{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T18:53:33Z","timestamp":1792522413239,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":19,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784851200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Plant Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Autonomous navigation of crawler tractors is essential for precision agriculture; however, existing systems often face a trade-off between path-tracking accuracy and steering stability, particularly under complex field conditions. To address this limitation, this study aimed to develop an autonomous driving system for single-HST (Hydrostatic Transmission) crawler tractors that enhances both control resolution and operational reliability.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A kinematic model of the single-HST crawler chassis was established, and a state-feedback path-tracking controller integrating lateral and heading deviations was proposed. A pulse-width modulation (PWM)-based multi-modal steering control strategy was designed to enable intelligent switching and smooth transition between differential steering and unilateral braking steering by dynamically adjusting the steering hydraulic cylinder stroke. A three-layer hardware and software architecture\u2014comprising perception, decision-making, and execution layers\u2014was constructed, and an embedded vehicle controller integrating path planning and real-time control was developed. Field tests were conducted at the China National Precision Agriculture Research Demonstration Base, including fixed-curvature path tracking and reciprocating autonomous operation trials.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Under curve path-tracking conditions, the proposed multi-modal steering control achieved an average lateral deviation of 4.25 cm, with a standard deviation below 5.0 cm, representing a 34.4% reduction compared with unilateral braking steering. In reciprocating operations, the average inter-row spacing error was 6.04 cm, satisfying the precision requirements for agricultural machinery under both field soil and cement pavement conditions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The results demonstrate that the proposed system effectively balances tracking accuracy and steering stability in autonomous crawler tractor navigation. The multi-modal steering strategy offers a practical solution for agricultural machinery operating on varied surfaces and shows strong potential for broader application in precision farming systems with similar terrain conditions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2026.1887292","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T16:06:07Z","timestamp":1784909167000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Autonomous driving system for single hydrostatic transmission crawler tractor based on multi-modal steering control"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Lin","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Xi\u2019an University of Technology","place":["Xi\u2019an, China"]},{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Power Equipment","place":["Luoyang, China"]},{"name":"Luoyang Tractor Research Institute Co., Ltd.","place":["Luoyang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weiqiang","family":"Fu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Power Equipment","place":["Luoyang, China"]},{"name":"Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hao","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Power Equipment","place":["Luoyang, China"]},{"name":"Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zhijun","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Power Equipment","place":["Luoyang, China"]},{"name":"Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yibo","family":"Wei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weixian","family":"Qin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maochen","family":"Zuo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tielong","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Beidahuang Group Heilongjiang Qixing Farm Co., Ltd","place":["Jiamusi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qingshan","family":"Meng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Beidahuang Group Heilongjiang Qixing Farm Co., Ltd","place":["Jiamusi, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yaxin","family":"Ren","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Agricultural Power Equipment","place":["Luoyang, China"]},{"name":"Information Technology Research Center, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences","place":["Beijing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2025.1678648","article-title":"Adaptive path tracking control of unmanned agricultural machinery with fixed-time super-twisting sliding mode based on RLS-ELM","volume":"16","author":"Chen","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front. 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