Data communication Precision farming systems for agricultural engineering

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Automated systems maximize efficiency and yields in the cultivation of large agricultural areas. The means can range from tractor-implement applications based on Isobus to fully autonomous processes. The automation specialists at STW are experts in all challenges relating to the efficient use of automation systems in agricultural technology.

Maximizing crop yields is the goal of every farmer. The development departments of agricultural machinery manufacturers are taking this maxim into account and introducing ever larger and more complex machines to the market. This is because the goal of harvesting as much grain, fruit, vegetables or other agricultural produce as possible goes hand in hand with the need for maximum precision. Precision farming is the defining term of recent years. This requires high-performance control technology that evaluates the measured values recorded by the sensors and passes them on to the implement's actuators in order to ensure that the cultivated area is worked as required. This ensures that resources are used as efficiently as possible.

Many agricultural applications require interaction between the tractor and attachment. This makes the exchange of sensor and control data even more challenging, especially as tractor manufacturers and implement manufacturers are often not the same. This is where the Isobus comes into play as a manufacturer-neutral standard for communication between agricultural vehicles and implements.

Fast standard for data communication

The Isobus standard offers many advantages, from improved efficiency and productivity to increased ease of use thanks to implement functions that can be operated directly from the tractor cab. The AEF (Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation), the organization behind the Isobus standard, is currently working on the introduction of High-Speed Isobus. This extension of the standard interface will enable much faster data communication and allow much larger data streams to be exchanged efficiently and directly between the vehicle and implement than was previously possible.

This offers enormous potential for innovative technologies, such as Tractor Implement Management (TIM). It enables bidirectional communication between tractor and implement. Until now, the tractor implement was the leading element in the agricultural process. The operator's commands were passed on to the trailed implement via the on-board electronics and the Isobus interface, and the actuators acted in accordance with these inputs.

Sensors and controls guide the process

With the help of TIM, the implement's sensors and control architecture now take control of the process. The intelligence of the trailed implement tells the tractor how much power is required or the optimum speed to drive over the area to be cultivated. This makes the process more efficient and maximizes crop yields.

TIM relieves the machine operator, who can now concentrate fully on controlling and monitoring the overall process, as repetitive and monotonous tasks are carried out automatically. The variance in the result achieved, which otherwise depends on the know-how and experience of the operator, is minimized. Typical applications that particularly benefit from Tractor Implement Management include the automated adjustment of the width and depth of plowing work. With the BCX.4cs-ag, STW offers a powerful on-board control unit that acts as a controller and central electrical system and supports tractor implement management via Isobus, as well as being able to switch and control larger loads such as lights and motors. The mobile controller ESX.4cl-ag also supports high-speed Isobus.

High-performance computing for autonomous processes

Highly automated machines with autonomous work processes go even further in terms of maximizing efficiency. Humans are largely taken out of the equation as a factor in the success of the process. Self-driving harvesting vehicles that drive across fields based on GPS routes have been on the market for many years. They can now be further supported by AI-supported assistance systems that promise the highest possible harvest yield. For example, STW is working on a development project for a 360-degree bird's eye view camera system with integrated person and object recognition. On the one hand, this means greater safety for all people and animals in the field, but also greater safety for the machines, as collisions and therefore costly repairs are avoided. Especially during the time-critical harvesting process, such downtimes can have far-reaching economic consequences.

The hardware basis for this system is provided by the high-performance computer HPX, which STW has developed for such highly demanding AI applications. The HPX uses the latest innovations from chip manufacturers to offer maximum performance.

Cloud connection and digitalization

However, the computing power on the machines is finite, even with the most powerful control units. One approach to overcoming this limit is the use of edge or cloud computing. Leading agricultural machinery manufacturers are already using services such as Amazon Web Services to improve production processes and outsource big data processing. They offer the advantage of being able to continuously collect gigabytes of data from countless sources and can be scaled flexibly.

STW has demonstrated in a proof of concept how the interaction of powerful computer architectures on mobile machines and stationary surveillance cameras with the help of a 5G edge computing infrastructure realizes assistance functions. In this scenario, STW uses the HPX as a high-performance computer on the machines, which pre-processes video data and sends it to the cloud via the STW communication module TCG-4. The system also takes into account additional data from the surrounding infrastructure, for example from surveillance cameras. By using 5G transmission technology, very high data rates and low latency times and real-time capability could be guaranteed. This enabled the study partners to combine and channel a large amount of heterogeneous data from mixed fleets of machines and devices as well as external data suppliers and use it to make decisions for automated or autonomous processes.

In agricultural engineering, this approach offers the potential to network machine fleets that are made up of a wide variety of brands and manufacturers. As such a system has no local restrictions, supra-regional solutions for field logistics can be implemented that optimize the complex processes of farm management.

STW sees itself as a cooperative partner to agricultural machinery manufacturers and provides support both in the development of customized solutions and in the implementation of the systems. Thanks to participation in a large number of cross-manufacturer research projects, machine manufacturers always benefit from the latest scientific findings and can work with STW to develop innovative systems that offer them a competitive advantage.