Research Progress and Insights

Track 1: Crash Scenario Framework

Research Accomplishments

The statistical analysis on crashes is complete and forms the foundation for three important reports:

• Description of Light Vehicle Pre-Crash Scenarios for Safety Applications Based on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications
• Depiction of Priority Light Vehicle Pre-Crash Scenarios for Safety Applications Based on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications
• Light Vehicle Crash Avoidance Needs and Countermeasure Profiles for Safety Applications based on Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications.

Critical Research Insights

• This critical research identified the priority pre-crash scenarios and the pre-crash scenario characteristics, and translated the pre-crash characteristics into V2V safety application requirements.

Next Steps

• With report publication approval, this research track is complete.

Track 2: Interoperability

Research Accomplishments

• Through collaborative DOT-industry research, the program developed and tested a set of minimum performance requirements for on-board equipment that ensures interoperability across all vehicles and devices. The research partners include the automotive industry and suppliers. The requirements address standards, non-hardware interface requirements, testing and access requirements, and hardware requirements.
• Scalability tests, conducted on test tracks in three stages, allowed for iterative software updates and revisions. Further testing will be conducted in real-world conditions during the Safety Pilot Model Deployment in 2012-2013.

Critical Research Insights

• Test results showed that with use of the standards, different devices are interoperable.
• Test results also informed revisions to the standards that are critical for security (IEEE 1609.2 and IEEE 1609.3) and the message standard (SAE J2735). The results are also forming the basis for development of the minimum performance requirements (e.g., the sending rate for BSMs, transmit power control, adaptive message rate control) for V2V safety standard (SAE J2945).

Next Steps

• Initial research for supporting the production of commercial grade prototype equipment that is integrated into test vehicles will be completed in October 2012. Follow-on research will address congestion management and misbehavior detection.

Track 3: Develop Estimates of Safety Benefits

Research Accomplishments

• Obtained NHTSA leadership approval concerning the safety benefit estimation approach. NHTSA leadership — representing research, crash statistics, and rulemaking — approved the approach that will support the 2013 agency decision.
• Completed draft performance requirements for 10 priority pre-crash scenarios.
• Completed and distributed the safety data requirements for data acquisition systems to Safety Pilot test conductor.

Critical Research Insights

• The research has resulted in a Safety Pilot Experimental plan which is based on a complex set of calculations that ensure a sufficient amount of interactions necessary to obtain enough data to calculate the safety benefit estimations.

Next Steps

• Conduct objective tests.
• Integrate results from Safety Pilot into benefits estimation process.

Track 4: Develop Safety Applications

Research Accomplishments

• In partnership with industry, completed six V2V safety applications.
• Identified the forward collision avoidance (FCA) as a safety application for development. Development has been launched by five original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Each OEM will include control after warning as a means to avoid forward collision crashes. To date, FCA draft performance measures have been completed.

Critical Research Insights

• Research has revealed that control applications may require a redundant sensor for reliability.

Next Steps

• Complete a draft of the FCA objective test procedures.
• Identify and agree on interoperability specifications that all OEMs and the US DOT will use as objective test procedures.
• Initiate development of Advanced Intersection Collision Avoidance applications.

Track 5: Develop Driver Vehicle Interfaces (DVIs)

Research Accomplishments

• Completed Safety Pilot DVI guidance.

Critical Research Insights

• Information coming.

Next Steps

• Finalize and provide the guidelines to industry to guide the development of their commercial systems.

Track 6: Investigate Policy Issues

Research Accomplishments

• In support of developing a research path for the US DOT’s 2013 decision, identified the V2V policy and institutional issues in the areas of communications security, certification, governance, spectrum management, and benefit-cost analysis.
• Research is currently underway to investigate the organizational requirements for security, compare different business models for communications systems, define the need for spectrum management, develop governance models, and develop the benefit-cost basis for a US DOT decision in 2013 for light vehicles and in 2014 for heavy vehicles. Across all of these efforts, definition of the Federal interests and role is a priority focus.

Critical Research Insights

• A preliminary analysis of the policy factors associated with communications for security including system network costs, governance, privacy, and safety, suggests that there is no easy option for funding/financing a system that is primarily focused on the public good.
• Preliminary analysis of communications technologies resulted in the selection of DSRC as the basis of communications for security for Safety Pilot. This decision has been expanded to also include testing using cellular technologies.

Next Steps

• Information coming.

Track 7: Develop Commercial Vehicle Safety Applications

Research Accomplishments

• Completed the integration of V2V safety applications on four commercial vehicles. Additionally, two different types of retrofit safety devices are being developed for testing. One device builds from the knowledge gained in developing the fully-equipped, integrated trucks; the device includes all V2V applications developed for the integrated commercial vehicles. A second device is being developed following an open architecture design process to provide industry participants sufficient details to enable sooner involvement of other development teams. While this second device implements a limited set of V2V applications, it is expected to increase the opportunities for deployment.

Critical Research Insights

• Preliminary work is showing that truck applications can be developed using light vehicle application research. See Truck V2V research for more.

Next Steps

• Perform interoperability testing and integrate trucks into the Safety Pilot Model Deployment.

Track 8: Develop Transit Safety Applications

Research Accomplishments

• In September 2011, the Department launched research to retrofit transit vehicles with V2V technologies and applications. The retrofit contract has been awarded and two buses are under development. Three transit V2V applications are under development and will be demonstrated in Safety Pilot. One V2V application is transit specific—Vehicle Turning Right in Front of a Transit Vehicle Warning. The application is meant to provide warnings to bus drivers to alert them to other vehicles passing around and in front of the bus to turn right at an intersection at the same time that the bus pulls away from the bus stop. Two other applications are adaptations of light vehicle V2V applications and are being tailored for transit vehicles. These applications include the Emergency Electronic Brake Light Warning and the Forward Collision Warning applications.

Critical Research Insights

• Preliminary work is showing that transit applications can be adapted from light vehicle applications. See Transit V2V research for expanded details.

Next Steps

• Complete the retrofit and integrate transit into the Safety Pilot for testing.