DEVELOPMENT OF AN LADRC-BASED TILLAGE DEPTH CONTROL SYSTEM FOR ELECTRIC ROTARY TILLER

ABSTRACT Precision control of tillage depth is crucial for optimizing soil preparation in tea plantations. This study presents an adaptive real-time tillage depth control system based on Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control (LADRC) to address precision challenges in the tillage depth of electric rotary tillers in tea plantations. The system, constructed using body posture sensors, control units, and hybrid stepper motors, integrates sensor data and LADRC technology to drive the stepper motor, enabling precise tillage depth control. The displacement sensor signals were collected, and the actual tillage depth was compared with the target values, allowing adjustments to achieve closed-loop control of the rotary tiller. Field experiments at speeds of 0.5 km/h and 0.8 km/h with tillage depths of 80 mm and 100 mm demonstrate the system’s effectiveness. The LADRC system achieved a standard deviation of 3.2 mm, outperforming fuzzy PID (10.5 mm) and sliding mode control (5.9 mm). The rate of depth variation was reduced by 44.8% and 68.9% compared to the fuzzy Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) and SMC, respectively. These results confirm that the LADRC-based system effectively minimizes interference during rotary-tiller operation, ensuring the stability and reliability of tillage depth control.