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Design and validation of an electronic data logging systems (CAN Bus) for monitoring machinery performance and management- Planting application

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  2018 ASABE Annual International Meeting  1800964.(doi:10.13031/aim.201800964)
Authors:   Firas S Al-Aani, Mathew J Darr, Levi J Powell, Benjamin R Covington
Keywords:   CAN Bus, Planting, Topography, Tractor performance

Abstract. Advancements in communications technology dedicated to farm machinery have helped the agriculture industry cultivate more land and manage water resources more effectively in order to meet the food productions needs of a growing world population. A controller area network (CAN) binary unit system (Bus) tracks the performance and efficiency of agricultural machinery units on a continuous, real-time basis on flat, uphill, and downhill lands. In this study, a CAN Bus system was utilized to optimize and evaluate a high-speed John Deere field planter in terms of the following parameters; fuel consumption, unit speed, and engine load. Based upon different tractor-planter configurations on flat and sloping terrains, the analyses demonstrated that both ground speed and slope angle have significant effects on the studied parameters. Findings proposed that an increase in unit speed was associated with increased levels of fuel rate. Also, results showed that Engine percent load was generally lowest for declined terrain, whereas the values of engine percent load were highest for inclined terrain. This unique and powerful technology enables users to make better decisions and maximize mechanization performance for different agricultural operations and various ground surface conditions. When compared to traditional methods of measuring of agricultural mechanization, CAN Bus technologies provide real-time monitoring and safer, more reliable measurements results.

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