Private Vehicles - Vehicle Functionality
Subsystem Description
The Vehicle Subsystem (VS) provides the sensory, processing, storage, and communications functions necessary to support efficient, safe, and convenient travel. These functions reside in general vehicles including personal automobiles, commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, transit vehicles, or other vehicle types. Information services provide the driver with current travel conditions and the availability of services along the route and at the destination. Both one-way and two-way communications options support a spectrum of information services from low-cost broadcast services to advanced, pay for use 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. Initial collision avoidance functions provide 'vigilant co-pilot' driver warning capabilities. More advanced functions assume limited control of the vehicle to maintain safe headway. Ultimately, this subsystem supports completely automated vehicle operation through advanced communications with other vehicles in the vicinity and in coordination with supporting infrastructure subsystems. Pre-crash safety systems are deployed and emergency notification messages are issued when unavoidable collisions do occur.
Functional Area: Basic Vehicle Reception
Provides drivers basic transportation information including formatted traffic advisories, event, and other traveler information as well as broadcast alerts.
Functional Area: Interactive Vehicle Reception
Provides drivers with traffic, maintenance and construction, transit, yellow pages, event, and weather information upon request.
Functional Area: Vehicle Automated Operations
In-vehicle systems to support operation on the automated portion of the highway system including the longitudinal control, lateral control for lane change/merge and roadway departure, regulating the vehicle speed and steering control.
Functional Area: Vehicle Autonomous Route Guidance
Provides route guidance to a driver using a digital map stored on-board. Advanced features may include an interface to traveler information centers to input broadcast traffic conditions to enhance the route calculation.
Functional Area: Vehicle Lateral Warning System
On-board sensors to monitor the areas to the sides of the vehicle and present warnings to the driver about potential hazards.
Functional Area: Vehicle Location Determination
Receives current location of the vehicle from GPS or other positioning technology and provides this information to other in-vehicle functions.
Functional Area: Vehicle Longitudinal Control
On-board systems to provide longitudinal control to allow "feet off" driving, automating the function of speed control, acceleration, and braking. Sensors to detect obstacles or vehicles in the longitudinal path of the vehicle with controls initiated by accelerator and/or brake actuators.
Functional Area: Vehicle Longitudinal Warning System
On-board sensors to monitor the areas in front of and behind the vehicle and present warnings to the driver about potential hazards.
Functional Area: Vehicle Mayday I/F
In-vehicle capability for drivers or collision detection sensors onboard a vehicle to report an emergency and summon assistance.
Functional Area: Vehicle On-board Diagnostics System
This equipment package monitors on-board systems and provides vehicle diagnostics data via short range communications.
Functional Area: Vehicle Pre-Crash Safety Systems
On-board systems to monitor the vehicle's local environment, determine collision probability and deploy a pre-crash safety system.
Functional Area: Vehicle Safety Monitoring System
On-board systems to diagnose critical components of the vehicle and warn the driver of potential dangers, including steering, braking, acceleration, emissions, fuel economy, engine performance, etc.
Functional Area: Vehicle Toll/Parking Interface
On-board systems to support paying toll without stopping and pay for parking without the use of cash through the use of an active tag interface and debit/credit card interface.
Functional Area: Vehicle Traffic Probe Support
On-board systems that identify location, measure traffic conditions such as link travel time and speed and transmit data to a center or roadside equipment.
Functional Area: Vehicle Warning System
On-board system that shares location information with nearby vehicles and warns the driver if there is a possibility of collision. It also receives location information from emergency vehicles and warns the driver of approaching emergency vehicles.