Kindhelm has completed system integration with an autonomous four-wheel steering, four-wheel drive tractor. The main objective of the system integration was to replace an old positioning system with a new module designed by Kindhelm. In addition to physical assembling, system integration required customization of the communication protocol between the positioning module and the navigation system. The navigation system required stable positioning and heading data as well as status information from the positioning module. Conversely, the Kindhelm’s module received information of the steering angles to compensate for their effect on the heading estimate. The system integration was tested on field and it was proven successful.
After the successful integration, Kindhelm executed extended field trials to subject the positioning module under a final test. For this purpose, the autonomous tractor was equipped with a trenching implement with an objective to trench a farm field autonomously. Correspondingly, the navigation system was instructed with a sequence of fifty meter long trenches. As a result, the tractor navigated successfully relying on the positioning data from Kindhelm’s module. The field trials were completed after trenching the field. The results confirmed the success of the system integration and the positioning capabilities of Kindhelm’s module.
