Design and test of a positioning system for a greenhouse electric micro-tiller based on ultra-wideband

Abstract

Abstract. A positioning system for ultra-wideband (UWB) electric micro-tillers suitable for complex greenhouse environments was designed as the basis for realizing unmanned micro-tillers to address the problem of the frequent safety accidents of existing micro-tillers. First, the positioning base station and tag were designed on the basis of the STM32 and DW1000 chip hardware. The real-time coordinate display of the micro-tiller in the greenhouse could also be realized with the design of the upper computer software. Then, the realization method of the positioning function, including the analysis of time difference of arrival (TDOA) and two-way ranging (TWR) positioning methods, and the selection of the best Taylor positioning algorithm through a MATLAB simulation were studied to reduce the influence of noise and measurement errors on measurement accuracy. Finally, a positioning system accuracy test was conducted. Test results revealed that the maximum positioning error of the micro-tiller positioning system is no more than 6 cm, and the average error is 4.4 cm. The optimized positioning error is reduced by 10.2 %, considering that the influence of the base station location on the accuracy. The positioning system of the greenhouse electric micro-tiller designed in this paper demonstrates a stable performance and positioning accuracy to meet the needs of greenhouse rotary tillage operations. This system has certain theoretical importance and reference value for the development of precise positioning technology for working tools in the greenhouse and the further realization of unmanned rotary tillage operations.