Vehicles - Vehicle OBE Functionality
Subsystem Description
The Vehicle On–Board Equipment (OBE) provides the vehicle–based sensory, processing, storage, and communications functions that support efficient, safe, and convenient travel. The Vehicle OBE includes general capabilities that apply to passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Many of these capabilities (e.g., see the Vehicle Safety service packages) apply to all vehicle types including personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, transit vehicles, and maintenance vehicles. From this perspective, the Vehicle OBE includes the common interfaces and functions that apply to all motorized vehicles. The radio(s) supporting V2V and V2I communications are a key component of the Vehicle OBE. Both one–way and two–way communications options support a spectrum of information services from basic broadcast to advanced personalized information services. Route guidance capabilities assist in formulation of an optimal route and step by step guidance along the travel route. Advanced sensors, processors, enhanced driver interfaces, and actuators complement the driver information services so that, in addition to making informed mode and route selections, the driver travels these routes in a safer and more consistent manner. This physical object supports all six levels of driving automation as defined in SAE J3016. Initial collision avoidance functions provide 'vigilant co–pilot' driver warning capabilities. More advanced functions assume limited control of the vehicle to maintain lane position and safe headways. In the most advanced implementations, this Physical Object supports full automation of all aspects of the driving task, aided by communications with other vehicles in the vicinity and in coordination with supporting infrastructure subsystems.
Functional Object: Vehicle Basic Safety Communication
'Vehicle Basic Safety Communication' exchanges current vehicle location and motion information with other vehicles in the vicinity, uses that information to calculate vehicle paths, and warns the driver when the potential for an impending collision is detected. If available, map data is used to filter and interpret the relative location and motion of vehicles in the vicinity. Information from on–board sensors (e.g., radars and image processing) are also used, if available, in combination with the V2V communications to detect non–equipped vehicles and corroborate connected vehicle data. Vehicle location and motion broadcasts are also received by the infrastructure and used by the infrastructure to support a wide range of roadside safety and mobility applications. This object represents a broad range of implementations ranging from basic Vehicle Awareness Devices that only broadcast vehicle location and motion and provide no driver warnings to advanced integrated safety systems that may, in addition to warning the driver, provide collision warning information to support automated control functions that can support control intervention.
Functional Object: Vehicle Basic Toll/Parking Payment
'Vehicle Basic Toll/Parking Payment' includes the traditional on–board systems that pay for tolls and parking electronically. It includes the 'tag' in–vehicle equipment that communicates with the toll/parking plaza and an optional interface to a carry–in payment device. See also 'Vehicle Payment Services', which provides a broader range of payment services.
Functional Object: Vehicle Control Automation
'Vehicle Control Automation' provides lateral and/or longitudinal control of a vehicle to allow 'hands off' and/or 'feet off' driving, automating the steering, accelerator, and brake control functions. It builds on the sensors included in 'Vehicle Safety Monitoring' and 'Vehicle Control Warning' and uses the information about the area surrounding the vehicle to safely control the vehicle. It covers the range of incremental control capabilities from driver assistance systems that take over steering or acceleration/deceleration in limited scenarios with direct monitoring by the driver to full automation where all aspects of driving are automated under all roadway and environmental conditions.
Functional Object: Vehicle Control Warning
'Vehicle Control Warning' monitors areas around the vehicle and provides warnings to a driver so the driver can take action to recover and maintain safe control of the vehicle. It includes lateral warning systems that warn of lane departures and obstacles or vehicles to the sides of the vehicle and longitudinal warning systems that monitor areas in the vehicle path and provide warnings when headways are insufficient or obstacles are detected in front of or behind the vehicle. It includes on–board sensors, including radars and imaging systems, and the driver information system that provides the visual, audible, and/or haptic warnings to the driver.
Functional Object: Vehicle Cooperative Cruise Control
'Vehicle Cooperative Cruise Control' uses V2V communications to share speeds and coordinate maneuvers with adjacent vehicles in the same lane (a CACC 'string'), maintaining vehicle speed and a safe gap with the predecessor vehicle. It provides the capability for vehicles to cluster into strings of CACC–equipped vehicles with compatible performance characteristics and share speed, location, acceleration/deceleration, path predictions (e.g., intended acceleration/deceleration) with other vehicles in the string. These capabilities are provided by systems on board the vehicle that coordinate with other vehicles and control acceleration and braking. In advanced implementations, the capability to coordinate with the infrastructure to support more advanced clustering strategies and use infrastructure provided target speed and traffic control information to improve performance.
Functional Object: Vehicle Gap Assist
'Vehicle Gap Assist' uses V2I communications to collect traffic gap information and associated alerts and warnings that are displayed to the driver who is navigating a stop–sign controlled intersection with a major road.
Functional Object: Vehicle Interactive Traveler Information
'Vehicle Interactive Traveler Information' provides drivers with personalized traveler information including traffic and road conditions, transit information, maintenance and construction information, multimodal information, event information, and weather information. The provided information is tailored based on driver requests. Both one–time requests for information and on–going information streams based on a submitted traveler profile and preferences are supported.
Functional Object: Vehicle Intersection Warning
'Vehicle Intersection Warning' uses V2V and V2I communications to monitor other connected vehicles at intersections and support the safe movement of the vehicle through the intersection. Driver warnings are provided and the application may also optionally take control of the vehicle to avoid collisions. The application will also notify the infrastructure and other vehicles if it detects an unsafe infringement on the intersection.
Functional Object: Vehicle Map Management
'Vehicle Map Management' supports map updates and makes current map and geometry data available to other applications. It manages map data on–board and provides map data to end–user applications that provide location–based services.
Functional Object: Vehicle Payment Service
'Vehicle Payment Service' supports vehicle payments including VMT– and zone–based payments and payments for other services including fuel/charging services, tolls, and parking. To support VMT–based payment, this application tracks the location of the vehicle at specific times and reports this VMT data along with vehicle identification. A variety of pricing strategies are supported, including strategies that include credits or incentives that reward desired driving patterns and behavior. The onboard equipment supports secure short range communications with connected vehicle roadside equipment to support secure payments.
Functional Object: Vehicle Platoon Operations
'Vehicle Platoon Operations' provides the capability for vehicles to operate in cooperative platoons with short fixed gaps and a designated lead vehicle. These capabilities are provided by systems on board the vehicle that coordinate with other vehicles and regulate acceleration and braking and provide higher–level functions that enable vehicles to join and depart from vehicle platoons.
Functional Object: Vehicle Queue Warning
'Vehicle Queue Warning' detects vehicle queues and reports queues to other vehicles using V2V communications and to the infrastructure using V2I communications. Vehicle–based queue warning builds on the exchange of vehicle location and motion and maneuvers that supports connected vehicle safety applications. This application also receives information about downstream queues using I2V communications. Individualized queue warnings and queue characteristics relevant to the vehicle are provided to the driver.
Functional Object: Vehicle Rail Crossing Warning
'Vehicle Rail Crossing Warning ' uses I2V communications to receive alerts of trains entering HRIs and to provide warnings to drivers regarding the trains. The warning can include second train warning (meaning the HRI gates are about to lower, or remain lowered due to the arrival of a second train). The application can also provide vehicle infringement warnings by using the alert information along with vehicle trajectory information to determine that the vehicle will infringe upon a crossing that is (or will be) occupied by a train.
Functional Object: Vehicle Restricted Lanes Application
The 'Vehicle Restricted Lanes Application' monitors and reports its own operating parameters and communicates with roadside equipment to safely enter, operate within, and exit eco–lanes and other controlled–access lanes.
Functional Object: Vehicle Roadside Information Reception
'Vehicle Roadside Information Reception' receives advisories, vehicle signage data, and other driver information and presents this information to the driver using in–vehicle equipment. Information presented may include fixed sign information, traffic control device status (e.g., signal phase and timing data), advisory and detour information, warnings of adverse road and weather conditions, travel times, and other driver information.
Functional Object: Vehicle Secure Area Access System
'Vehicle Secure Area Access System' provides access to secure areas such as shipping yards, warehouses, airports, transit–only ramps, parking gates and other areas. It accepts inputs from the vehicle driver that include the necessary identity information and uses this information to generate the request to activate a barrier to gain access to the area.
Functional Object: Vehicle Situation Data Monitoring
'Vehicle Situation Data Monitoring' is the highest–level representation of the functionality required to collect traffic and environmental situation data by monitoring and storing the experience of the vehicle as it travels through the road network. Collected data is aggregated into snapshots that are reported when communications is available and with flow control based on parameters provided by the infrastructure. Note that this functional object supports collection of data for areas remote from RSEs or other communications infrastructure.
Functional Object: Vehicle Speed Management Assist
'Vehicle Speed Management Assist' assists the driver in operating the vehicle within the current speed limit. It monitors current vehicle speed and communicates with the infrastructure to receive current speed limits and associated road configuration change notifications. Driver warnings are issued when unsafe or excessive speeds are detected based on the provided speed limits and current conditions.
Functional Object: Vehicle Support Services
'Vehicle Support Services' provides foundational functions that support data collection, management, and distribution. It coordinates with Support subsystems to maintain necessary registrations with respect to location and scope.
Functional Object: Vehicle Traveler Information Reception
'Vehicle Traveler Information Reception' provides the capability for drivers to receive general transportation information including traffic and road conditions, traffic regulations, incident information, maintenance and construction information, event information, transit information, parking information, weather information, and broadcast alerts.