Home // International Journal On Advances in Systems and Measurements, volume 13, numbers 1 and 2, 2020 // View article
Authors:
Paulo E. Cruvinel
Heitor V. Mercaldi
Pedro B. Andrade
Elmer A. G. Penãloza
Keywords: Real-time processing; Failure and reliability; Calibration of sensors; Agricultural sprayers; Decision-making support; CAN bus; Precision farming.
Abstract:
This paper presents a method for the operational analysis of agricultural sprayers based on their smart sensor devices. It is becoming increasingly necessary to study a sprayer’s reliability, which is one of the major concerns in real-world agricultural machinery during field operation. A method is thus presented in this study for the verification of the reliability and indication of the failure of an agricultural spraying system using smart sensors, a microcontroller, and a controller area network protocol for communication and data analysis. Smart sensors were used for sensing the pressure, flow of pesticides, and temperature for the spray quality control evaluation. These smart sensors play an important role in supporting variable control, and they should not only be operating correctly but should also ensure the verification of application quality, which depends on the correct rate of pesticide application for pest control. Furthermore, these smart sensors were embedded in the main parts of the sprayer machine. Such a system facilitates the real-time and low-cost periodic verification of the sensors’ calibration as well as the evaluation of the entire operation, in addition to indicating necessary corrections and sensor replacements. Such an innovative system would play a strategic role in allowing users to appropriate such knowledge and decrease the measurement errors in variables that are directly related to pest-control efficiency as well as reduce the resulting impact on the environment.
Pages: 161 to 174
Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2020. Used with permission.
Publication date: June 30, 2020
Published in: journal
ISSN: 1942-261x