China-based Human Horizons, a smart mobility and autonomous driving research company, has announced the roll-out of a Level 4 Autonomous Valet Parking (AVP) system on its HiPhi X production vehicle.
Human Horizons founder and CEO Ding Lei noted, “Human Horizons leverages technology to enhance the driving experience and efficiency while prioritizing user safety for our projects. With this in mind, we seek to promote autonomous driving and launch V2X technology ready for mass-market application.”
According to the company, its newly developed AVP delivers an advanced Level 4 autonomous driving experience based on the use of both on-vehicle and road-integrated technologies. Fixed sensory equipment such as lasers, radar and communications devices in parking areas can identify and track vehicle and obstacle positions, send this information via 5G to the vehicle, and guide it to a safe parking space. It is claimed the system allows drivers to exit their car anywhere in the parking area and leave the car to park itself autonomously. Upon returning, drivers will be able to summon the vehicle to their current location using a mobile app and drive away.
In addition to the AVP system, Human Horizons has also developed an autopilot system for the HiPhi. The company states the system employs the same safety principles as in aircraft design, using a dual-redundancy system meaning backup components ensure the reliability of the system even in the case of single-component malfunction.
The autopilot system can start, stop, turn and drive the vehicle within a 0-130km/h speed range. To achieve this, it employs 24 sensors placed throughout the car (including smart front view and surround-view cameras, millimeter-wave radar, ultrasonic radar, driver status detection DMS cameras and more).