Adaptive control of a terrain simulator for testing agricultural sprayers

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NORAC Systems International Inc. of Saskatoon, SK (http://www.norac.ca/; hereafter NORAC) designs and manufactures various spray-height control systems for agricultural sprayers that ensure the sprayers along a boom are positioned and maintained at a pre-set height above the land/crop during the spraying of chemicals. NORAC currently employs a tractor-trailed sprayer to expose the control systems to a variety of outdoor terrain. However, this method of testing suffers from poor repeatability, is limited during the long Saskatchewan winter, and is also costly due to travel and transport expenses. This project concerns the control of a prototype indoor terrain simulator upon which the NORAC spray-height control systems can be tested. This project aims to establish a control scheme on the indoor terrain simulator so as to accurately simulate prescribed terrain profiles for the testing of various sizes of agricultural sprayers at NORAC. Successful completion of this project will reap technological and economic benefits for NORAC that will serve to increase NORAC's competitiveness in the global marketplace and will also generate additional benefits to Canada though the Canadian farmers who use NORAC's products.