A robotic cart platform with a navigation and movement system that integrates into a conventional utility cart to provide both manual and autonomous modes of operation. The platform includes a drive unit with drive wheels replacing the front wheels of the cart. The drive unit has motors, encoders, a processor and a microcontroller. The system has a work environment mapping sensor and a cabled array of proximity and weight sensors, lights, control panel, battery and on/off, GO and emergency stop buttons secured throughout the cart. The encoders obtain drive shaft rotation data that the microcontroller periodically sends to the processor. When in autonomous mode, the system provides navigation, movement and location tracking with or without wireless connection to a server. Stored destinations are set using its location tracking to autonomously navigate the cart. When in manual mode, battery power is off, and back-up power is supplied to the encoders and microcontroller, which continue to obtain shaft rotation data. When in autonomous mode, the shaft rotation data obtained during manual mode is used to determine the present cart location.

A robot includes a cart sized to receive one or more objects, a moving part coupled to the cart, a handle assembly coupled to the cart, a first sensor coupled to the handle assembly and being configured to sense force applied to the handle assembly, and one or more controllers. Such controllers are configured to: map a magnitude of the force sensed by the first sensor to a speed or to a direction of movement using a pattern of changes in the force that is sensed by the first sensor; and cause the moving part to move the cart according to the speed or to the direction of movement based upon changes in the force sensed by the first sensor.

The preferred field of application of the present invention concerns the control of the ambulation of the self-moving platforms, suitable to move in environments which are not necessarily known. In particular it is disclosed a technical solution that allows at the same time the manual control of the movements of such self-moving platforms (with good precision of control) and the management of the possible accidental collisions. This solution provides that the self-moving robotized platform is covered, at least partially and in its lateral surfaces with a particular coverage that acts simultaneously as a pressure sensor and as a shock-absorbing layer. They are therefore indicated some essential characteristics that make possible the definition of a set of manual intuitive commands, which are suitable to control the ambulation of such a platform. The system conceived in this way, in addition to ensuring a limitation of the damage in cases of collision, allows an operator to move a platform, irrespective of its weight, just by exerting slight thrusts in the desired directions; It will be also possible to give commands for movements along curved trajectories, or to impart rotations to the same platform.

A self-driving vehicle includes a plurality of operation members for the driver to operate and a controller. The plurality of operation members includes a steering operation member, a brake operation member, and an accelerating operation member. The controller has, as control modes thereof, an automatic operation mode and a manual operation mode. The operation member that is predefined as a trigger for the shift from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode differs depending on states of the vehicle in the automatic operation mode. The self-driving vehicle enables the driver to shift the control mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode with a simple operation.

A push cart includes a wheel, a motor, an obstacle detector, and a controller. The motor is configured to generate a rotational force that rotates the wheel. The obstacle detector is configured to detect an obstacle. The controller is configured to execute, in response to detection of the obstacle by the obstacle detector, avoidance control to control driving of the motor such that a movement of the push cart is limited. The controller is configured to disable execution of the avoidance control in response to a determination that a specified disabling condition is satisfied.

A push cart includes a wheel, a motor, an obstacle detector, and a controller. The motor is configured to generate a rotational force that rotates the wheel. The obstacle detector is configured to detect an obstacle. The controller is configured to execute, in response to detection of the obstacle by the obstacle detector, avoidance control to control driving of the motor such that a movement of the push cart is limited. The controller is configured to disable execution of the avoidance control in response to a determination that a specified disabling condition is satisfied.

A self-driving vehicle includes a plurality of operation members for the driver to operate and a controller. The plurality of operation members includes a steering operation member, a brake operation member, and an accelerating operation member. The controller has, as control modes thereof, an automatic operation mode and a manual operation mode. The operation member that is predefined as a trigger for the shift from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode differs depending on states of the vehicle in the automatic operation mode. The self-driving vehicle enables the driver to shift the control mode from the automatic operation mode to the manual operation mode with a simple operation.

A power assist device may include a motor, a motor driving circuit, sensors to output signals in accordance with a rotational speed of the wheel, a memory, and a signal processor. The memory stores information of a parameter defining a transfer function that interrelates a total torque to be input to the vehicle and a rotational speed of the wheel, and an inverse transfer function thereof. Based on the inverse transfer function, the signal processor determines an estimated value of total torque from a detected value of rotational speed of the wheel. Moreover, based on the transfer function, the signal processor updates at least a portion of the information of the parameter so that, for example, an error between a detected value of rotational speed of the wheel and an estimated value of rotational speed of the wheel as determined from the estimated value of total torque is reduced.

A work vehicle includes a travelling state determination unit capable of determining a travelling state of a travelling body, and a control unit that restricts, if it has been determined by the travelling state determination unit that the travelling body is in a reverse travelling state, an upper limit value of a target rotational speed of an engine that is based on an operation on an accelerator operation tool to be a lower value than in a case where it has been determined by the travelling state determination unit that the travelling body is in a forward travelling state.

The utility vehicle includes a body; a travel device provided for the body; a driving source configured to drive the travel device; an acceleration operating member configured to receive an operation for adjusting a travel speed of the utility vehicle; a drive controller configured to generate a driving signal for the driving source; and an acceleration detector configured to detect a vertical acceleration of the body relative to ground, and the drive controller is configured to generate the driving signal based on (i) an amount of the operation that the acceleration operating member receives and (ii) the acceleration.