Bosch and Daimler receive approval for automated valet parking test
As car makers continue pushing towards autonomous driving, Bosch and Daimler have announced approval to test their jointly-developed automated valet parking system.
Bosch and Daimler have announced their intention to work together towards the development of autonomous vehicle technology. And, approval, announced today for the testing of their automated valet parking system takes the motoring world a step closer to autonomous vehicles.
Bosch and Daimler have received approval to test their autonomous valet parking system at the Mercedes-Benz museum in Stuttgart, Germany. The parking system doesn’t require a driver to be in the vehicle and is accessed via an app. Indeed, the approval to test the system, according to both Bosch and Daimler, makes it the world’s first full automated driverless SAE Level 4 parking function “function to be officially approved for everyday use”.
“This decision by the authorities shows that innovations like automated valet parking are possible in Germany first,” said Dr Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.
“Driverless driving and parking are important building blocks for tomorrow’s mobility. The automated parking system shows just how far we have already progressed along this development path.”
“This approval from the Baden-Württemberg authorities sets a precedent for obtaining approval in the future for the parking service in parking garages around the world,” said Dr Michael Hafner, the head of drive technologies and automated driving at Daimler AG.
“As a pioneer in automated driving, our project paves the way for automated valet parking to go into mass production in the future.”
Via a smartphone app the vehicle can be sent to a parking spot or retrieved from a parking spot. That said, the car park needs ‘intelligent infrastructure’ meaning it needs to be able to communicate with the vehicle to help with mapping and to guide it to an available parking space.
“Bosch sensors in the parking garage monitor the driving corridor and its surroundings and provide the information needed to guide the vehicle. The technology in the car converts the commands from the infrastructure into driving manoeuvres. This way, cars can even drive themselves up and down ramps to move between stories in the parking garage. If the infrastructure sensors detect an obstacle, the vehicle stops immediately,” Bosch said.
