Development of Steering Control System for a Self-Propelled Potato Harvester Using a Displacement Difference Ridge Tracking Method

This paper attempts to introduce the development contents of a steering control system using the displacement difference ridge tracking method of a self-propelled potato harvester. Currently, the self-propelled potato harvester is operated manually, and it is easy to automate because it performs repetitive and regular movements and operations in a regularized ridge area. Therefore, we studied a method that can control the steering so that it does not deviate from the path or invade the side ridge while following the center of the ridge being worked. As a result, the equation was established by Ackerman Steering Kinematics, developed a ridge detection sensor and algorithm, and the optimum steering gain value was obtained through an experiment to verify the performance. The purpose of this study is to increase the work efficiency and convenience of the self-propelled potato harvester used in field farming. © 2021 Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers. All rights reserved.