Optimal Coverage Path Planning Algorithm of the Tractor-formation Based on Probabilistic Roadmaps

The loss of farm labor and rising wages have forced farmers to use heavy tractors, which have helped boost productivity and saved labor costs. However, driving heavy tractors on the soil can increase soil erosion and reduce crop yields. To reduce damage to soil fertility, multiple light tractors could be used instead of a single heavy tractor for field operations. However, multiple tractors require multiple operators, which increases labor costs. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes an optimal coverage path planning algorithm based on probabilistic roadmaps. Firstly, three light tractors are formed into a reverse-v formation, which not only reduces the damage to soil fertility, but also ensures the working efficiency. In addition, the algorithm can be applied to a wide range of scenarios, including convex region, concave region, region with obstacles and region without obstacles. In addition, the coverage time is relatively small, the coverage can reach 98% at the minimum, and the repetition rate is no more than 2% at the maximum.