Research Progress on Path Planning and Tracking Control Methods for Orchard Mobile Robots in Complex Scenarios

Orchard mobile robots (OMR) represent a critical research focus in the field of modern intelligent agricultural equipment, offering the potential to significantly enhance operational efficiency through the integration of path planning and tracking control navigation methods. However, the inherent complexity of orchard environments presents substantial challenges for robotic systems. Researchers have extensively investigated the robustness of various path planning and tracking control techniques for OMR in complex scenes, aiming to improve the robots’ security, stability, efficiency, and adaptability. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art path planning and tracking control strategies for OMR in such environments. First, it discusses the advances in both global and local path planning methods designed for OMR navigating through complex orchard scenes. Second, it examines tracking control approaches in the context of different motion models, with an emphasis on the application characteristics and current trends in various scene types. Finally, the paper highlights the technical challenges faced by OMR in autonomous tasks within these complex environments and emphasizes the need for further research into navigation technologies that integrate artificial intelligence with end-to-end control systems. This fusion is identified as a promising direction for achieving efficient autonomous operations in orchard environments.