Taxonomy of driving automation

Last updated Jun 24, 2022

• Type note
• Status good
• On autonomous driving

To classify different driving automation taxonomies/levels, we need to look at the following capabilities:

• Automated lateral control?
• Automated longitudinal control?
• OEDR
  • Automatic emergency response
  • Driver supervision
• Complete vs. Restricted ODD

Based on the above criteria, following are the standard levels defined by SAE J3016.

• It requires full human intervention.
• There’s no automation and everything is done by the driver.
• Regular vehicles.

• When the system assists the driver in either Longitudinal Control or Lateral Control, but not both.
• Examples include:
  • Adaptive Cruise Control : can control speed, driver has to steer.
  • Lane Keeping Assistance: can help you stay in lane if you drift.

• System can perform both Longitudinal Control and Lateral Control.
• Driver monitoring is always required.
• Examples include:
  • GM Super Cruise
  • Nissan ProPilot Assist

• Also includes Object and Event Detection and Response (OEDR) to a certain degree.
• In case of failure, the control must be taken up by a driver.
• Key difference between Level 2 and Level 3 is that, in certain situations driver doesn’t have to pay attention as the system would alert the driver in case of emergencies.
• It is controversial as the system isn’t able to correctly tell when its malfunctioning
• Examples:
  • Audi A8 Sedan

• Also includes fallback mechanics in case of emergencies, so the driver can focus on other tasks as it requires minimal driver intervention and is capable of handling most of the cases.
• This system still has limited Operational Design Domain (ODD).
• Examples:
  • Waymo

• It has unlimited Operational Design Domain (ODD), meaning that it can operate in any condition.
• No examples yet.