Future-proof mobile controller for high performance agricultural machinery

At the last Agritechnica STW presented the ESX.4cl-ag, a mobile control system for the high-speed ISOBUS standard. High-speed ISOBUS enables data rates of up to 1000 Mbit/s and is therefore suitable for particularly data-intensive smart farming applications.

STW is now adding a smaller variant, the ESX.4cm-ag, to its product portfolio. It offers a 4-port Ethernet switch with a 100Base-T1 / 1000Base-T1 interface and two 100Base-T1 interfaces as well as a classic 100Base-Tx Ethernet interface, thus providing the hardware foundations for high-speed ISOBUS. Manufacturers of agricultural machinery can already use it to develop systems that are equipped for this new technology and so secure a competitive advantage. The ESX.4cm-ag provides a total of 34 configurable inputs and 25 high-side and low-side outputs as well as four CAN bus interfaces. Two powerful 10 A half bridges can be used to control electric motors. The inputs of the AG control units can be configured using software, to suit an even wider range of applications. For example, one input group offers switching between 12V and 35V in order to provide the best resolution for the required measurement range.

Support for SENT and Namur sensors, as well as CAN FD interfaces, contribute to the wide range of applications. Corresponding sensors with SENT support can also be found in STW’s portfolio. While the SENT protocol can be used to transfer a wide range of information simultaneously, Namur sensors are typically used in proximity sensing. CAN-FD supports the transfer of large amounts of data and facilitates complex communication on the machine and so the realization of more complex applications. This simplifies condition monitoring on the machine and offers particular advantages in safety-relevant applications. Data processing on the ESX.4cm-ag is handled by the proven Aurix platform with an Aurix TC 399 multicore processor and integrated 16 MB flash memory.

STW will be presenting the ESX.4cm-ag for the first time at the iVT Expo in Cologne at stand 4056 from 26-27 June. Series production is planned for the 4th quarter of this year. The controller will be available in both safety and non-safety versions. In addition to certification in accordance with the SIL 2 (IEC 61508:20101) and PL d (EN ISO 13849-1:20151) standards, it will also be certified in accordance with AgPL d Cat 2 (DIN EN ISO 251191), which is extremely important for the agricultural sector. As automotive standards are also becoming increasingly prevalent in mobile machinery, STW offers optional safety certification to ASIL-B on request. Additionally, STW provides security concepts for the ESX.4cm-ag, as well as for the other components of the ESX.4 controller family, to protect them against manipulation and hacking attacks.