Abstract:The tracked potato combine harvester features a small turning radius, strong passability, and low ground pressure, making it increasingly popular in potato harvesting operations.In order to improve the intelligence level of tracked potato combine harvester and reduce the labor intensity in the process of potato harvest, the Hongzhu 4ULZ-110 model tracked potato combine harvester was used as the experimental platform, an auxiliary driving operation system for tracked potato combine harvester was designed,and electro-hydraulic control of the harvester’s steering mechanism and digging mechanism was achieved by installing electronic proportional valves.Building upon a heading deviation PD controller, a proportional term for lateral deviation was incorporated and a control delay compensation feedforward term adaptive to driving speed was introduced, resulting in a composite feedforward + feedback path tracking control algorithm.Straight-line path tracking control experiments on cement roads and dry land were conducted at speeds of 0.55m/s, 0.83m/s and 1.11m/s, respectively. Additionally, assisted driving harvesting operations were performed at speed of 0.55m/s in the potato planting fields in Jiaozhou. The experimental results demonstrated that the designed auxiliary driving operation system for the potato harvester functions was reliable. The maximum absolute lateral deviation during the harvesting operation was 5.10cm, with an average absolute deviation of 2.00cm, showcasing good stability and straight-line path tracking accuracy during harvesting travel, meeting the requirements for field operations of the potato harvester.