.
| Physical Object |
Class |
Description |
| Basic Vehicle |
Vehicle |
'Basic Vehicle' represents a complete operating vehicle. It includes the vehicle platform that interfaces with and hosts ITS electronics and all of the driver convenience and entertainment systems, and other non-ITS electronics on-board the vehicle. Interfaces represent both internal on-board interfaces between ITS equipment and other vehicle systems and other passive and active external interfaces or views of the vehicle that support vehicle/traffic monitoring and management. External interfaces may also represent equipment that is carried into the vehicle (e.g., a smartphone that is brought into the vehicle). Internal interfaces are often implemented through a vehicle databus, which is also included in this object. Note that 'Vehicle' represents the general functions and interfaces that are associated with personal automobiles as well as commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, transit vehicles, and other specialized vehicles. |
| Driver |
Vehicle |
The 'Driver' represents the person that operates a vehicle on the roadway. Included are operators of private, transit, commercial, and emergency vehicles where the interactions are not particular to the type of vehicle (e.g., interactions supporting vehicle safety applications). The Driver originates driver requests and receives driver information that reflects the interactions which might be useful to all drivers, regardless of vehicle classification. Information and interactions which are unique to drivers of a specific vehicle type (e.g., fleet interactions with transit, commercial, or emergency vehicle drivers) are covered by separate objects. |
| Potential Obstacles |
Field |
'Potential Obstacles' represents any object that possesses the potential of being sensed and struck and thus also possesses physical attributes. Potential Obstacles include roadside obstructions, debris, animals, infrastructure elements (barrels, cones, barriers, etc.) or any other element that is in a potential path of the vehicle. Note that roadside objects and pieces of equipment that can become obstacles in a vehicle’s path can include materials, coatings, or labels (e.g., barcodes) that will improve the performance of the vehicle-based sensors that must detect and avoid these obstacles. See also 'Vulnerable Road Users' that more specifically represents the physical properties of shared users of the roadway that must also be detected. |
| Remote Vehicle Operator |
Center |
The 'Remote Vehicle Operator' represents the person or people that support remote vehicle control, monitoring the controlled vehicle and it's surrounding environment and providing control commands for use by the automated driving system in the remote vehicle. |
| Roadway Environment |
Field |
'Roadway Environment' represents the physical condition and geometry of the road surface, markings, signs, and other objects on or near the road surface. It also represents the environmental conditions immediately surrounding the roadway. The roadway environment must be sensed and interpreted to support automated vehicle services. Surrounding conditions may include fog, ice, snow, rain, wind, etc. which will influence the way in which a vehicle can be safely operated on the roadway. The roadway environment must be monitored to enable corrective action and information dissemination regarding roadway conditions which may adversely affect travel. Infrastructure owner/operators can improve the roadway environment to improve the performance and accuracy of vehicle-based sensors that must sense and interpret this environment. Improvements could include changes in the shape, size, design, and materials used in signs, pavement markings, and other road features. |
| Traffic Management Center |
Center |
The 'Traffic Management Center' monitors and controls traffic and the road network. It represents centers that manage a broad range of transportation facilities including freeway systems, rural and suburban highway systems, and urban and suburban traffic control systems. It communicates with ITS Roadway Equipment and Connected Vehicle Roadside Equipment (RSE) to monitor and manage traffic flow and monitor the condition of the roadway, surrounding environmental conditions, and field equipment status. It manages traffic and transportation resources to support allied agencies in responding to, and recovering from, incidents ranging from minor traffic incidents through major disasters. |
| Vehicle |
Vehicle |
This 'Vehicle' physical object is used to model core capabilities that are common to more than one type of Vehicle. It provides the vehicle-based general sensory, processing, storage, and communications functions that support efficient, safe, and convenient travel. Many of these capabilities (e.g., see the Vehicle Safety service packages) apply to all vehicle types including personal vehicles (including motorcycles), commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, transit vehicles, and maintenance vehicles. From this perspective, the Vehicle 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. Both one-way and two-way communications options support a spectrum of information services from basic broadcast to advanced personalized information services. 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. |
| Vehicle Characteristics |
Vehicle |
'Vehicle Characteristics' represents the external view of individual vehicles of any class from cars and light trucks up to large commercial vehicles and down to micromobility vehicles (MMVs). It includes vehicle physical characteristics such as height, width, length, weight, and other properties (e.g., magnetic properties, number of axles, occupants, emissions) of individual vehicles that can be sensed and measured or classified. This physical object represents the physical properties of vehicles that can be sensed by vehicle-based or infrastructure-based sensors to support vehicle automation and traffic sensor systems. The analog properties provided by this terminator represent the sensor inputs that are used to detect and assess vehicle(s) within the sensor's range to support safe AV operation and/or responsive and safe traffic management. |
| Vehicle Operations and Service Center |
Center |
'Vehicle Operations and Service Center' (VOSC) represents centers that provide telematics services to vehicles using wide-area (e.g. cellular) communications, including traveler information, emergency services, vehicle diagnostics, over-the-air software updates, vehicle maintenance information and warnings, remote vehicle operation, and provision of service options for these vehicles. See also 'Transportation Information Center' that provides traveler information, trip planning, and routing services and 'Emergency Management Center' that provides call-taking and emergency response services that may also be implemented by a VOSC. |
| Vulnerable Road Users |
Personal |
'Vulnerable Road Users' represents any roadway user not in a motorized vehicle capable of operating at the posted speed for the roadway in question, and also any roadway user in a vehicle not designed to encase (and thus protect) its occupants. This includes pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, two-wheeled scooter micromobility users, as well as powered scooters and motorcycles. Note that this terminator represents the physical properties of vulnerable road users and their conveyance that may be sensed to support safe vehicle automation and traffic management in mixed mode applications where a variety of road users share the right-of-way. See also 'Pedestrian' and 'MMV User' Physical Objects that represent the human interface to these vulnerable road users. |
| Functional Object |
Description |
Physical Object |
| Center Vehicle Teleoperation |
'Center Vehicle Teleoperation' provides communications, command and control capabilities sufficient for an operator in a remote location to monitor the performance of and control vehicles operating in the transportation environment. |
Center |
| 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', receives warnings from 'Vehicle Intersection Movement', 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, including providing, receiving, and acting on cooperation-related messaging. |
Vehicle |
| Vehicle Teleoperation |
'Vehicle Teleoperation' receives control commands from a remote center or device and relays valid, authentic commands to the automated driving system for execution. It provides status of the vehicle and surrounding environment back to the remote operator. |
Vehicle |
| Information Flow |
Description |
| driver input |
Driver input to the vehicle on-board equipment including configuration data, settings and preferences, interactive requests, and control commands. |
| driver updates |
Information provided to the driver including visual displays, audible information and warnings, and haptic feedback. The updates inform the driver about current conditions, potential hazards, and the current status of vehicle on-board equipment. |
| environmental conditions |
Current road conditions (e.g., surface temperature, subsurface temperature, moisture, icing, treatment status) and surface weather conditions (e.g., air temperature, wind speed, precipitation, visibility) that are measured by environmental sensors. |
| host vehicle status |
Information provided to the ITS on-board equipment from other systems on the vehicle platform. This includes the current status of the powertrain, steering, and braking systems, and status of other safety and convenience systems. In implementations where GPS is not integrated into the Vehicle On-Board Equipment, the host vehicle is also the source for data describing the vehicle's location in three dimensions (latitude, longitude, elevation) and accurate time that can be used for time synchronization across the ITS environment. |
| physical presence |
Detection of an obstacle. Obstacle could include animals, incident management and construction elements such as cones, barrels and barriers, internal structures such as pillars and poles, rocks in roadway, etc. |
| remote operator data |
Presentation of status of a remote controlled vehicle and its surrouding environment. This data keeps the operator appraised of current vehicle status and provides feedback to the operator as control commands are provided. It also supports review of historical data and preparation for future service activities. |
| remote operator input |
User input from the remote vehicle operator including requests for information, configuration changes, remote vehicle control actions, and other operations data entry related to remote vehicle operation. |
| road network conditions |
Current and forecasted traffic information, road and weather conditions, and other road network status. Either raw data, processed data, or some combination of both may be provided by this flow. Information on diversions and alternate routes, closures, and special traffic restrictions (lane/shoulder use, weight restrictions, width restrictions, HOV requirements) in effect is included. |
| roadway characteristics |
Detectable or measurable road characteristics such as friction coefficient and general surface conditions, road geometry, signs and indicators (e.g., speed limits, parking availability) and markings, etc. These characteristics are monitored or measured by ITS sensors and used to support advanced vehicle safety, parking, turning and lane change maneuvers and road maintenance capabilities. |
| traffic image meta data |
Meta data that describes traffic images. Traffic images (video) are in another flow. |
| traffic images |
High fidelity, real-time traffic images suitable for surveillance monitoring by the operator or for use in machine vision applications. This flow includes the images. Meta data that describes the images is contained in another flow. |
| vehicle automation commands |
Direction to an automated driving system to perform vehicle control actions |
| vehicle characteristics |
The physical or visible characteristics of individual vehicles that can be used to detect, classify, and monitor vehicles and imaged to uniquely identify vehicles and characterize their performance (e.g., speed, occupants, emissions). |
| vehicle control |
Control commands issued to vehicle actuators that control steering, throttle, and braking and other related commands that support safe transition between manual and automated vehicle control. This flow can also deploy restraints and other safety systems when a collision is unavoidable. |
| vehicle operating status |
Information describing the operational state of a vehicle, including a range of potential information such as vehicle kinematics, occupancy and environmental conditions. |
| vehicle video monitoring |
Real-time images of the area inside or around the vehicle providing the information. |
| vulnerable road user presence |
Detection of pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users. This detection is based on physical characteristics of the user and their conveyance, which may be enhanced by design and materials that facilitate sensor-based detection and tracking of vulnerable road users. |
