System and method for utilizing and controlling an autonomous vehicle, hailing a vehicle, and transferring baggage. In an aspect, methods are arranged for navigation and operation of autonomous vehicles. In another aspect, vehicle hailing processes are configured. In another aspect, delivery vehicles are provided. In another aspect, autonomous vehicles and robots are used to transfer baggage at an airport.

A semantic sensing analysis system comprising a processor, a memory and at least one sensing element having a plurality of stored semantic routes and/or semantic rules wherein the processor is configured to use semantic factorization to apply a quantifiable factor or indicator based on semantic inference or analysis which is inferred based on at least one of the stored semantic routes and/or semantic rules to cause the system to perform semantic augmentation towards a user in relation with an inferred semantic identity.

This disclosure relates generally to aircraft tugs, which assist in the movement of small aircraft. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a remote power switch, which may also be referred to as an emergency tug shutoff (ETSO) switch, for remotely stopping movement of an aircraft tug. Systems that include such an aircraft tug and at least one remote power switch are also disclosed, as are methods for remotely stopping an aircraft tug.

An information processing method according to the present disclosure includes generating, by a computer, a traveling route for each set of a type of ground support equipment (GSE) to be generated and a type of an aircraft, based on the type of the GSE to be generated indicating a target for which the traveling route indicating a traveling path of the GSE in an airport is generated, the type of the aircraft, coordinates of a departure point and a destination point of the GSE to be generated, and a standard traveling route indicating a traveling route preset for each set of the type of the GSE and the type of the aircraft.

A system for directing a drone to a specific landing space comprises a landing space related control unit and a management system for overseeing landing space availability. A laser of the control unit visually generates a visual identifier at a landing space, and a camera of the drone captures the visual identifier to authenticate correctness of the landing space and to direct the drone to the landing space. In a method for directing a drone to a landing space, determination is made that a landing space worthy region is unoccupied by an obstacle or a bystander and signals indicative of airborne commands for the drone are transmitted as it increasingly approaches the landing space. An outside area deployed control unit has a microcontroller for generating a dynamic landing space within the unoccupied landing space worthy region that is sufficiently large for a drone to land upon.

A semantic sensing system includes a processor, a memory, a plurality of wireless communication enabled devices and at least one sensing element, the memory storing a plurality of mapped endpoints wherein the processor is configured to apply semantic drift or entropy to determine non-affirmative circumstances based on inputs from the at least one sensing element to cause the system to perform semantic augmentation towards a first endpoint supervisor in relation with the non-affirmative determinations.

An aircraft tow vehicle comprises a turntable lifting unit configured to automatically rotate and lift for attachment to a nose landing gear of an aircraft. A gate coupled to the turntable lifting unit automatically unlocks, opens to receive the nose landing gear, closes to secure the nose landing gear, and locks. A sensor system detects the nose landing gear. A controller receives data from the sensor system, processes the data to determine a position of the nose landing gear, and controls the turntable lifting unit while automatically adjusting a position of the tow vehicle relative to the nose landing gear. A moving floor adjusts to accommodate different nose wheel sizes. A nose wheel adapter automatically positions itself to hold down the nose landing gear when weight is detected on the moving floor.

A towbarless tractor for towing an airplane having a nose landing gear includes a chassis, a body supported on the chassis, a tractive assembly, a driveline configured to drive and steer the tractive assembly, a braking system configured to apply a brake force to the tractive assembly, a capture system including an actuator configured to facilitate capturing the nose landing gear within the capture system, and a controller. The controller is acquire data regarding the airplane, and generate or modify, based on the data, at least one of (a) a steering command provided to the driveline as the capture system approaches the nose landing gear or (b) a side-shift command provided to the actuator as the capture system approaches the nose landing gear.

An airport collision avoidance system may include a tow vehicle configured to move an aircraft, the tow vehicle having a first beacon. The airport collision avoidance system may include at least one second beacon associated with at least one object. The airport collision avoidance system may include one or more processing circuits including one or more processors and one or more memories having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: form a mesh network connection between the first beacon and the at least one second beacon; identify relative positionings between the tow vehicle, the aircraft, and the at least one object based on the mesh network connection; and at least partially control the tow vehicle based on the relative positionings between the tow vehicle, the aircraft, and the at least one object.

A towbarless tractor includes a chassis, a body supported on the chassis, a tractive assembly, a driveline configured to drive and steer the tractive assembly, a braking system configured to apply a brake force to the tractive assembly, and a controller. The controller is configured to command the driveline to autonomously follow a travel path taken from a home location to a pushback location in a reverse order to return from the pushback location to the home location, and determine, when navigating from the pushback location to the home location, if an object is in a return path from the pushback location to the home location.