Parking Assist Technology: History

Even the most experienced drivers today find reverse parking to be a nightmare, or if not, it's the part of the car setup they're most lazy about. Yes, the lower field of vision can make it difficult to see obstacles or people moving behind the car, but it's not really a parking problem. It is a system developed over centuries, which undoubtedly helps us every day. Car manufacturers noticed that reverse parking was a problem for drivers and tried to solve the problem effectively, making the parking experience as comfortable and smooth as possible. Perhaps you would have noticed the way technology has come from the time the car was created to the present day. We can consider parking assist technology as one of the main achievements. As mentioned above, reverse parking was an inconvenient thing. But before the parking camera was invented. Similarly, road safety has also improved, proper use of parking spaces is no longer an obstacle, and no one has a problem with arranging parking.

What does parking assist technology mean?

Park Assist is an automatic parking aid that uses cameras, sensors and other precision guidance system technologies. It helps the drivers to see the objects or objects that the vehicle so called. He gets into a dark spot. Consequently, the chances of hitting obstacles are minimized and, similarly, accidents can be avoided. It turns out that the parking system is more efficient today than it was years ago. And with parking barriers, you can have a guarantee that you will always find a place in a specific space. Therefore, we can also say that parking today is more comfortable than it was years ago. We have to thank only the parking systems for this.

Parking assist technology has been in our lives for a long time, but how did we get here? Perhaps it is time to consider how the parking system was created and what it has been through so far.

Testing of parking assist technologies in the 20th century

Parking assistants were commercialized in the 21st century, however, after massive technological innovations in the automotive industry. And the idea, according to which, in addition to the parking device, another type of assistance was needed for parking, appeared as early as 1934.

In this regard, the first experiment was also interesting, during which the parking assistant attached auxiliary wheels to the car, which allowed the car to move sideways and, therefore, it became much easier to place it in the parking place. However, this was very difficult, so the concept was not proven and therefore not widely implemented. The same cannot be said about the parking camera or the parking barrier.

Back in the 21st century

And here we promise you will recognize many familiar names… The first global manufacturer to commercialize parking assist technology was none other than Toyota. Yes, Toyota launched the Prius Hybrid in 2003. It was released as an automatic parallel parking system called Intelligent Parking Assist System (IPAS). He did not need the driver's intervention, because the system itself determined the size of the parking space and made the appropriate maneuver with the car.

It also had an on-board computer that used a parking camera mounted in the front and reverse of the car. A parking space was displayed on the screen. And the driver had to select a parking place through the touch screen. Only after that, IPAS was activated and stopped the car in a specific place, but without the driver touching the steering wheel.

As is often the case, here, too, a specific concept was filmed by other car manufacturers. Lexus was second in this case after Toyota. In 2006, at the Detroit International Auto Show, the Lexus LS 460 sedan was introduced, which had an improved parking management system. This system added integration with parking sensors and could even calculate the steering maneuvers required for parallel and reverse parking.

In order to measure the space, a sonar sensor was installed on the front bumper. When the driver put the car in reverse, the rearview parking camera was activated on the screen. This, in turn, saved drivers from violating parking rules and made it much easier for them to park their car in a specific parking space.

What is happening today?

Since Toyota and Lexus made a big splash with the commercialization of parking assist technology, many automakers have started introducing their own parking systems. You probably won't be surprised if you read the names of Ford, Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, Jeep and Mercedes among the car manufacturers who have successfully managed this. Yes, they have developed fully functional intelligent parking systems. In 2016, the Lincoln MKZ also claimed that it could parallel the car in 24 seconds