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Realistic Autofarming Closed-Loop Tractor Control over Irregular Paths Using Kinematic GPS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 1998

Thomas Bell
Affiliation:
Stanford University, CA, USA
Michael O'Connor
Affiliation:
Stanford University, CA, USA
V. K. Jones
Affiliation:
Stanford University, CA, USA
Andrew Rekow
Affiliation:
Stanford University, CA, USA
Gabriel Elkaim
Affiliation:
Stanford University, CA, USA
Bradford Parkinson
Affiliation:
Stanford University, CA, USA
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Abstract

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High-precision ‘autofarming’ makes possible farming techniques previously impractical using metre-level Differential GPS-based control systems: techniques such as tape irrigation, the elimination of guess rows, and precise contour farming. A Carrier-Phase Differential gps positioning and attitude system with centimetre-level and 0·1° accuracy was installed in a large farm tractor. Four types of trajectories (lines, arcs, spirals, and curves) were identified as basic building blocks necessary to generate a ‘global’ trajectory for a realistic autofarming path. Information about each trajectory type was translated into reference state specifications that a linear controller used to control the tractor over velocities between 0·7 and 2·8 m/s to within approximately 6 cm (1 σ) without implement and 10 cm (1 σ) with implement on sloped terrain using a previously developed tractor model. These results are a significant step towards a realistic autofarming system because they not only demonstrate accurate control over various realistic operating speeds but over different types of trajectories necessary for a commercial system.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1998 The Royal Institute of Navigation