Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles
J3016
This document describes [motor] vehicle driving automation systems that perform part or all of the dynamic driving task (DDT) on a sustained basis. It provides a taxonomy with detailed definitions for six levels of driving automation, ranging from no driving automation (Level 0) to full driving automation (Level 5), in the context of [motor] vehicles (hereafter also referred to as “vehicle” or “vehicles”) and their operation on roadways:Level 0: No Driving AutomationLevel 1: Driver AssistanceLevel 2: Partial Driving AutomationLevel 3: Conditional Driving AutomationLevel 4: High Driving AutomationLevel 5: Full Driving AutomationThese level definitions, along with additional supporting terms and definitions provided herein, can be used to describe the full range of driving automation features equipped on [motor] vehicles in a functionally consistent and coherent manner. “On road” refers to publicly accessible roadways (including parking areas and private campuses that permit public access) that collectively serve all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians, and users of vehicles with and without driving automation features.The levels apply to the driving automation feature(s) that are engaged in any given instance of on-road operation of an equipped vehicle. As such, although a given vehicle may be equipped with a driving automation system that is capable of delivering multiple driving automation features that perform at different levels, the level of driving automation exhibited in any given instance is determined by the feature(s) that are engaged.This document also refers to three primary actors in driving: the (human) user, the driving automation system, and other vehicle systems and components. These other vehicle systems and components (or the vehicle in general terms) do not include the driving automation system in this model, even though as a practical matter a driving automation system may actually share hardware and software components with other vehicle systems, such as a processing module(s) or operating code.The levels of driving automation are defined by reference to the specific role played by each of the three primary actors in performance of the DDT and/or DDT fallback. “Role” in this context refers to the expected role of a given primary actor, based on the design of the driving automation system in question and not necessarily to the actual performance of a given primary actor. For example, a driver who fails to monitor the roadway during engagement of a Level 1 adaptive cruise control (ACC) system still has the role of driver, even while s/he is neglecting it.Active safety systems, such as electronic stability control (ESC) and automatic emergency braking (AEB), and certain types of driver assistance systems, such as lane keeping assistance (LKA), are excluded from the scope of this driving automation taxonomy because they do not perform part or all of the DDT on a sustained basis, but rather provide momentary intervention during potentially hazardous situations. Due to the momentary nature of the actions of active safety systems, their intervention does not change or eliminate the role of the driver in performing part or all of the DDT, and thus are not considered to be driving automation, even though they perform automated functions. In addition, systems that inform, alert, or warn the driver about hazards in the driving environment are also outside the scope of this driving automation taxonomy, as they neither automate part or all of the DDT, nor change the driver’s role in performance of the DDT (see 8.13).It should be noted, however, that crash avoidance features, including intervention-type active safety systems, may be included in vehicles equipped with driving automation systems at any level. For automated driving system (ADS) features (i.e., Levels 3 to 5) that perform the complete DDT, crash mitigation and avoidance capability is part of ADS functionality (see also 8.13).
Rationale: The SAE ORAD Definitions TF proposes to amend SAE J3016 in collaboration with ISO TC204 Working Group 14, under the auspices of the joint standards development agreement between SAE and ISO (we should insert the formal name of the agreement). The current published version of J3016 was also developed by a joint SAE/ISO working group and was also published as ISO PAS 22736.
Since SAE J3016 was published in April 2021, the ORAD Definitions TF has been collecting and discussing ideas for improving and updating the document. The latest discussions are summarized in the SAE J3016 Parking Lot Items:
https://api2.sae.org/api/v1/file/files/6e9fe5d2-228c-4cc7-b0f3-d5ef18a64346
Both SAE and ISO recently agreed to re-establish a joint working group (JWG) for the next update of the parallel documents (SAE J3016 and ISO PAS 22736) and to hold its first meeting during the ISO/TC 204/WG14 meeting (May 8-12, 2023). Therefore, in preparation for the JWG activity, the SAE ORAD Definitions TF plans to prepare an SAE J3016 working document with its initial proposed changes (MARKUP) based on the discussion items that it has already agreed upon in the SAE J3016 Parking Lot Items.
Because the work has been reporting to the ORAD committee for nearly two years and the JWG meeting is approaching shortly, the SAE ORAD chair and the SAE J3016 sponsor agreed to submit the New Project Request.