Feasibility analysis of cultivated berry field layout for automated cultivation

Abstract

Automation is a solution, which can be used by modern farmers to aid them in reducing manpower requirements in the fields. There are currently a number of development teams, which are making strides towards the development of automated solutions for operations which are related to various agricultural tasks. When possible, electric drives are used as motors for automated field robots. Fields are usually located in remote areas with no easily-available power grid to which to connect. Instead, locally-produced electrical energy from a renewable source is used to charge the batteries of field robots. Automated equipment which is operating in fields could benefit from the addition of what, in essence, is a service station, which could take care of the following tasks: 1) transporting field robots and all the necessary accessories, goods, fertiliser, plant protection products, and so on into the field; 2) electrical energy generation and accumulation; 3) charging the batteries for the field robots; 4) filling the tanks of the field robots; 5) ensuring communications with the field robot or a swarm of such robots, and between the farmer and remote databases. The aim of this article was to study the suitability of existing cultivated berry fields in terms of being able to apply a solution, which involves automation and precision cultivation, with the continued operability of such automation being ensured by the presence of a service station. In order to be able to fulfil the aims of this article, the initial data that weere collected in relation to the berry plantation, plus the specific berry cultivar and field robot type, will all be presented here. A discussion will be held in terms of suitable solutions for the supply of electrical energy to automated berry fields and, as a result of processing the collected data, proposals will be made for the layout of the crops, the layout and location of the service station, and also the trajectory of the field robot in the field itself.