ZPTM: Zigzag Path Tracking Method for Agricultural Vehicles Using Point Cloud Representation

Automatic navigation, as one of the modern technologies in farming automation, enables unmanned driving and operation of agricultural vehicles. In this research, the ZPTM (Zigzag Path Tracking Method) was proposed to reduce the complexity of path planning by using a point cloud consisting of a series of anchor points with spatial information, which are obtained from orthophotos taken by UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to represent the curved path in the zigzag. A local straight path was created by linking two adjacent anchor points, forming the local target path to be tracked, which simplified the navigation algorithm for zigzag path tracking. A nonlinear feedback function was established, using both lateral and heading errors as inputs for determining the desired heading angle of agricultural vehicles, which were guided along the local target path with minimal errors. A GUI (Graphic User Interface) was designed on the navigation terminal to visualize and monitor the working process of agricultural vehicles in automatic navigation, displaying interactive controls and components, including representations of the zigzag path and the agricultural vehicle using affine transformation. A high-clearance sprayer equipped with an automatic navigation system was utilized as the test platform to evaluate the proposed ZPTM. Zigzag navigation tests were conducted to explore the impact of path tracking parameters, including path curvature, moving speed, and spacing between anchor points, on zigzag navigation performance. Based on these tests, a regression model was established to optimize these parameters for achieving accurate and smooth movement. Field test results showed that the maximum error, average error, and RMS (Root Mean Square) error in the zigzag navigation were 3.30 cm, 2.04 cm, and 2.27 cm, respectively. These results indicate that the point cloud path-based ZPTM in this research demonstrates adequate stability, accuracy, and applicability in zigzag navigation.