The word ‘alley’ has a reminiscent image of a road with memories of running around with your friends as a child, or a place where you endlessly waited for someone you wanted to meet - perhaps because there are many songs with this theme; For those who live in a city, alleys evoke nostalgia. But when I look back on my days as a novice driver, I also remember painful memories of scratching my beloved car in the alleyway. It was because I was too nervous on narrow roads.
Pedestrians and drivers have completely different views of the alley; While you’re walking, you can enjoy the unique charm of the alley, but when you’re driving, you’re on your nerves. I barely managed to get rid of the cars parked askew, feeling discouraged and worried every time I ran into another car or came to a dead-end; going straight alone was difficult, and I had to go backward as well.
However, there will be no more inexperienced drivers who are worried in a small alleyway. Hyundai Mobis developed the world’s first advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) - Mobis Parking System (MPS) - which integrates Narrow Space Assistance, Reverse Assistance, and Remote Smart Parking Assist.
The next-generation parking control system is a sensor fusion-based technology that enables more precise and safer parking assistance by integrating the data from 12 ultrasonic sensors and 4 video cameras required for parking. New features such as Narrow Space Assist (NSA) and Reverse Assist (RA) are added to the current Parking Collision-avoidance Assist - Rear (PCA-R), 3D Surround View Monitor (SVM), and Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) that have been already utilized for current mass-produced models.
The next-generation parking control system is very good at helping drivers on narrow roads. Like in the movie, with the push of a button, the car can run around obstacles on its own. For example, in an alleyway, a car drives itself, and at a dead-end, it uses Reverse Assist to get out. In addition, this feature can pass through the screw entry of an underground parking lot.
Hyundai Mobis’ Narrow Space Assist is available as long as there is a free space of 40 cm on each side of the vehicle body. In other words, with the side mirrors open, autonomous driving is possible even with just a hand span on each side.
Hyundai Mobis’ Narrow Space Assist is available as long as there is a free space of 40 cm on each side of the vehicle body. In other words, with the side mirrors open, autonomous driving is possible even with just a hand span on each side.
Another key technology of the next-generation parking system is ‘Reverse Assist.’ Just like the Narrow Space Assist, you can get out of a dead-end by pressing a button and backing out. This is possible because the traveled route is recorded up to a certain distance. It creates a reversing route by tracing it, and then it automatically exits by controlling the direction and speed accordingly.
The most impressive part of Hyundai Mobis’ newly developed Narrow Space Assist and Reverse Assist is that no additional sensors are required. Hyundai Mobis developed the function based on independently developed software logic and widely mass-produced ultrasonic sensors. It recognizes nearby objects with an ultrasonic sensor and drives automatically with software logic and a control system.
Narrow Space Assist and Reverse Assist utilize a total of 12 front and rear ultrasonic sensors, an accelerometer sensor inside the vehicle, and a wheel pulse sensor. Since the current parking assistance systems already house such sensors, this feature can be expected to be quickly introduced to mass-produced cars. As Hyundai Mobis mentioned, "radar and lidar sensors are useful for high-speed driving or recognizing distant objects, but we got the idea from the fact that ultrasonic sensors are more suitable for narrow alleys or underground parking lots."
The next-generation parking control system also includes various safety and convenience technologies; Remote Smart Parking Assist, which allows parallel or perpendicular parking in empty spots as you get out of the car and press the remote control; a 3D surround view monitor that allows you to see 360° around your car in three dimensions; and Parking Collision-avoidance Assist - Rear.
Remote Smart Parking Assist utilizes four omnidirectional cameras and ultrasonic sensors to help navigate a parking spot, and remotely park and exit the vehicle after getting out of it. The drivers can utilize such features for various types of parking, such as perpendicular, parallel, and angle parking. In addition, when reversing at low speed, the Parking Collision-avoidance Assist - Rear detects the risk of a collision with an oncoming vehicle, pedestrian, or object from the left or right, then warns the driver. If the driver does not take action after the warning, it will brake itself to prevent an accident or reduce damage.
Hyundai Mobis will continue to develop more convenient technologies by utilizing the characteristics of ultrasonic sensors. Currently, the automaker is developing Memory Parking Assist (MPA) and Auto Valet Parking (AVP).
Memory Parking Assist remembers the route the driver has parked once, and then allows the car to park itself remotely. It’s a handy technology for drivers with private or fixed parking spaces. Once the driver parks the car and saves the route, the car then parks itself based on the saved data. Drivers can exit the vehicle at the starting point of the saved route, then remotely park and leave via the mobile app. The technology is expected to be completed around 2023.
Automated valet parking allows drivers to get off the car and park the car remotely at specific drop-off areas, such as entrances of hotels or department stores. Just as valet parking that we always do, the car drives to the parking lot using fully autonomous driving, finds an empty space, and parks itself; finding your vehicle is also possible through remote autonomous driving. This technology is based on Level 4 autonomous driving, and it is expected to be completed around 2025.
People consider the next-generation parking control system of Hyundai Mobis, which contains various functions for safety and convenience, as an urban autonomous driving technology specialized in Korea and Europe, where parking is difficult due to many narrow roads. This technology will be especially useful for models such as large SUVs and sedans that are difficult to navigate through alleys. It is also expected to be highly utilized in purpose-based mobility (PBV), which has to travel all over the city.
In addition to the next-generation parking control system, Hyundai Mobis is unveiling new technologies related to autonomous driving, such as a foldable steering system for shared autonomous vehicles and an e-corner module that can rotate 90°, to become a pioneer in the future mobility market that purpose-based mobility represents. These are not just simple technologies to come in the future; they will soon be utilized in automobiles responsible for our current mobility and will make our lives more prosperous. That is why we are all looking forward to the other strategies of Hyundai Mobis.
HMG Journal Operation Team
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