Making farming smarter with next generation connectivity

By Paul Jones   |   January 18, 2022

Adoption of innovative new agricultural methods will be vital to the long-term welfare of society, to enable supply to keep pace with the burgeoning demand. This article looks at how the latest technological advances will help to make the global agriculture sector function more efficiently, and what the implications will be in terms of the interconnect solutions specified for such applications.
 

What is driving smart agriculture?

Smart agriculture is set to transform farming, allowing greater crop yields and mitigating the issues responsible for causing losses such as disease or adverse weather conditions. A recent report published by market analyst firm Allied Research predicts that the sector will experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) close to 10% between now and 2027. This means that it will be generating over US $29 billion each year by the end of that period.

The primary dynamic bringing impetus to this is the projected growth in the global population over the course of the years ahead. At the same time continued urbanisation and use of land for growing biofuels and siting renewable energy installations means that there will be less room available for food crops or livestock. Likewise, increased industrial activity will place greater strain on water supplies, potentially resulting in farmers having limited access to this vital resource. There are also acute staffing problems to consider when looking at farming in developed economies.
 

What are the key enabling technologies?

Similar to the way that the enterprise and commercial sectors have entered into ‘big data’, there is a great deal of potential for the extraction and analysis of information in the farming sector. Through the use of 5G communication and cellular IoT hardware, it will be possible to revolutionise the way in which food production is carried out. Thanks to high-speed data acquisition capabilities, even in hard to reach rural locations, farmers will be provided with unprecedented visibility. Data concerning air temperature, humidity levels, soil conditions, and rainfall, for example, will be obtained via sensors distributed across the entire farm. This data will offer valuable insight to farm owners/managers - with scope for them to analyse every aspect of their operations and implement improvements. From this, they will be able to make better informed decisions about what actions need to be taken in response to any arising situation.  

How ‘hands-on’ agricultural work is conducted will also change, with further opportunities emerging to use automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and remotely operated large-scale machinery such as tractors and combine harvesters. This will help to address the current staffing issues throughout much of the farming sector. Low latency 5G networks will be utilised to provide the vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication needed to control this equipment so that it does not damage other equipment in the vicinity or endanger lives.   

Camera systems, much like the machine vision implementations found in smart factories, alongside telematics and positioning technology, will have a major role to play too. They will be pivotal in supporting unmanned vehicle operation. In many cases camera/sensor systems will need to be retrofitted onto the outside of existing equipment, rather than being integrated directly into new models.
 

What will this mean for the connectors and cables?

With monitoring units being placed outdoors and camera systems being fitted to the exterior of agricultural machinery, the cabling that accompanies this hardware will be exposed to the full force of the elements. Therefore, as well as exhibiting high degrees of operational performance, so that elevated frequencies can be supported, the interconnects will also need to have heavy-duty designs to withstand harsh application environments. By being appropriately sealed and through the use of overmolding, it will be possible to protect these interconnects not only from mud, rain and snow, but also the various chemicals used in agricultural work.

As the connectors will be mated by farm operatives, rather than technicians with prior training, it is critical that this process is straightforward to avoid risk of damage through mating mistakes. The inclusion of keying or polarisation mechanisms, plus the colour coding of the different cables, will be advised.

Also, 5G communication means that RF signals are moving to higher frequencies than were associated with earlier cellular generations. The deployment of smaller connector components means that these higher frequencies can be accommodated. This also has benefits in terms of easier integration. It does present engineering challenges though, particularly with respect to having to adhere to tighter tolerances and the need to utilise better optimised constituent materials.

Figure 1: Example of a wrench-tightened version of the Molex 2.2-5 RF connectors

Connectivity options

Molex high-performance sub-miniature SMA RF connectors can operate at up to 27 GHz, in line with 5G requirements while still being suitably robust. They have threaded couplings to ensure that interconnect retention is maintained. A choice of brass, beryllium copper and stainless steel materials can be used in their construction, depending on what degree of ruggedness is mandated.

2.2-5 RF interconnect solutions from Molex address the need for more compact wireless infrastructure. Capable of supporting frequencies up to 6 GHz, these IP68 rated connectors exhibit low passive intermodulation (PIM) despite their small size - thereby enabling compact wireless systems that deliver elevated performance characteristics. Three different mating options are available, so that customer specific implementation requirements can be addressed. These are push-pull, wrench-tighten and hand-tighten. The connectors are designed to cope with up to 100 mating cycles. They can be accompanied by a choice of different length off-the-shelf cable assemblies.

RF connectors will be key to integrating wireless devices such as Molex’s Multi-Hub 5-in-1 antenna. With five channels (2x 5G, 2x WiFi, 1x GPS), it is capabable of transmitting complex signals across multiple protocols. Given the high quantity of metal surfaces within agricultural machinery, a typical antenna deployment would come with a high risk of RF interference. However with its specially designed metal surface mount, this 5-in-1 antenna allows for flexibility of placement within the design.

Figure 2: The Molex MX150L series
of sealed connectors

The IP67-rated MX150L sealed connectors are highly suited to use in agricultural machinery applications. These wire-to-wire connectors have either a 5.84mm or 7.62mm pitch, and are available in 2 to 16 contact configurations. Their contacts can handle currents of up to 18A.

Molex Mizu-P25 miniature wire-to-wire connectors offer an ultra-compact form factor and are fully IP67 compliant. These space-saving 2.50mm pitch connectors are the smallest on the market to offer this level of waterproofing. 125V and 250V rated versions are available. The secure positive locking mechanism ensures interconnect retention, even in the most difficult situations. An operational temperature range of -40°C to +105°C and a 250MΩ insulation resistance are supported.

Figure 3: Mizu-P25 connectors from Molex

To attend to the needs of next generation farming equipment, Molex also offers automotive-grade in-vehicle USB smart charging modules. These modules enable rapid and efficient charging, while taking up very little space and keeping the installation effort to a minimum. Featuring USB Type A connection ports, they can work with battery operating voltages from 9V to 16V, reaching output currents of 2.4A. A variety of different charging profiles are supported. The Molex modules are available in single-port and dual-port options. Over-voltage, over-current, short circuit and electrostatic discharge protection functions are all included.
 

Conclusion

Widespread agricultural automation will be a major contributor to increasing global food production - with the communication and sensing technology needed to achieve this now available. By partnering with leading suppliers like Molex, Avnet Abacus can provide customers with the advanced interconnect solutions needed for smart agriculture. These solutions are raising performance benchmarks, while still having the mechanical robustness to withstand the uncompromising settings into which they are placed.

Find out more about Molex’s solutions for next generation agricultural machinery and other non-automotive applications, or if you’re ready to discuss your design in more detail get in touch with our team of field applications engineers in your local language.

Want more like this? Subscribe to our newsletters

About Author

Paul Jones

As Supplier Development Manager, Paul is responsible for supporting and managing key supplier relati...

View Bio