- Mobile market segments
- Agricultural equipment
Automation in agriculture equipment
On the field or in the forest, mobile machines are exposed to extreme operating conditions and external influences. With its ecomatmobile portfolio, ifm offers robust controllers, HMIs, I/O modules, and sensors designed specifically for these applications.
Increased efficiency & precision:
Technology like GPS-guided systems and sensors allow for customization of farming practices based on specific field conditions. This creates quicker and more accurate processes.
Increase in food production:
Automated systems in precision farming optimize yield by using monitoring tools and operating continuously, thereby reducing the impact of weather constraints and time limitations. This leads to increased productivity and faster task completion, especially during critical periods like planting and harvesting.
Data driven decisions:
Record any field event in real time with sensors and monitoring systems. This data can be used to make informed decisions about crop management or resource allocation, enhancing overall performance.
Sustainability enhancement & cost reductions:
Sensor data and remote monitoring of irrigation systems allow for precise control. Reduce water and chemical usage by delivering these resources to specific areas based on soil moisture, weather conditions, and crop requirements.
Improved safety:
Reduce human exposure to hazardous materials such as pesticides and hot-weather, labor intensive tasks.
Overcome labor shortages:
Reduce the need for manual human labor with automated equipment.
Slurry spreader
Slurry spreaders are used to fertilize large areas of farmland quickly and cost-effectively. They are either built as trailers or as independent vehicles that can cover a field with slurry. The slurry is spread close to the soil via slurry hoses attached to lateral booms. To ensure correct boom positioning and precise opening and closing of the valves, our customer relies on powerful automation using decentralized I/O modules and a central mobile controller.
Toolbar
The tractor toolbar is a versatile accessory, integrating various cultivation tools like cultivating disks and fertilizer applicators. This minimizes costs and time for tasks like pre-planting preparation. It can also combine a furrowing machine, planter, and fertilizer applicator in one pass. Customization options include different sizes and designs (e.g., 3-point dragline bars, front-fold toolbars, and side dress bars).
Necessary functionalities include sections that can be folded and raised. Hydraulic systems are used for weight management, pressure control, and flexibility.
Sensing
Industrial sensors ensure precise control in planting, applicating or harvesting.
- Pressure: Designed for hydraulic and pneumatic applications, they excel in high shock, vibration, and pressure resistance. With outstanding measurement dynamics and a rapid step response time, they promptly and reliably react to fast pressure changes, offering high repeatability and electromagnetic stability.
- Position: Inductive sensors, designed to ensure highest shock and vibration resistance, reduce failures from mechanical damage with extended sensing range. Inclination sensors measure the angle of an object in relation to gravity to determine the pitch and/or roll angle.
- Flow rates: Switches and transmitters are available to provide flow alarms or real-time flow rates in compact and robust housings with no mechanical components.
Control
Accurately control the activity on the implements by interfacing with the hydraulics and electronics.
- Hardened PLCs: Provide more computing power, stability, and reliability. Automate functions with multifunctional I/O configuration. Two independent processors allow your machine to be SIL 2 certified.
- HMI controllers: HMI controllers have an integrated PLC to display vehicle information and process the application program and device functions.
- ISOBUS: Simplifies interfacing by reducing installation time when connecting to tractors.
Challenges
In 2023, the world population surpassed eight billion people, leading to increased demand for food and resources. Climate change further compounds this challenge, affecting the production of nutritious food products. With rising resource demand, there is also an increased need for efficient farming equipment.
To stay competitive, equipment must be updated with the latest technology. Retrofitting older machinery with new hardware, like cameras, sensors, and I/O, involves adding a new display to the cab, requiring additional wiring and complicating integration.
ifm can eliminate control boxes and reduce displays in cabs, consolidating information and adding more diagnostic functionality without the need for additional displays. This ultimately simplifies wiring and integration, enabling quicker equipment manufacturing to expedite the production and delivery of machines.
Labor concerns and efficiency
Despite the growing demand for resources, there is a decline in the desire of young people to pursue careers in farming, leading to labor shortages in the agriculture sector. The biggest issue arising in the agriculture industry is that there are not as many skilled farmers. The National Agriculture Statistical Service’s Farm Labor Survey (NASS FLS) reported a 73% decline in self-employed and family farmworkers from 1950 to 2000, with hired farm hands decreasing by 52% within the same time. To address labor shortages, automation is crucial, allowing machines to run autonomously or instruct operators.
Investments in innovative automation technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), weeding robots, and autonomous tractors aim to maintain and increase yields despite the decline in help. Automated farming equipment enables less-experienced operators as the machinery provides precise instructions, reducing the risk of errors.
Sustainability
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Water conservation practices: Automated systems support water conservation practices such as drip irrigation and micro-irrigation, which deliver water directly to the plant roots. These methods minimize water loss through evaporation and runoff.
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Automation technologies: Automation helps farmers reduce waste released into the environment and decrease their use of pesticides, fertilizer and other chemicals employed in crop cultivation and harvesting, resulting in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
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From combustion engines to electric vehicles: Electric vehicles and equipment contribute to reduced greenhouse emissions, decreased dependency of fossil fuels, reduced oil spills, and extended vehicle lifespan.
Product features
- Withstand extreme conditions: Slurry, water, permanent condensation, or dirt are no problems. The special mechanical design of the housing and a reliable sealing concept prevent the penetration of moisture.
- Wide temperature range: ifm's control components are designed for use in all climate zones, enduring extreme weather conditions including freezing cold and blazing heat. All sensors and controllers must prove their resistance in cyclical temperature shock tests.
- Rated for permanent shock & vibration: Sensors designed for mobile applications are fully potted to withstand continuous vibrations and extreme impact. Special vibration protection secures connectors against unintended loosening.
- EMC tested: The complex electronics are protected against electromagnetic interference.
- PWM outputs: Modern mobile machines rely heavily on hydraulic systems for various functions, with electronic valve and pump control now standard. ifm's ecomatmobile system offers current-controlled PWM outputs and optimized control functions, creating a manufacturer-independent interface between hydraulics and electronics.
Mobile-compatible system solutions for efficient agriculture
Mobile IoT ensures operational machine data transmission and remote maintenance. It allows direct access to the machine without time-consuming service interruptions.
I/O modules with CAN interface connect binary and analog sensors and actuators to the mobile controller. The decentralized installation of the units reduces wiring complexity. This results in greater operational reliability and easier operability of the agricultural or forestry machine.
ISOBUS gateway for agricultural equipment
ISOBUS is a standardized communication protocol widely used in agricultural machinery. ifm's ISOBUS gateway, CR3121, enables easy integration of ISOBUS functionalities in the control program of an implement for agricultural equipment.
When paired with the Universal Terminal (Virtual Terminal), the connected tractor implement is automatically detected, eliminating the need for manual entry and reducing the risk of errors. The Universal Terminal is equipped with various interfaces for all implements connectable to the tractor. When the CR3121 is utilized alongside ifm's ioControl or hardened PLC, communication is reliable, and implementation becomes straightforward. Using the CR3121 simplifies the data movement from the implement to the precision farming data management systems (field mapping, etc.). ifm aids in data collection and management.
