Providing measured position data for agricultural machinery

Agricultural machinery and vehicles require position data for guidance and to control implements for optimal working positions. Position data are also needed for such applications as precision farming. The necessary accuracy, resolution and frequency of position data vary according to the specific application. Only one system, installed at a central vehicle (e.g. the tractor), should provide position data for each task. The basic concept for the proposed central system is that position data are calculated in accordance with the application and transferred directly to the point at which they will be used. The paper describes the fundamentals of measurement and calculation of position data, and gives a short introduction to the existing agricultural networks to transfer these data. It concentrates on a proposal for a network service to provide and transfer position data. The solution discussed is based on the agricultural BUS (DIN 9684, ISO 11783). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.