Panasonic Develops Driverless Valet Parking System and AR HUD

Posted By: The editoron: Wednesday, October 16, 2019In: Parts

All major vehicle manufacturers are interested in the adoption of self-driving vehicle technology with a view to reducing the number of road accidents and fatalities. Panasonic has announced that it has developed a driverless automated valet parking system that can minimize the possibility of parking lot accidents and an AR-HUD (Augmented Reality Head-Up Display). The driverless automated valet parking system can be used to achieve fully automated driving (SAE Level 4) in limited areas. The AR-HUD delivers safe and comfortable navigation so that the motorist can focus more on the driving aspect. These technologies from Panasonic will be used first in Toyota’s concept car, the LQ.

The new technology from Panasonic makes driverless automated valet parking possible without the use of dedicated sensors which are quite expensive. It has the capability to accurately identify the position of the vehicle by leveraging multiple conventional in-vehicle cameras, sonars, and radar sensors as well as a 2-D road map. Using data and images from all these components, the system makes safe parking possible by first locating an empty space and then detecting pedestrians who might be in the way by linking to surveillance cameras in a parking lot and a control server.
Use of the technology makes parking in a very narrow space possible. All it needs is a minimum of 20 cm clearance between cars, as it eliminates the need to open or close the doors after parking. The possibility of accidents is reduced further through the use of an in-vehicle emergency braking system that detects people by using deep learning.

The new system offers the following benefits:

1. Achievement of driverless automated valet parking without the need for dedicated expensive sensors. It lowers the possibility of parking lot accidents at low cost and can make a significant difference in the stress related to parking.

2. Effectively utilize land by enabling the use of distant parking lots and small parking spaces