The object detection unit 16 executes a process of detecting an object from the acquired image. In this embodiment, a pedestrian is set as the object, and the object detection unit 16 detects the pedestrian from the acquired image. Note that, as a method for detecting an object such as a pedestrian, a general image processing method such as specifying an area in the image and performing convolutional neural network processing can be appropriately used. In addition, the object detection unit 16 also detects the distance and positional relationship between the object and the vehicle 1 based on the distance and orientation to the object detected by sensors 7 such as millimeter-wave radar or LiDAR.

[0016] The image display unit 17 generates images and information to be displayed on the CID 4 and executes a process of outputting a video signal to the CID 4 via the display circuit 12. In relation to this embodiment, the image display unit 17 also executes a process of displaying a camera image 20 captured by the surveillance camera 2 on a display screen 18 of the CID 4 as shown in FIG. 3. The camera image 20 is the range of the image captured by the surveillance camera 2 that is displayed on the display screen 18. Note that the display is not limited to the CID 4, and a display provided in another position can also be used as long as it is capable of displaying the camera image 20.

[0017] Furthermore, the image display unit 17 executes a process of displaying, for each of a plurality of areas 21 obtained by dividing the display screen 18 horizontally, an identification image 22 (see FIG. 5) indicating that the area 21 is an area in which an object has been detected, at a predetermined display position 23. Note that the boundary line 24 of each area 21, shown by a dashed line in FIG. 3, is shown for the purpose of explanation and is not actually displayed on the display screen 18.

[0018] In this embodiment, area 21 is set as each of three equal ranges obtained by dividing display screen 18 horizontally when a user such as a driver is looking at CID 4. In the following description, the leftmost range of display screen 18 will be referred to as area 21A, the central range as area 21B, and the rightmost range as area 21C, but when making a common description, they will be simply referred to as area 21 without the A to C designations.

[0019] The number of areas 21 is not limited to three, but if the number of areas 21 increases or if the widths of the areas 21 differ, it may become difficult to grasp the position of the identification image 22 on the display screen 18. Therefore, when setting the areas 21, it is desirable to divide the display screen 18 into a range of 2 to 5 equal parts, and more preferably, into 3 or 4 equal parts, which makes it easy to grasp the positional relationship of the areas 21 and can provide a certain amount of information.

[0020] The identification image 22 is displayed at a display position 23 provided in each area 21. This identification image 22 is merely an image for notifying the area 21 in which an object has been detected, and is not an image for notifying the individual object detected in that area 21. Therefore, one display position 23 is provided in each area 21. Note that in FIG. 3, the display positions 23 are schematically indicated by dashed lines. In the following, area 21A will be described as display position 23A, area 21B as display position 23B, and area 21C as display position 23C, but when making a common description, they will simply be referred to as display positions 23 without the A to C designations.

[0021] In this embodiment, the display positions 23 are provided at the bottom ends of the respective areas 21. The display positions 23 are set using one or more of the rectangular ranges obtained by dividing the area 21 vertically on the display screen 18. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the display positions 23 are set as the lowest range among approximately ten equal vertical divisions of the area 21, and as a range slightly smaller than the horizontal width of the area 21. Note that the number of vertical divisions is not limited to 10, and the size of the display positions 23 can be set appropriately depending on the size of the display screen 18. For example, the display positions 23 can be set to be equal to the horizontal width of the area 21 or to be approximately half the horizontal width of the area 21.

[0022] In this embodiment, the identification image 22 is an image that is displayed by filling in the entire display position 23. It is desirable that this identification image 22 be a color that is generally considered to indicate a caution or warning, such as red or yellow. The shape of the identification image 22, that is, the shape of the display position 23, does not necessarily have to be rectangular, and may be any shape or size that allows the user to visually recognize the identification image 22, such as a rectangle with chamfered corners, a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or a line segment shape with a certain width.

[0023] Next, the operation and effects of the above-described configuration will be described. For example, suppose multiple pedestrians (M) are detected in camera image 20 as shown in Fig. 3. In this case, if individual images are attached to all detected objects, the number of images displayed will increase depending on the number of pedestrians, and the images will be displayed overlapping, making it difficult to intuitively grasp which direction to pay attention to. Furthermore, if objects are overlapping, the images will also be displayed overlapping, which may make it difficult to see other information displayed as camera image 20.

[0024] Therefore, the monitoring device 3 makes it possible to intuitively grasp the position of an object even when multiple objects are detected, as follows: Although each process described below is performed by the image acquisition unit 15, object detection unit 16, and image display unit 17, for simplicity of explanation, the following description will be centered on the monitoring device 3.

[0025] When the monitoring device 3 displays the camera image 20 on the CID 4, it executes the process shown in Figure 4, acquiring an image from the monitoring camera 2 (S1), detecting an object from the acquired image (S2), and identifying a representative point of the detected object (S3).

[0026] For example, if the image shown as an example of image acquisition in Fig. 5 is captured at the angle of view (R) of the monitoring camera 2, the monitoring device 3 detects a pedestrian (M) as shown as a detection example, sets a rectangular range frame (K) around the detected pedestrian, and identifies the center of the bottom edge of the set range frame as a representative point (P) indicating the position of each pedestrian. In the case of Fig. 5, although this is just an example, six pedestrians (M1 to M6) are detected, each assigned a range frame (K1 to K6), and a representative point (P1 to P6) is identified for each range frame.

[0027] Next, the monitoring device 3 determines whether or not there is a representative point for each area 21 of the display screen 18 (S4). In the example of Fig. 5, the monitoring device 3 determines that there are two representative points (P1, P2) in area 21A, four representative points (P3, P4, P5, P6) in area 21B, and no representative point in area 21C, as shown as an area determination example.

[0028] The monitoring device 3 then flashes an identification image 22 in the area 21 where it has been determined that a representative point is present (S5). At this time, the monitoring device 3 displays a transparent identification image 22 that is transparent to the camera image 20 and overlaps the camera image 20 at display position 23 in areas 21A and 21B, as shown as an example of an identification display in Fig. 5. This notifies the user that a pedestrian has been detected in the left area 21A and the central area 21B of the three divided areas 21.

[0029] At this time, the monitoring device 3 continues to flash the identification image 22 while the object is detected. This makes it easy for the user to understand that the identification image 22 has been displayed. Furthermore, because the identification image 22 is displayed in an area slightly narrower than the width of the area 21, even when an identification image 22 is displayed in adjacent areas 21, a gap is formed between the identification images 22, making it easy to understand that two identification images 22 are being displayed, as in the example of FIG. 5. This allows the driver to easily and quickly understand that pedestrians have been detected in two areas 21, one at the left edge and one in the center, in the image captured by the monitoring camera 2.

[0030] In this way, the monitoring device 3 displays, in the area 21 where the object has been detected, an identification image 22 indicating that the area 21 is where the object has been detected, thereby making it possible to intuitively grasp in which direction the pedestrians are located as viewed from the vehicle 1, even if multiple pedestrians are detected when detecting a pedestrian as the object. Note that the monitoring device 3 repeatedly executes these processes while the camera image 20 is being displayed on CID 4 (S6: NO), and ends the processes when the display of the camera image 20 on CID 4 has finished (S6: YES).

[0031] According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained. The monitoring device 3 includes an image acquisition unit 15 that acquires images captured by a monitoring camera 2 that monitors the periphery of the vehicle 1, an object detection unit 16 that detects objects from the acquired images, and an image display unit 17 that displays an identification image 22 at a predetermined display position 23 for each of a plurality of areas 21 obtained by horizontally dividing a display screen 18 on which images are displayed, to indicate that the area 21 is an area in which an object has been detected.

[0032] With this configuration, even when multiple objects are detected, it becomes possible to intuitively grasp the direction in which the objects are located as seen from the vehicle 1. Furthermore, compared to the conventional case where an image is attached to each object, the annoyance felt by the driver can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible for the driver to recognize the identification image 22 at the edge of his or her field of vision and immediately carefully check the road ahead, thereby contributing to improved safety.

[0033] Furthermore, in the monitoring device 3, the image display unit 17 blinks the identification image 22. This makes it easier for the driver to recognize that the identification image 22 has been displayed, that is, that a pedestrian has been detected, even when the driver is facing forward and the CID 4 is at the edge of his or her field of vision.

[0034] Furthermore, in the monitoring device 3, the image display unit 17 displays an image occupying a part of the area 21 as the identification image 22. In the present embodiment, the identification image 22 occupies the bottom edge of the area 21. This prevents, for example, signs and distant objects in the camera image 20 from becoming difficult to see, and also prevents the amount of information obtained from the camera image 20 from being excessively reduced by displaying the identification image 22.

[0035] Furthermore, in the monitoring device 3, the image display unit 17 displays a transparent identification image 22 superimposed on the camera image 20. This allows the driver to check pedestrians, road signs, etc. even when the identification image 22 is displayed, and prevents the information obtained from the camera image 20 from being excessively reduced by displaying the identification image 22.

[0036] The method for monitoring the periphery of the vehicle 1 also includes the steps of acquiring an image captured by a monitoring camera 2 that monitors the periphery of the vehicle 1, detecting an object from the acquired image, and displaying, at a predetermined display position 23, an identification image 22 indicating that the area 21 is an area in which an object has been detected, for each of a plurality of areas 21 obtained by horizontally dividing a display screen 18 on which the image is displayed. By including these steps, it is possible to obtain the various effects described above, similar to the monitoring device 3, such as making it possible to intuitively grasp the direction in which the object is located and its positional relationship with the vehicle 1, even when a plurality of objects are detected.

[0037] In the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the identification image 22 occupies a part of the area 21 at the bottom end of the area 21, but as shown in another display example 1 in Fig. 6, for example, it is possible to set the display position 23 at the top end of the area 21 and display the identification image 22A. This allows the identification image 22A to be displayed at a position closer to the driver's eye level, thereby improving visibility for the user. Although not shown in other figures, the identification image 22A can also be displayed by setting the display position 23 at the center of the area 21 in the vertical direction, between the center and the top end, or between the center and the bottom end.

[0038] As shown in another display example 2, the identification image 22B can also be displayed by setting the display position 23 to a range that is relatively narrower than the width of the area 21. However, if the width of the identification image 22B is too narrow, it will be difficult to determine which area 21 it belongs to, so it is desirable to set it to approximately half the width of the area 21 or more.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in another display example 3, an identification image 22C that occupies the entire area 21 can be displayed. Furthermore, as shown in another display example 4, an identification image 22D that is frame-shaped and frames the area 21 can be displayed. By displaying a larger identification image 22C or identification image 22D in this manner, it becomes easier for the driver to recognize that an object has been detected. Furthermore, if the identification image 22C is a transparent image, it is possible to prevent signs, distant objects, and the like from becoming difficult to see.

[0040] 7 as another display example No. 5, an opaque identification image 22E can be superimposed and displayed at a position overlapping the camera image 20. Note that the other display examples shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 can also be opaque images. Displaying such an opaque image makes it easier to recognize the identification image 22E.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in another display example 6, the identification image 22F can be configured to be displayed in a position that does not overlap with the camera image 20. For example, when the camera image 20 is displayed in a part of the display screen 18 and the operation buttons 25 are displayed around it, the identification image 22F can be displayed in a position that does not overlap with the camera image 20. This prevents the amount of information obtained from the camera image 20 from being reduced by the identification image 22F.

[0042] Furthermore, as shown in another display example 7, a reference image 30 can be displayed in an area 21 where no object is detected, as a reference for understanding the positional relationship with the identification image 22. In this case, it is desirable to use a color generally considered to indicate safety, such as blue or green, for the reference image 30. This allows the position of the identification image 22 to be understood as its relative position with respect to the reference image 30, making it easier to intuitively understand the position where the object is detected. The reference image 30 can also be displayed in combination with other display examples shown in Figures 6 and 7. Note that Figure 7 schematically shows that the display colors differ depending on the hatching.

[0043] Furthermore, as shown in another display example 8, the identification image 22G and the identification image 22H can be displayed in different display modes depending on the distance to the object. For example, if the object in area 21A is far away, the identification image 22G can be displayed in yellow, and if the object in area 21B is far away, the identification image 22H can be displayed in red. This allows for more clearly indicated positions of objects requiring attention when multiple objects are detected. Note that FIG. 7 shows the different colors as a schematic representation using different hatching. In this case, it is desirable to limit the number of displayed colors to around two, as increasing the number of colors can result in clutter. Furthermore, this display can be combined with other display examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0044] Incidentally, camera image 20 is an image displayed on display screen 18 from among images captured by surveillance camera 2, but it is possible that an object may be detected outside of display screen 18. For example, as shown as out-of-range display example 1 in FIG. 8, a situation is conceivable in which a pedestrian (M7) is detected within the angle of view (R) of surveillance camera 2 but the pedestrian (M7) is not displayed on display screen 18. This is because, for example, when surveillance camera 2 captures images using a fisheye lens, distortion correction may be performed, or the captured image may be cropped to create an image specifically for display.

[0045] In this case, since it is conceivable that a pedestrian (M7) may be moving toward the vehicle 1, safety can be improved if the driver can be notified that a pedestrian (M7) is present outside the display screen 18. Therefore, the monitoring device 3 further displays, on the image display unit 17, an out-of-range object image 40 that indicates an object, such as a pedestrian (M7), that is not displayed on the display screen 18 among objects detected within the angle of view (R) of the monitoring camera 2. In the example of FIG. 8, the out-of-range object image 40 is displayed superimposed on the camera image 20 at a position different from the identification image 22. This makes it possible to simultaneously notify the driver of the area 21 in which the object is detected and that an object has been detected outside the display screen 18.

[0046] The monitoring device 3 also displays the out-of-range object image 40 in a manner that allows the user to understand on which side of the display screen 18 the object has been detected. Specifically, when a pedestrian (M7) is detected outside the range on the left side of the display screen 18 as shown in FIG. 8, a vertically long out-of-range object image 40 is displayed on the left edge of the display screen 18 in the same color as the identification image 22. Although not shown, when an object is detected outside the range on the right side of the display screen 18, the out-of-range object image 40 is displayed on the right edge of the display screen 18, and when an object is detected outside the range on the left or right, the out-of-range object image 40 is displayed on both the left and right ends. However, the out-of-range object image 40 may be displayed in a color different from that of the identification image 22.

[0047] Furthermore, the monitoring device 3 can display a graphic that makes it visually easy to understand that this is a different notification from the identification image 22. For example, as shown as an out-of-range display example 2 in Fig. 8, in order to make it easy to understand that an object has been detected outside the display screen 18 and that the object is on the left side of the display screen 18, it is possible to display an out-of-range object image 40A in the form of an arrow indicating the detected direction.

[0048] Such out-of-range object image 40 can be a transparent or opaque image in combination with the other display examples shown in Figures 6 and 7, can be displayed in a position where it does not overlap with camera image 20, or can be an image of a different color from identification image 22. In addition, out-of-range object image 40 can also be displayed in the vertical direction of display screen 18 in accordance with the position of the detected object.

[0049] In the embodiment, the identification image 22 is displayed in yellow or red, but in consideration of the possibility that some users may have difficulty recognizing yellow or red, the color of the identification image 22 may be changeable. Also, the size and shape of the display position 23 where the identification image 22 is displayed may be selectable so that the user can easily recognize it.

[0050] In the embodiment, a configuration in which a pedestrian is set as the target object has been exemplified, but other moving or stationary objects such as other vehicles or fallen objects on the road can also be set as the target object. It is also possible to configure the system to detect multiple types of target objects and display the identification image 22. In this case, by unifying the display mode of the identification image 22 even when multiple types of target objects are detected, the direction in which the target exists can be intuitively grasped.

[0051] In the embodiment, the identification image 22 is flashed, but the image may be continuously displayed while the target object is detected. In this case, when the user performs a confirmation operation such as a touch operation, the identification image 22 may be switched to a flashing display or the display of the identification image 22 may be terminated.

[0052] In the embodiment, a configuration has been exemplified in which adjacent identification images 22 are displayed at a size that leaves a gap between them, but if an object is detected in adjacent areas 21, a single identification image 22 spanning two areas 21 can also be displayed. Even with this configuration, if the display screen 18 is divided into about two to five sections, it is possible to grasp the area 21 in which the object was detected. Furthermore, auxiliary lines indicating the boundaries of the areas 21 may be added to the identification images 22 to make the boundaries of the areas 21 easier to grasp.

[0053] In the embodiment, a configuration has been exemplified in which the boundary line 24 of each area 21 is not displayed on the display screen 18, but a configuration can be adopted in which the boundary line 24 is also displayed when the identification image 22 is displayed. In this case, the boundary line 24 may be displayed at all times, or may be displayed flashing in synchronization with the identification image 22. This makes it easier to distinguish and recognize the area 21 in which an object has been detected from the area 21 in which an object has not been detected.

[0054] In the embodiment, an example has been shown in which the identification image 22 is displayed on the camera image 20 captured by the monitoring camera 2A, but the identification image 22 can also be displayed on an image captured by the monitoring camera 2B. In other words, when the vehicle 1 moves forward or backward, the identification image 22 can be displayed on the camera image 20 captured by the monitoring camera 2 that monitors the range including the direction of movement of the vehicle 1. In addition, when the identification image 22 is displayed on a display that is capable of displaying an image from the monitoring camera 2B, it is not limited to the CID 4, and the identification image 22 can also be displayed on that display, for example, if the so-called rearview mirror is a display that can display an image from the monitoring camera 2B.

[0055] The control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] In the drawings, 1 indicates a vehicle, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D indicate surveillance cameras, 3 indicates a surveillance device, 4 indicates a CID, 15 indicates an image acquisition unit, 16 indicates an object detection unit, 17 indicates an image display unit, 18 indicates a display screen, 20 indicates a camera image, 21, 21A, 21B, and 21C indicate areas, 22, 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, 22F, 22G, and 22H indicate identification images, 23, 23A, 23B, and 23C indicate display positions, 30 indicates a reference image, and 40 and 40A indicate images of objects outside the range.

Claims

1. an image acquisition unit (15) that acquires images captured by a surveillance camera (2) that monitors the periphery of the vehicle (1); an object detection unit (16) that detects an object from the acquired image; an image display unit (17) for displaying, at a predetermined display position (23), an identification image (22) indicating that the area is an area in which an object has been detected, for each of a plurality of areas (21) obtained by dividing a display screen (18) in the horizontal direction where an image is displayed; A vehicle surroundings monitoring device comprising:

2. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays the identification image in a blinking manner.

3. 3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays an image that occupies a part or all of the area as the identification image.

4. 3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays a transparent or opaque identification image in a superimposed manner at a position overlapping the image displayed on the display screen.

5. 3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays the identification image at a position that does not overlap with the image displayed on the display screen.

6. 3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays a reference image (30) in an area where no object is detected, the reference image serving as a reference for understanding the positional relationship with the identification image.

7. 3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays the identification image in different display modes depending on the distance to the object.

8. 3. The vehicle surroundings monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit further displays an out-of-range object image (40) showing an object detected within the angle of view (R) of the surveillance camera that is not displayed on the display screen.

9. A step of acquiring an image captured by a surveillance camera (2) that monitors the periphery of the vehicle (1); detecting an object from the acquired image; a step of displaying an identification image (22) indicating that the area is an area in which an object has been detected at a predetermined display position (23) for each of a plurality of areas (21) obtained by dividing a display screen (18) in the horizontal direction where an image is displayed; A method for monitoring the periphery of a vehicle, comprising:

Images