Rationale for the Choice of a Positioning System for Mobile Agricultural Robot Movement Controlling

A correctly selected positioning system for controlling the mobile robotic means movement ensures high positioning accuracy of the robotic platform in the garden, allows to automate precise operations in the garden and systematize route planning algorithms.(Research purpose) To substantiate the rational choice of a positioning system for controlling the mobile robotic device movement.(Materials and methods) The author formulated requirements for the positioning system to perform precise operations in the garden: mechanized collection of fruits and berries, diff erentiated application of fertilizers and chemical plant protection products. The main ones were: the positioning error was no more than 5 centimetres, the stability of information transfer to the server for building traffi c maps, the movement of a robotic device along a given trajectory, equipping beacons with a mobile power source with a capacity of at least 800 milliampere-hour, information exchange between the beacon and the built-in robotic means with a microprocessor controller according to the RS-485 standard, the signal coverage area was at least 100 square meter.(Results and discussion) The six most relevant positioning systems of the following manufacturers were described: RealTrac, Rusoft CKT, Neomatic, ISBC, Avtosensor, Marvelmind. The author compared their technical and operational parameters: operating frequencies, range, data transfer interface, location accuracy and cost of ready-made kits. He showed that Marvelmind provided uninterrupted operation at frequencies of 433 and 915 megahertz with a positioning error of no more than 2 centimetres. The tests were carried out on a small robotic vehicle with the following characteristics: maximum transport speed – 30 kilometre per hour, operating weight – 500 kilograms, length 2 metres, width – 1.2 metres, height – 1.6 metres.(Conclusions) The author substantiated the choice of the most suitable and aff ordable Marvelmind positioning system and experimentally confi rmed the positioning accuracy declared by the manufacturer. When driving in a loop-free and looped turn, the positioning accuracy did not exceed 1.5 centimetres, which met the agrotechnical requirements for mechanized collection of fruits and berries, for diff erentiated application of fertilizers and chemical plant protection product