Parking Steering Assistance

Wolfsburg, 04 July 2006

Following the often strenuous search for a parking space in the city, there is the no less frequently difficult maneuvering the car into the parking space. Some available parking spaces might not be taken because they are presumably too small or narrow. In actuality many car drivers would welcome an assisted, convenient and safe parking feature. The components required include ultrasonic sensors for measuring the parking space, auxiliary control modules and software, and suitable actuators. When the systems are interconnected they form Parking Steering Assistance (PLA) which in the future will ensure that every car driver can steer into the tightest of parking spaces in a relaxed way. The first Volkswagen on which Parking Steering Assistance will be available is the Touran.
 

Touran scans parking spaces at 30 km/h

In search mode while driving by potential spaces – here the vehicle may be moving at speeds up to 30 km/h –the ultrasonic sensors begin to acquire the dimensions of parking spaces oriented parallel to the roadway as well as potential obstacles (e.g. bollards). The parking space may be located on either the left or right side of the street. After evaluating the sensor data and detecting the parking space the system automatically computes the ideal path for parking the car. The driver indicates his/her intention to park by pressing a button, and now the driver is given the necessary information on parking spaces and the parking process. Then the driver activates steering assistance by shifting to reverse gear. The car then maneuvers its way into the available space in reverse gear. During the entire parking process – which is completed in about 15 seconds – the driver just needs to press the gas pedal and brake; steering is handled automatically by the vehicle.

Parking Steering Assistance consists primarily of two ultrasound sensors in the bumpers and a control module. The two ultrasonic sensors continuously scan the driver and passenger sides while driving forward. The sensors reliably acquire parked cars and associated parking spaces up to a maximum distance of 1.5 meters. For safety reasons the system does not react to other objects such as trees, bollards or street light posts. In such cases the assisted parking process is not initiated to avoid hazardous situations.

 

Utilizing distance information from the wheel speed sensors the control module precisely computes the size of the parking space and the momentary position of the Volkswagen. To allow the car to be parked in reverse in one motion, the size of the parking space must be 1.4 meters longer than the car to be parked. The driver signals to the system the side of the street on which he/she wishes to park by activating the flasher on that side. By means of an intuitive and easy to understand representation in the multifunctional display Parking Steering Assistance guides the driver to the exact initial position. Together with information on the steering angle (via data from the electromechanical power steering) the control module now has all the necessary measurement parameters to compute the optimal parking process within fractions of a second. After the driver shifts to reverse gear the Parking Steering Assistance control module drives the electromechanical power steering and steers the vehicle into the parking space independently. All that the driver needs to do is let go of the wheel and press the gas pedal or brake. The assisted parking process is stopped whenever the speed in the parking maneuver exceeds seven km/h or the driver begins to steer.