Abstract: An existing-area calculating device of a vehicle surrounding information informing device calculates an existing area where a hidden-area obstacle approaching an own vehicle is likely to exist, based on own-vehicle traveling information detected by an own-vehicle traveling information detecting device and information of a hidden-area obstacle of another-vehicle obstacle information detected by an another-vehicle obstacle detecting device. Then, an informing device informs the exiting area of the hidden-area obstacle. Accordingly, the passenger (driver) can surely recognize the existence of the hidden-area obstacle to take any proper action to avoid a possible collision with the hidden-area obstacle, thereby improving the reliability of the vehicle surrounding information informing device.

Abstract: An existing-area calculating device of a vehicle surrounding information informing device calculates an existing area where a dead-ground obstacle approaching an own vehicle is likely to exist, based on own-vehicle traveling information detected by an own-vehicle traveling information detecting device and information of a dead-ground obstacle of another-vehicle obstacle information detected by an another-vehicle obstacle detecting device. Then, an informing device informs the exiting area of the dead-ground obstacle. Accordingly, the passenger (driver) can surely recognize the existence of the dead-ground obstacle to take any proper action to avoid a possible collision with the dead-ground obstacle, thereby improving the reliability of the vehicle surrounding information informing device.

Abstract: A pedestrian detecting device for a vehicle comprises a far-infrared camera picking up a far-infrared image outside the vehicle, an area-candidate extracting portion extracting an area candidate containing a pedestrian image from the far-infrared image picked up, an environment detecting device detecting an environment outside the vehicle that influences the far-infrared image, a ROM storing a pedestrian model in the far-infrared image in association with the environment outside the vehicle, a pedestrian-model extracting portion extracting a pedestrian model associated with the environment that is detected by the environment detecting device from the ROM, and a pedestrian determining portion determining, for a pedestrian detection, whether or not the area candidate contains the pedestrian image, by comparing the area candidate extracted to the pedestrian model extracted. Accordingly, the detection accuracy of the pedestrian can be improved.

Abstract: The relative position of the surrounding vehicle to the traveling vehicle is determined from respective position information of the traveling vehicle and the surrounding-vehicle obtained through communication between vehicles. The processing area of the image picked up by the camera is restricted on the basis of this relative position. By comparing the template that is obtained with a scale-transfer from the previously-memorized template on the basis of the position information of the vehicle to the image of the vehicle with an image matching, the precious position of the surrounding vehicle is detected. Thereby, the passenger protection devices are operated. Accordingly, the processing time of image data picked up by the camera can be properly shortened and the accuracy of recognition of obstacles can be improved.