- Mobile industry
- Ground speed management
Why ground speed monitoring matters for mobile machines

Monitoring the ground speed of mobile machinery and equipment is critical in industries such as construction, agriculture, and railways. This practice aids in preventing accidents, optimizing operating speeds, and minimizing fuel consumption. By leveraging advanced ground speed monitoring technologies, users can achieve safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly operations.
By maintaining optimal operating speeds, operators can avoid hazardous situations, improve workflow precision, and achieve uniform planting, spraying, and harvesting.
Ensure operator safety by preventing accidents
- Avoid hazardous situations that could lead to injuries.
- For example, heavy constuction equipment is often used in potentially dangerous environments.
Enhance efficiency and productivity
- Optimal operating speed and precise control maintains a smooth workflow.
- For example in agriculture, this can lead to more unifom planting, spraying, and harvesting, ultimately improving yield and quality.
Reduce enviornmental impact
- Optimizing speed minimizes fuel consumption and provides a smaller carbon footprint.
Reduce mechanical wear and tear
- Extend the lifetime of the vehicle while reducing maintenance costs.
Enable operators to make data-driven, informed decisions
- With real-time data, operators can adjust strategies to address issues promptly.
There are many ways to monitor ground speed of mobile equipment, including radar ground speed sensors, econder-based wheel speed sensors, and inductive sensors to monitor the rotational speed of motors or wheels.
Radar | Encoders | Inductive sensors | |
---|---|---|---|
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Principle of operation |
Emit radio waves and detect reflections to determine object, then analyze Doppler shifts between sensor and object to determine velocity |
Convert rotational motion into digital signals. An electrical counter that counts each full revolution of the shaft and the exact position within a single revolution can be read. |
Detect metal object such as teeth on a gear or cam on any rotational parts. Sensor switches on every time it sees a target and forming pulsed output. |
Direct output of ground speed | ![]() |
No | No |
Location information provided | No | No | No |
Bi-directional speed measurement | ![]() |
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No |
Accuracy | ![]() |
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Range | ![]() |
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All-weather, all-location | ![]() |
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All-terrain | ![]() |
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Cost | $$$ | $$ | $ |
R1D201 Radar sensor |
Encoders | Inductive sensors |
* Even terrain will provide good accuracy, but on uneven terrain, the technology cannot detect slippage and accuracy suffers.