Abstract:Aiming to enhance the operational adaptability of transplanters in hilly and mountainous terrain, as well as improve the quality and stability of their performance on slopes, a leveling control system based on super-twisting sliding mode active disturbance rejection control (STSMC-ADRC) was proposed for a previously developed transplanter. This system enabled real-time lateral leveling control of the transplanter operating along contour lines. A mathematical model of the servo-electric cylinder control was established according to the overall structure and leveling control principle of the transplanter to describe and analyze the dynamic performance indicators of the system. Based on the mathematical model of the servo-electric cylinder, which provided the driving force for leveling the transplanter, a super-twisting sliding mode active disturbance rejection controller was designed. Lyapunov stability analysis was conducted for the designed controller in combination with the established control system. A co-simulation platform using Matlab/Simulink and ADAMS was constructed to compare the performance of the proposed STSMC-ADRC with classical PID control and active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) under static conditions. The results indicated that under static leveling conditions, the leveling time with ADRC was approximately 29.5% shorter than that with PID control, while the STSMC-ADRC strategy reduced the leveling time by approximately 46.3% compared with PID control. Finally, static single-side bridge tests and field dynamic tests were conducted. The dynamic test results demonstrated that the STSMC-ADRC control algorithm performed the best in experiments conducted at speeds of 0.2m/s, 0.3m/s, and 0.4m/s, with root mean square errors of 0.77°, 1.94°, and 2.32°, respectively, outperforming both ADRC and PID control algorithms.