Taxonomy update for driving automation systems
S. Himmelstein | May 05, 2021Rapid advances in driving automation have prompted SAE International, in collaboration with the International Organization for Standardization, to update the industry’s reference for driving automation capabilities: SAE J3016 Recommended Practice: Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Systems for On-Road Motor Vehicles.
SAE J3016 provides a taxonomy with supporting terms and definitions for SAE’s six levels of driving automation, which range from no driving automation at Level 0 to full driving automation at Level 5. The update refines the previous version of the Recommended Practice with the addition of several new terms, substantial refinement and clarification of misinterpreted concepts, and restructuring of certain definitions into more logical groupings.
The revision provides further clarity on the differences between SAE Level 3 and SAE Level 4, including the role of the fallback-ready user, the possibility of some automated fallback at SAE Level 3 and the possibility of some alerts to in-vehicle users at SAE Level 4. Additional terms and definitions are now included for two distinct remote support functions: remote assistance and remote driving, as well as the users who perform those functions: remote assistant and remote driver.
The new document explains how classifications of sustained driving automation fit into the broader context of driver assistance and active safety features. Definitions for vehicle types are now grouped together by conventional vehicle, dual-mode vehicle and automated driving systems-dedicated vehicle.