Field information system using an agricultural helicopter towards precision farming

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop the system that can generate a map regarding field information such as crop status and land topographical feature obtained by an imaging sensor and laser range finder mounted on an unmanned helicopter. To generate a precise map, accurate measurement of helicopter's position and posture are essential, because the geometric distortions occur in the image taken from the helicopter due to variations of the sensing position and posture. In the research, an RTK-GPS was adopted as a positioning sensor and the helicopter's posture was obtained by an INS. Furthermore, the encoders can measure the imaging sensor's motion. The transformation method to generate a map using these parameters was developed. And a topographic map of a field was generated by adopting laser range finder as another sensor.