Development of an Autonomous Forest Machine for Path Tracking

Abstract

Summary. In many respects traditional automation in the forest-machine industry has reached an upper limit, since the driver already has to deal with an excess of information and take too many decisions at a very high pace. To further automation still, introduction of semi-autonomous and autonomous functions are expected and considered necessary. This paper describes an ongoing project along these ideas. We describe the development of the hardware and software of an unmanned shuttle that shifts timber from the area of felling to the main roads for further transportation. A new path-tracking algorithm is introduced, and demonstrated as being superior to standard techniques, such as Follow the Carrot and Pure Pursuit. To facilitate the research and development, a comprehensive software architecture for sensor and actuator interfacing is developed. Obstacle avoidance is accomplished by a new kind of radar, developed for and by the automotive industry. Localization is accomplished by combining data from a Real-Time Kinematic Differential GPS/GLONASS and odometry. Tests conducted on a simulator and a small-scale robot show promising results. Tests on the real forest machine are ongoing.

Increasing the Level of Automation in the Forestry Logging Process with Crane Trajectory Planning and Control

“…These methods range from the use of fully sensored cranes to the use of a restricted number of sensing devices. The particular problem of maneuvering the vehicle through the forest has also been presented in Hellström and Ringdahl (), Hellström, Johansson, and Ringdahl (), Ringdahl (), and Ringdahl et al. ().…”

Pure-Pursuit Reactive Path Tracking for Nonholonomic Mobile Robots with a 2D Laser Scanner

“…Due to its widespread use, pure-pursuit has been considered a reference for other path tracking strategies. In [28], it is compared with the follow-the-past algorithm that uses the steering angle and the curvature of the previously recorded explicit path. Regarding person-following with a 2D laser scanner, Gockley et al [18] present a comparison between a reactive potential-field method and pure-pursuit applied to recorded person positions.…”

The effect of partial automation on the productivity and cost of a mobile tower yarder

“…Although apparently simpler than full autonomous operation, tele-operation requires efficient wireless communication, which can be a limiting factor in forestry environments, and in the countryside more in general (Prasad-Pant & Hambly-Odame 2017). However, encouraging results have been obtained with autonomous or partiallyautonomous forwarders, where the driver teaches the route to the machine, which will then take over and repeat the same circuit over again, until the driver takes over and changes to a new route (Hellström et al 2005).…”