VW Group tests autonomous park

The Volkswagen Group is currently testing autonomous parking at Hamburg Airport based on a car park map the Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche vehicles navigate their way to a parking space on their own. Orientation is provided to the vehicles by simple pictorial markers installed in the multi-storey car park. Its advantage: this can be used in essentially any car park. The function is set to be available for the first customers in selected multistorey car parks from the start of the next decade. The autonomous parking function being publicly demonstrated for the first time in Hamburg has already left the research lab and is currently at an advanced stage of development. It is due to be ready to order for some initial Volkswagen Group vehicles from the start of the next decade. In the first stage it will be possible to use autonomous parking in selected multi-storey car parks in an exclusive traffic flow, i.e. in separate areas of the car park not accessible to people. The next stage will be operation in mixed traffic, i.e. vehicles parking and moving autonomously in the same areas of the car park as cars with drivers. And the vision is clear - to have vehicles parking autonomously in all car parks, including public ones, such as outside supermarkets. The vehicles with the autonomous parking function will all be equipped with an active surroundings recognition system. This is able to recognize objects and react accordingly, be that by going around them, braking or completely stopping. Vehicles are equipped for this with a sensor set, including, for instance, ultrasound, radar and cameras. The data is processed in a central control unit in the car. In the multi-storey car park the car uses map data to drive on its own accord to a vacant parking space. Simple pictorial markers put up in the car park provide the vehicles with a means of orientation.