Harvest time for data – sensor technology in agriculture 4.0

The increasing availability of information and new technologies has already changed many areas of agriculture. The road to Agriculture 4.0 is now underway – and it begins with sensors that supply intelligent systems with the necessary data.

The biggest challenge for sensor technology in agriculture is the working environment: vibration, dirt and liquids. The NCTE’s sensor experts have developed their own technology for this: Torque sensors based on elastic magnetostriction. A “receiver” detects the changes in the magnetic field and evaluates them. The measurement is completely contact-free and functions under the most difficult conditions, for example, even under high vibrations or temperatures. Even oils and harvest juices do not influence the magnetic field measurement.

The sensors measure loads and load changes in real time directly on the shaft. With these signals, manufacturers can set up a control loop and thus ensure a demand-optimized and efficient adjustment of their machines.

The NCTE sensors have a wide range of applications in agriculture:

• Monitoring: The sensor system monitors the operating status and determines the wear on the machine in order to minimize downtimes (“predictive maintenance”).
• Control: The torque signal is used as a control variable, for example to optimise the discharge quantity in fertiliser spreaders or to adjust the baler for maximum throughput of the crop (hay/grass/straw).
• Savings: Torque sensors can replace existing sensor solutions. So you do not need a permanent scale in the fertiliser spreader if you know the initial filling and the actual consumption, measured via the torque. The machine can also be operated in the ideal working range and thus use the fuel efficiently.
• Development: The torque sensors can check calculations/assumptions in actual operating conditions. Be it a design adaptation on a tine in the rotary harrow or the design of a drive shaft. Here the standard sensor of the 7000 series (link to series) is often used. This sensor can be easily and flexibly connected to the tractor via PTO shaft adapters. The evaluation is done with the USB option Plug & Play via a laptop directly in the tractor.