Patent ID: 11953914
Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Field: IT methods for management (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
generate, by a first node, a request to initiate a first platoon of nodes;
receive, from the first node, the request;
receive, from a second node, a response to the request, the response indicating an agreement to initiate the first platoon with the first node;
obtain, from a ledger, a block associated with a previous platoon that the second node participated in;
determine, by the first node, and in response to receiving the response from the second node, a rating stored in the block, wherein the rating is associated with the second node, the rating being representative of feedback provided about the second node from the previous platoon that the second node participated in;
determine that the rating associated with the second node meets an eligibility criteria;
contingent upon the rating stored in the block obtained from the ledger indicating that the second node meets an eligibility criteria, establish the first platoon including the first node and the second node;
save, by the first node or the second node, information about the first platoon to the ledger;
receive, from a node of the first platoon, a request to leave the first platoon;
update the ledger to remove the node that indicated intent to leave the first platoon; and
send a communication to the nodes in the first platoon to rearrange a positioning of the nodes in the first platoon so that the node that indicated intent to leave the first platoon is able to leave the first platoon,
wherein the first node is a first vehicle, the second node is a second vehicle, and the first platoon comprises a group of vehicles that travel in a synchronized manner, and
wherein the synchronized manner comprises at least one of (a-1) a synchronized speed of travel and (a-2) a synchronized direction of travel and at least one of (b-1) a fuel-efficient manner of travel and (b-2) communication of road conditions among the group of vehicles.