A self-propelled device includes a host device movement vector acquisition unit that is configured to acquire a host device movement vector including a movement speed of the self-propelled device and a distance information acquisition unit that is configured to acquire nearby device distance information including a distance and a direction to the self-propelled device for each of nearby devices located near the self-propelled device. The self-propelled device further includes a nearby device movement vector acquisition unit that is configured to acquire a nearby device movement vector including a movement speed and a movement direction of each of the nearby devices for each of the nearby devices and a determination unit that is configured to determine whether a group movement is possible or not for each of the nearby devices based on the nearby device distance information, the host device movement vector and the nearby device movement vector.

Systems and methods for coordinating and controlling vehicles, for example heavy trucks, to follow closely behind each other, or linking, in a convenient, safe manner and thus to save significant amounts of fuel while increasing safety. In an embodiment, on-board controllers in each vehicle interact with vehicular sensors to monitor and control, for example, relative distance, relative acceleration/deceleration, and speed. Additional safety features in at least some embodiments include providing each driver with one or more visual displays of forward and rearward looking cameras. Long-range communications are provided for coordinating vehicles for linking, and for communicating analytics to fleet managers or others.

A transportation vehicle, a traffic control entity, a method, a computer program, and an apparatus for adapting a speed of transportation vehicles in a platoon. The method for adapting a speed of transportation vehicles in a platoon includes obtaining information related to a future course of required minimum inter-vehicular distances of the transportation vehicles of the platoon. The method also includes adapting a speed of the transportation vehicles of the platoon based on the information related to the future course of the required minimum inter-vehicular distances and a fuel consumption of the transportation vehicles of the platoon.

A transport robot is configured to transport a transported object(s) in a state of sandwiching the transported object(s) by cooperating with another transport robot when transporting the transported object(s).

System that causes a first vehicle and a second vehicle to perform automated valet parking includes one or more processors configured to cause, a second vehicle to perform follow-up traveling to follow a first vehicle; set a stop position between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the second vehicle is performing the follow-up traveling to follow the first vehicle in the parking place; calculate, between the stop position and a position where the second vehicle starts deceleration to stop at the stop position; and set a target vehicle-to-vehicle distance of the second vehicle from the first vehicle, and set, as the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance, a distance longer than a sum of the deceleration start distance and a margin distance from the stop position to the first vehicle.

A platooning control apparatus that realizes platooning of a plurality of vehicles by causing an own vehicle to follow other vehicle. The platooning control apparatus includes a follow control unit that controls acceleration/deceleration of the own vehicle by using forward information of the own vehicle and other vehicle information obtained through vehicle-to-vehicle communication, a first acquisition unit that obtains first slope information indicating a gradient of a road surface on which a leading vehicle of the platooning is traveling, a determination unit that determines based on the first slope information whether or not to inhibit acceleration/deceleration control to be performed by the follow control unit when the leading vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, and a suppression control unit that inhibits the acceleration/deceleration control to be performed by the follow control unit when the acceleration/deceleration control is determined to be inhibited.

An electronic device obtains location information and traveling status information of multiple vehicles in platooning, and traffic condition information of a road segment on which the multiple vehicles travel. The electronic device determines whether the multiple vehicles are suitable for continuing the platooning according to the location information and the traveling status information of the multiple vehicles, and the traffic condition information of the road segment on which the multiple vehicles travel. The electronic device transmits a platoon dismissing notification message to the multiple vehicles when it is determined that the multiple vehicles are not suitable for continuing the platooning, to inform the multiple vehicles to cancel the platooning.

A taxicab system includes a plurality of taxicab vehicles which are all autonomous vehicles, and a management device. Each taxicab vehicle can form a vehicle group with other taxicab vehicles according to an instruction from a customer or the management device. The vehicle group includes one representative vehicle and at least one subordinate vehicle. The representative vehicle and the subordinate vehicle execute at least one of a collective billing process for charging a representative customer a fare for each of the plurality of vehicles, and a collective setting process for setting a place designated by the representative customer as a destination of each of the vehicles.

A passenger vehicle optical communication system includes a source vehicle including a light source and an endpoint vehicle including a camera. The source vehicle transmits a series of patterns using the light source to communicate, as one example, state information to the endpoint vehicle.

A vehicle control system includes a receiving unit to receive movement information of a plurality of forward vehicles on a road on which a subject vehicle is driven through V2X communication; a sensor to sense a specific forward vehicle, from among the plurality of forward vehicles, that is driven ahead of the subject vehicle; and a control unit to calculate a driving path for the subject vehicle based on the movement information of the plurality of forward vehicles received by the receiving unit and to control driving of the subject vehicle to follow the driving path or the specific forward vehicle.