Kind: Subsystem
Class: Vehicle
Type: System
Vehicle OBE
Overview
The Vehicle On-Board Equipment (OBE) provides the vehicle-based sensory, processing, storage, and communications functions that support efficient, safe, and convenient travel. The Vehicle OBE includes general capabilities that apply to passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Many of these capabilities (e.g., see the Vehicle Safety service packages) apply to all vehicle types including personal vehicles, commercial vehicles, emergency vehicles, transit vehicles, and maintenance vehicles. From this perspective, the Vehicle OBE includes the common interfaces and functions that apply to all motorized vehicles. The radio(s) supporting V2V and V2I communications are a key component of the Vehicle OBE. Both one-way and two-way communications options support a spectrum of information services from basic broadcast to advanced personalized information services. Route guidance capabilities assist in formulation of an optimal route and step by step guidance along the travel route. Advanced sensors, processors, enhanced driver interfaces, and actuators complement the driver information services so that, in addition to making informed mode and route selections, the driver travels these routes in a safer and more consistent manner. This physical object supports all six levels of driving automation as defined in SAE J3016. Initial collision avoidance functions provide 'vigilant co-pilot' driver warning capabilities. More advanced functions assume limited control of the vehicle to maintain lane position and safe headways. In the most advanced implementations, this Physical Object supports full automation of all aspects of the driving task, aided by communications with other vehicles in the vicinity and in coordination with supporting infrastructure subsystems.
This physical object is included in the following Service Packages:
- CVO10: Road Weather Information for Freight Carriers
- MC06: Work Zone Management
- MC07: Work Zone Safety Monitoring
- MC09: Infrastructure Monitoring
- MC10: Asset Tracking
- PM01: Parking Space Management
- PM02: Smart Park and Ride System
- PM03: Parking Electronic Payment
- PM05: Parking Reservations
- PM06: Loading Zone Management
- PS04: Mayday Notification
- PS05: Vehicle Emergency Response
- PS07: Incident Scene Safety Monitoring
- PS09: Transportation Infrastructure Protection
- PS10: Wide-Area Alert
- PS14: Disaster Traveler Information
- PS15: Stolen Vehicle Recovery
- PT10: Intermittent Bus Lanes
- PT12: Transit Vehicle at Station/Stop Warnings
- PT13: Vehicle Turning Right in Front of a Transit Vehicle
- PT18: Integrated Multi-Modal Electronic Payment
- ST01: Emissions Monitoring
- ST02: Eco-Traffic Signal Timing
- ST03: Eco-Traffic Metering
- ST04: Roadside Lighting
- ST05: Electric Charging Stations Management
- ST06: HOV/HOT Lane Management
- ST07: Eco-Lanes Management
- ST08: Eco-Approach and Departure at Signalized Intersections
- ST09: Connected Eco-Driving
- ST10: Low Emissions Zone Management
- SU03: Data Distribution
- SU04: Map Management
- SU05: Location and Time
- SU06: Object Registration and Discovery
- SU12: Vehicle Maintenance
- TI01: Broadcast Traveler Information
- TI02: Personalized Traveler Information
- TI03: Dynamic Route Guidance
- TI04: Infrastructure-Provided Trip Planning and Route Guidance
- TI05: Travel Services Information and Reservation
- TI06: Dynamic Ridesharing and Shared Use Transportation
- TI07: In-Vehicle Signage
- TM02: Vehicle-Based Traffic Surveillance
- TM04: Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System
- TM10: Electronic Toll Collection
- TM11: Road Use Charging
- TM14: Advanced Railroad Grade Crossing
- TM16: Reversible Lane Management
- TM17: Speed Warning and Enforcement
- TM21: Speed Harmonization
- TM22: Dynamic Lane Management and Shoulder Use
- TM23: Border Management Systems
- TM24: Tunnel Management
- TM25: Wrong Way Vehicle Detection and Warning
- VS01: Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems
- VS02: V2V Basic Safety
- VS03: Situational Awareness
- VS04: V2V Special Vehicle Alert
- VS05: Curve Speed Warning
- VS06: Stop Sign Gap Assist
- VS07: Road Weather Motorist Alert and Warning
- VS08: Queue Warning
- VS09: Reduced Speed Zone Warning / Lane Closure
- VS10: Restricted Lane Warnings
- VS11: Oversize Vehicle Warning
- VS12: Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety
- VS13: Intersection Safety Warning and Collision Avoidance
- VS14: Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control
- VS15: Infrastructure Enhanced Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control
- VS16: Automated Vehicle Operations
- VS17: Traffic Code Dissemination
- WX01: Weather Data Collection
- WX03: Spot Weather Impact Warning
Functionality
Triples
Security
This physical object has the following security levels for the associated service packages.
Physical Object Security | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Security Class | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability | Service Package |
Class 5 | Moderate | Moderate | High | Electric Charging Stations Management |
Class 5 | High | High | High | Electronic Toll Collection |
Class 5 | High | High | High | HOV/HOT Lane Management |
Class 5 | High | High | High | Integrated Multi-Modal Electronic Payment |
Class 5 | Moderate | Moderate | High | Location and Time |
Class 5 | High | High | High | Low Emissions Zone Management |
Class 5 | High | High | High | Parking Electronic Payment |
Class 5 | High | High | High | Road Use Charging |
Class 5 | Moderate | Moderate | High | Travel Services Information and Reservation |
Class 4 | High | High | Moderate | Border Management Systems |
Class 4 | High | High | Moderate | Data Distribution |
Class 4 | High | High | Moderate | Dynamic Ridesharing and Shared Use Transportation |
Class 4 | High | High | Moderate | Stolen Vehicle Recovery |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Advanced Railroad Grade Crossing |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Automated Vehicle Operations |
Class 3 | Not Applicable | High | Moderate | Connected Eco-Driving |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Disaster Traveler Information |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Dynamic Lane Management and Shoulder Use |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Eco-Approach and Departure at Signalized Intersections |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Incident Scene Safety Monitoring |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Infrastructure Enhanced Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Intermittent Bus Lanes |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Intersection Safety Warning and Collision Avoidance |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Map Management |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Mayday Notification |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Queue Warning |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Situational Awareness |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Stop Sign Gap Assist |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Transit Vehicle at Station/Stop Warnings |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Tunnel Management |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | V2V Basic Safety |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Vehicle Emergency Response |
Class 3 | Moderate | High | Moderate | Vehicle Maintenance |
Class 3 | Not Applicable | High | Moderate | Vehicle Turning Right in Front of a Transit Vehicle |
Class 3 | Low | High | Moderate | Work Zone Safety Monitoring |
Class 3 | Not Applicable | High | Moderate | Wrong Way Vehicle Detection and Warning |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Connected Vehicle Traffic Signal System |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Eco-Lanes Management |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Eco-Traffic Metering |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Eco-Traffic Signal Timing |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Emissions Monitoring |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Infrastructure-Provided Trip Planning and Route Guidance |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Loading Zone Management |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Parking Reservations |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Parking Space Management |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Personalized Traveler Information |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Smart Park and Ride System |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Transportation Infrastructure Protection |
Class 2 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Vehicle-Based Traffic Surveillance |
Class 1 | Low | Low | Moderate | Asset Tracking |
Class 1 | Not Applicable | Low | Low | Autonomous Vehicle Safety Systems |
Class 1 | Not Applicable | Low | Moderate | Broadcast Traveler Information |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Curve Speed Warning |
Class 1 | Not Applicable | Low | Moderate | Dynamic Route Guidance |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Low | Infrastructure Monitoring |
Class 1 | Low | Low | Moderate | In-Vehicle Signage |
Class 1 | Not Applicable | Low | Moderate | Object Registration and Discovery |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Oversize Vehicle Warning |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Reduced Speed Zone Warning / Lane Closure |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Restricted Lane Warnings |
Class 1 | Low | Low | Moderate | Reversible Lane Management |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Road Weather Information for Freight Carriers |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Road Weather Motorist Alert and Warning |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Roadside Lighting |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Speed Harmonization |
Class 1 | Low | Low | Moderate | Speed Warning and Enforcement |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Spot Weather Impact Warning |
Class 1 | Low | Low | Moderate | Traffic Code Dissemination |
Class 1 | Not Applicable | Low | Moderate | V2V Special Vehicle Alert |
Class 1 | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Weather Data Collection |
Class 1 | Low | Low | Moderate | Wide-Area Alert |
Class 1 | Low | Low | Moderate | Work Zone Management |
This interaces diagram had many interfaces and so was broken up into a Subsystem and Terminator interfaces diagram.
Subsystem Interfaces Diagram

Standards
Currently, there are no standards associated with the physical object itself though the interfaces may have standards associated with them. For standards related to interfaces, see the specific information flow triple pages.
Alternative Configurations
Four different types of implementations are represented by the Vehicle On-Board Equipment. Four diagrams illustrate the four different implementations. Each diagram shows the subset of interfaces from ARC-IT that are relevant to that particular implementation. Note that a V2V safety application is shown, but the four implementation options also provide varied support for other vehicle safety applications. A fifth diagram covers a scenario where an aftermarket carry-in device is carried in to a vehicle that is already equipped with one of the Vehicle OBE implementations.
1. Vehicle Awareness Device – This is an aftermarket electronic device, installed in a vehicle without connection to vehicle systems, that is only capable of sending the basic safety message over short range communications. Vehicle awareness devices do not issue audible or visual warnings, alerts, or guidance to the driver of the vehicle.
2. Aftermarket Device – This is an aftermarket electronic device, installed in a vehicle, and capable of sending and receiving messages over a wireless communications link. The self-contained device includes GPS, runs connected vehicle applications, and includes an integrated driver interface that issues audible or visual warnings, alerts, and guidance to the driver of the vehicle. The aftermarket device may or may not have access to some vehicle system status.
3. Retrofit Device – This is an OEM authorized electronic device installed in vehicles by an OEM authorized service provider, at a service facility after the vehicle has been built. This type of device provides two-way communications and is connected to a vehicle databus. Depending on implementation, the device may include an integrated driver interface and GPS or integrate with modules on the vehicle databus that provide these services. Depending on implementation, it may only support some of the vehicle safety applications identified in ARC-IT and potentially support additional applications that are not identified in ARC-IT.
4. Integrated System – This is a system of one or more electronic devices integrated into vehicles during vehicle production. The Integrated System is connected to proprietary data busses to share information with other on-board systems. The Integrated System may be distributed across multiple subsystems and may be configured to support some of the vehicle safety applications identified in ARC-IT and potentially support additional applications that are not identified in ARC-IT.
In retrofit and integrated implementations, the Vehicle OBE interfaces to other on-board systems through a vehicle databus (e.g., CAN). Represented in ARC-IT as the 'Vehicle', this interface provides access to on-board sensors, monitoring and control systems, and information systems that support connected vehicle applications. The vehicle databus may also be the source for GPS location and time, map data that supports vehicle safety applications, and the access point for the vehicle's driver-vehicle interface.
5. A fifth diagram covers a scenario where an aftermarket carry-in device is carried in to a vehicle that is already equipped with one of the Vehicle OBE implementations. In this scenario, we have two different devices with possibly two different radios and two different user interfaces that must be coordinated to avoid interference or conflicts.