To provide a front vehicle recognizing device capable of detecting the distance or the inclination to various objects by floodlighting light.

This vehicle recognizing device 1 for photographing an object to which a floodlighting pattern 20 is floodlighted, and detecting the distance L or the inclination to the object based on the photographed floodlighting pattern 20 is characterized by having a lighting pattern storage means 13b for storing a plurality of lighting patterns for floodlighting the floodlighting pattern, and a changing means 14a for changing the floodlighting pattern based on a detection state of the photographed floodlighting pattern 20.