Terminology & Definitions
ASCII - American National Standard Code for Information Interchange. The single byte UTF-8 is backward compatible with ASCII.
Audible Message - (1) A text message that is "spoken" through a text-to-speech converter. (2) An unspoken audible sound notifying the driver that a new message has arrived ("You have mail").
Back Office - A function of most corporations, a control center, where tasks dedicated to running the company itself take place. Dispatch, web services, spare parts, data processing, etc., may all be located at the back office.
Dispatcher - Personnel responsible for receiving and transmitting messages, tracking vehicles and equipment, and recording other important information. Dispatchers relay information and coordinate their fleet operations and are responsible for the direction of all units under their care.
Driving Mode - Refers to the modal nature of the HMI that is sensitive to the speed or state of the vehicle. A display is said to be in the "Driving" mode when the vehicle is traveling more than 0 mph. It is left up to the OEM to define the behavior of the HMI during the two modes. SAE uses the word "Non-Parked."
High-Priority Messages - Incoming messages that are deemed important, are critical in nature, have important traffic or weather conditions, involve a family emergency, vehicle safety, time sensitive information, or describe situations in which the driver and/or equipment could be in harms way and/or jeopardy of unnecessary complications.
Human-Machine Interface (HMI) - The hardware that the driver to view and respond to messages. The HMI may include a display, buttons or keyboard, etc. It may also include an in-dash display, standalone display, handheld interface, etc., as part of the VIS.
Incoming Message - Amessage received by the onboard VIS, typically sent from dispatcher to driver.
Little-Endian UTF-16LE - The least significant byte of a two-byte "word" being listed first. "Endianness" is a shorthand notation for byte order. Unicode Transformation Format (UTF) is a variable-length character encoding for Unicode, capable of encoding the entire Unicode repertoire. Unicode provides a unique number for every character, no matter what the platform, no matter what the program, no matter what the language (Source: www.unicode.org)
Locked Display - Condition in which the HMI prohibits the driver from reading or sending messages.
Non-Driving Mode - The modal nature of the HMI that is sensitive to the speed or state of the vehicle. With engine on, the HMI is in the "Non-Driving" mode when the vehicle is stopped and the parking brake set. It is left up to the OEM to define the behavior of the HMI during the two modes. SAE uses the word "parked."
Outgoing Message - A message transmitted by the onboard VIS, typically sent from driver to dispatcher.
Owner/Customer - The possessor of the fleet or vehicle. In some cases, one that purchases services from the fleet. Acustomer, in some cases, may request custom messages to fulfill their needs.
Standard Priority Messages - Incoming messages that have non-life threatening information, day-to-day operations, general dispatch to driver messages, general fleet messages, payroll notifications, etc. May also be referred to as "Low Priority Message."
Quick Reply - Refers to an action of replying to an incoming message with a predefined acknowledgement (e.g., "Yes/OK," "No," "Will call at next stop").
Unlocked Display - Condition in which the HMI allows the driver to read and send messages.
User - Any person using the communication equipment: the driver, a technician, a fleet owner, a dispatcher, a customer, etc. The user may be physically located in the vehicle or at a back office site.
Vehicle Information System (VIS) - Includes all onboard communications equipment as discussed in this RP It is responsible for sending and receiving messages through a satellite, cellular or any other type of analog or digital communications hardware device. It may include the HMI as well.