Development of a Retrofit Autonomous Maneuvering System for Agricultural Vehicles

Recently, autonomous driving technology has been increasingly used in agricultural machines such as tractors and farm trucks. Although some advanced platforms are being developed for full autonomous driving capabilities, most agricultural machines still need to be electrified to facilitate the development and testing of autonomous driving algorithms.In this paper, the focus is on studying the electrification of control devices in existing agricultural machines for the purpose of developing and testing autonomous driving algorithms. These control devices include crucial components such as steering mechanisms and pedals, which are essential for executing AI-driven autonomous driving commands.When developing electric modules for these control devices, it is of paramount importance to ensure that the modules can be attached without causing damage to or limiting the functionality of the existing control devices. To address this challenge, steering angle and pedal control modules that require minimal installation space are proposed. Additionally, a position control algorithm that is robust against external disturbances is also proposed to mimic the driver’s steering and pedal forces accurately.These proposed electric modules are installed on agricultural machines and their performance is rigorously tested using various driving scenarios to ensure reliability and effectiveness. The experimental setup includes diverse field conditions to simulate real-world agricultural tasks. This research aims to advance the integration of autonomous driving technologies in agriculture, ultimately enhancing the efficiency and productivity of agricultural operations