Disclosed herein are a cooperative driving method based on driving negotiation and an apparatus for the same. The cooperative driving method is performed by a cooperative driving apparatus for cooperative driving based on driving negotiation, and includes determining whether cooperative driving is possible in consideration of a driving mission of a requesting vehicle that requests cooperative driving with neighboring vehicles, when it is determined that cooperative driving is possible, setting a responding vehicle from which cooperative driving is to be requested among the neighboring vehicles, performing driving negotiation between the requesting vehicle and the responding vehicle based on a driving negotiation protocol, and when the driving negotiation is completed, performing cooperative driving by providing driving guidance information for vehicle control to at least one of the requesting vehicle and the responding vehicle.

A mobile robot may include a traveling unit configured to move a main body; a memory configured to store trajectory information of a moving path corresponding to the movement of the main body; a communication unit configured to communicate with another mobile robot that emits a signal; and a controller configured to recognize the location of the another mobile robot based on the signal, and control the another mobile robot to follow a moving path corresponding to the stored trajectory information based on the recognized location. In addition, the controller may control the moving of the another mobile robot to remove at least part of the stored trajectory information, and allow the another mobile robot to follow a moving path corresponding to the remaining trajectory information in response to whether the moving path corresponding to next trajectory information to be followed by the another mobile robot satisfies a specified condition.

A mobile robot may include a traveling unit configured to move a main body; a memory configured to store trajectory information of a moving path corresponding to the movement of the main body; a communication unit configured to communicate with another mobile robot that emits a signal; and a controller configured to recognize the location of the another mobile robot based on the signal, and control the another mobile robot to follow a moving path corresponding to the stored trajectory information based on the recognized location. In addition, the controller may control the moving of the another mobile robot to remove at least part of the stored trajectory information, and allow the another mobile robot to follow a moving path corresponding to the remaining trajectory information in response to whether the moving path corresponding to next trajectory information to be followed by the another mobile robot satisfies a specified condition.

System is configured to receive article information corresponding to articles to be transported by computer-controlled vehicles, the articles comprising a first article and a second article, each having a maximum article dimension. System is also configured to assign travel routes about a grid comprising grid cells for the vehicles to travel thereon. The travel route of a first vehicle carrying the first article includes a turning maneuver at a first grid cell. System is configured to control the turning maneuver of the first vehicle in the first grid cell such that there is no contact between the first article carried on the first vehicle with a second article carried on a second vehicle present in a second grid cell that is adjacent to the first grid cell when the first vehicle is undertaking the turning maneuver.

System is configured to receive article information corresponding to articles to be transported by computer-controlled vehicles, the articles comprising a first article and a second article, each having a maximum article dimension. System is also configured to assign travel routes about a grid comprising grid cells for the vehicles to travel thereon. The travel route of a first vehicle carrying the first article includes a turning maneuver at a first grid cell. System is configured to control the turning maneuver of the first vehicle in the first grid cell such that there is no contact between the first article carried on the first vehicle with a second article carried on a second vehicle present in a second grid cell that is adjacent to the first grid cell when the first vehicle is undertaking the turning maneuver.

A system for determining a travel direction that avoids objects when a vehicle travels from a current location to a target location is provided. The system determines a travel direction based on an attract-repel model. The system accesses external object information provided by an external object system. The external object information may include, for each of a plurality of objects, location, type, and constraint. The system assigns a repel value to the location of each object based on the type of and constraint on the object. The system assigns an attractive value to the target location. The system calculates a cumulative force based on the attractive and repulsive forces and sets the travel direction based on the cumulative force.

A system for determining a travel direction that avoids objects when a vehicle travels from a current location to a target location is provided. The system determines a travel direction based on an attract-repel model. The system accesses external object information provided by an external object system. The external object information may include, for each of a plurality of objects, location, type, and constraint. The system assigns a repel value to the location of each object based on the type of and constraint on the object. The system assigns an attractive value to the target location. The system calculates a cumulative force based on the attractive and repulsive forces and sets the travel direction based on the cumulative force.

Methods and systems for autonomous vehicle recharging or refueling are disclosed. Autonomous electric vehicles may be automatically recharged by routing the vehicles to available charging stations when not in operation, according to methods described herein. A charge level of the battery of an autonomous electric vehicle may be monitored until it reaches a recharging threshold, at which point an on-board computer may generate a predicted use profile for the vehicle. Based upon the predicted use profile, a time and location for the vehicle to recharge may be determined. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be controlled to automatically travel to a charging station, recharge the battery, and return to its starting location in order to recharge when not in use.

Provided is a method for controlling, in a space where a plurality of robots autonomously travel, the robots such that each of the plurality of robots can successively pass through a designated region, by identifying the designated region to be passed through by the robots and i) controlling the robots to pass through the corresponding designated region via a first point defined in the designated region or ii) triggering a designated region traveling mode of the robots and controlling the robots to pass through the corresponding designated region in the designated region traveling mode.

Techniques and systems are disclosed for using swept volume profile data cached in association with a PRM to improve various aspects of motion planning for a robot. In some implementations, a first probabilistic road map representing possible paths to be travelled by a robot within a physical area is generated. An initial path for the robot within the first probabilistic road map is determined. Data indicating a second probabilistic road map representing a path to be travelled by a movable object within the physical area is obtained. A potential obstruction associated with one or more edges included in the subset of edges is detected. An adjusted path for the robot within the first probabilistic road map is then determined based on the potential obstruction.