Grain temperature monitoring system

Grain temperature monitoring system

EnCata engineered a grain temperature IoT system with stainless-steel spear sensors and RS-485 networking. The solution went from R&D and prototyping to a 200-unit batch in 2 months, helping the client improve crop storage control.

Industry:

Agriculture

Agriculture

TRL:

2 → 9

Project duration:

2 months

Challenge

The problem with temperature monitoring and control in the bulk of stored vegetables and grain crops is common for the farming sector. Farmers and wholesalers need to precisely measure the temperature of the stored crops, piled, or siloed at the premise because it impacts its quality, shelf life, and price. 

In this project, we were solving the particular problem of a large agricultural company, providing them with the temperature control solution in the form of the temperature transducer device.

Our Role

  • R&D 
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Electronics development
  • Prototype manufacturing
  • Batch production

Technologies Used

RS465

RS465

CNC lathe/milling

CNC lathe/milling

Custom temperature sensor

Custom temperature sensor

For Enterprises

R&D + design + manufacturing under ONE roof
Scale up and down your team
Intergrated hardware + software development
New technologies and research 

For Startups

MVP and POC prototypes
Affordable consultancy rates
All IP is yours
In-house batch production

Approach & Solution

Current temperature monitoring technologies for agriculture rely on sophisticated multiple transducers physically wired onto a router, which complicates its use. 

EnCata devised a solution based on an RS-485 communication port designated for remote monitoring. Data transfer at the measuring sensor was realized via optically-isolated interface RS-485. This solution enables multiple transducers to be organized in a network.

RS-485 communication

The mechanical design comprised a spear-like sensor with a sealed metallic enclosure at its other end - all made from stainless steel.

Such a design has the following advantages:

  • robust simple stainless steel rods sustain corrosive environment;
  • digital data transfer ensures much lower error margins when communicating to the control unit.
  • The transducer’s interface enables its use within any industrial system

In the first design iteration, we delivered 5 prototypes and tested them on site. And with the complete documentation package, we produced a batch of 200.

design iteration

Need help developing an agritech IoT device? Get in touch with us, and we’ll provide you with a project estimate quickly.

Results and Benefits

EnCata developed a simple and flexible sensor solution for its client to monitor grain temperature.

5 prototypes

were tested and delivered

200 units

produced in batch

2 months

from TRL 2 to TRL 9

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