A system for determining the position of a vehicle includes a plurality of sensors for measuring the magnetic field strength of a magnet, means and is configured for determining the position of the magnet with respect to a plurality of sensors wherein the plurality of sensors are arranged in a two-dimensions array.

A system for an autonomous vehicle by providing lane markers on the road for which a vehicle will read and navigate the road. The vehicle transmits a discovery signal and is returned from the marker to indicate the position on the road and how to proceed on the road. The system uses either an autonomous control system or 3D map navigation database to determine the direction of the vehicle in real time.

In a method of calibrating a gyro sensor mounted on a vehicle for measuring an angular velocity in a rotating direction generated about an axis of a vertical direction, a lateral shift amount detection process of detecting lateral shift amounts of the vehicle with respect to magnetic markers laid in a road, an azimuth estimation process of estimating, when the vehicle passes over a laying location where two magnetic markers are laid, an azimuth of the vehicle by a calculation process with the lateral shift amounts with respect to the two magnetic markers taken as input values, and a calibration process of calibrating the gyro sensor by using the azimuth of the vehicle estimated by the azimuth estimation process, are performed.

An industrial vehicle comprising a tag reader, a reader module, and a diagnostic tag, wherein the diagnostic tag is coupled to the industrial truck within a read range of the tag reader. The reader module and the tag reader cooperate to identify the diagnostic tag and individual tags of a tag layout and the reader module discriminates between the individual tags of the tag layout and the diagnostic tag and the individual tags of the tag layout, correlates an identified individual tag of the tag layout with tag data, correlates an identified diagnostic tag with operation of the tag reader, and generates a missing tag signal if the diagnostic tag is not identified or the operation of the tag reader is not within specified operating parameters.

A method for driving a vehicle to a free parking space in a parking facility having a plurality of parking spaces, each parking space assigned a parking space marking that stores at least one piece of information about the occupancy of the parking space, includes the vehicle, when pulling into a parking space, marking the space as occupied via the parking space marking and, when pulling out of the parking space, marking the space as free again via the parking space marking. A corresponding parking facility, vehicle, and system by which to carry out such a method are also provided.

An autonomous postal delivery systems for conventional mailboxes is disclosed. A self-driving vehicle with LIDAR sensors in conjunction with GPS algorithms guides the mail delivery van safely to predetermined addresses. Onboard optical scanners recognize residential mailboxes and robotic systems retrieve mail from secured compartments and deliver mail efficiently. An objective of the invention is to automate postal deliveries to residential mailboxes using unmanned vehicles.

A method of tracking a user position using a crowd robot, a tag device, and a robot implementing the same are disclosed, and the robot includes a controller, which cumulatively stores position information of a tag device, generates a moving route corresponding to the stored position information of the tag device, and corrects the position information of the tag device based on position estimation information of a crowd robot around the tag device sent from the tag device.

A system, method, and apparatus to provide mobility assistance to disabled persons. The invention includes a self-driving electric cart for transporting a blind or other disabled person along a pre-defined route defined by a path of magnetic markers. The magnetic markers interact through radio waves with a control mechanism on the cart. Utilizing the present invention, the blind person could touch a button on a pre-programmed control screen and ride safely in self-driving carts to any of several specific destinations, such as a job site, grocery store, relative's home, etc.

A robot lawnmower includes a body and a drive system carried by the body and configured to maneuver the robot across a lawn. The robot also includes a grass cutter and a swath edge detector, both carried by the body. The swath edge detector is configured to detect a swath edge between cut and uncut grass while the drive system maneuvers the robot across the lawn while following a detected swath edge. The swath edge detector includes a calibrator that monitors uncut grass for calibration of the swath edge detector. In some examples, the calibrator comprises a second swath edge detector.

Provided is a driving assistance system capable of providing more pieces of information to a vehicle side by using magnetic markers. A driving assistance system (1A) is a system including magnetic markers (1) laid on a travelling road so as to be magnetically detectable and also be able to provide code information to a vehicle side, a vehicle (5) configured to be able to magnetically detect the magnetic markers (1) and also read the code information, and a base station (6) configured to make a reply with corresponding information when receiving the code information from the vehicle (5) reading the code information.