Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

Point One Navigation expands Polaris RTK location network to South Korea

Image: Point One Navigation

Image: Point One Navigation

Point One Navigation has expanded its Polaris real-time kinematic (RTK) location network to South Korea.

The network is set to provide comprehensive coverage throughout the country. Existing Polaris customers can use the South Korean integration to enhance the precision and efficiency of their location-based projects.

Polaris offers centimeter-level accurate GNSS positioning with accuracy ranging from 1 cm to 10 cm, which makes it ideal for challenging environments, such as urban areas with limited sky view. Unlike standard GNSS systems — which face position uncertainty due to atmospheric signal delay, satellite orbit variation, clock drift and signal multipath — the Polaris network counters these issues using additional information from compact base stations.

Point One’s FusionEngine software further integrates inertial measurement, wheel odometry and additional sensors to achieve the desired level of precision in the complete absence of satellite signals.

The Polaris network with FusionEngine software can be used as a precision location service for autonomy and robotics applications. Polaris supports all major GNSS constellations and has an extremely dense global network of base stations that cover the United States, Europe, New Zealand, South Korea, and parts of Canada and Australia.

Developers can integrate the Polaris RTK network and FusionEngine software using GraphQL API. The network can be built into demanding applications such as industrial autonomy, precision agriculture, logistics and delivery, robots and advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS).

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

The rearview camera and the head-up display

Matteo Luccio

Matteo Luccio

On December 5, in Houston, at a reception hosted by the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation to celebrate GPS’ 50th anniversary, I had the honor of publicly interviewing Dr. Bradford Parkinson for 45 minutes. When I asked him how GPS today differs from the design that emerged from the Lonely Halls meeting he chaired 50 years ago this past September, he replied, proudly, that “there is no fundamental difference.” Recently, he recalled, he pulled out for the first time in 20 years a handheld Trimble EnsignGPS — “It was one of those little devices that got shipped to the Iraq War,” he noted —, cleaned its contacts, changed its batteries, turned it on, and was immediately able to navigate. “The point of the story,” Parkinson said, “is that evidently it still works.”

When I asked him what he considered to be the most significant impact of GPS on society, he said it was “also probably the most perilous: kids today just take it for granted. They know where they are.”

Taking GPS for granted, however, is not limited to kids today. It is a pervasive attitude throughout our society, including sectors of the federal government that ought to know better. That is why a recurrent theme throughout the 29th meeting of the National Space-Based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board, on December 6 and 7, which I attended, was raising the alarm about the fact that GPS is falling behind Galileo and BeiDou.

“We must attack this mindset [that GPS is] the Gold Standard and everything is OK. It is not OK,” said Admiral Thad Allan, a former Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, who chairs the PNT Advisory Board. Perhaps, he suggested, it is time to declare that GPS is only meeting “the Pewter Standard” for GNSS. “That will get the attention of somebody who does not understand this.”

Parkinson, in emphasizing the urgency of the problem, said that he currently counts eight areas in which GPS is falling behind its GNSS counterparts, including:

  • L5, the go-to signal particularly for civilian aviation, is not yet activated and will not be until the next three satellites are activated, which will likely not happen for at least another year.
  • The Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX), the future version of the GPS control segment, is not yet operational.
  • GPS does not have a satellite-based high-accuracy service (HAS). On this, he said, “Everyone is moving out except us.”
  • GPS lacks anti-spoofing authentication, which Galileo has.

Additionally, “every one of these things has an enormous lead time,” Parkinson warned.

“As an advisory group, we are only as effective as the willingness of the system that we are advising to act on what we say,” Allan pointed out. The Advisory Board spent the final portion of its meeting discussing how to structure the agenda and products of its next couple of meetings to get these issues with GPS the attention they deserve and require. Stay tuned.

Click to watch the full interview 

Matteo Luccio | Editor-in-Chief

mluccio@northcoastmedia.net

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

DJI launches 3D model editing software

Image: DJI

Image: DJI

DJI has launched DJI Modify, its first intelligent 3D model editing software.

The solution can be integrated seamlessly with DJI’s enterprise UAVs and 3D modeling and mapping software, DJI Terra. When integrated with these products, the software can be used for aerial surveying, transportation and emergency responses.

Seamless workflow with DJI Terra

DJI Modify paired with DJI Terra offers users an end-to-end solution from modeling to model editing. Once DJI Modify has been enabled, DJI Terra files for model editing are automatically generated, including pre-identified objects and pre-processing of the model. It is designed to make repairing common 3D model defects seamless and efficient. As of early 2024, DJI Modify will only support repairing models built by DJI Terra.

Efficient 3D model editing

DJI Modify allows for model files to be quickly imported and exported to the DJI Terra and other third-party software. In the future, processed models can be shared to the cloud for online viewing and sharing via links without software installation, DJI said.

DJI Modify’s intelligent auto-repair editing supports flattening, editing textures, repairing water surfaces, removing floating parts, and filling holes. Edits can be made using one-click repairs or manually by selecting custom polygons, areas or meshes.

The software’s smoother model display technology allows high- and low-quality models to be viewed and edited in a single interface. Changes made can be synchronized across both models and previewed immediately, which allows users to address model editing issues in real-time.

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

NASA flies UAVs BVLOS for air taxi research

Image: NASA / David Bowman

Image: NASA / David Bowman

NASA researchers at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, have successfully flown multiple UAVs beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) with no visual observer. The UAVs dodged one another and successfully maneuvered around obstacles before safely landing, the agency said. NASA conducted the tests to help researchers someday create autonomous, self-piloted helicopters that could carry passengers and cargo through busy aerospace.

Researchers used multiple Alta 8 UAVs loaded with software designed to enable autonomous flights. Although monitors observed the flights from a remote-control room at Langley, the UAVs successfully operated BVLOS.

NASA is also testing elements of autonomy using helicopters. They are designed to contribute towards the development of autonomous helicopters that can take off and land from “vertiports,” and transport passengers and cargo over both short and long distances.

The experiments are part of the agency’s Advanced Air Mobility Mission (AAM), which is designed to enable safe autonomous flight and integrate newly developed vehicles into the national airspace. The mission will “set the stage for a flourishing industry” of electric air taxis and UAVs by 2030, NASA says on its AAM website.

NASA will transfer the technology created during this project to the public to ensure industry manufacturers can access the software while designing their vehicles.

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

ComNav introduces handheld GIS data collection solution

Image: ComNav Technology

Image: ComNav Technology

ComNav Technology has introduced its new handheld P6H solution. The device is designed for GIS data collection and outdoor operations. Featuring a GNSS high-precision positioning module, rugged IP67-rated design, and 6-inch sunlight-readable display, the P6H offers positioning accuracy even in harsh environments.

Equipped with a SinoGNSS self-developed high-precision K8 board and antenna, it can track all running and planned constellations with 1,590 channels, including GPS, BDS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZAA, IRNSS and SBAS.

The P6H offers users centimeter- or decimeter-level accuracy. Its IP67 rating protects against dust and water to enhance its efficiency and durability in tough environments.

The device comes equipped with Survey Master, boasting robust GIS functions, which allows users to take measurements of geographic elements and store the results as attribute data for subsequent analysis, calculation and visualization. It also includes a mock location function for users to accurately share Survey Master’s position with P6H. The location data can then be accessed on a third-party GIS software.

It is also compatible with common GIS software such as ArcGIS Collector, Mapit GIS and QGIS. Additionally, the P6H features an 8-core 2.0 GHz processor, up to 128 GB of storage and up to 6 GB of RAM to offer users smooth software operation and efficient data processing.

The handheld device, featuring a high-precision GNSS module and antenna, also incorporates 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to improve its data transmission and sharing capabilities.

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

Lidar reveals lost cities in the Amazon

A lidar map of the city of Kunguints in the Ecuadorian Amazon reveals ancient streets lined with houses. (Image: Antoine Dorison and Stephen Rostain)

A lidar map of the city of Kunguints in the Ecuadorian Amazon reveals ancient streets lined with houses. (Image: Antoine Dorison and Stephen Rostain)

Archeologists have discovered a vast and highly complex system of ancient cities dating back nearly 3,000 years in the Amazon rainforest. Complete with a complex network of farmland and roads, the discovery is the oldest and largest of its kind in the region.

Located in Ecuador’s Upano Valley, the structures lie in the eastern foothills of the Andes mountains, according to a study published in the journal Science. After more than 20 years of research, the ancient urban centers were only discovered when the Ecuadorean government employed lidar technology.

“I have explored the site many times, but lidar gave me another view of the land,” archaeologist Stéphen Rostain, lead author of the study and director of research at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Live Science. “On foot, you have trees in the way, and it’s difficult to see what’s actually hidden there.”

A team of researchers from France, Germany, Ecuador and Puerto Rico conducted a lidar survey that covered roughly 300 km2. The survey revealed a landscape full of organized human activities, including more than 6,000 rectangular earthen platforms, as well as agricultural terraces and drainage systems.

According to the study, these structures formed at least 15 distinct settlements, which were connected by a system of wide, straight roads. Co-author Antoine Dorison, an archaeologist at the CNRS, said that this society’s complexity is especially evident in this web of streets, which were carefully constructed to cross at right angles rather than follow the landscape.

In recent years, lidar has been a vital tool for discovering traces of ancient civilizations. Lidar allows researchers to survey densely forested areas that are difficult to explore on foot and allows for the creation of accurate maps in a fraction of the time.

In August 2023, a team of researchers in a biological preserve in Mexico’s Campeche State used airborne lasers to cut through dense vegetation. This revealed ancient structures and human-modified landscapes beneath, including pyramids, palaces, and a ball court. The team was able to explore the dense area safely and identified the ancient Mayan city they discovered as Ocomtún.

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

Techtree launches 3D geospatial map platform

Image:Techtree

Image: Techtree

Techtree Innovation has launched AROUND, a high-precision, high-resolution 3D geospatial map platform designed to improve the quality and accuracy of existing 3D maps.

According to the company, AROUND is based on its existing 3D map generation and rendering technology. It offers four solutions for various industrial applications, such as urban or smart city planning, simulation, military and disaster management.

AROUND intends to provide high-precision, high-resolution 3D geospatial maps rendered with satellite maps, GIS data, 3D scanning using the photogrammetry software mapping (PSM) method, and high-end graphic production technology using the Unreal Engine, a 3D rendering platform.

The mapping platform aims to increase realism by implementing various visual geospatial information data — including terrain, buildings, vegetation, roads, transmission towers, traffic lights, signs and signboards, weather conditions, sunlight, coordinate data, elevation differences, and more from the real world. It is characterized by having accuracy and resolution within 5 cm and unifying all high and low altitude resolutions.

AROUND can be used for digital twins, smart city construction, autonomous driving, aviation, military training and education, disaster prediction, smart city or urban planning, review, architecture, design and more.

Image: Techtree

Image: Techtree

The platform offers four geospatial 3D map solutions tailored to users’ individual needs:

AROUND.city

AROUND.city is a solution that simulates the construction and development of urban areas or buildings. Through city simulation, 3D visualization, and data, AROUND.city can be used for analysis of various environments such as commercial, cultural, and residential facilities, and for space, environment, planning, design, and landscaping. The platform is designed to aid in the establishment and exploration of alternative plans, progress of development and evaluation in urban planning.

AROUND.real

 AROUND.real provides high-quality 3D visualization mapping data with all collisions and blocks placed, which can be used in simulators of aircraft such as urban air mobility (UAM), helicopters, airplanes, autonomous cars, and various transportation means based on the development platform.

Using digital twins, AROUND.real allows for safe testing in risky real boarding and training areas. It also implements a variety of accurate and detailed visual-spatial information data, such as real terrain and buildings, grass, roads, utility poles, traffic lights, signs and signboards, weather conditions, and sunlight.

Around.sim

 AROUND.sim visualizes refined data on various environmental factors such as building wind, flood, and population density in a specific area using the high-precision, real-world terrain and structures provided by the AROUND platform. Through this, users can predict problems about complex future situations in the same environment as reality, derive insights, or propose solutions.

AROUND.map

 AROUND.map is a 3D real-estate marketing solution that already has commercialization achievements in the construction and allotment market. It visually represents the vision and buildings of the future that do not exist at the time of pre-sale, addressing the disadvantages of the existing pre-sale market, and implements all visual expressions such as virtual tours of all surrounding locations and pre-sale complexes, traffic, development plans, development benefits, view rights, and sunlight rights, just like reality.

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

Installing a GNSS receiver without an engineering degree

Photo:

Seirrowon concentrates on the orchards and fixed crop market using u-blox RTK and sensor fusion receivers. (Image: Seirrowon)

I asked Jason O’Flanagan, co-founder and CEO of Seirrowon Labs — which specializes in robotic vehicle control, electronics hardware and firmware development — about the company’s collaboration with u-blox on precision agriculture. Here are a few excerpts from our conversation. Click here for the full version.

I know you’re working with u-blox.

We’re using both hardware and services products from u-blox. We’re using both their normal RTK receiver and their sensor fusion GNSS receiver. We started looking at u-blox, NovAtel, Trimble and Septentrio. However, we settled on u-blox as its mix of services and hardware were best suited to our business model. They provide a fully unlocked, fully functional receiver out of the gate.

In the fixed crop, orchard situation, having as many satellites as possible really helps with your position. So, from a hardware standpoint, it was a perfect solution for us. It allowed us to track up to 85 satellites at a time (two channels each) in adverse conditions. Their sensor fusion version, which is their ZED-F9R, allowed us to fill in the gaps when the GNSS became unusable under the tree foliage. The SL LITE is a generic RTK receiver, the SL LITE-R includes sensor fusion, and the SL Pro uses their L band receiver with the sensor fusion module.

What value do you add to u-blox’s modules?

All they give us is the raw GNSS. We add some IP functionality and support. U-blox outputs its data in a certain format, which is not applicable to the ag industry. So, we map out the data to get it in the right format that will work for a lot of the equipment that’s in the marketplace.

Second, we added a support server to it so that it backs up its settings to a remote server. So, if customers go down, we can flash their replacement receivers and overnight them back to them. The customers are also able to turn on remote support where we can see the data from the receiver and diagnose issues remotely. Our dealers have the same access.

We’ve added a support mechanism into our hardware that allows for better remote support without having to wait hours for someone to get to the field or diagnose an issue. We’ve also added remote updating for support and software. So, the customer can update and add new features remotely without us having to send someone out to do that.

What is involved in installing your equipment on tractors, combines, sprayers and so forth? What kind of support do you provide? I assume you’re brand-agnostic.
We designed our receiver so that anyone can install it. We took a lot of the complications out of it. We use industry standard Deutsch connectors and our device’s user interface is HTML. So, you can use any smartphone or a laptop or any device that has WiFi in it to set up the device. There’s no special software required, there are no special cables; you just connect to it as if it were a hotspot. You can set it up completely from there.

We’ve simplified everything to make sure that users don’t need a degree in GNSS or in engineering to install the receiver. It’s very straightforward. It has several pre-configured profiles within it that allow you to take a generic setup and say, “Hey, I’m putting you here,” so it will default to all the correct settings. We really want to make it as simple and straightforward as possible.

What is the typical use case for your technology?

We have a generalized solution that would be equivalent to, say, a SMART7 from NovAtel. It’s designed for row crop work out in the field and functionality within the standard operations that you get for GNSS receivers within agriculture. Our offering includes the LITE, which is a generic RTK receiver and the LITE-R and PRO, which use active sensor fusion to allow us to function better in orchards and fixed crops that have obstructions to the sky.
I’m concentrating on the orchards and fixed crop market because none of the main OEMs that are out there doing GNSS are taking any time with that market, so that’s where we see our niche.

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

Seirrowon full interview

Image: Seirrowon

Image: Seirrowon

I asked Jason O’Flanagan, co-founder and CEO of Seirrowon Labs — which specializes in robotic vehicle control, electronics hardware and firmware development — about the company’s collaboration with u-blox on precision agriculture.

What is your background and your company’s origin story?

I’ve been doing precision agriculture for 25 years. I started with Beeline, which was the first company to do automated steering of agricultural equipment, late in the last millennium. I worked for many of the big OEMs, including Kubota and AGCO. I saw an opportunity for GNSS solutions and products. Obviously, there’s a lot of competition there, but we wanted to focus on fixed row crops and orchards because GNSS does not work well in an urban canyon-type scenario. So, there was a niche there for us to jump on.

Were you the company’s co-founder?

Yes, I am one of the company’s co-founders. The company’s name, Seirrowon, is actually “no worries” spelled backward.

I know that you’re working with u-blox.

We’re using both hardware and services products from u-blox. We’re using both their normal RTK receiver and their sensor fusion GNSS receiver. We started looking at u-blox, NovAtel, Trimble and Septentrio. However, we settled on u-blox as its mix of services and hardware were the best suited to our business model. They provide a fully unlocked, fully functional receiver out of the gate.

In the fixed crop, orchard situation, having as many satellites as possible really helps with your position. So, from a hardware standpoint, it was a perfect solution for us. It allowed us to track up to 85 satellites (two channels each) at a time in adverse conditions. Their sensor fusion version, which is their ZED-F9R, allowed us to fill in the gaps when the GNSS became unusable under the tree foliage. The SL LITE is a generic RTK receiver and the SL LITE-R includes sensor fusion and the SL Pro uses their L band receiver with the sensor fusion module.

What value do you add to u-blox’s modules?

All they give us is the raw GNSS. We add some IP functionality and support. U-blox outputs its data in a certain format, which is not really applicable to the ag industry. So, we map out the data to get it in the right format that will work for a lot of the equipment that’s in the marketplace.
Second, we added a support server to it so that it backs up its settings to a remote server. So, if customers go down, we can flash their replacement receiver and overnight them back to them. The customers are also able to turn on remote support where we can see the data from the receiver and diagnose issues remotely. Our dealers have the same access.

We’ve added a support mechanism into our hardware that allows for better remote support without having to wait hours for someone to get to the field or diagnose an issue. We’ve also added remote updating for support and software. So, the customer can update and add new features remotely without us having to send someone out to do that.

Basically, what ag uses violates several of the NMEA conventions. For example, NMEA limits the number of satellite outputs to show 12, but in the ag world all GNSS receivers output the actual number of satellites, using the correction in the NMEA 183 message.

How does the NMEA data format differ from what’s need in agriculture?

Raw GNSS is not sufficient for an active moving solution. Regardless of what GNSS supplier we ultimately chose, the solution provided in GNSS via raw NMEA was not suitable for autonomous or mapping applications by itself. We spent a great deal of time tweaking our output to be best solution possible. This included adjusting for time, terrain and movement. Senor Fusion introduced its own unique issues that we worked through to create the best working solutions. I have spoken to several companies that tried to implement GNSS solutions expecting the raw modules and boards to work out of the box and have been left with a bad taste in their mouth.

In general terms the NMEA 0183 Standards for GGA and VTG don’t have the accuracy required for RTK/PPP performance without violating the length of string limit. We added some additional information to the GGA message to help diagnose issues with performance without needing extra logs and data to see performance. While this does not meet the NMEA 0183 spec it is mostly ignored by Ag equipment downstream. We are currently working with the AgGateway Organization to better use the NMEA spec for use in agricultural applications.

Who stores, aggregates and analyzes the data collected?

We’re not actually taking any position data. We’re just taking GNSS performance information, and the customer must opt in for that. So, it’s defaulted off; if the customer turns it on, it means that we get a complete set of their settings backed up to a server that we own. We have a server with a backup server. So, it comes to our server, and it’s just a just a general setting information that we’re using, and some performance information on satellite tracking, and other things that help us diagnose issues with the receiver. It’s not performance information as far as their location or how they use the receiver. It’s more diagnostic information only.

What is involved in installing your equipment on tractors, combines, sprayers, and so forth? What kind of support do you provide? I assume that you’re brand-agnostic.

We designed our receiver so that anyone can install it. We took a lot of the complications out of it. We use industry standard Deutsch connectors and our device’s user interface is HTML. So, you can use any smartphone or laptop or any device that has WiFi in it to set up the device. There’s no special software required, there are no special cables; you just connect to it as if were a hotspot. You can actually set it up completely from there.
We’ve simplified everything to make sure that users don’t need a degree in GNSS or in engineering to install the receiver. It’s very straightforward. It has several pre-configured profiles within it that allow you to take a generic setup and say, “Hey, I’m putting you here,” so it will default to all the correct settings. We really want to make it as simple and straightforward as possible.

How does it interface with the machine’s steering control?

To interface with the vehicle, we use standard NMEA 0183. We have all the hardware for NMEA 2000 CANBUS but that will come in early 2024.

So, typically, growers just buy the device and have one of their team members put it on?

We normally sell through dealers and OEMs. They incorporate it into their solution. For example one of our dealers uses a system called Weedit. Basically, the distributor incorporates that receiver into each scenario that they have. They must record all that information for EPA in California, so they know exactly what chemicals they put where. So, GPS becomes incredibly important within those orchards to know exactly where the chemical was applied, because they must submit that information.

So, the dealer does the integration onto the machine?

The OEM. However, it is available as a drop-in replacement for any of the old legacy receivers such as Raven receivers that fail over time and some of the other older equipment. So, a general customer that uses Raven equipment can put our receiver in to replace it. I’m just using Raven in this example because it’s a US company that has basically disappeared.

So, it’s not factory-installed and it’s not usually installed by the user, but the dealership put it onto a machine before selling it?

We have dealers and distributors, but it can be installed by an end user as a replacement for a failed old piece of equipment.

Is any of our equipment factory-installed?

No. Not with the big guys anyway. They’re all tied up with their own GNSS at the moment. AGCO is in a pending joint venture with Trimble, CNH Industrial has bought Hemisphere GNSS and Deere has its own offering. So, the big guys all have their own GNSS solutions for now.
The consolidation in the industry is very interesting. I find it curious that in some of the mergers and joint ventures are combinations where both parties already have similar offerings.

Perhaps it’s still evolving.

It sounds like it’s still in the early phases of agreement.

What is the typical use case for your technology?

We have a generalized solution, that would be equivalent to, say, a SMART7 from NovAtel. It’s designed for row crop work out in the field and functionality within the standard operations that you get for GNSS receivers within agriculture. Our offering includes the LITE, which is a generic RTK receiver, and the LITE-R and PRO, which use active sensor fusion to allow us to function better in orchards and fixed crops that have obstructions to the sky.

I’m concentrating on the orchards and fixed crop market because none of the main OEMs that are out there doing GNSS are taking any time with that market, so that’s where we see our niche.

I looked after all the North American support and product direction when I was at AGCO and there was nothing more frustrating than having a product that was complicated to use, difficult to set up, and required multiple people to touch it to make it work. With that in mind, we developed our products to be very simple, very straightforward, able to diagnose most of their problems by themselves, and as functional as possible without having to have someone go out and spend time on diagnosing issues. Our devices are intelligent enough to do that. While generating our product, and putting it into the marketplace, we have spent a lot of time thinking about how to support our customers by avoiding complications and downstream issues.

What else differentiates your company from your competitors?

We have PPP correction services from both satellites from the Internet — similar to services provided by Trimble and NovAtel. However, the industry standard is to only offer a three-month or 12-month subscription, while we offer it monthly. So, you can actually activate it with a phone on the device, purchase a one-month subscription and just use it in the months that you need it. So, a farmer who needs it for only two months in the spring and three months in the fall can pay for only those months instead of having to pay for the whole year. We’re trying to make it as usable and as targeted toward farmers as possible. Through Pointperfect from Ublox. We sell this under our brand name of Flat Earth PPP. (We thought this was a funny name that makes fun of the flat earther movement given that GNSS works because the world is a sphere.)

What else distinguishes your products?

Our receivers are completely unlocked and ready to go out of the gate, without nickel and diming customers or holding features back from them. When they pay for the system, they get everything. If you are going to unlock a feature on a NovAtel or Trimble receiver, you have to get back to the dealership, they then have to use some e-commerce system to purchase that Auth code, then they either give the customer this huge, 64-character code, or someone has to come out and make that change. We don’t have to do any of that. Everything’s unlocked and ready to go.
Our use case is focused on a low profile, a small footprint, and a ruggedized enclosure. We came up with a unique design of antenna that resulted in reduced size without losing any performance. As a result, our receiver is only 35mm tall, 100mm wide and 180mm long. We have filed a patent on this unique design. We also designed it for most agricultural environments by having protection on all IO and the ability to be powered from 9-36V to meet the requirements of both US and European agricultural applications.

Because of the low-profile requirement, we needed a receiver module that is mounted to the board directly instead of a separate receiver board that would have made the enclosure taller.

Publicerad den Lämna en kommentar

Auto-steering helps to plant corn, soybeans and rice

CHCNav's NX510 SE GNSS RTK auto-steering system helps growers achieve the precision required for specialized planting operations. (Image: CHCNAV)

CHCNav’s NX510 SE GNSS RTK auto-steering system helps growers achieve the precision required for specialized planting operations. (Image: CHCNAV)

CHC Navigation’s NX510 SE GNSS RTK auto-steering system helps growers around the world achieve the precision required for specialized planting operations.

Intercropping. Growing two or more crops together in the same field, known as intercropping, is a sustainable and effective agricultural practice that is being adopted worldwide to increase yields. It is a bit counter-intuitive because it forces the different crops to compete for water, light, and nutrients. However, if the plants are carefully selected, their seeds are correctly spaced, and their growth is properly managed, it can be a recipe for success. For example, legumes, such as soybeans, which are good at nitrogen-fixing, can provide nitrogen to corn, thereby reducing the need for additional nitrogen fertilizer and the concomitant risk of chemical runoff. Mixing these two plant species also increases biodiversity and ecological stability. However, if the seeding is not planned carefully and executed precisely, the corn’s tall stalks will shade the soybeans’ short stems and reduce their yields.

Mr. Chen, a farmer and president of Agricultural Machinery in Anhui, China, co-crops corn and soybeans in the same field. To seed them precisely, he relies on CHCNAV’s NX510, which has a pass-to-pass accuracy of ±2.5 cm. Prior to using an automated steering system, his yields suffered because his seed rows were not straight. The system makes planting a simple task: the operator sets the row spacing for crops and the tractor automatically maintains it. Operators can also share those patterns among multiple farm machines, greatly increasing efficiency.

Growing rice. About half of the world’s population — especially in Asia, South America, and sub-Saharan Africa — relies on rice as its staple food. China is consistently ranked among the top 10 rice-producing countries due to its ability to cultivate it during two to three rice-growing seasons per year. Rice farmers around the world share challenges, including resource depletion due to soil degradation, urbanization, the effects of climate change, and a shrinking labor force, especially skilled labor.
Every rice planting season is a race against time and requires optimizing efficiency, including executing precise, straight-line planting operations to accurately align the new rice crop with previously established rows of seedlings. Any inaccuracy can sharply reduce rice yields. This is a key concern in China, which has only 0.02 hectares of rice land per capita. It is also vital to achieve sustainability and minimize environmental impact.

In a recent application, the NX510 has been successfully integrated into rice transplanters used to plant rice seedlings in swampy soils in China. It ensured that rice seedlings were planted at consistent depths and in the correct vertical and horizontal positions, promoting adequate ventilation and optimal light exposure for their subsequent growth.

NX510 SE. The NX510 SE utilizes five satellite constellations — GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou and QZSS — and multiple correction sources, including 4G RTK networks and UHF RTK stations. Its built-in 4G and UHF modem connects to all industry-standard DGPS and RTK corrections and its terrain compensation technology maintains high accuracy even in challenging environments and terrain. The receiver’s 10.1-inch industrial display, operating on the AgNav multilingual software, supports multiple guidelines patterns, including AB line, A+ line, circle line, irregular curve and headland turn, to handle all common farming operations.

The NX510 autosteering system delivers significant productivity gains at a cost accessible to nearly every farm, making it suitable for retrofitting old and new farm vehicles. An additional advantage of autosteering is that it enables growers to maintain the same high level of accuracy when operating at night, which is often required to escape the oppressive daytime heat or to meet tight schedules.