Steering Characteristics of an Autonomous Tractor with Variable Distances to the Waypoint

Abstract

Autonomous agricultural machines that are operated in small-scale farmland frequently experience turning and changes in direction. Thus, unlike when they are operated in large-scale farmland, the steering control systems need to be controlled precisely so that travel errors can be minimized. This study aims to develop a control algorithm for improving the path tracking performance of a steering system by analyzing the effect of the setting of the waypoint, which serves as the reference point for steering when an autonomous agricultural machine moves along a path or a coordinate, on control errors. A simulation was performed by modeling a 26-hp tractor steering system and by applying the equations of motion of a tractor, with the use of a computer. Path tracking errors could be reduced using an algorithm which sets the waypoint for steering on a travel path depending on the radius of curvature of the path and which then controls the speed and steering angle of the vehicle, rather than by changing the steering speed or steering ratio which are dependent on mechanical performance.