Autonomous Reverse-driving Tech
Hyundai Mobis announced on November 21 that the company developed advanced driving technology that can operate in reverse to help drivers back without having to use steering wheels separately.
This technology breakthrough is the world's first to assist in reverse driving although a function to automatically steer when parking a car in reverse is commercially available. The core of this technology is to support steering automatically when a car backs. This method stores the speed and travel paths of a car when it moves forward and automatically turns the car back by calculating the speed and travel paths in reverse.
"In Korea, drives face many cases where they have to back as Korea has many two-lane roads (about 70% of roads across the nation) and narrow parking spaces. This fact forces drivers to frequently drive cars in reverse. This reverse-drive support technology will come in handy," said Kim Jung-koo, a senior researcher at Hyundai Mobis.
Contrary to the Driving Assistance System (DAS) which directly recognizes external environments through cameras, radars, ultrasonic sensors among others, Hyundai Mobis’s reverse drive support technology grasps external environments through real-time driving information. A steering angle sensor and a wheel sensor installed inside a vehicle measure the car’s moving speed, distance and degree of rotation.
Hyundai Mobis filed applications for two domestic patents and one overseas patent on this technology. The company is planning to develop a complete reverse driving technology that supports both starting and braking by adding cameras and radar sensors in the near future.