Valeo, NTT DATA and Embotech are presenting their joint solution for Automated Valet Parking (AVP) at this year's IAA (International Motor Show) as part of a showcase under the umbrella of the VDA (Association of the Automotive Industry). Vehicles at the car park entrance are taken over by a central control system and parked automatically. NTT DATA announced this today.
The showcase runs on the occasion of the IAA MOBILITY 2021 from September 7th to 12th, 2021 in Munich. The organizer is a consortium of five vehicle manufacturers and four AVP technology providers from the supplier industry and the startup community. The aim is to illustrate the interoperability of the vehicle models and the AVP technologies.
To demonstrate the solution from Valeo, NTT DATA and Embotech, 22 cameras were installed in the car park and networked with one another. Valeo provides the camera sensors and the software for recording the vehicles. NTT DATA ensures communication between the individual components, i.e. from sensors to AVP system and from AVP system to vehicles. For the communication from the AVP system to the vehicles, NTT DATA relies on 5G mobile radio technology and also takes on the integration of the overall system into the existing IT system of the car park. Embotech supplies the algorithms with which the system calculates and controls the movements of the vehicles in real time. The AVP system maneuvers the vehicles intelligently, safely and efficiently. Interoperability plays a decisive role in the widespread introduction of AVP. It is achieved by standardizing the interfaces and protocols and makes it possible to make valet parking available for the largest possible number of models from different automobile manufacturers and their users. And this regardless of which AVP solution the operators of the parking areas use.
The possibility of simply dropping off the car at the multi-storey car park is transformed from an expensive premium service to a natural offer at airports, trade fair or shopping centers or cultural and sports venues. Further application scenarios are available in the plants of the vehicle manufacturers, at the vehicle transshipment points in ports, vehicle logistics centers and other parking garage operators, both in the public and in the private sector.
Automated valet parking eliminates the need for a long search for a free space, as well as searching for the vehicle later. Because it is available at the vehicle issue at the requested time, as ordered. And in the meantime, the car park operator can use his valuable space much more efficiently: Since nobody gets in or out of the parking areas, the vehicles can be parked much closer together. The operation of high-maintenance passenger elevators can be reduced to a minimum for the service staff.
An important advantage of the AVP solution from Valeo, NTT DATA and Embotech over other developments is the cost-effective and proven sensor technology from Valeo. These include, for example, fisheye cameras, which are already used in many cars today and are produced in very large numbers. This means that the solution pays for itself faster.
The use of 5G as a communication medium made possible by NTT DATA also has the potential to achieve short latency times of less than 10 ms. As a result, the cars can be moved faster and yet more safely than with a WiFi solution. In addition, the availability of 5G networking is significantly higher at over 99 percent. The AVP solution shown at the IAA runs over the virtualized NTT DATA 5G network and offers the advantage that the solution can be integrated into an existing data center and a cost saving potential of around 40 percent is possible. The next expansion step is the wireless connection of the camera sensors via 5G.
Another important advantage is the efficient and safe control of the vehicles using the powerful software from Embotech. The special optimization and model-based algorithms enable the control unit of the AVP to make a large number of decisions in real time - without prior training or precalculations.
“Automated valet parking will have a lasting impact on mobility. Parking of any kind can be time, energy and cost efficient. This not only has advantages for private drivers, but also for operators of parking lots. Our 5G-based and fully integrable solution shows the strengths of NTT DATA as an application-oriented system integrator for the automotive industry, with a strong connection to the telecommunications background of our parent company, ”says Ralf Malter, COO and Managing Director at NTT DATA DACH.
"Valeo, world market leader in ADAS, inventor and world market leader for automatic parking systems with more than 33 million systems sold to date, would like to contribute its know-how to this experiment, which will further advance the development of automatic parking systems", says Marc Vrecko, Director of the Valeo Business Group Comfort and Driving Assistance.
"The Valeo-NTT DATA-Embotech consortium combines first-class solutions for camera sensors and perception software (Valeo), communication based on 5G (NTT DATA) and driving software (Embotech) in order to offer the mobility market a convincing solution for automated valet parking. We are pleased us very much about the potential of this collaboration, "says Andreas Kyrtatos, CEO of Embotech.
