Bosch showcases latest technologies at Connected Parking round table

• Bosch offers new parking technologies and services to make parking easier
• The search for parking is simplified and parking process automated
• Home Zone park assist can perform recurring parking maneuvers with no driver input

Bosch is making the parking process easier for drivers by offering a raft of new technologies and services. At its Connected Parking roundtable in Stuttgart, the supplier of technologies and services is demonstrating systems that will save drivers time by making parking simpler and hassle free. The new technology can make parking manoeuvres quicker, safer and easier, while also removing the need for the driver to find a parking space.

Parking spaces are easier to find than ever before

Active parking lot management: Bosch’s active parking lot management makes it easier for drivers to find a parking space. Sensors installed in the pavement indicate if a space is occupied and wirelessly relay the information to a real-time map. Drivers can then view the map on their smartphones allowing them to easily find an available space.

Automated valet parking: Automated valet parking allows the vehicle to search for a parking space in a nearby car park and park itself without driver input. Drivers simply drop off their vehicle at the entrance of a car park then, using a smartphone app, instruct the car to find itself a place to park. When they are ready to leave, they simply instruct the car to return to its drop off point.

Community-based parking: Bosch’s community-based parking makes the search for suitable spaces easier in residential and inner-city areas, where on-road parking spaces are a scarce commodity. Using the sensors of the parking assist system, cars identify and measure the gaps between parked cars as they drive past them. The information is transferred to a digital parking-space map. The digital map is available in the cloud for vehicles in the vicinity, allowing drivers to navigate straight to a vacant spot.

Making tricky parking manoeuvres simple with automated parking

Remote park assist: With the remote park assist, vehicles park themselves at the push of a button. By pressing and holding a button on their ignition key or smartphone, the vehicle automatically manoeuvres itself into the parking space that it has previously detected and measured using ultrasonic sensors. However, the driver is till in control of the parking manoeuvre; as soon as the button is released, the assist system immediately stops parking.

Home Zone park assist: Home Zone park assist can execute a recurring manoeuvre, such as parking at home, and take control of the approach to the parking space (up to 100 meters). All drivers have to do is teach the vehicle how to do the manoeuvre in a single dummy run, then save it. After that, their car will park itself independently in the pre-set parking space. Drivers monitor the system from the driver’s seat or from outside the vehicle, where they can use a smartphone to regain control. For the manoeuvre, the vehicle uses twelve ultrasonic sensors and a stereo video camera to orientate itself using the objects it registered in the vicinity during the dummy run. If the sensors detect an unknown obstacle, the vehicle will either slightly adjust the manoeuvre or stop automatically.

Manoeuvre emergency braking: At a speed of up to 10 kilometres per hour, ultrasonic sensors permanently monitor the entire area around the vehicle up to a distance of four meters. The system uses this sensor data to detect relevant and non-relevant obstacles, and to calculate the path the car should travel. If there is a risk of collision, the driver is warned, and if the driver fails to react, the system will intervene to stop the car.

Smart trailer parking: The smart trailer parking system offers a convenient way for drivers to control their vehicle and trailer from the curb using a smartphone or tablet computer. It uses electric power steering, the electronic stability program (ESP), the electronic gas pedal, and a trailer hitch featuring a trailer angle sensor.

Parking aid: During parking manoeuvres, ultrasonic sensors integrated into the bumpers constantly monitor the distance to any obstacles in the parking area. Working during manoeuvres of up to 10 kilometres per hour, drivers are warned optically and/or acoustically about other vehicles that are parking. The closer the car gets to an obstacle, the more frequently the acoustic warning is sounded, until it becomes a continuous tone.

Multi-camera system: Four near-range cameras fitted in the vehicle provide drivers with good all-round vision while parking.  With an aperture of 190 degrees each, the cameras capture the vehicle’s entire surroundings. Drivers can choose any perspective they wish, so they can even see small obstacles in the parking area.

Park assist: Using ultrasonic sensors the vehicle can detect suitable parallel or perpendicular parking spaces and inform the driver. Upon activation, the system then automatically steers the car into the space, while the driver remains responsible for accelerating and braking.

Rear cross-traffic alert: When reversing out of a parking space, the radar-supported system detects vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians crossing behind the car up to 50 meters away. It then warns the driver if there is a risk of collision.

Contact person for press inquiries:

Rianne Ojeh, 01895 83 8822, rianne.ojeh@uk.bosch.com

Mobility Solutions is the largest Bosch Group business sector. According to preliminary figures, its 2015 sales came to 41.7 billion euros, or 60 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. The Mobility Solutions business sector combines the group’s expertise in three mobility domains – automation, electrification, and connectivity – and offers its customers integrated mobility solutions. Its main areas of activity are injection technology and powertrain peripherals for internal-combustion engines, diverse solutions for powertrain electrification, vehicle safety systems, driver-assistance and automated functions, technology for user-friendly infotainment as well as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, repair-shop concepts, and technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 375,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2015). According to preliminary figures, the company generated sales of more than 70 billion euros in 2015. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing and sales network covers some 150 countries. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. Bosch employs 55,800
associates in research and development at roughly 115 locations across the globe. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to deliver innovations for a connected life. Bosch improves quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.”

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.co.uk, www.bosch-press.com, twitter.com/BoschUKBosch