What Is Memory Park Assist?

Memory park assist is a Level 2+ automation feature in which a vehicle “learns” frequent parking patterns so it can park itself in familiar locations, such as at the driver’s home or office.

Drivers must instruct the vehicle to begin recording before executing the parking maneuver that they want it to perform autonomously. The system then detects and classifies all stationary objects in the environment to build a virtual map that is updated upon every subsequent visit — making minor adjustments as needed based on differences in the environment and vehicle position.

Automating the parking process can save drivers time and frustration, but doing so safely requires the vehicle to continuously monitor its surroundings and be intelligent enough to use that information effectively.

Consumers are increasingly expecting more advanced parking features, for both convenience and safety. OEMs are listening, and the race is on to deliver the safest, most reliable and most convenient system of automated parking. Memory park assist is an essential piece of that puzzle.

How memory park assist works

Memory park assist gathers environmental data from a variety of sensors, such as cameras, ultrasonic sensors and radar. Parking cameras provide visual data derived from the environment, such as signage and road markings, and ultrasonic sensors designed for parking applications can precisely measure the size of a space. Radar also provides several key advantages: It works in rain, fog and low-light conditions; it offers a longer range for detection to improve collision avoidance; and its expanded field of view enables it to identify overhanging obstacles or pedestrians walking between parked cars.

For automated parking, the vehicle can leverage the same radar sensors that ADAS applications use, enabling OEMs to get the most out of the hardware that is already on the vehicle. By combining data from both radar and cameras, sensor fusion provides 360-degree short-range detection to eliminate blind spots around the vehicle for close-maneuvering situations. Memory park assist uses this data, along with onboard AI and machine learning systems, to record the process of parking in a specific location so that it can later repeat that process automatically.

Memory park assist learns frequent parking patterns.

Levels of advanced parking

Advanced parking is a continuum, and memory park assist represents just one of several advanced parking assistance features available from Aptiv. These are some of the other features:

• Surround View uses sensor fusion to display the vehicle’s surroundings on an in-cabin display.
• Automated Park Assist identifies suitable parking spots and maneuvers the vehicle into position.
• Remote Park Assist identifies suitable parking spots and maneuvers the vehicle into position while the driver is outside the vehicle.
• Smart Summon takes over driving tasks to maneuver the vehicle to the driver’s location when summoned.
  

Aptiv takes a system-level approach

Parking assistance is a key component of Aptiv’s Gen 6 ADAS platform, which uses a system-level approach to enable OEMs to implement scalable, integrated ADAS capabilities in a modular, flexible and cost-effective manner. OEMs can deploy memory park assist today and seamlessly integrate additional capabilities, like auto park valet, over time.