IT-based agricultural engineering and technology place high demands on mobile automation. Agricultural machinery is about bringing high-tech systems to the field. Control components and bus systems need to have a particularly robust design if they are to brave the rough conditions in agriculture.
A main focus of the mobile automation business area is the automation of agricultural machinery. Automation in this field is still a far cry from automation in machines and manufacturing processes, where ECKELMANN has more than 30 years of experience.
What is missing in the majority of cases, particularly in bus technology, is a homogeneous automation environment with established standards. As a result, there are historically developed islands of automation that are insufficiently networked with each other.
One of the foremost goals of ECKELMANN’s solutions is to replace highly upgraded yet confusing tractor cabins with a uniform operating and control concept that has a high level of operating convenience.
The control components and the fieldbus need to be very robust and must at least fulfil the requirements of protection class IP 67. Also, the components must be able to withstand extreme operating temperatures from -20 to 65°C.
- Fertiliser distributors
Agricultural technology that relies on standards
Mobile automation that uses standards offers greater freedom for a flexible and homogeneous automation. Agricultural machine manufacturers can thus benefit from the trend towards standardisation. Our strategy is to rely, right from the beginning, on established standards such as the development environment CoDeSys® V3 and the manufacturer-independent ISOBUS (ISO 11783, serial control and communications data network). If they desire it, customers are in this way capable of programming their applications themselves and remain independent of any specific hardware.
The robust ISOBUS system connects all tractor accessories such as sowing machinery, crop sprayers and fertiliser distributors. All devices can be controlled via a central operator terminal with a uniform and user-friendly operating concept. The ISOBUS is the basis for decentralised automation. If, for instance, a fertiliser distributor is connected, the central operator terminal accesses the application-specific user interface immediately during the controlling. Returning to basic functions and information offers the farmer relief in operating the machine.
Precise dosing of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides
A key task of automation in agricultural engineering is the controlled distribution of seed, fertilisers and pesticides. The right dosing makes for both a more productive and ecological agriculture.
As an OEM partner, ECKELMANN has developed a controller for a fertiliser distributor from Rauch. The open automation concept admits of the integration of, for instance, navigation systems (GPS), which make data for precision farming available.
Mobile automation also helps to increase the energy efficiency of agricultural machinery, for instance, by need-based traction control. A current trend is to replace power take-offs with high-performance electrical motors that drive the accessories. Here, too, intelligent automation concepts are in demand. With mobile automation from ECKELMANN, agricultural machine manufacturers are in a good position to brave these developments. ECKELMANN AG is a Competence Center ISOBUS e.V. (CCI) member.
- Consistent use of standards (CoDeSys®, ISOBUS)
- Manufacturer-independent automation solutions for agricultural machinery
- Decentralised automation
- Uniform and simple operation