GERALD SCHEFFELS, IVT INTERNATIONAL
Cable-free comms
Connectivity is a big issue in
all kinds of mobile machines,
and agricultural machines are the
most advanced in this respect.
One reason is that communication
between the towing machine and its
implements is useful. Since its
beginnings in 2001 to 2005, the
ISObus has become a well
established protocol to fulfil this
task. It is defined in ISO 11783, the
typical connector is now a familiar
sight and the manufacturers of
machines and implements make
use of this standard.
As many signals and protocols in
industry have gone wireless in
recent years, the question is: Will
ISObus follow this trend? The first
and obvious advantage in handling
would be a gain in operating
comfort: no more handling of plugs
and cables. Just a touch on the
screen in the cab – and the seeding
or fertilizing attachment is
connected or disconnected.
A wider scope
In fact, within the ISObus
consortium AEF (Agricultural
Industry Electronics Foundation),
representing more than 220 member
companies, there is a Project Team
(No. 11) working on Wireless Infield
Communication. But its scope is
much wider that just replacing the
well-known round plug connector
with a wireless interface.
“We have created several use
cases. One is the wireless data
exchange between, for instance,
a harvester or a forage harvester
and the transport vehicles that
accompany these machines,” says
Norbert Schlingmann, general
manager of AEF. The
communication in this and other
use cases will include oversight via
the farm management information
system (FMIS).
“We are not just aiming at the
wireless transfer of machine data,”
says Schlingmann. “Instead, we want
42 iVTInternational.com September 2019
to create the pre-requisite for
data exchange via radio signals
between all machines in the field
and the FMIS.”
This includes the transfer of the
harvester’s sensor data which
measures, for instance, the starch
content of the forage. “In this case,
the farmers – and, if necessary, their
customers – are immediately
informed not only about quantities
but also the quality of the harvest,”
says Schlingmann.
In the other direction of the
information chain, jobs could be
created in the FMIS, exercised and
the ‘job done’ message – including
the results in terms of quality,
quantity, time etc. – resent to the
FMIS and processed. The result
would be a seamless digital flow
of information, including process
data and signals from cameras
and terminals. To create the
necessary pre-requisities within the
infrastructure, the AEF is currently
Cloud-based comms,
as envisaged here
by Continental, are
already available, but
standardization and wireless
implement control will take
connectivity to the next level
WHEN AIRBORNE SIGNALS REPLACE CABLES AND MEMORY CARDS
COMMUNICATION IS EASIER. THE ISOBUS CONSORTIUM AEF IS DEVELOPING
TECHNOLOGIES FOR SEAMLESS – AND WIRELESS – DATA INTEGRATION BETWEEN
VEHICLES, FMIS, AND EVEN BETWEEN TRACTORS AND IMPLEMENTS THEMSELVES
/iVTInternational.com
