Executive Summary
Intelligent Parallel Parking and Obstacle Avoidance System
Spring 2011 Senior Design Project
Nischal Basnet
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of New Orleans
New Orleans, LA USA
nbasnet@uno.edu
Parallel parking is considered as one of the most difficult maneuvers to perform while driving.
Due to the need of precisely calculated parking maneuvers, even experienced drivers find it very
difficult to parallel park. Hence, almost all the vehicle companies at present are conducting
research and designing new autonomous parking system. As there has been improvement in the
artificial intelligent industry, more car manufactures are upgrading their product by adding smart
technology. As stated in [1], in 2003, Toyota added Intelligent Parking Assist System (IPAS) in
its two car models Hybrid Prius and Lexus, becoming the first car manufacturer to introduce
automatic parking system to the customer. Following the lead of the Toyota, other vehicle
companies such as BMW, Ford and Volkswagen have introduced this feature to their newer car
models.
Our product, Intelligent Parallel Parking and Obstacle Avoidance System (IPPOAS), also
looks to tap into the same market that the above companies are eyeing for, by making the system
affordable and reliable. The parking system of manufactures like Ford only performs the steering
maneuvers and requires the driver to manually operate the gas pedal. Also, in the presence of an
obstacle, the driver is required to hit the brake manually as described in [2]. In contrast, IPPOAS
will completely replace the driver for the purpose of parallel parking. Also, the addition of
obstacle detection system on top of autonomous parallel parking makes the system much safer
and reliable.
IPPOAS contains Intelligent Parallel Parking and Obstacle Avoidance System. The system is
comprised of autonomous vehicle navigation and microprocessing systems. The system
measures an available parking space, checks whether the space is large enough for parking,
aligns the car correctly in the traffic lane and then performs the necessary parallel parking
maneuvers into the parking spot. In addition to parallel parking, the system can detect static
obstacles, like road blocks and dynamic obstacles, like pedestrians, in the vehicle’s path. If
dynamic obstacles are detected, the vehicle stops until the obstacle moves out of the way. If
static obstacles are detected, the vehicle maneuvers around the obstacle ensuring a collision free
trajectory. The product provides an economic solution to autonomous parallel parking and can be
added to any regular vehicle thus encompassing a wider customer base.
Department of Electrical Engineering, The University of New Orleans
1
Although, most of the leading car manufactures offer the feature of autonomous parallel 2
parking in their new model cars, so far there is no company that provides intelligent parking
assist system regardless of the manufacturer and the make or model. IPPOAS is the one and only
of its kind in the market. The competitors of IPPOAS are the new age smart cars that come
equipped with autonomous or semi-autonomous parking features. This trend could encourage
customers to buy a new smart car rather than add the IPPOAS to their existing one.
However, cost analysis shows that only a small percentage of our customer base opt for investing
in a new smart car instead of conveniently and economically installing the smart IPPOAS for
$2500 to their existing vehicles. In the coming years, we plan to research other autonomous car
features like an integrated GPS navigation system and autonomous lane changing capabilities.
By staying in touch with newer cutting edge technologies, we can expand our business to provide
these products related to IPPOAS and stay ahead in the competition.
Our product will be bought by customers who own and operate a four-wheeled vehicle. The
typical customer will be the eventual end-user of an automobile. The customer will belong to age
group of driving license holders and have an income of more than $ 35,000 annually. The
median income of an American household is about $ 49,945 (US Census 2009). We have chosen
a sum of $ 35,000 so that we can target more than 50% of Americans as viable customers. The
customer will be technology savvy and interested in the new age artificial intelligence features.
SmartWagon will have a large share and responsibility in the autonomous automobile
feature industry. Due to the lack of companies providing separate installation of independent
navigation systems, SmartWagon can attract a large base of customers
In the first year, SmartWagon will debut its primary branch in New Orleans and will operate
in the New Orleans metropolitan area only. In the consecutive years, we plan to expand our
business and open secondary branches in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. We are
planning to spend about $100,000 to market our product through advertisements in the first year.
We will publish advertisements in the newspaper, radio and television in order to inform our
customers about our services. Also, we will distribute flyers and advertise in popular local web
sites. Most importantly, we will maintain a company website that will have details about our
product and the services we provide to our customers.
IPPOAS will be custom-tailored for different makes and models of vehicles. It will be sold for
a flat rate of $2500 per installation with a warranty of two years. The selling price is calculated
by breakeven analysis presented in a table at the end of the report. SmartWagon will also provide
the necessary repair and maintenance service to the IPPOAS. SmartWagon's target customers are
middle and upper socioeconomic class of drivers of all driving ages, education, and family
status. IPPOAS is easy to use because it can perform the required parking maneuver with the
press of a button, saving time and unnecessary discomfort for the drivers.
From the customer description of the make, year, model, and modification of their vehicle,
the necessary information needed to install the IPPOAS on the particular vehicle will be pulled
from the company's database. Thus, creating a database of the most popular makes and models of 3
cars used in the United States will be the first task of our company. To create this database,
SmartWagon will collect all the necessary information about a vehicle model and use this
information to design a robust IPPOAS customized to fit the particular model. Before approving
a certain design, it will be rigorously tested in simulation and then in the field to minimize any
errors.
SmartWagon will operate as a private partnership organization with a total starting capital of
$ 700,000. There will be four departments: marketing, accounting, administration, and technical
department. The heads of the first three departments will report to the CEO who will also head
the technical department. SmartWagon estimates to sell four hundred units in the first year. Our
initial sales will provide us with a good understanding of the market trends and the customer's
demand. Based on our statistics from the first year, we will increase production in the following
years.
The expense is estimated by summing the direct costs, which involve the cost of making and
selling a product, and the general and administrative expenses, which involve the costs of
operating a business. Advertisement is the primary means of marketing and has been allocated an
amount of $100,000. For the consecutive four years, we plan to open a new branch of the
company each year and thus we require more capital every year.
To start the company, we require $700,000, out of which the partners will invest $600,000 in
equity obtained as sponsorships. Rest of the $100,000 will be borrowed from the bank. Our
project has a total annual income of about $800,000 in gross profits and $200,000 in net profits
with estimated sales of four hundred units. In the consecutive years, the project is expected to
yield an increase of 50% on net profits from each branch, with an additional branch added each
year. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) to the investors is 68% in the first year and is projected
to increase in the following years.