Bosch and Daimler have reached an important milestone on the road to autonomous driving: the two companies have received approval from the relevant authorities in Baden-Württemberg for a jointly developed automated system on display at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. The system can be accessed through a mobile app and does not require the driver to be in the car. The fully automated technology is the world’s first driverless SAE Level 41 parking function, which has been officially approved for daily use.
“The decision made by the authorities proves that an innovation such as an automated parking system is possible in Germany,” notes Dr. Markus Hein, a member of the board of Robert Bosch GmbH. “Autonomous driving and parking are important components of future mobility. The automated parking system clearly demonstrates how much progress we have already made on this development path.”.
“The approval by the authorities in Baden-Württemberg could be an example for subsequent approvals of parking services around the world,” says Dr. Michael Hafner, head of automotive technology and automated control at Daimler. “As a pioneer in autonomous driving, our project paves the way for mass production of automated parking systems in the future.”.
Caution doesn’t hurt: two partners with common goals
From the very beginning, the safety of automated parking systems has been a top priority for Bosch and Daimler. Since there was no official approval for the driverless driving function at the time, the local authorities – the regional authority in Stuttgart and the Baden-Württemberg state ministry for transport – monitored the project from the very beginning along with experts from the German certifying body TÜ V Rheinland. Their goal was to evaluate the safety of automated and garage parking technology.
The result is a comprehensive safety concept with corresponding test and approval criteria that can be applied beyond the scope of this pilot project. In the concept, the developers determined that an autonomous vehicle detects pedestrians and other vehicles in its path and is guaranteed to stop when it encounters an obstacle. They also established secure communication between all components of the system and took steps to ensure unconditional activation of the parking maneuver.
Driverless parking technology
Pull into the garage, leave your car and send your car to a parking space with one touch of your smartphone screen – the automated parking system doesn’t need a driver. As soon as the driver leaves the parking lot and goes about his business, the car moves to the designated spot and parks itself. Similarly, the car later returns to the landing point. The process is based on the interaction between intelligent infrastructure
of parking technology supplied by Bosch and Mercedes-Benz car technology. Bosch sensors installed in the garage monitor the vehicle corridor and its surroundings, providing all the information needed to control the vehicle. The technology in the car converts infrastructure commands into maneuvers. In this way, the vehicle can move up and down between parking levels. If infrastructure sensors detect an obstacle, the car stops immediately.
Project phases
Bosch and Daimler began developing a fully automated driverless parking system in 2015, and in the summer of 2017 their pilot version reached an important milestone in the parking lot of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart: for the first time, automated parking was presented to the public in real-life conditions. The premiere followed a period of intensive testing and launching. Starting in 2018, visitors to the museum could experience the autonomous parking service live, accompanied by trained staff, and share their experiences.
One aspect of the pilot project involved testing a lighting concept for vehicles. Turquoise lighting indicates that the vehicle is in autonomous driving mode and informs other road users that the vehicle is moving without driver control. The results of these tests are reflected in the recently published SAE Standard 3134. The approval by the authorities is another important milestone for Bosch and Daimler: soon, stakeholders will be able to test an innovative automated parking service in the garage at the Mercedes-Benz Museum on a regular basis without additional supervision from the person behind the wheel
This is an exciting development in autonomous vehicle technology! I’m curious to know more about the driverless parking technology by Bosch and Daimler. How does it work and what are its key features? Is it available for commercial use or still in the testing phase? Are there any plans to further expand its capabilities in the future?