A cleaning system and a cleaning method configured for cleaning task of solar panels are provided. The cleaning system includes an operation region, cleaning robots, shuttle robots, and a data processing system. The cleaning method includes a first carrying step, a cleaning step, and a second carrying step.

An electronic system and method controls automatic or semi-automatic docking of a vehicle with a given docking area, applicable, in particular, to the docking of an airport vehicle, such as a baggage belt loader, a catering vehicle, etc., to the fuselage of an aircraft, for example to the door of such an aircraft. The given docking area comprises at least one target. The system includes first determination device configured to determine the position of the docking area by determining the type of target from a set of given types and its position, second determination device configured to determine a guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area depending on the position of the docking area, and third determination device configured to determine the type of docking destination, the second determination device being capable of determining one or more exclusion areas depending on the type of docking destination, by comparing the type of docking destination with types of docking destination, stored in a database in association with exclusion areas, such that the guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area does not pass into any of the exclusion areas.

An electronic system and method controls automatic or semi-automatic docking of a vehicle with a given docking area, applicable, in particular, to the docking of an airport vehicle, such as a baggage belt loader, a catering vehicle, etc., to the fuselage of an aircraft, for example to the door of such an aircraft. The given docking area comprises at least one target. The system includes first determination device configured to determine the position of the docking area by determining the type of target from a set of given types and its position, second determination device configured to determine a guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area depending on the position of the docking area, and third determination device configured to determine the type of docking destination, the second determination device being capable of determining one or more exclusion areas depending on the type of docking destination, by comparing the type of docking destination with types of docking destination, stored in a database in association with exclusion areas, such that the guide path for guiding the vehicle towards the given docking area does not pass into any of the exclusion areas.

A charging control system includes a lawn mower that includes a battery and performs a lawn mowing work while traveling autonomously, and a charging station for charging the battery. The lawn mower includes a superimposing unit for superimposing, on a charging current, a current indicating period information for defining a shutoff period of supply power to be supplied from the charging station. The charging station includes a current detector for detecting the charging current, an information acquisition unit for acquiring period information based on a detection result of the current detector, a switch for shutting off the supply power, and a shutoff controller for controlling the operation of the switch. The shutoff controller releases the shutoff of supply of power to the lawn mower based on the period information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Therefore, the power consumption of the lawn mower can be reduced.

A charging control system includes a lawn mower that includes a battery and performs a lawn mowing work while traveling autonomously, and a charging station for charging the battery. The lawn mower includes a superimposing unit for superimposing, on a charging current, a current indicating period information for defining a shutoff period of supply power to be supplied from the charging station. The charging station includes a current detector for detecting the charging current, an information acquisition unit for acquiring period information based on a detection result of the current detector, a switch for shutting off the supply power, and a shutoff controller for controlling the operation of the switch. The shutoff controller releases the shutoff of supply of power to the lawn mower based on the period information acquired by the information acquisition unit. Therefore, the power consumption of the lawn mower can be reduced.

A lawn vehicle network includes a charging station having a visual identifier, a lawn vehicle having a battery, a blade system, a drive system whose output effects lawn vehicle forward movement, a processor board connected to both systems, the processor board capable of processing image data and sending commands to both systems, and a vision assembly connected to the processor board and able to transmit image data to the processor board, and the processor board, having received the image data, able to, if the image data represent a first object, maintain the drive system's output at the time of that determination, if the image data represent a second object, change the drive system's output at the time of that determination, and if the image data represent the visual identifier, maintain the drive system's output or send a shutoff command to the vision assembly at the time of that determination.

A lawn vehicle network includes a charging station having a visual identifier, a lawn vehicle having a battery, a blade system, a drive system whose output effects lawn vehicle forward movement, a processor board connected to both systems, the processor board capable of processing image data and sending commands to both systems, and a vision assembly connected to the processor board and able to transmit image data to the processor board, and the processor board, having received the image data, able to, if the image data represent a first object, maintain the drive system's output at the time of that determination, if the image data represent a second object, change the drive system's output at the time of that determination, and if the image data represent the visual identifier, maintain the drive system's output or send a shutoff command to the vision assembly at the time of that determination.

A device for performing autonomous agricultural operations may include a toolbar to which a plurality of implements may be interchangeably coupled, and a pair of parallel chassis beams mounted perpendicularly on the toolbar. At least a portion of each of the chassis beams may be telescopic and configured to be extended outward from, and retracted inward towards, the toolbar. The device may also include a plurality of drive assemblies each mounted on one of the chassis beams, and a plurality of motors corresponding to the drive assemblies and configured to drive the drive assemblies in accordance with one or more drive parameters to move the device throughout a site. The device may further include a computing device configured to automatically determine the drive parameters, and cause the plurality of motors to drive the corresponding drive assemblies in accordance with the drive parameters.

An automatic traveling vehicle includes a vehicle structure including a first top plate, and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to execute a storage mode when a storage execution condition is satisfied. The storage mode includes a storage posture formation process of causing the vehicle to automatically travel so as to take a predetermined storage posture together with a counterpart automatic traveling vehicle. In the storage posture, the vehicle is in a superposition state in which the vehicle overlaps with the counterpart vehicle in a plan view, or a parallel state in which the vehicle is lined up with the counterpart vehicle while the first top plate and a second top plate of the counterpart vehicle are standing and facing each other so as to be parallel to or substantially parallel to a vertical direction.

A method for operating a materials handling vehicle is provided and comprises: monitoring, by a controller, a first vehicle drive parameter during a manual operation of the vehicle by an operator; storing, by the controller, data related to the monitored first vehicle drive parameter. The controller is configured to use the stored data for implementing a semi-automated driving operation of the vehicle subsequent to the manual operation of the vehicle. The method further comprises: detecting, by the controller, operation of the vehicle indicative of a start of a pick operation occurring during the manual operation of the vehicle; and based on detecting the start of the pick operation, resetting, by the controller, the stored data related to the monitored first vehicle drive parameter.