What it is and what it does
Parking assist is a safety feature that assists the driver in parking their vehicle. Parking assist consists of a network of sensors and controls that help the car steer itself into a parking spot with minimal help from the driver. Its main purpose is to help the driver avoid crashing into objects or other vehicles when parking. It exists simply to reduce the risk of an accident.
How it works
Parking assist is built up from a variety of parking and motion sensors, cameras, a central computer processor and a touchscreen.
The sensors are positioned on the front and rear ends of the car and are used to detect obstacles surrounding the car. If an obstacle is detected, the sensors will send a message to the central computer processor, which will then sound a warning. The computer processor, with the help of the parking sensors, will also help to find the best steering angle for parking. This information, along with any additional navigation or obstacle information, is displayed on a small touchscreen located on the inside of the front dashboard. Cameras are also stationed on the front and rear of the car, and the images they transmit are also displayed on this touchscreen.
Once the computer processor has calculated the best parking angle, it then assists the driver in directing the car into the parking spot.
Parking assist can also be used for parallel parking or when a car is in reverse.
Development
Parking assist was developed in 1999 by the Toyota Motor Corporation. However, it was not released in a vehicle until 2003.
Parking assist is not standard in all cars today. Instead, it is an optional extra. However, it is believed to help reduce the risk of an accident when parking.