Patent ID: 8730260

Claim:
An obstacle information notification apparatus mounted to an own vehicle, comprising: a display section; a determination section; and a movable body information acquisition section that acquires the information the movable body in the intersection-surrounding area, wherein: the display section displays an intersection map on a screen and superimposes a movable body mark on the intersection map when the own vehicle is located within an intersection-surrounding area, the intersection-surrounding area containing an intersection, the intersection map being a map of the intersection; the display section is configured to display the intersection map in a first mode in which an upper direction of the map on the screen is always fixed to a given direction even when a heading direction of the own vehicle is changed, the given direction being determined before the entry into the intersection, and a second mode in which the upper direction of the map on the screen is rotated when the heading direction of the own vehicle is changed; the intersection map in both the first mode and the second mode displays an obstacle mark thereon thr notification of a presence of an obstacle; and based on information on a movable body in the intersection-surrounding area, the determination section determines whether to set the first mode or the second mode as a display mode of the intersection map on the screen of the display section, based on the information on the movable body acquired by the movable body information acquisition section, the determination section determines the display mode; when the own vehicle gets across an on-coming lane in the intersection to enter an intersecting road, the obstacle information notification apparatus mounted to the own vehicle notifies the presence of the obstacle around the intersection; the movable body information acquisition section acquires information on an on-coming vehicle, which approaches the intersection from the on-coming lane; and information on an on-coming-lane-after-passage obstacle, is the obstacle existing in a pedestrian crossing which the own vehicle is to pass after getting across the on-coming lane; and when the on-coming vehicle is present in the heading direction of the own vehicle, the determination section determines that the display mode be set to the first mode; and when the on-coming-lane-after-passage obstacle is present, the determination section determines that the display mode be set to the second mode.