Novel Route Planning Method to Improve the Operational Efficiency of Capacitated Operations. Case: Application of Organic Fertilizer

Abstract

A field area coverage-planning algorithm has been developed for the optimization and simulation of capacitated field operations such as the organic fertilizer application process. The proposed model provides an optimal coverage plan, which includes the optimal sequence of the visited tracks with a designated application rate. The objective of this paper is to present a novel approach for route planning involving two simultaneous optimization criteria, non-working distance minimization and the optimization of application rates, for the capacitated field operations such as organic fertilizer application to improve the overall operational efficiency. The study and the developed algorithm have shown that it is possible to generate the optimized coverage plan based on the required defined capacity of the distributer. In this case, the capacity of the distributer is not considered a limiting factor for the farmers. To validate this new method, a shallow injection application process was considered, and the results of applying the optimization algorithm were compared with the conventional methods. The results show that the proposed method increase operational efficiency by 19.7%. Furthermore, the applicability of the proposed model in robotic application were demonstrated by way of two defined scenarios.

Enabling Autonomous Navigation on the Farm: A Mission Planner for Agricultural Tasks

“…Once the inputs and outputs are established, as well as the conditions and restrictions for the various entities that make up the agricultural farm, it is critical to determine the algorithm that will be used for route planning in the "GoTo" operation. After a thorough analysis, the importance of selecting a route planner that considers topography, crop layout, and obstacle location has been identified [28].…”