Vehicular platoon subscription and management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020175880-A1
Application number	US-201816205979-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 30, 2018
Priority date	Nov 30, 2018
Publication date	Jun 4, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle platoon system may include a database configured to maintain a user profile and data descriptive of existing platoons, and a processor configured to receive a platoon request indicating desire to join a platoon, receive, in response to the request, the user profile defining at least one compliance threshold indicative of a minimum compliance score of other platoon participants, determine whether all members of at least one of the existing platoons have a compliance score exceeding the compliance threshold, and instruct an indication of the platoon to be presented for selection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle platoon system, comprising:
a database configured to maintain a user profile and data descriptive of existing platoons; a processor configured to
receive a platoon request indicating desire to join a platoon;
receive, in response to the request, the user profile defining at least one compliance threshold indicative of a minimum compliance score of other platoon participants;
determine whether all members of at least one of the existing platoons have a compliance score exceeding the compliance threshold; and
instruct an indication of the platoon to be presented for selection.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the user profile includes a driver compliance score indicative of historical compliance with platoon rules.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the database defines a platoon compliance threshold defining a minimum driver compliance score, and the processor is configured to determine whether a driver compliance score of the driver defined by the user profile is above the minimum driver compliance score.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the driver compliance score decreases in response to a violation of a platoon rule.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the user profile includes a driver compliance score indicative of the driver's historical commitment to platoons.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the database defines a platoon commitment threshold indicating a minimum driver commitment score necessary to join the existing platoon, and the processor is configured to determine whether a driver compliance score of the driver defined by the user profile exceeds the minimum driver compliance score.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the driver commitment score decreases in response to the driver dropping out of a platoon.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the user profile defines at least one vehicle attribute defining at least one vehicle required to join the at least one of the existing platoons.

9 . A vehicle platoon system, comprising:
a database configured to maintain a user profile defining required platoon attributes and existing platoons; a processor configured to
match at least one of the existing platoons based on a platoon request;
determine which of the matched existing platoons meet the required platoon attributes defined by the user profile; and
instruct the filtered platoons to be presented for user selection.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the required platoon attributes include at least one minimum compliance score of other platoon participants.

11 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the required platoon attributes include a minimum driver commitment score of other platoon participants.

12 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the required platoon attributes include a maximum number of platoon hops.

13 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the required platoon attributes include a maximum number of platoon participants.

14 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the required platoon attributes include a preferred platoon position.

15 . A vehicle platoon system, comprising:
a database configured to maintain a user profile of a user defining required platoon attributes and existing platoons; a processor configured to
receive a platoon request indicating a desire of the user to join a platoon;
determine whether one of the existing platoons matches the platoon request based on at least start and end locations defined by the request;
filter the matched existing platoons based on the required platoon attributes defined by the user profile; and
instruct the filtered platoons to be presented for user selection.

16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the required platoon attributes include at least one minimum compliance score of other platoon participants.

17 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the required platoon attributes include a minimum driver commitment score of other platoon participants.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the required platoon attributes include a maximum number of platoon hops.

19 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the required platoon attributes include a maximum number of platoon participants.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Ibrahim Umair
• Fleming Ian

Classifications

• H04L67/306

  User profiles · CPC title

• B60W40/09

  Driving style or behaviour · CPC title

• G08G1/22 Primary

  Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles · CPC title

• G08G1/0129

  for creating historical data or processing based on historical data · CPC title

• G08G1/0137

  for specific applications · CPC title