The objective of this project is to create a mobile app that farmers can use to track their disc mower while it is out in the field.

 

 

Team Members

Gabriel Cressman    Brian Andiario    James Dietz    Donovan McClellan    Hector Rivera    Winny Chan    Sai Sanwariya Reddy Narayan               

Instructor: Oren Gall

 

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Project Summary

Overview

The project aims to develop a mobile phone application that utilizes sensory inputs from a trailed disc mower to support farmers or contractors in their business operations. The application must identify valuable inputs for the customer, determine cost-effective ways to collect, process, and share data, and provide relevant usage for business functions. Some of the critical inputs include time, speed, fuel usage, and mower positions; these data points will be sent as email notifications to the customer. The project will have two main parts, the first of which will involve generating an invoice for the customer that includes the aforenoted inputs. The second part will include additional features such as a geo-map output and invoicing capabilities. The application will be developed for both IOS and Android devices, and it will be coded in flutter. To test the application, a device capable of emulating the tractor’s sensory outputs and transmitting them to the phone via Bluetooth must be constructed. The estimated project cost ranges from $200-$400, including the price of the components used to emulate the tractor and travel expenses to visit the company’s facility in Lancaster, PA.

Objectives

-Establish connection with Tractor CAN system and IOS/Android Application

-Calculate the area cut by mower using velocity and time.

-Measure time elapsed while cutting.

-Determine fuel usage over the time of cutting.

-Integrate working GPS to track the tractor into the application.

-Provide farmers with a method of monitoring fieldwork done by tractors automatically.

-Make an application capable of operating on both IOS and Android seamlessly using Flutter for the application and Python for parsing the data.

Approach

-Conduct Meetings with CNH advisor to discuss methods of the developing project and update them on project progress.

-Group Meetings every Tuesday and Thursday to make progress on the project through technical or logistical methods.

-Perform an on-site visit to the CNH New Holland depot to obtain hands-on experience with their tractors and understand how they operate both mechanically and software-wise.

-Use Proemion CANlink 4000 to transmit CAN signals to the mobile application.

-Use of parsing algorithm written in Python to convert the incoming signals into a human-readable format.

-Calculate the area covered by finding the area under the time vs speed graph.

-Display the parsed information to the customer using the mobile application.

Outcomes

-Successful CAN to Bluetooth connection.

-Parsing algorithm that can convert signals into a human-readable format.

-Mathematical model that can convert the tractors velocity over time to area cut.

-Completion of an application that can be used on IOS and Android.

-Proof-of-Concept application capable of obtaining user profile data and providing a user with a full transcript of work done.