Feature: Industrial Electronics


Figure 2: TE’s LPW outdoor antennas feature the compact design and reliable operation demanded by outdoor robotics (Source: Mouser Electronics)


backed by AI and machine learning (ML), to select only ripe fruits, gently pluck them and carefully deposit them in bins.


Enabling technologies To feed a projected world population of 9.1 billion by 2050, it is estimated that overall food production would need to be increased by approximately 70 per cent from 2005. Current statistics indicate that we are not on track to fulfi l this demand, but the emergence of new technologies in agricultural automation may help reverse this trend. While some agricultural robots are small and deliberately designed to be low power to maximise operating time before requiring charging, some agricultural systems are, and likely always will be, heavy equipment that need bigger, higher-power batteries, typically operating at over 400VDC. Vicor specialises in high-power components for battery-operated


systems with tailored solutions for agricultural robotics. Its BCM converter series can provide high-voltage battery conversion to a safe, nominal 48V. T e BCM4414, for example, is capable of more than 1,600W at greater than 97 per cent effi ciency from its 111mm × 36mm × 9mm package. From its safely isolated 48V output, fi xed-ratio or regulated


point-of-load converters can be used to power individual, downstream, lower-voltage rails for control, drive and sensor systems as needed. For designs of agricultural automations, the BCM4414 can help to further drive integration thanks to its small size, low weight, built-in EMI fi ltering and isolated design. Connectivity is necessary for autonomous operation.


T is usually means satellite communications, but 5G is used increasingly, as well as localised Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communication. Connectivity can be used for system localisation and data feedback as well as for remote control and operation. It is also important for transferring data to and from machines and sensor networks deployed on farms. TE Connectivity / Linx


38 Dec 2024/Jan 2025 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


Technologies provides a range of outdoor antennas, such as the IPW Series. T is range covers frequencies from 617MHz to 7.1GHz, allowing them to support cellular, Wi-Fi and LPWA/ISM options. With a gain rating of up to 8.7dBi and an IP67 rating, the antennas ensure a strong connection in rural areas and long-lasting protection against dust and water. Innovations in a variety of sensor technologies have combined


to make automated and autonomous fruit pickers possible. Image sensors are used to fi nd individual fruit and detect colour and ripeness. Sensors such as onsemi’s 20MP AR2020 Hyperlux provide incredibly high-resolution images with an enhanced dynamic range to ensure machine vision applications are accurate even in challenging outside environments. To help balance performance against power consumption, the sensor also incorporates a number of smart features such as wake-on-motion (WOM) and subsampling modes which help to conserve both power and data usage. Positional sensors have become precise enough that


manipulators, including claws, suction cups and scissors to snip fruit off vines, can collect fruit without damaging it. Murata Electronics off ers a wide range of MEMS sensors, such as the SCA3100-D07-1 accelerometer and SCC2230-D08-05 gyroscope, for positioning systems that are very sensitive to inertial forces and pressure but insensitive to other environmental variables. Murata's silicon capacitive sensors are made of single-crystal silicon and glass, which exhibit excellent stability over time and temperature, and its gyroscopes are even sensitive enough to be used for signals as small as the earth's rotation. From the use of the fi rst seed drill to the development of


autonomous lettuce-picking robots, the reasons for automating agricultural processes have never changed. Agricultural robots will improve food security for a growing global population by enabling more effi cient, eff ective and economic harvesting of crops. It is the perfect example of incredibly sophisticated technology used for a simple goal for the benefi t of all.


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