Development of a crawler-type robot tractor using RTK-GPS and IMU

The objective of this study was to develop a crawler-type tractor that can be navigated autonomously in an open sky field using an RTK-GPS receiver and an IMU. A laser scanner and an emergency stop system were utilized for safety. The hydro static transmission (HST) system for steering and shift was calibrated in this study. An autonomous navigation control method is described in this article. A keyhole turning algorithm was used for headland turning. Autonomous navigation tests were carried out in an open sky field, and the RMS of lateral error in the navigation tests was less than 0.05 m in straight lines.