2019 Volume 23 Issue 4 Pages 201-204
We describe traveling control of an agricultural mobile robot using a depth camera in a greenhouse. In our previous research, we also developed an agricultural mobile robot using a 2D laser range finder (2D-LRF). However, since the detection area of the 2D-LRF is only a 2D plane at the installation height, it is difficult to classify the type of obstacles using the 2D-LRF. On the other hand, the depth camera can detect distances in 3D space and capture 2D color images. For that reason, we propose an autonomous traveling control algorithm for the robot using the depth camera. Depth information output from the depth camera is converted to 2D data and the robot is controlled on the basis of the 2D-LRF algorithm. Several experimental results using our developed mobile robot in a mock-up greenhouse demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed control algorithm using the depth camera.
