The present disclosure related to a robotic working tool 100 comprising a controller 110 and at least a first and at least a second magnetic sensor arranged to sense a magnetic signal. The controller 110 is configured to detect a first magnetic signal; determine a signal strength of the detected first magnetic signal; determine if the signal strength of the detected magnetic signal is above or below a threshold value, and if the signal strength is above the threshold value, accept signal detection input for the first magnetic signal from a first set of sensors, and if the signal strength is below the threshold value, accept signal detection input for the first magnetic signal from a second set of sensors, wherein the second set of sensors is a subset of the first set. The disclosure also relates to a method for use in the robotic working tool and a computer readable medium for carrying computer instructions that when loaded into a controller of a robotic working tool, cause the robotic working tool to operate according to a method.

Provided is a map generation unit that generates an attribute-attached occupancy grid map including an existence probability of an obstacle in a space around a moving body for each grid, and an attribute of the obstacle labelled in the occupancy grid map. A position estimation unit that estimates a position of the moving body by matching in a shape of a non-moving body and the attribute between the attribute-attached occupancy grid map and a pre-map that is the attribute-attached occupancy grid map prepared beforehand.

A virtual teaching system includes a semi-autonomous device to perform a task such as cleaning a target environment. The semi-autonomous device includes one or more sensors configured to record environmental data from the target environment that can be used to construct a virtual environment. The semi-autonomous device is operably coupled to an analysis system. The analysis system includes a processor to perform multiple functions, such as constructing the virtual environment from the recorded environmental data and supporting operation of a user interface. The user interface can be operably coupled to the processor, allowing a human operator to teach a virtual device in the virtual environment to perform an action sequence. Once the virtual device has been taught an action sequence in the virtual environment, the analysis system can transfer the recorded action sequence to the semi-autonomous device for use in the target environment.

There is provided a method for controlling an autonomous vehicle using preset area information, the method being performed by a computing apparatus and being a method for controlling the speed of an autonomous vehicle autonomously traveling along a preset travel path, the method including: determining whether the vehicle is located in a preset first area based on the location information of the vehicle; obtaining information about a preset second area corresponding to the first area; obtaining a condition for the second area; and determining a vehicle control command based on the condition for the second area and information collected from the second area.

An agricultural sprayer includes a computing system configured to receive a first input associated with a target application rate at which agricultural fluid is to be dispensed onto the field. Moreover, the computing system is configured to receive a second input associated with a turn being made or to be made by the sprayer. Additionally, the computing system is configured to determine a maximum ground speed for the turn at which a selected nozzle dispenses the agricultural fluid onto the field at the target application rate based on the received first and second inputs. Furthermore, when the turn is being made, the computing system is configured to control an operation of the sprayer such that the ground speed of the sprayer is at or below the determined maximum ground speed.

In general, the present disclosure is directed to a time of flight (ToF) sensor arrangement that may be utilized by a robot (e.g., a robot vacuum) to identify and detect objects in a surrounding environment for mapping and localization purposes. In an embodiment, a robot is disclosed that includes a plurality of ToF sensors disposed about a housing of the robot. Two or more ToF sensors may be angled/aligned to establish overlapping field of views to form redundant detection regions around the robot. Objects that appear therein may then be detected by the robot and utilized to positively identify, e.g., with a high degree of confidence, the presence of the object. The identified objects may then be utilized as data points by the robot to build/update a map. The identified objects may also be utilized during pose routines that allow the robot to orient itself within the map.

Embodiments of this specification provide an autonomous robot, a moving path planning method and apparatus therefor, and a storage medium. The method includes: obtaining terrain distribution information of a target working area; determining, according to the terrain distribution information, whether a slope area exists in the target working area; and determining, if a slope area exists in the target working area, a width value between adjacent path segments according to the terrain distribution information during planning of a moving path in the slope area, to keep a work overlap value between the adjacent path segments within a specified range.

An aspect of the present invention is a control device for performing travel control of a work machine, the work machine executes work while traveling in a work region based on a reference line, and the control device comprises a setting unit that sets a distance from the reference line, a first control unit that controls the work machine to travel along a first virtual line, the first virtual line being a virtual line away from the reference line on one side, a second control unit that controls the work machine to travel along a second virtual line, the second virtual line being a virtual line away from the reference line on another side, and a selection unit that selects one of the control by the first control unit and the control by the second control unit.

An agricultural baler system includes: an agricultural baler including a bale chamber configured to form a bale from crop material, a crop conveyor configured to feed crop material into the bale chamber, a location sensor configured to output a location signal corresponding to a location of the agricultural baler, and a parameter sensor configured to output a parameter signal corresponding to a measured parameter; and a controller operably coupled to the travel sensor and the parameter sensor. The controller is configured to: determine an area based at least partially on a rake width of a rake and a defined length; determine a parameter distribution in a region of a field having the area based at least partially on the measured parameter and the location of the agricultural baler; and output a field map update signal to update a field map to indicate the determined parameter distribution.

The operations of a computer-implemented method include obtaining a topological map of an environment including a series of waypoints and a series of edges. Each edge topologically connects a corresponding pair of adjacent waypoints. The edges represent traversable routes for a robot. The operations include determining, using the topological map and sensor data captured by the robot, one or more candidate alternate edges. Each candidate alternate edge potentially connects a corresponding pair of waypoints that are not connected by one of the edges. For each respective candidate alternate edge, the operations include determining, using the sensor data, whether the robot can traverse the respective candidate alternate edge without colliding with an obstacle and, when the robot can traverse the respective candidate alternate edge, confirming the respective candidate alternate edge as a respective alternate edge. The operations include updating, using nonlinear optimization and the confirmed alternate edges, the topological map.