Optimal guidance track generation for precision agriculture: A review of coverage path planning techniques

The Complete Coverage Path Planning (CCPP) problem is a subfield of industrial motion planning that has applications in various domains, ranging from mobile robotics to treatment applications. Especially in precision agriculture with a high level of automation, the use of CCPP techniques is essential for efficient resource utilization, reduced soil compaction, and increased yields. This paper reviews the CCPP problem in the context of machines operating in agricultural fields and proposes a methodological approach consisting of three steps: Generating the Guidance Tracks (i.e., the track system along which the path should be oriented), determining the traversing sequence through these tracks, and planning a smooth and drivable path. This paper provides an in-depth review of optimization-based approaches that deal with the first step, the generation of the guidance track system. Thereby, a comprehensive and pedagogical approach for the generation of guidance tracks for arbitrarily shaped two-dimensional regions of interest is provided, along with an overview and detailed elaboration on different exact cellular decomposition techniques found in literature. Furthermore, cost functions are outlined for the different approaches presented in this work, which are utilized to generate optimal guidance tracks. Finally, this survey serves as an introductory guide for research and practitioners to solve the CCPP problem effectively and efficiently.