Guidance and Steering Systems in Precision Agriculture
(book excerpts)Guidance and auto-steer systems use technologies that visualize and track the position of tractors, harvesters, and other equipment in real-time. The primary purpose of these systems is to reduce instances in which farmers unintentionally miss parts of their fields (known as “skips”) or make redundant passes through the field (“overlaps”). Such systems have evolved from “light bar” technologies that were semi-autonomous to more sophisticated systems that allow near-total automated steering. Today’s machines have the ability to use information from global navigation satellite systems, a general term that describes any satellite that provides positioning, navigation, and timing services, including global positioning systems (GPS). That ability allows for a high degree of precision in tracking exact field locations. Guidance systems come equipped with farm machinery or can be purchased separately and integrated with existing equipment. Their affordability and ease of installation, calibration, and use make them appealing to farm operators. Although the basic accuracy of guidance systems is available through public navigation system signals at no cost, some equipment manufacturers provide added accuracy through cloud-based farm-management information systems that require an activation fee and paid subscription. In addition, autonomous steering permits automatically guided planting, tilling, fertilizing, and harvesting of crops with minimal farmer involvement. Their affordability and ease of installation, calibration, and use make them appealing to farm operators.
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Topics Within This Chapter:
- Benefits of Guidance and Steering Technology
- Types of Guidance and Steering Systems
- Navigation Aids
- Auto-Guidance Systems
- Overall Performance of the Auto-Guidance System
- Auto-Guidance System Components
- Synchronizing Tablets and Smartphones with Auto-Guidance Systems
- Autonomous Vehicle Steering Systems
- Positioning and Navigation Technology
- GNSS/GPS Guidance Systems
- GNSS/GPS Accuracy
- Year-to-Year Accuracy
- Pass-to-Pass Accuracy
- Types of GPS Receivers
- Public Augmentation Systems
- Subscription Augmentation Services
- Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Systems
- RTK Service Providers in Agriculture
- WAAS Versus SAS Versus RTK Systems
