Navigation of autonomous tractor for orchards and plantations using a laser range finder: Automatic control of trailer position with tractor

•Control scheme for tractor-trailer system for in-field tasks e.g. product loading/unloading.•System using a laser range finder (LRF) was developed.•Navigation of the tractor-trailer was demonstrated with satisfactory accuracy.•Trailer position was controlled by sliding hitch bar.•Wider turns with sliding hitch bar in the experimental paths.

The autonomous control of a tractor-trailer system in orchards and plantations has frequently been observed for the transportation, loading and unloading of products between plants and trees. The objective of this research was to develop a control algorithm for a single-sensor tractor-trailer navigation system for navigating within a row plantation and travelling between plots. A control scheme for stopping the tractor-trailer for various in-field tasks, such as product loading/unloading using a laser range finder (LRF), is presented. The LRF was used to navigate a full-size autonomous agricultural tractor equipped with a two-wheeled trailer. For ease of operation in narrow rows, a sliding hitch bar (SHB) was developed to control the trailer by adjusting the position of the hitch-point between the tractor and trailer. Compared to the tractor-trailer system driven by human, the control system could navigate the tractor-trailer with the RMS differences of 0.275 m (SD: 0.009 m), 0.373 m (SD: 0.030 m) and 0.518 m (SD: 0.022 m) for wide curve, tight curve and U-turn experimental paths, respectively. The SHB unit also supported the navigation system with wider turn for the trailer than conventional single hitch point about 0.383 m (7.66% of the 5 m path width, SD: 0.028 m), 0.762 m (15.23% of 5 m path width, SD: 0.010 m) and 1.094 m (21.88% of 5 m path width, SD: 0.037 m) for wide curve, tight curve and U-turn experimental paths, respectively. The control system also stopped the tractor-trailer at the specified landmarks. The results show that the navigation of the tractor-trailer was demonstrated with satisfactory accuracy and that the trailer position was controlled by the SHB with a wider turn in the experimental paths. Therefore, this laser-based landmark navigation system, and the SHB unit, can be adopted for different applications of autonomous tractor-trailer systems with controlled trailer positioning.