ABSTRACT

Orchard farming is an ideal task to apply autonomous tractors. Orchard farms tend to be large controlled environments where the same operations are performed hundreds of times over many years. The task that has the potential for the largest increase in productivity is that of efficient path generation for orchard operations. More efficient paths will reduce the time taken and resources used in completing tasks. An automated path planner that utilizes its knowledge of the area as well as the constraints on the tractor can plan paths that greatly reduce the human error that is inherent in any manually driven course. A method for planning paths through orchard blocks was introduced and incorporated into an existing path planner. Two replanning methods were also developed that dynamically replan the path when a sprayer on a tractor is empty. These methods were studied to determine which produced more efficient orchard operations.

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