Abstract:
Agricultural robotic vehicles have the potential to play a significant role in agriculture today.An
agricultural robot is a vehicle designed to automate agriculture. Agriculture is a labor-intensive
and time-consuming industry. To improve the performance of this area of robotics, it is vital to
develop controller designs that are both cost-effective and easy to use. Agricultural robots, in
particular, those engaged in seed sowing and row planting operations, must adhere to a precise
aim. Due to navigation errors, seeds may be placed incorrectly in a row. The design of a Model
Predictive Controller for an agricultural robot operating in row cultures is the subject of this
thesis.
Themodel predictive controller has been designedwith a prediction horizon ofN=10 and control
horizon of P=30. The controller design was based on the robot’s mathematical model, which
included two identical series of DC motor dynamics, chassis dynamics, and kinematics. The
effect of a change in seedmass is regarded as a disturbance and is accounted for in themodel.The
power source needed for the robot to perform different tasks has been also designed. MATLAB
software was used to implement the designed system. The robot’s position, orientation, and
control signals are constrained to restrict the forward speed and maximum error of the angle.
A model predictive controller is preferable for agricultural robots, especially when operating in
the field with path constraints.
Key Words: Model Predictive Control, Differential drive robot, Kinematics,Dynamics, Path
Constraint, Objective Function