Equipping a tractor with an inertial measurement
unit is common practice to compensate for undulating terrain
when the vehicle is standing or driving on a slope. This
solution considers the tractor as a single rigid body. Our
research evaluates the possibilities of measuring the individual
inclination angles of the cabin and the chassis as two connected
bodies in a Multi-Body system with two separate inertial measurement
units to offer increased positioning precision in terrain
compensation. We prove geometrically and experimentally that
two IMUs help to accurately determine the tractor’s control
point, whereas using only one IMU leaves errors of several
centimeters. Awareness of the correct position of the cabin’s
instant center of rotation is vital for the correction precision.
Transferring the terrain compensations to dynamic field applications
shows reduced positioning deviations on undulating
terrain, in curves, and in rapid braking and acceleration
situations but requires a holistic system integration of the
sensors to increase accuracy.
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