14th INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL

SYSTEMS DEGRADATION CONFERENCE

FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL ASSUMPTIONS OF

AUTONOMOUS FARM ROBOT PLATFORM

Roman ROGACKI
Jan SZCZEPANIAK
Jarosaw MAC
Ryszard GRZECHOWIAK

PRZEMYSOWY INSTYTUT MASZYN ROLNICZYCH

60-963 Pozna, ul. Starocka 31 tel. (0-61) 871 22 00, fax. (0-61) 879 32 62

The Introduction
The Industrial Research Institute of Agricultural Engineering in Pozna,
together with the Institute of Warsaw University of Technology
Vehicles and Promar company from Poznan measures have been taken
to design autonomous robot for sowing and cultivation of crops
widely-row.
The robot will operate in standalone mode. It is automatically perform
operations sowing, weeding and selective spraying of crops. The use
of a robot in organic crops requiring mechanical removal of weeds will
reduce to a minimum the use of liquid agricultural chemicals.
Currently in Poland are not ongoing work aimed at developing a robot
field functionality outlined in the proposal. Existing solutions are in the
phase of research and testing, and their scope does not cover planned
to obtain the project capabilities the robot.

The Introduction
Achieving the objectives of the project will require the achievement
of the following specific objectives of the practice:
development of robot platform,
selection of precision drill and develop methods of position sown
seeds,
develop tools to allow the processing of weeding both the surface
and the surface spacing between crops in a row,
development of tools to selectively spray the surface and the
surface of the soil
develop of the control system and control algorithms autonomous
robot field in terms of traction and agronomic processes.

Initial assumptions
Working conditions:
terrain: empowered field, field roads, mud, sand, grassy ground, rocky
ground or other hardened,
work in the open 24 hours / day,
work in areas with varying degrees of lighting and visibility,
temperature: 5 to 40 C,
weather: average rainfall, moderate wind, fog,
typical obstacles in the open aera;
The drive system
diesel engine and 30 hp,
package hydraulic pumps to drive the wheels, and all executive wraps
robot
monitoring the state of the oil temperature, the quantity of fuel;
Way of moving
move forward and backward at a speed of 20 km / h,
high maneuverability,
maintain the stability of the designated path,
ease of guidance and correction of track.

Usage robot
Projected robot enables complex care Field crops including:

red beet,

sugar beet,
sweet corn,
cabbage,
lettuce,
forest nurseries, orchard
production of vegetables and ornamental plants.
It enables the mechanical destruction of weeds and, if necessary,
precise application of crop protection formulations and fertilizers

Straddle tractor
Main features

optional working with GPS,

4 wheel drive,
hydraulically adjustable track width
hook behind the front and rear
wheels,
spacing sprayer,
tool for trimming roots,
wheelbase from 1.5 m to 2.25 m,
electro-hydraulic control.

Straddle tractor PT2500 Straddle

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Self propelled crop sprayers

Main features
4-wheel drive,
small outer dimensions,
independently steerable wheels of the two axles
wheel steered axle opposite or to one side,
provide greater ground clearance when spraying
field plants that are at a later stage of
development,
speeds are 0-20 km / h,
separate hydrostatic drives on each wheel,
change the track width from 1.80 to 2.25 m.
Endurance Condor sprayer

Examples of existing solutions

BoniRob field robot
Amazonen-Werke
company
in
collaboration with the University College
of Osnabrck and Robert Bosch company
has developed an autonomous robot
BoniRob. The robot is primarily used to
collect data about plants and monitor
their development on the plantation. The
use of a robot allows field studies to
monitor the development of even a single
plant which will significantly improve the
work of plant breeders.

Examples of existing solutions

HortiBot - A Plant Nursing Robot

An example of a field robot is "Hortibot"

developed by Rasmus Jrgensen and a
team from the University of Aarhus in
Denmark. Hortibot is an autonomous
agricultural robot that uses including
navigation GPS and vision system. Can be
equipped with a variety of tools to perform
agricultural treatments. Use of the robot
allows a lower consumption of herbicides by
75%.

The construction of the robot

The robot will have a modular design:
The carrier
The basic module is a stand-alone carrier cooperating with
specialized modules. The carrier will be 4 wheeled vehicle, able to
work remotely and autonomous. The drive wheels provide hydraulic
motors and planetary gears. This way of transfer of power will get
the high ground clearance of the machine (free space for tools) and
independent suspension - important when working in difficult
terrain. In addition, the speed differentiation of individual wheels
and their appropriate setting will result in high maneuverability

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The construction of the robot

Sprayer
Sprayer will be able to to realize during the sowing or weeding
dosage of liquid fertilizer or other liquid preparations of plant
protection. The application will be executed surfactants (for plants or
soil), or to the soil (of the depth below the surface of soil) in a
continuous or selective based on the optical identification and
location of objects.
Seeder
For precision seeding seeder will be applied with the seed position
recording system in the field.
Hoe
The main working unit will be active hoe robot for precise control of
weeds in both the inter-rows and row crops.

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Robot guidance system

Main sensor system based on a specialized GPS receiver providing position
information with an accuracy of less than 100 mm. This system will be
used to:

control speed of the robot,

guidance and maintenance robot on the designated path,
precision seeding - the exact information on where sowing the seeds
will be used to build maps of seeds, which will be used as supporting
information for precision weeding,
to control the position ol and operation of key components.

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Robot guidance system

To increase the accuracy of the robot will be used cameras system image
before a robot that allows precise entry robot between the rows of plants
and to correct direction of the robot. Simultaneously the system will also
be used cameras image immediately before hoes active and sprayer. Also,
information from the acceleration sensors and encoders built-in wheels will
be used. To determine the angular acceleration will be required units of
the IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) This will enable a:

trajectory correction of the robot,

precise work of active hoe,
position adjustment and precise dosing of liquid fertilizer plant health
products.

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Scheme the robot

GPS

System wizyjny 1

Zesp
opryskiwacza
Siewnik punktowy

Pielnik aktywny

System wizyjny 2

Scheme of the proposed robot

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Using hydraulic drive system

The use of hydrostatic drive system is based on:
availability

of different solutions,
susceptibility to control,
solutions common used in modern power transmission systems of
agricultural machinery,
ease of transmission from engine to the wheels,
smooth gear shifting,
elimination of mechanical transmission components,
the ability to implement a reverse drive,
drive motor protection against overload,

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Robot Drive System

Wheel drive circuit
equipped with a bent axis variable axial pump working in a closed circuit system with
pressure compensated load "load-sensing". Such dispel the robot chassis is optimal,
because the power absorbed by the chassis is strongly varies depending on the scope
of the work carried out, the quality of the preparation of the field, pressure and other
factors interfering with the robot. Hydrostatic drive systems with load compensation
will maintain constant parameters of the hydraulic system regardless of the size and
nature of its load, and also allow for precise control of the actuators. Furthermore,
the use of a closed system makes it possible to take over the function of the brake
wheels. The robot drive wheels are independently driven by hydraulic motors
powered by variable speed pump controlled by servo valve. The flexibility of this
approach allows trials traction in virtually any configuration, thep osition of the
wheels, both from without and from slipping.

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Robot Drive System

Power steering and actuators circuit

For power steering and external receivers installed for the main pump fixed speed
auxiliary pumps

The system uses valves, control blocks axles allow:

including and excluding engines,
synchronization of the drive wheels;
turn on the spot,
selection of the direction of the vehicle,
directing the sprayer,
hoe position control.

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Summary
In the next stages of the project design tasks are planned :

Selecting the target concept robot based on numerical analysis.

Developing the concept of the control system and autonomous robot control
algorithms.
Development of the 3D model and the documentation necessary for the
construction of the experimental model. The construction of selected teams
require a preliminary verification of the solutions
Development of 3D CAD models tool modules for sowing, weeding and
spraying.
Drafting and implementation of an electronic control system for robot
experimental model.
The construction of the experimental model allows autonomous robot to carry
out laboratory and functional testing.
Commissioning, testing and validation of the electronic control system robot.
Laboratory tests and functional model of the experimental work.
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14th INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL

SYSTEMS DEGRADATION CONFERENCE

FUNCTIONAL AND STRUCTURAL ASSUMPTIONS OF

AUTONOMOUS FARM ROBOT PLATFORM

Thank you for your attention

PRZEMYSOWY INSTYTUT MASZYN ROLNICZYCH

60-963 Pozna, ul. Starocka 31 tel. (0-61) 871 22 00, fax. (0-61) 879 32 62

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