Development of an intelligent master-slave system between agricultural vehicles

This paper presents a method to develop an intelligent master-slave system between agricultural vehicles, which will enable a semi-autonomous agricultural vehicle (slave) to follow a leading tractor (master) with a given lateral and longitudinal offset. In our study not only the follow-up motions but also the site-specific control of the apparatus such as rear and front power lift was considered. In the first part of this paper the recent research works in the area autonomous farming were discussed and the restrictions of these research works were illustrated. In the second part an approach to construct a master-slave system between two agricultural vehicles was demonstrated. In the next part the mathematic modelling of this master-slave system and the simulation results about the control algorithm were demonstrated. Afterwards the result of a real field test was presented and the safety considerations about such an intelligent vehicle system were made

Environment mapping enabling safety and usability of an electronic tow bar

Cost efficiency and productivity as well as drivers comfort and usability are significant innovation drivers for agricultural machinery. The proposed electronic tow bar system for tillage processes consists of two vehicles, coupled by wireless data connection. An unmanned slave tractor follows a master tractor with a position dependent lateral and longitudinal offset. Operating two tractors with one driver only, increases productivity and improves the capacity load due to higher flexibility in fleet management. In return, the usability and safety of the tow bar becomes a major concern, which is addressed by an elaborate safety concept enabled by sensor based obstacle detection and mapping. Web-based geo-information, are used to support proactive path planning.This paper presents a solution to achieve both, safety and usability, for a complex platoon system. The interaction of the operator with the local and global obstacle map is designed to meet the requirements of both target functions

Earthmoving construction automation with military applications: Past, present and future

© ISARC 2018 - 35th International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction and International AEC/FM Hackathon: The Future of Building Things. All rights reserved. Amongst increasing innovations in frontier engineering sciences, the advancements in Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) has brought about a new horizon in construction applications. There is evidence of the increasing interest in RAS technologies in the civil construction sector being reflected in construction efforts of many military forces. In particular, Army or ground-based forces are frequently called upon to conduct construction tasks as part of military operations, tasks which could be partially or fully aided by the employment of RAS technologies. Along with recent advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) and cyber-physical system infrastructure, it is essential to examine the current maturity, technical feasibility, and affordability, as well as the challenges and future directions of the adoption and application of RAS to military construction. This paper presents a comprehensive survey and provides a contemporary and industry-independent overview on the state-of-the-art of earthmoving construction automation used in defence, spanning current world’s best practice through to that which is predicted over the coming years

Design Issues and in Field Tests of the New Sustainable Tractor LOCOSTRA

first, in Italy, focusing on the agricultural application of the machine, in natural scenarios with different ground and vegetatio

Mobile robotics in agricultural operations: A narrative review on planning aspects

The advent of mobile robots in agriculture has signaled a digital transformation with new automation technologies optimize a range of labor-intensive, resources-demanding, and time-consuming agri-field operations. To that end a generally accepted technical lexicon for mobile robots is lacking as pertinent terms are often used interchangeably. This creates confusion among research and practice stakeholders. In addition, a consistent definition of planning attributes in automated agricultural operations is still missing as relevant research is sparse. In this regard, a “narrative” review was adopted (1) to provide the basic terminology over technical aspects of mobile robots used in autonomous operations and (2) assess fundamental planning aspects of mobile robots in agricultural environments. Based on the synthesized evidence from extant studies, seven planning attributes have been included: (i) high-level control-specific attributes, which include reasoning architecture, the world model, and planning level, (ii) operation-specific attributes, which include locomotion–task connection and capacity constraints, and (iii) physical robot-specific attributes, which include vehicle configuration and vehicle kinematics.</jats:p

Task-based agricultural mobile robots in arable farming: A review

In agriculture (in the context of this paper, the terms “agriculture” and “farming” refer to only the farming of crops and exclude the farming of animals), smart farming and automated agricultural technology have emerged as promising methodologies for increasing the crop productivity without sacrificing produce quality. The emergence of various robotics technologies has facilitated the application of these techniques in agricultural processes. However, incorporating this technology in farms has proven to be challenging because of the large variations in shape, size, rate and type of growth, type of produce, and environmental requirements for different types of crops. Agricultural processes are chains of systematic, repetitive, and time-dependent tasks. However, some agricultural processes differ based on the type of farming, namely permanent crop farming and arable farming. Permanent crop farming includes permanent crops or woody plants such as orchards and vineyards whereas arable farming includes temporary crops such as wheat and rice. Major operations in open arable farming include tilling, soil analysis, seeding, transplanting, crop scouting, pest control, weed removal and harvesting where robots can assist in performing all of these tasks. Each specific operation requires axillary devices and sensors with specific functions. This article reviews the latest advances in the application of mobile robots in these agricultural operations for open arable farming and provide an overview of the systems and techniques that are used. This article also discusses various challenges for future improvements in using reliable mobile robots for arable farmin

RELATIVE CROSS TRACK ERROR CALCULATIONS IN ASABE/ISO 12188-2:2012 AND POWER/ENERGY ANALYSIS USING A 20 HP TRACTOR ON A FULLY ELECTRIC DRIVETRAIN

ASABE/ISO Standard 12188-2 provides test procedures for positioning and guidance systems in agricultural vehicles during straight and level travel. The standard provides excellent descriptions of test procedures, however it does not provide detail on methods to carry out the calculations necessary to calculate relative cross-track error (XTE), which is the primary measurement used to judge accuracy of the system. The standard was used to estimate the guidance accuracy of a relatively low-accuracy vehicle at 1.25 and 0.5 m s-1. At 1.25 m s-1, a nearest point calculation overestimated mean XTE by 0.8 cm, or 8.2%. The location sampling density was much higher with a 0.5 m s-1 travel speed, and mean XTE was only overestimated by 0.1 cm with the nearest point method. Power and energy data were recorded using a sled with a known weight to vary the drawbar force on asphalt. This will allow a comparison between the electric and conventional tractor over a range of forces applicable to a 20 HP tractor. The electric tractor was found to consume less than half the energy compared to a Kubota L5030 in a common configuration and a custom configuration to match the weight distribution of the electric tractor. Finger weeding tasks were recorded throughout the year capturing the duration and frequency of these tasks at the University of Kentucky (UK) consumer supported agriculture (CSA) farm. Power and energy data were recorded from the electric tractor while finger weeding. Diesel consumption was also recorded from a conventional tractor while finger weeding. Field data shows that the electric tractor needs approximately 0.532 kWh of energy while a conventional tractor requires approximately 1.258 kWh or energy to finger weed each row of vegetables. Conventional electric bills were compiled for the University of Kentucky CSA establishing an average monthly electric need. Historic NREL data was compiled establishing an average potential solar resource for central Kentucky. It was determined that a 15 kW photovoltaic array could meet the conventional electric needs of the UK CSA and supply the net energy allowing the electric tractor to meet the finger weeding need

Development of Field Excavator with Embedded Force Measurement

A semi-intelligent excavation mechanism was developed for use with the NASA-built Centaur 2 rover prototype. The excavator features a continuously rotatable large bucket supported between two parallel arms, both of which share a single pivot axis near the excavator base attached to the rover. The excavator is designed to simulate the collection of regolith, such as on the Moon, and to dump the collected soil into a hopper up to one meter tall for processing to extract oxygen. Because the vehicle can be autonomous and the terrain is generally unknown, there is risk of damaging equipment or using excessive power when attempting to extract soil from dense or rocky terrain. To minimize these risks, it is critical for the rover to sense the digging forces and adjust accordingly. It is also important to understand the digging capabilities and limitations of the excavator. This paper discusses the implementation of multiple strain gages as an embedded force measurement system in the excavator's arms. These strain gages can accurately measure and resolve multi-axial forces on the excavator. In order to validate these sensors and characterize the load capabilities, a series of controlled excavation tests were performed at Glenn Research Center with the excavator at various depths and cut angles while supported by a six axis load cell. The results of these tests are both compared to a force estimation model and used for calibration of the embedded strain gages. In addition, excavation forces generated using two different types of bucket edge (straight vs. with teeth) were compared

Real-Time Sensory Information for Remote Supervision of Autonomous Agricultural Machines

The concept of the driverless tractor has been discussed in the scientific literature for decades and several tractor manufacturers now have prototypes being field-tested. Although farmers will not be required to be physically present on these machines, it is envisioned that they will remain a part of the human-automation system. The overall efficiency and safety to be attained by autonomous agricultural machines (AAMs) will be correlated with the effectiveness of information sharing between the AAM and the farmer through what might be aptly called an automation interface. In this supervisory scenario, the farmer would be able to both receive status information and send instructions. In essence, supervisory control of an AAM is similar to the current scenario where farmers physically present on their machines obtain status information from displays integrated into the machine and from general sensory information that is available due to their proximity to the operating machine. Therefore, there is reason to expect that real-time sensory information would be valuable to the farmer when remotely supervising an AAM through an automation interface. This chapter will provide an overview of recent research that has been conducted on the role of real-time sensory information to the task of remotely supervising an AAM

Wireless communication, identification and sensing technologies enabling integrated logistics: a study in the harbor environment

In the last decade, integrated logistics has become an important challenge in the development of wireless communication, identification and sensing technology, due to the growing complexity of logistics processes and the increasing demand for adapting systems to new requirements. The advancement of wireless technology provides a wide range of options for the maritime container terminals. Electronic devices employed in container terminals reduce the manual effort, facilitating timely information flow and enhancing control and quality of service and decision made. In this paper, we examine the technology that can be used to support integration in harbor's logistics. In the literature, most systems have been developed to address specific needs of particular harbors, but a systematic study is missing. The purpose is to provide an overview to the reader about which technology of integrated logistics can be implemented and what remains to be addressed in the future