Pottinger has been award Agritechnica silver innovation awards for its camera assisted seedbed preparation and its Potpro guide which is based on Fliegl counter SX beacon technology.
The camera assisted system measures the soil surface roughness using live images from a stereo camera mounted between the power harrow and the seed drill. An ISOBUS Class III application regulates the PTO and driving speed of the tractor based on the roughness values recorded. In doing so, the unit automatically controls the tractor to adapt to changing soil conditions.
The result is an optimal seedbed with uniform tilth across the entire field. For the driver, this also means more convenience and less fatigue since the driver does not have to keep looking back to check the condition of the seedbed and manually adjust the speed of the power harrow rotors and the tractor. Pottinger says this also directly equates to the most efficient use of time and diesel. Night work is also possible because the system does not rely on daylight. A surface roughness map can also be generated, which can improve decisions for subsequent working steps.
The Potpro Guide covers a completely new field of applications because Beacon technology is not bound to a standard process, but can be used universally for any application. It can supply useful data in various situations, using different makes of vehicle and implements during different working processes: e.g. counting operating hours, detecting the mode of operation (position of implement), recording with links to GPS and Sigfox, making data available at a later date.
During cultivation, the Potpro Guide can detect by incline measurement whether the stubble cultivator is in the working position or not and using a vibration sensor whether it is moving or not. It can therefore detect three statuses – working, transport and pause – without the driver having to do anything. That is pure convenience. During raking, the Guide records the location and time that the rake is lowered into the working position and then the location where it is raised again. When the Guide is mounted on the rear flap of a round baler, it can not only count the bales produced, but also record their location, resulting in a map showing the location of every bale.
