Drone Flight Experiment using RTK Positioning for Pear Pollination.

Previously, we developed pear pollination technology using drones. Drones fly in pear fields, detect flowers for pollination, and then spray pollen with high precision. To achieve these tasks, drone flight accuracy by positioning is required. Conventional outdoor drones fly using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), which receives signals from satellites and estimates their position. However, conventional positioning methods have an error of several meters to tens of meters from the indicated route. When flying drones in a pear field, as they need to fly through narrow spaces between trees with an accuracy of tens of centimeters or less, flight control is critical. In this study, in addition to GNSS position information, real time kinematic (RTK), which performs positioning correction at the ground station, was used to achieve positioning within a few centimeters in the pear field. We examined the principle of positioning and developed a positioning system using RTK and the flight experiment of a drone. Actual flight experiments were conducted, and it was verified that the flight error was 40 cm, which would allow flight in an actual pear orchard.