Agricultural Machinery Path Tracking with Varying Curvatures Based on an Improved Pure-Pursuit Method

The current research on path tracking primarily focuses on improving control algorithms, such as adaptive and predictive models, to enhance tracking accuracy and stability. To address the issue of low tracking accuracy caused by variable-curvature paths in automatic navigation within agricultural environments, this study proposes a fuzzy control-based path-tracking method. Firstly, a pure-pursuit model and a kinematic model were established based on a Four-Wheel Independent Steering and Four-Wheel Independent Driving (4WIS-4WID) structure. Secondly, a fuzzy controller with three inputs and one output was designed, using the lateral deviation, de; heading deviation, θe; and bending degree, c, of the look-ahead path as the input variables. Through multiple simulations and adjustments, 75 control rules were developed. The look-ahead distance, Ld, was obtained through fuzzification, fuzzy inference, and defuzzification processes. Next, a speed-control function was constructed based on the agricultural machinery’s pose deviations and the bending degree of the look-ahead path to achieve variable speed control. Finally, field tests were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed path-tracking method. The tracking experiment results for the two types of paths indicate that under the variable-speed dynamic look-ahead distance strategy, the average lateral deviations for the variable-curvature paths were 1.8 cm and 3.3 cm while the maximum lateral deviations were 10.1 cm and 10.5 cm, respectively. Compared to the constant-speed fixed look-ahead pure-pursuit model, the average lateral deviation was reduced by 56.1% and the maximum lateral deviation by 50.4% on the U-shaped path. On the S-shaped path, the average lateral deviation was reduced by 56.0% and the maximum lateral deviation by 58.9%. The proposed method effectively improves the path-tracking accuracy of agricultural machinery on variable-curvature paths, meeting the production requirements for curved operations in agricultural environments.