Path Planning and Path Following Control of an Autonomous Wheel Loader

Abstract

Authors have been engaged in the research on the outdoor working robotics, and targeting the autonomous pile loading operation by a wheel loader in mining particularly. Authors developed a real sized autonomous wheel loader "Yamazumi-4," and succeeded the unmanned autonomous pile loading operation experimentally. The precise traveling control is necessary to repeat loading operations. The real sized construction machines like the wheel loader are difficult to control the travelling speed precisely. Authors adopted the path planning and path following control based on the odometer and succeeded to gain precise geometric shape of the path. This paper describes the path planning and path flowing control of the autonomous wheel loader.