Battery-Powered Electronic Unit for Off-Operation Data Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing agricultural machines with electronic control and assistance systems face the challenge of inaccessible stored information when the machine is switched off, particularly for devices without an autonomous energy supply independent of the tractor.
Innovation Solution
A battery-powered electronic unit with a wireless or wired connection, capable of energy harvesting, allows for wireless data transmission and readout, enabling access to machine information even when the machine is not in operation, using technologies like NFC, Bluetooth Low Energy, or iBeacon, and charged during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If an agricultural machine uses electronic control systems with data storage, then information recording capability is improved, but data accessibility when the machine is switched off deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two independent parts: the tractor's electronic control system and a separate portable electronic device. The portable device can store and access operational data independently without requiring the tractor's power supply, thus resolving the contradiction between data accessibility and power supply dependency.
Solution Approach 2:
A portable electronic device acts as an intermediary between the tractor's electronic system and the user. It receives data from the tractor when connected, then provides independent access to this data when disconnected, eliminating the need for continuous power supply from the tractor.
2Ease of operation
If attached devices lack autonomous power supply, then device complexity is reduced, but information accessibility when detached deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The portable electronic device performs preliminary data transfer from the tractor's system before disconnection occurs. By storing operational data in advance during connection periods, it ensures information accessibility during detached periods without requiring complex autonomous power systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The portable device creates a copy of the operational data from the tractor's electronic system. This copy can be accessed independently without the original system's power supply, maintaining information accessibility while avoiding the need for complex autonomous power infrastructure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures continuous access to critical machine data, such as operating hours, maintenance information, and error messages, without requiring connection to the tractor's energy supply, enhancing flexibility and usability on machines without on-board electrical systems.
Implementation Method 1
the battery-powered energy supply is charged using energy harvesting. Energy harvesting extracts energy for small electronic units from energy sources present at the unit's location. This can include, for example, kinetic energy, thermal energy, solar energy, or electromagnetic radiation.
Implementation Method 2
Data can be accessed wirelessly or via a wired connection using a suitable reading device, terminal, laptop, tablet, smartphone or other suitable device.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
Agricultural machine (2) with a data processing device (5), preferably a job computer, for processing and/or storing machine-relevant information, wherein information can be transmitted by the data processing device to a wirelessly readable electronic unit (6) arranged on the machine (2) by means of a wireless or wired connection and wherein the electronic unit (6) has a battery-powered energy supply and is therefore wirelessly readable when the agricultural machine is not in operation.