Evaluation of LiDAR for the Free Navigation in Agriculture

Abstract

Driverless transport systems (DTS) or automated guided vehicles (AGV) have been part of intralogistics for over six decades. The uniform and structured environment conditions in industrial halls provided the ideal conditions for simple automation, such as in goods transport. Initially, implementing simply-designed safety devices, e.g., bumpers, could reduce risk to an acceptable level. However, these conditions are not present in an agricultural environment. Soiling and harsh weather conditions are anticipated both indoors and outdoors. The state of the art in intralogistics are light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scanners, which are suitable for both navigation and collision avoidance, including personal protection. In this study, the outdoor and navigation suitability of LiDAR is assessed in test series. The aim is to contribute advice on validation of LiDAR as a possible technology with respect to navigation and collision avoidance in freely navigating automatic feeding systems.

Agricultural Vehicle Automatic Navigation Positioning and Obstacle Avoidance Technology Based on ICP

“…A dense point cloud is a point cloud with numerous data and high point density. In Figure 1, point clouds can be segmented into 4 types based on the arrangement of points [17]. Figure 1 (a) shows a scattered point cloud with disordered structure and no significant relationship between points.…”

A Survey on Navigation Approaches for Automated Guided Vehicle Robots in Dynamic Surrounding

“…The laser guide can be used not only on the AGV, but also as a sensor and target guide for the robotic arm that is mounted on top of the AGV to perform tasks [49]. Latest, Reger et al [50] utilizing a test series to evaluate LiDAR viability for outdoor use and navigation. The objective is to offer guidance on LiDAR's viability as a technology for navigation and collision avoidance in freely moving autonomous feeding systems especially in agriculture field.…”