Design and Test of an Automatic Navigation Fruit-Picking Platform

Shaojiong Huang, Kaoxin Pan, Sibo Wang, Ying Zhu, Qing Zhang (), Xin Su and Hongjun Yu
Additional contact information
Shaojiong Huang: College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Kaoxin Pan: College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Sibo Wang: College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Ying Zhu: College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Qing Zhang: College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Xin Su: Beijing Institute of Space Launch Technology, Beijing 100076, China
Hongjun Yu: Beijing Institute of Space Launch Technology, Beijing 100076, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: With the development in agricultural mechanization and information technology, orchard agricultural machinery is also constantly pursuing the goal of intelligence and efficiency. Fruit picking is the most labor-intensive part of the orchard harvesting process. In order to resolve the problems of high labor intensity, low picking efficiency, and labor shortage when harvesting dwarf high-density orchards, an automatic navigation fruit-picking platform with voice control was developed in the present study. First, the platform utilized a voice-controlled high-level extendable working platform and a fruit-box-lifting device to adapt to varying orchard planting row spacing and enable convenient fruit box loading and unloading. Second, an automatic navigation system, which employed China’s Beidou navigation satellite system to acquire positional data and the Stanley algorithm for path-tracking control, was implemented. Third, the fruit-picking platform with automatic navigation system was fabricated and assembled, its outer wheel steering was measured to have a maximum angle of 30.3° and an average minimum turning radius of 4.5 m, meeting the turning radius requirements under orchard conditions. Finally, automatic navigation tests of the developed platform were performed in the orchard conditions. The results indicated that the platform could maintain a straight-line path with a maximum lateral deviation of 101.5 mm and a maximum absolute average deviation of 44.1 mm at 0.4 m/s. Under the U-shaped paths, the measured maximum lateral deviation was 148.6 mm and the maximum absolute average deviation was 57.2 mm. The navigation accuracy was sufficient to meet the requirements for the harvesting platform’s routine operation in the orchards.

Keywords: picking platform; automatic navigation; voice control; path tracing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/4/882/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/4/882/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:4:p:882-:d:1125009

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().