Engineering group SAE seeks to clarify ADAS terminology

WARRENDALE, Pa. — SAE International, an association of transportation engineers involved in standards development, has endorsed an effort to define more accurately for consumers Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) used increasingly in passenger vehicles.

The effort — outlined in a document dubbed "Clearing the Confusion: Recommended Common Naming for Advanced Driver Assistance Technologies" — is a joint effort by the SAE, AAA Inc., Consumer Reports, J.D. Power & Associates and the National Safety Council.

"With advanced safety technologies being added to new vehicles every year, we recognize that it's important that consumers understand the technologies they are using and common descriptions can help," Chad Zagorski, chair of the SAE International Active Safety Systems Standards Committee, said.

"Educating drivers on key terms such as 'Lane Keeping Assistance' and 'Automatic Emergency Braking' helps drivers have consistent expectations and awareness of the functionality of their vehicle's Advanced Driver Assistance Systems."

Auto makers use varied terminology to describe ADAS, so the recommended common terminology and clarifications provided in "Clearing the Confusion" are designed to help eliminate confusion and ensure that drivers are aware that these systems are designed to assist, not replace, an engaged driver, the SAE said.

The SAE Active Safety Terms and Definitions Task Force is revising SAE J3063TM Standard: Active Safety Systems Terms and Definitions, a more detailed document for use by engineers. The update to SAE J3063 will be more robust as a result of the input from the community of stakeholders engaged in the current "Clearing the Confusion" effort, SAE said.

"These recommendations are not meant to replace auto maker proprietary system or package names, but rather help identify key functions within those packages and provide clarity to consumers," Keith Wilson, technical program manager at SAE, said.

"As safety technologies advance and as new systems are developed, we plan to work with stakeholders to refine the naming outline to keep the public and industry informed."

The new common naming outline is simple, specific and based on system functionality, according to the SAE. The names and descriptions were developed, with vehicle owners in mind, through a collaboration of industry experts to clearly explain each assistance system functionality.

In a January 2019 report, AAA found that consumers are faced with as many as 20 names for adaptive cruise control. Auto makers have 19 names for lane-keeping assistance and 19 for blind-spot warning systems, AAA found.

"By adopting common terminology across systems, consumers will have a better understanding that this technology is intended to assist and not replace an engaged driver," the organizations said in a statement.

The "Clearing the Confusion" terms and definitions include:

Collision warning systems

• Blind Spot Warning: Detects vehicles in the vehicle's blind spot while driving and notifies the driver to their presence. Some systems provide an additional warning if the driver activates the turn signal.
• Forward Collision Warning: Detects a potential collision with a vehicle ahead and alerts the driver. Some systems also provide alerts for pedestrians or other objects.
• Lane Departure Warning: Monitors vehicle's position within the driving lane and alerts driver as the vehicle approaches or crosses lane markers.
• Parking Collision Warning: Detects objects close to the vehicle during parking maneuvers and notifies the driver.
• Rear Cross Traffic Warning: Detects vehicles approaching from the side at the rear of the vehicle while in reverse gear and alerts the driver. Some systems also warn for pedestrians or other objects.

Collision Intervention systems

• Automatic Emergency Braking: Detects potential collisions with a vehicle ahead, provides forward collision warning, and automatically brakes to avoid a collision or lessen the severity of impact. Some systems also detect pedestrians or other objects.
• Automatic Emergency Steering: Detects potential collisions with a vehicle ahead and automatically steers to avoid or lessen the severity of impact. Some systems also detect pedestrians or other objects.
• Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking: Detects potential collisions while in reverse gear and automatically brakes to avoid or lessen the severity of impact. Some systems also detect pedestrians or other objects.

Driving control assistance

• Adaptive Cruise Control: Cruise control that also assists with acceleration and/or braking to maintain a driver-selected gap to the vehicle in front. Some systems can come to a stop and continue while others cannot.
• Lane Keeping Assistance: Provides steering support to assist the driver in preventing the vehicle from departing the lane. Some systems also assist to keep the vehicle centered within the lane.
• Active Driving Assistance: Provides steering and brake/acceleration support to the driver at the same time. The driver must constantly supervise this support feature and maintain responsibility for driving.

Parking assistance systems

• Backup Camera: Displays the area behind the vehicle when in reverse gear.
• Surround View Camera: Displays the immediate surroundings of some or all sides of the vehicle while stopped or during low speed maneuvers.
• Active Parking Assistance: Assists with steering and potentially other functions during parking maneuvers. Driver may be required to accelerate, brake, and/or select gear position. Some systems are capable of parallel and/or perpendicular parking. The driver must constantly supervise this support feature and maintain responsibility for parking.
• Remote Parking Assistance: Without the driver being physically present inside the vehicle, provides steering, braking, accelerating and/or gear selection while moving a vehicle into or out of a parking space. The driver must constantly supervise this support feature and maintain responsibility for parking.
• Trailer Assistance: Assists the driver with visual guidance while backing towards a trailer or during backing maneuvers with a trailer attached. Some systems may provide additional images while driving or backing with a trailer. Some systems may provide steering assistance during backing maneuvers.

Other driver assistance systems

• Automatic High Beams: Switches between high and low beam headlamps automatically based on lighting and traffic.
• Driver Monitoring: Observes driver actions to estimate if he/she is not engaged in the task of driving. Some systems may monitor eye movement and/or head position.
• Head-Up Display: Projects information relevant to driving into the driver's forward line of sight.
• Night Vision: Improves forward visibility at night by projecting enhanced images on instrument cluster or head-up display.