A method for controlling a construction machine can include dividing a work area into a plurality of work lanes; selecting a first set of consecutive work lanes of the plurality of work lanes that can be worked without an obstruction; and completing one or more passes on the selected first set of consecutive work lanes before moving on to another set of the plurality of work lanes.

Patient support apparatuses, such as beds, cots, stretchers, recliners, or the like, include control systems with one or more image, radar, and/or laser sensors to detect objects and determine if a likelihood of collision exists. If so, the control system controls the speed and steering of the patient support apparatus in order to reduce the likelihood of collision. The control system may be adapted to autonomously drive the patient support apparatus, to transmit a message to a remote device indicating whether it is occupied by a patient or not, and/or to transmit its route to the remote device. The remote device may determine an estimate of a time of arrival of the patient support apparatus at a particular destination and/or determine a distance of the patient support apparatus from the particular destination.

System for use in directing an article sorting operation includes a routing engine, first and second vehicles, and a grid comprising a plurality of grid cells, each grid cell having a grid cell length X. First size vehicle has a first vehicle length greater than the grid cell length X and second size vehicle has a second vehicle length greater than the first vehicle length. The system is configured to: receive article information of first and second articles; assign the first article to be transported by the first size vehicle, and the second article to be transported by the second size vehicle; determine a first route for the first size vehicle such that the first route has a first width equaling A*X, and a second route for the second size vehicle such that the second route has a second width equaling B*X.

An automated storage and retrieval system comprising an automated storage and retrieval grid and a delivery system. The automated storage and retrieval grid includes a container handling vehicle rail system for guiding a plurality of container handling vehicles and a delivery column adapted for transport of a storage container arranged in a stack of storage containers beneath the container handling vehicle rail system between a container handling vehicle and a delivery port situated at a lower end of the delivery column. The container handling vehicle rail system includes a first set of parallel rails arranged in a horizontal plane and extending in a first direction, and a second set of parallel rails arranged in the horizontal plane and extending in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction, which first and second sets of rails form a grid pattern in the horizontal plane including a plurality of adjacent container handling vehicle grid cells. Each container handling vehicle grid cell includes a container handling vehicle grid opening defined by a pair of neighboring rails of the first set of rails and a pair of neighboring rails of the second set of rails. The delivery system includes a remotely operated delivery vehicle including a container carrier adapted to support the storage container. The delivery vehicle is further adapted to transport the storage container between the delivery port and a second location for handling of the storage container by at least one of a robotic operator and a human operator.

A travel control system of an automated guided vehicle including, an actual guided-vehicle travel controller including an actual control program causing a plurality of actual guided vehicles to travel along a plurality of travel routes crossing one another in an actual conveyance area, a virtual guided-vehicle travel controller including a virtual control program causing a plurality of virtual guided-vehicles to travel by imitating a shape and a motion of the actual guided vehicles in a virtual conveyance area, a virtual guided-vehicle travel monitoring processor which, in a case of occurrence of a collision or stop abnormality by the virtual guided vehicles, detects and records the abnormal phenomenon, a monitoring-result output transmitter which outputs the detected abnormal phenomenon to outside, and an update-data input receiver which receives update data modified by referring to the output abnormal phenomenon from outside and finally reflects it in the actual control program.

A method for controlling a plurality of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in a manufacturing environment having an intersection includes obtaining a plurality of routes associated with the plurality of AMRs, velocity information associated with the plurality of AMRs, and priority information associated with the plurality of AMRs, and determining a plurality of arrival times associated with the plurality of AMRs based on the velocity information and the plurality of routes. The method includes generating a plurality of intersection reservations based on the plurality of arrival times and the priority information, where each intersection reservation from among the plurality of intersection reservations corresponds to an AMR from among the plurality of AMRs, and controlling a movement of the plurality of AMRs through the intersection based on the plurality of intersection reservations.

Apparatuses, components and methods are provided herein useful to provide assistance to customers and/or workers in a shopping facility. In some embodiments, a shopping facility personal assistance system comprises: a plurality of motorized transport units located in and configured to move through a shopping facility space; a plurality of user interface units, each corresponding to a respective motorized transport unit during use of the respective motorized transport unit; and a central computer system having a network interface such that the central computer system wirelessly communicates with one or both of the plurality of motorized transport units and the plurality of user interface units, wherein the central computer system is configured to control movement of the plurality of motorized transport units through the shopping facility space based at least on inputs from the plurality of user interface units.

Methods and systems for assessing, detecting, and responding to malfunctions involving components of autonomous vehicles and/or smart homes are described herein. Malfunctions may be detected by receiving sensor data from a plurality of sensors. One of these sensors may be selected for assessment. An electronic device may obtain from the selected sensor a set of signals. When the set of signals includes signals that are outside of a determined range of signals associated with proper functioning for the selected sensor, it may be determined that the selected sensor is malfunctioning. In response, an action may be performed to resolve the malfunction and/or mitigate consequences of the malfunction.

A system for zone passage control for a zone of an autonomously operating mobile object includes at least a set of detection units to detect at least one mobile object entering and/or exiting the zone, a set of identification units arranged to identify the mobile object entering and/or exiting the zone, and a central controller being arranged in operational connection with the set of the detection units and with the set of the identification units. An admissibility level for a mobile object to enter the zone is determined and a control signal to stop at least one autonomously operating mobile object existing in the zone is provided in response to the determined admissibility level being negative for the mobile object entered the zone.

Methods and systems for autonomous vehicle recharging or refueling are disclosed. Autonomous vehicles may be automatically refueled by routing the vehicles to available fueling stations when not in operation, according to methods described herein. A fuel level within a tank of an autonomous vehicle may be monitored until it reaches a refueling threshold, at which point an on-board computer may generate a predicted use profile for the vehicle. Based upon the predicted use profile, a time and location for the vehicle to refuel the vehicle may be determined. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be controlled to automatically travel to a fueling station, refill a fuel tank, and return to its starting location in order to refuel when not in use.