Conceptual directions for the development of driverless agricultural mobile power units

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Currently, major global developers and manufacturers in the field of mobile agricultural machines are working on the creation of agricultural robotic systems. Particular attention is paid to the development of universal unmanned moving power units (MPU), which allow autonomously perform various technological operations without human intervention [1]. In the future, this makes it possible to exclude the operator directly from the MPU management process and to reconsider approaches to the issue of increasing the efficiency of technological operations. The existing trend to increase productivity by increasing the main parameters of the unit: working width, operating speeds, load capacity, etc., may change to an alternative path, which consists in the use of many autonomous small-sized units comparable in performance (a swarm of agricultural robots). Thus, the use of unmanned control systems makes it possible to use conceptually new approaches to the creation of MPU for agricultural purposes. In this regard, it becomes relevant to conduct research aimed at identifying promising conceptual directions for the development of unmanned MPU and evaluating the effectiveness of their application.
 AIMS: identification of conceptual directions for the development of unmanned MPU for agricultural purposes and a theoretical assessment of the effectiveness of their application.
 MATERIALS AND METHODS: The object of the study was the process of transformation of the MPU in the context of the development of unmanned control systems. The basis of the study was scientific publications on the development of robotic tools for agricultural purposes, information materials of manufacturers of agricultural tractors and control systems for agricultural machinery. In the course of the study, such methods as information analysis, synthesis, methods for calculating the productivity of agricultural units and the reduced cost of performing technological operations, adapted by the FGBNU FNATS VIM in relation to unmanned MPU, were used.
 RESULTS: The prospects for the introduction of unmanned MPU, the existing digital and intelligent control systems of MPU and the main factors hindering their development are analyzed. A classification of MPU for agricultural purposes by levels of automation is proposed. The main directions of development are identified and conceptual models of unmanned MPU are proposed: universal unmanned MPU (unmanned tractors) with the existing gradation in terms of traction class and power, universal (multifunctional) low-power unmanned MPU of one traction class, separate power modules that are combined into a single unmanned unit on base of the aggregated agricultural machine. A methodology is proposed and the equivalent number of unmanned MPU of each conceptual model for each traction class is calculated. An assessment of the impact of the use of unmanned MPU of the proposed conceptual models on the productivity of the arable unit and the reduced cost of arable work has been carried out.
 CONCLUSIONS: Conceptual models for the development of unmanned MPU have been developed and comparative calculations of the effectiveness of their use as part of plowing units have been made, which make it possible to assess the possible prospects for their use.