Big Data meets Machine Learning: digital services in off-highway sector
From the Internet of Things, over cloud solutions and Big Data to mobile apps: advancing digitalization enables services and solutions for the off-highway markets to be designed more individually, more consistently and more transparently. Technology providers offer a wide range of smart solutions that can be used to increase the efficiency, reliability, safety and comfort of mobile machinery.
Mobile machinery, especially that equipped with modern assistance systems, has access to large amounts of relevant data across numerous applications . This means there is plenty of potential for so called “Big Data” analyses, where the processing of large data sets can provide meaningful insights. The question is, what can usefully be done with all this information? The added value that can currently be delivered depends strongly on the application experience of the technology provider. "It is important for us not to display arbitrary data just because a particular sensor happens to be installed. We want to provide the customers with useful information that they can use to manage their machinery fleet and thus run it as economically as possible," explains Wolfgang Boos, Liebherr product manager.
Two questions in particular are at the center, when it comes to use cases such as digital fleet management and machine-to-machine communication for agricultural and construction machinery: How can users benefit from Big Data in practice? And how can artificial intelligence be meaningfully integrated into off-highway machines? Using modular, open systems, like those found at the trade fair , vehicles and their subsystems are networked with the cloud into the “Internet of Things”, and a range of functions can be individually configured. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) can design their own applications based on the technology provider’s validated software packages, and machine rental companies can create new business models.
Display work progress at the touch of a button
Access to smart sensor data over a telematics solution enables a whole range of intelligent functions, with fleet management and remote diagnostics being typical entry scenarios in the off-highway sector. Fleet management solutions track the position of the machinery fleet automatically, enabling the operator to simply and easily locate each machine. A geographical area, such as a construction site or a field, can be defined (geo-fencing) and all relevant data within this area is collected together. From this data, for example, the time period, the number of operating hours, the type of operation, the fuel consumed and the CO2 emissions, contracting invoices or harvesting reports can be automatically generated. The telematics units used in the agricultural machines are linked to ISOBUS, over which they can access detailed machine data, and then transmit it to the fleet management system. This enables automated machine functions and autonomous machines. In addition to the precision of autonomous machines, farmers also benefit from their economical use of resources. Thanks to big data analyses, fertilizers and pesticides are not distributed over large areas, but applied to specific parts of the field or precisely to individual plants.
As these functions become more complex and especially as they become more autonomous, not only data is needed but also corresponding data processing. "Powerful computing is essential for autonomy," says Stefan Taxer, product manager for mobile automation at B&R.
Powerful “edge” controllers ensure the necessary computing power for data analysis and autonomous processes. Data is preprocessed, aggregated and then transmitted to the central management function in the cloud across a network. These control modules have been designed to work in the harshest of environments, where vibrations, extreme temperatures, moisture and dirt place the highest demands on robustness. IoT gateways are the hardware-side key to connectivity in order to implement efficiency-enhancing applications such as precision farming. These can read the data either directly or via an adapter from an interface.
Detect problems before the failure occurs
The collected real-time data can also be used for predictive and remote maintenance. Manufacturers are further expanding their offerings of data-driven digital services to support customers in optimizing the performance and maintenance of their machines. Sensor clusters are mounted on plant components such as pumps, gearboxes, compressors or drives, collecting vibration and temperature data. This data is transmitted wirelessly to a gateway and then from there securely to the cloud, where Big Data analysis tools collect, process and evaluate these measurements over the long-term using machine learning algorithms that use the detailed component knowledge of the design engineers.
Apps automatically process this information and reliably warn of gradually developing defects. Notifications of anomalies are sent by SMS or email, depending on the configuration and defined user. Based on the prediction, maintenance personnel can react in good time and prevent the machine from failing. Thanks to the precise diagnosis, the right spare parts can be ordered to get the machines back into operation quickly. The information obtained using monitoring and diagnostic apps also has great potential benefits in engineering. This allows the machine design to be continuously optimized based on real load spectra and usage data.
The road to fully automated working machinery
The use of the Industrial Internet of Things in the off-highway sectors is still in its infancy. Lower manufacturing costs, more efficient project implementation and faster completion: The data collected from these and future applications will be used to build “digital twins”, high performance simulations that enable virtual testing and optimization of new systems. On the path towards ever increasing autonomy of mobile machinery, where such approaches are essential, exhibitors at the exhibition center will be accompanying customers from the very beginning in the development of market-relevant solutions.