Cybernet Systems Corporation, a leading innovator in technology, announces its latest patent, Autonomous vehicles and methods of zone driving, which represents an advancement in vehicle-based autonomous logistics.

“This new patent accentuates our work in autonomous vehicle and machine learning technology,” said Charles J. Cohen, Ph.D., PMP, Cybernet’s Chief Technology Officer. “A hallmark of our innovative spirit and creativity is our ability to invent and patent new technologies, and our ground-breaking work in autonomous vehicles and this recent patent is an example of this capability.”

The patent describes Cybernet’s invention that makes autonomous vehicles (such as forklifts) capable of executing tasks while following on-street “rules of the road,” and transitioning to and from “zones,” like off-street areas, which have different governing regulations. The on-board memory stores roadgraph (i.e. road map) information, and an on-board computer executes driving missions using that information.

This includes missions with one or more zones, in which each zone is defined by a sub-roadgraph within its own set of zone-specific rules. A mission may involve multiple payload operations, including zones with “free drive paths.” Such zones may include warehouses with loading and unloading zones where vehicles pick up payloads and put them down, zone staging, or entry points to other locations of payload acquisition or placement.

A localization system determines the vehicle’s location relative to the roadgraph coordinate system. This system may include GPS technology to discern latitude and longitude coordinates, as well as barcode location markers and visual sensing of environmental structures external to the vehicle for localization overwatch indoors. An obstacle detection system is used to avoid structures along the vehicle’s driving path.

The patent was granted in late February 2024 and recognizes Cybernet’s inventors Glenn Beach, Douglas Haanpaa, Charles J. Jacobus, and Steven Rowe.