LiDAR Based Localisation in Almond Orchards

In this paper we present an approach to tree recognition and localisation in orchard environments for tree-crop applications. The method builds on the natural structure of the orchard by first segmenting the data into individual trees using a Hidden Semi-Markov Model. Second, a descriptor for representing the characteristics of the trees is introduced, allowing a Hidden Markov Model based matching method to associate new observations with an existing map of the orchard. The localisation method is evaluated on a dataset collected in an almond orchard, showing good performance and robustness both to segmentation errors and measurement noise.