Mobile automation

Our report on the topic of autonomous machines examines the growing role that self-driving machines are playing in boosting agricultural productivity. For autonomous equipment to perform its tasks autonomously, it needs data from a variety of sensors. The Automation PC for outdoor use can collect large amounts of data from multiple agricultural machines and forward it to higher-level systems.

A tractor and combine, for example, can share information about their respective speeds and load capacities. When agricultural machines are able to exchange information, they become more effective in the field.

Agricultural work is synonymous with rain, dirt, heat and vibrations. Yet even under these adverse conditions, it's crucial that operator panels ensure reliable operation. A die-cast aluminum housing provides mechanical stability, and the multi-touch display can be used even in the rain.

Operator panels 

Manufacturers of agricultural and construction machinery face the challenge of implementing intelligent (semi)autonomous machine functions quickly and maintaining them long term. B&R continues to open up new possibilities in the automation of mobile machinery with its modular X90 control and I/O system. The system’s comprehensive set of standardized components is perfect for implementing flexible automation concepts.

Flexible means they are able to choose controllers from a range of performance classes – ensuring consistent solutions for basic to high-end machines.

A variety of option boards for the X90 makes it easy to connect sensors, transmit diagnostics data or control stepper motors directly.

The European Machinery Directive and the topic of safety in general are increasingly relevant for manufacturers of mobile machinery. A risk chart like the one shown in our report on safety for mobile machinery is an important tool for analyzing risk and determining the level of safety technology required. To avoid the added cost of developing safety solutions in-house, many of them seek assistance from a reliable technology partner.

X90 safety controller 

As we all know, unscheduled downtime can be seriously costly. Our report on predictive maintenance takes a look at how these costs can be kept to a minimum with state-of-the-art analytics and maintenance. B&R's options board for condition monitoring utilizes vibration data to detect damage early, so it can be repaired before it causes equipment failure.

Option boards 

B&R offers a certified ISOBUS stack and corresponding toolchain for connecting tractors and implements. ISOBUS is a CAN-based communication protocol that enables machines from different manufacturers to exchange data. The ISOBUS stack from B&R covers all the relevant aspects of the ISOBUS standard.

• Highlights
• Vendor-independent communication between agricultural machines
• Simulation tools for efficient project development
• Certified hardware

mapp Technology is revolutionizing the development of application software in the field of automation. Modular software components simplify the development of new programs and accelerate the development time for machine software by a factor of three.

Automation Studio is B&R's integrated software development environment with tools for all phases of a project. Controllers, drives, communication equipment and HMI devices can all be configured in one environment. That reduces both integration time and maintenance costs when developing new construction machinery. Automation Studio allows PLC programming in all IEC 61131-3 languages, in CFC and C, as well as object-oriented programming in C++.