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A tractor, sprayer or feeding system works in dust, moisture and wide temperature swings, and in barns also in the presence of ammonia. Machines operate away from wired networks and cannot afford downtime during the season. The design therefore depends on accurate positioning, connectivity in the field, resistance to moisture and stable power from the on-board supply.
The content follows the work of a farm from field to barn: machine navigation, data transfer, indoor climate, mechanical sensing, power and connectivity. The topic covers autonomous vehicle steering, animal husbandry and feeding, barn ventilation, wildlife tracking, seed monitoring and drones.
The quad-band Quectel LG290P GNSS module with RTK support is designed for automatic tractor steering and precise sprayer guidance. A board from the development kits for communication modules range lets you evaluate it. For the cab roof, 2J Antennas antennas are a good fit, such as the 9-in-1 combination type for 5G, Wi-Fi 6E and GNSS rated IP67. Maps and data in the cab are processed by a compact AAEON BOXER box PC with an Intel N97 processor and a -20 to 70 °C range.
Data from sensors with an RS485 interface is transmitted by a USR IoT modem that connects the serial line to a 4G LTE network. The manufacturer also supplies a 4G LTE router with Wi-Fi, an RS485 port and LAN and WAN ports, all in the network components category. For large plots, LoRaWAN is a good choice, and you can try it on the IMST demonstration gateway in the 868 MHz band. The operator card and memory fit into combined Attend holders for Nano SIM and microSD.
Air quality in a barn is revealed by the carbon dioxide concentration. It is measured by the calibrated Sensirion SCD4x NDIR sensor from our gas sensors range, up to 40 000 ppm. Temperature is sensed by the Sensirion STS4x with ±0.4 °C accuracy, while dust, humidity and other parameters are evaluated with the SEN66 test kit. The output of ebm-papst EC fans is set by an IP54 speed controller from the accessories for fans category.
The rotation of wheels, arms or height-adjustable attachments is measured by the contactless Hall effect Piher PST-360 rotary angle sensor over 0 to 360° with ±1 % accuracy. End positions and covers are monitored by a Marquardt microswitch rated IP67 with an operating temperature of -40 to 85 °C.
Control units on the machine are fed by an on-board supply with large voltage fluctuations. Local voltages of 3.3 to 12 V are derived from it by TRACOPOWER TSR non-isolated POL regulators, which accept up to 36 V and deliver 2 or 3 A. The unit logic can run on a Geehy APM32F103 microcontroller with a Cortex-M3 core and CAN interface. The bus is galvanically isolated by HopeRF isolators rated at 3 750 Vrms.
Outdoor connections on the machine or in the barn are protected by Attend circular industrial connectors with a 5/8" bayonet lock and IP67 rating, which can be wired directly in the field. Cable harnesses are joined by TE SUPERSEAL rectangular connectors rated IP67, while the mains inlet is handled by a Schurter C14 connector rated IP54 or IP67. The electronics fit into a Hammond 1557 ABS plastic enclosure rated IP66.
The status of a feeding system or machine is shown by a 2" Display Visions TFT module, a 5" 4D Systems intelligent display with capacitive touch or a 2.42" Winstar OLED module. Audible signals come from Sonitron piezoceramic speakers at 80 to 91 dB, which can be driven by the Sonitron PAA stereo amplifier.
Whether you are developing an on-board unit, a feeding automat or barn monitoring, our engineers will advise you on suitable components. We are happy to send selected products as samples. Tell us about your agricultural project and we will prepare a component proposal.
