Described in detail herein are methods and systems for estimating storage capacity of a storage unit disposed in a facility based on echoes detected by microphones. The microphones can detect sounds generated in the warehouse and reflected off the storage unit structures. The microphones detect the intensity of the sounds. The microphones can encode the sounds and the intensity of the sounds in time-varying electrical signals and transmit the time-varying electrical signals to a computing system. The computing system can decode the sounds and the intensity of the sounds from the time-varying electrical signals and estimate storage capacity of a storage unit from which the sounds reflected off of based on the intensity of the sounds.

A method is described for determining a position of a user device in relation to a vehicle, the vehicle including first and second receivers. The method includes transmitting a positioning signal by the transmitter of the user device, receiving the positioning signal by the first receiver and by the second receiver arranged at a distance from the first receiver, in at least one of the first and second receivers, receiving and identifying a reflected positioning signal reflected at a ground surface before reaching the first and second receivers, performing time synchronization between the transmitter and the first and second receiver, determining a position of the user device in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on a time-of-flight of the positioning signal received in the first and second receivers and on a time-of-flight of at least one reflected positioning signal received by at least one of the first and second receivers.

A method is described for determining a position of a user device in relation to a vehicle, the vehicle including first and second receivers. The method includes transmitting a positioning signal by the transmitter of the user device, receiving the positioning signal by the first receiver and by the second receiver arranged at a distance from the first receiver, in at least one of the first and second receivers, receiving and identifying a reflected positioning signal reflected at a ground surface before reaching the first and second receivers, performing time synchronization between the transmitter and the first and second receiver, determining a position of the user device in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on a time-of-flight of the positioning signal received in the first and second receivers and on a time-of-flight of at least one reflected positioning signal received by at least one of the first and second receivers.

A positioning system and method thereof are provided in this disclosure. The positioning method includes steps of: emitting a radiation from a first electronic apparatus to a second electronic apparatus and starting to accumulate a time count; sensing the radiation on the second electronic apparatus and sending a first ultrasonic signal from the second electronic apparatus to the first electronic apparatus; sensing the first ultrasonic signal by a plurality of ultrasound sensors on the first electronic apparatus and calculating a plurality of first time periods started from the radiation is emitted until the first ultrasonic signal is sensed by the ultrasound sensors; calculating a plurality of first relative distances between the ultrasound sensors and a first ultrasound emitter on the second electronic apparatus; and locating a first relative position of the second electronic apparatus relative to the first electronic apparatus according to the first relative distances.

A positioning system and method thereof are provided in this disclosure. The positioning method includes steps of: emitting a radiation from a first electronic apparatus to a second electronic apparatus and starting to accumulate a time count; sensing the radiation on the second electronic apparatus and sending a first ultrasonic signal from the second electronic apparatus to the first electronic apparatus; sensing the first ultrasonic signal by a plurality of ultrasound sensors on the first electronic apparatus and calculating a plurality of first time periods started from the radiation is emitted until the first ultrasonic signal is sensed by the ultrasound sensors; calculating a plurality of first relative distances between the ultrasound sensors and a first ultrasound emitter on the second electronic apparatus; and locating a first relative position of the second electronic apparatus relative to the first electronic apparatus according to the first relative distances.

A range-finding and/or object-positioning system comprises one or more target devices; one or more reference devices communicating with said one or more target devices via one or more wireless signal sets, each wireless signal set comprising at least a first-speed signal having a first transmission speed and a second-speed signal having a second transmission speed, and the first transmission speed being higher than the second transmission speed; and at least one processing unit performing actions for determining at least one distance between one target device and one reference device based on the time difference between the receiving time of the first-speed signal and the receiving time of the second-speed signal of the wireless signal set communicated between said reference and target devices.

A range-finding and/or object-positioning system comprises one or more target devices; one or more reference devices communicating with said one or more target devices via one or more wireless signal sets, each wireless signal set comprising at least a first-speed signal having a first transmission speed and a second-speed signal having a second transmission speed, and the first transmission speed being higher than the second transmission speed; and at least one processing unit performing actions for determining at least one distance between one target device and one reference device based on the time difference between the receiving time of the first-speed signal and the receiving time of the second-speed signal of the wireless signal set communicated between said reference and target devices.

A positioning system has an initiator device configured for emitting a high-speed wireless signal, at least one reference device configured for receiving the high-speed wireless signal and emitting a low-speed wireless signal after receiving the high-speed wireless signal, at least one target device each having one or more components for receiving the low-speed wireless signals, and at least one engine configured for determining the position of each of the at-least-one target device by calculating the distance between the target device and each of the at-least-one reference device based on at least the times-of-arrival of the low-speed wireless signals, each time-of-arrival being the time that the corresponding low-speed wireless signal being received by the target device, and determining the position of the target device based on the calculated distances.

A positioning signal receiver that includes an electromagnetic wave receiver, a mechanical wave receiver and a processing circuit is provided. The electromagnetic wave receiver receives electromagnetic wave signals for indicating positions of positioning signal transmitters and for triggering the positioning signal transmitters to generate mechanical wave signals. The mechanical wave receiver receives the mechanical wave signals. The processing circuit is coupled to the electromagnetic wave receiver and the mechanical wave receiver and determines the positions of the positioning signal transmitters according to the first electromagnetic wave signals, determines signal transmission times of the mechanical wave signals and determines distances each between one of the positioning signal transmitters and the positioning signal receiver according to the signal transmission times. The processing circuit determines a position of the positioning signal receiver according to the distances and the positions of the positioning signal transmitters.

A positioning signal receiver that includes an electromagnetic wave receiver, a mechanical wave receiver and a processing circuit is provided. The electromagnetic wave receiver receives electromagnetic wave signals for indicating positions of positioning signal transmitters and for triggering the positioning signal transmitters to generate mechanical wave signals. The mechanical wave receiver receives the mechanical wave signals. The processing circuit is coupled to the electromagnetic wave receiver and the mechanical wave receiver and determines the positions of the positioning signal transmitters according to the first electromagnetic wave signals, determines signal transmission times of the mechanical wave signals and determines distances each between one of the positioning signal transmitters and the positioning signal receiver according to the signal transmission times. The processing circuit determines a position of the positioning signal receiver according to the distances and the positions of the positioning signal transmitters.