Spraying operation is one of the most essential in an orchard management and it is also hazardous to human body. for automatic and unmanned spraying , an autonomous travelling vehicle is demanded. In this study, a telemeter was developed using infrared beam which could detect trunks and obstacles measure distance and direction from the vehicle travelling in the orchard. The telemeter system was composed of two infrared LED transmitters and receivers, a beam scanning device for continuous object detection , two rotary encoders for angle detector, and a beam level controller for uneven soil surface. The detected distance and direction signal s were sent to personal computer which made for the system display the angular and distance measurements through I/O board. According to a field test in an apple farm, the system detected up to 10m distance under 12 V of transmitted beam intensity, however, it was recommended that the proper beam transmit intensity be 7 v at the 10 m distance, because of the negative effect to human body at 12 V. The error rate of this system was 0.92 % when the actual distance was compared to measured one. The system was feasible at the small error rate. The developed telemeter system was an important part for autonomous travelling vehicle provided the real time object recognition . A direction control system could be constructed suing the system. It is expected that the system could greatly contribute to the development of autonomous farm vehicle.
