Design and experimental study of tillage depth control system for electric rotary tiller based on LADRC

This paper proposes an adaptive real-time tillage depth control system for electric rotary tillers, based on Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control (LADRC), to improve tillage depth accuracy in tea garden intercropping with soybeans. The tillage depth control system comprises a body posture sensor, a control unit, and a hybrid stepper motor, integrating sensor data to drive the motor and achieve precise depth control. Real-time displacement sensor signals are compared with target values, enabling closed-loop control of the rotary tiller. Field experiments conducted at 0.5 km/h and 0.8 km/h, with preset tillage depths of 80 mm and 100 mm, demonstrated the system's effectiveness. The average standard deviation of tillage depth for the LADRC system was 3.2 mm, compared to 10.5 mm for fuzzy proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. The LADRC control reduced the rate of change in tillage depth by 68.9% compared to fuzzy PID. This system effectively mitigates potential deviations during operation, ensuring stable and reliable tillage depth control.