# US 2013/0158845 A1 · Planning A Route For A Convoy Of Automobiles > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2013/0158845 A1 - Document ID: US20130158845A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/329,651 - Filed: 2011-12-19 - Published: 2013-06-20 - Earliest claimed: 2011-12-19 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Michelle Davis; Angela Richards Jones; Ruthie D. Lyle - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20130158845A1 ## CPC - G01C 21/3484: {Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles} - G01C 21/3492: {employing speed data or traffic data, e.g. real-time or historical (traffic control systems for road vehicles involving transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968)} - G01C: MEASURING DISTANCES, LEVELS OR BEARINGS; SURVEYING; NAVIGATION; GYROSCOPIC INSTRUMENTS; PHOTOGRAMMETRY OR VIDEOGRAMMETRY (measuring liquid level G01F; radio navigation, determining distance or velocity by use of propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effects, propagation time, of radio waves, analogous arrangements using other waves G01S) ## Abstract Planning a route for a convoy of automobiles, including: identifying a plurality of automobiles included in a convoy; planning, for the convoy by a route planning module, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users; and providing for display, by the route planning module to a route display module of each automobile in the convoy, the convoy's route. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of planning a route for a convoy of automobiles, the method comprising: identifying, by a route planning module, a plurality of automobiles included in a convoy; planning, for the convoy by the route planning module, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users; and providing for display, by the route planning module to a route display module of each automobile in the convoy, the convoy's route. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: reporting, by the route planning module, the convoy's route to a traffic data supplier; receiving, by a non-convoy route planning module associated with an automobile not included in the convoy, the convoy's route from the traffic data supplier; creating, by the non-convoy route planning module in dependence upon the convoy's route, a non-convoy route that avoids intersections with the convoy's route; and providing for display, by the non-convoy route planning module to a non-convoy route display module of the automobile not included in the convoy, the non-convoy route. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: reporting, by the route planning module, the convoy's route to a traffic data supplier; receiving, by a non-convoy route planning module associated with an automobile not included in the convoy, the convoy's route from the traffic data supplier; determining, by the non-convoy route planning module, whether a current route of the automobile not included in the convoy intersects the convoy's route; if the current route of the automobile not included in the convoy intersects the convoy's route, creating, in real-time by the non-convoy route planning module, an alternate route that avoids an intersection with the convoy's route; and providing for display, by the non-convoy route planning module to a non-convoy route display module of the automobile not included in the convoy, the alternate route. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein planning, for the convoy, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users further comprises planning the route in dependence upon a number and type of the automobiles of the convoy. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein planning, for the convoy, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users further comprises planning the route in dependence upon user preferences specifying one or more of: particular locations of interest; a type of road on which to travel; and a number of preferred stops for refueling an automobile of the convoy while traveling between the origin and the destination. ### Claim 6 An apparatus for planning a route for a convoy of automobiles, the apparatus comprising a computer processor, a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of: identifying, by a route planning module, a plurality of automobiles included in a convoy; planning, for the convoy by the route planning module, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users; and providing for display, by the route planning module to a route display module of each automobile in the convoy, the convoy's route. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of: reporting, by the route planning module, the convoy's route to a traffic data supplier; receiving, by a non-convoy route planning module associated with an automobile not included in the convoy, the convoy's route from the traffic data supplier; creating, by the non-convoy route planning module in dependence upon the convoy's route, a non-convoy route that avoids intersections with the convoy's route; and providing for display, by the non-convoy route planning module to a non-convoy route display module of the automobile not included in the convoy, the non-convoy route. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the apparatus to carry out the steps of: reporting, by the route planning module, the convoy's route to a traffic data supplier; receiving, by a non-convoy route planning module associated with an automobile not included in the convoy, the convoy's route from the traffic data supplier; determining, by the non-convoy route planning module, whether a current route of the automobile not included in the convoy intersects the convoy's route; if the current route of the automobile not included in the convoy intersects the convoy's route, creating, in real-time by the non-convoy route planning module, an alternate route that avoids an intersection with the convoy's route; and providing for display, by the non-convoy route planning module to a non-convoy route display module of the automobile not included in the convoy, the alternate route. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6 wherein planning, for the convoy, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users further comprises planning the route in dependence upon a number and type of the automobiles of the convoy. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The apparatus of claim 6 wherein planning, for the convoy, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users further comprises planning the route in dependence upon user preferences specifying one or more of: particular locations of interest; a type of road on which to travel; and a number of preferred stops for refueling an automobile of the convoy while traveling between the origin and the destination. ### Claim 11 A computer program product for planning a route for a convoy of automobiles, the computer program product disposed upon a computer readable medium, the computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to carry out the steps of: identifying, by a route planning module, a plurality of automobiles included in a convoy; planning, for the convoy by the route planning module, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users; and providing for display, by the route planning module to a route display module of each automobile in the convoy, the convoy's route. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the steps of: reporting, by the route planning module, the convoy's route to a traffic data supplier; receiving, by a non-convoy route planning module associated with an automobile not included in the convoy, the convoy's route from the traffic data supplier; creating, by the non-convoy route planning module in dependence upon the convoy's route, a non-convoy route that avoids intersections with the convoy's route; and providing for display, by the non-convoy route planning module to a non-convoy route display module of the automobile not included in the convoy, the non-convoy route. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the computer to carry out the steps of: reporting, by the route planning module, the convoy's route to a traffic data supplier; receiving, by a non-convoy route planning module associated with an automobile not included in the convoy, the convoy's route from the traffic data supplier; determining, by the non-convoy route planning module, whether a current route of the automobile not included in the convoy intersects the convoy's route; if the current route of the automobile not included in the convoy intersects the convoy's route, creating, in real-time by the non-convoy route planning module, an alternate route that avoids an intersection with the convoy's route; and providing for display, by the non-convoy route planning module to a non-convoy route display module of the automobile not included in the convoy, the alternate route. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The computer program product of claim 11 wherein planning, for the convoy, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users further comprises planning the route in dependence upon a number and type of the automobiles of the convoy. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The computer program product of claim 11 wherein planning, for the convoy, a route from an origin to a destination in dependence upon current automobile traffic between the origin and the destination, automobile characteristics of the convoy, and aggregate user preferences of convoy automobile users further comprises planning the route in dependence upon user preferences specifying one or more of: particular locations of interest; a type of road on which to travel; and a number of preferred stops for refueling an automobile of the convoy while traveling between the origin and the destination. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a signal medium. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a storage medium. ### Claim 18 A method of planning a route for an automobile not included in a convoy, further comprising: receiving, by a non-convoy route planning module associated with an automobile not included in a convoy, a convoy's route from a traffic data supplier; identifying, by the non-convoy route planning module in dependence upon the convoy's route, a route for the automobile not included in the convoy that avoids an intersection with the convoy's route; and providing for display, by the non-convoy route planning module to a non-convoy route display module of the automobile not included in the convoy, the route that avoids an intersection with convoy's route.