Optimal Path of Headland for Tractors Considering Human Operator Characteristics (Part 1)

Its Formulation and Forward Maneuver

Abstract

Tractor operation in headland considering the human operator characteristics and mechanical inertia from the steering wheel to the front wheel is discussed. The initial steering angle was set at zero degree up to and after the headland. During turning at the headland, the steering angle did not change instantaneously because of the mechanical inertia from the steering wheel to front wheels. In this paper, the actual phenomena were considered in the state equation of the vehicle model. Field tests were carried out to evaluate the theoretical results. The obtained results were in good agreement. Thus the developed model and the proposed method can be applied for autonomous agricultural tractors and robots. Part two of this paper will discuss both forward and backward motion of the vehicle.