A loading path planning method for co-loading in automatic harvesting system

In this paper, a path planning method is developed for co-loading in master-slave automatic harvesting. It is shown that, the adjustment of the unloading port position relative to the grain tank can be performed jointly by the longitudinal relative position between the vehicles and the angle of the unloading arm. Then the loading path based on the Hamiltonian circuit is designed to guide the motion of the unloading port during the loading process. By improving the loading uniformity, the loading path proposed can maximize the capacity utilization of grain tank which can reduce the round-trip frequency of the transport vehicle and improve the energy and time efficiency of the harvesting operation. Simulation results are provided to validate the excellent performance of presented path planning method.