Automatic Steering Vehicle Based on Image Processing for the Japanese Pear Orchard

Abstract

This paper describes the development of an automatic steering vehicle for use in a 20th Century pear orchard in Japan. A video camera takes color pictures of a red target board on the vehicle. A 16 bit-personal computer with a color-image processing board detects the position of the red target board. This information was used to operate the brake and clutch on the rubber crawler tractor by two wireless modems to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was able to approach along straight line from 15 m distance to the video camera near the 16-bit personal computer with no operator by an improved program.