Study on dynamic model of tractor system for automated navigation applications

This research aims at using a dynamic model of tractor system to support navigation system design for an automatically guided agricultural tractor. This model, consisting of a bicycle model of the tractor system, has been implemented in the MATLAB environment and was developed based on a John Deere tractor. The simulation results from this MATLAB model was validated through field navigation tests. The accuracy of the trajectory estimation is strongly affected by the determination of the cornering stiffness of the tractor. In this simulation, the tractor cornering stiffness analysis was identified during simulation analysis using the MATLAB model based on the recorded trajectory data. The obtained data was used in simulation analyses for various navigation operations in the field of interest. The analysis on field validation test results indicated that the developed tractor system could accurately estimate wheel trajectories of a tractor system while operating in agricultural fields at various speeds. The results also indicated that the developed system could accurately determine tractor velocity and steering angle while the tractor operates in curved fields.