Product category:
Communications ICs (Wireless)
News Release from: GreenPeak Technologies | Subject: Wireless mesh technology
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 22 April 2008
Wireless mesh technology boosts crop
yields
A key factor in Kronos' decision to select GreenPeak's wireless networking technology was its excellent performance in radio unfriendly environments.
Kronos - a global provider of human capital management solutions - has selected GreenPeak's low-power wireless mesh networking technology for one of its wireless terminals Hortimax, a Kronos VAR, is active in greenhouse harvesting management systems
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 18 Jul 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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In one of its projects, a harvest administration system is used to monitor the activity and location of individual mobile harvesting carts.
This solution is based on the Kronos wireless terminal and uses GreenPeak's wireless mesh technology to transmit data from individual mobile harvesting carts to routers, which enables the data to be gathered and analysed in a central co-ordinator unit.
The wireless technology allows the monitoring of individual pickers' efficiency.
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Compared with the old situation, where only the average picking weight per corridor and not per individual picker was known, the new system was able to increase overall greenhouse productivity by 15%.
The ability to track which areas have been harvested and how much has been picked also enables greenhouse operators to quickly implement corrections in spraying and fertilising patterns and scheduling, thereby allowing for a richer harvest.
The system can also improve other greenhouse logistics such as scheduling of the packaging unit and just-in-time transportation to market, which results in better cost control.
A key factor in Kronos' decision to select GreenPeak's wireless networking technology was its excellent performance in radio unfriendly environments.
GreenPeak's multiple-hop mesh technology enables each wireless sensor and actuator device, using integrated mesh software, to act as a repeater for other wireless devices even if one or more are blocked by metal, dense foliage or high humidity levels.
The sensor nodes form a mesh network by sending messages through intermediate nodes from source to destination.
This approach enables the network to span larger distances (even when individual nodes can only see a local area of the network), allowing site-wide wireless coverage throughout the greenhouse.
"We first tested Wi-Fi, but the radio coverage in the greenhouse was not satisfactory", says Alain Van der Hoeven, VP Marketing and Business Development Kronos Western Europe.
"We also tried a ZigBee solution from one of GreenPeak's competitors, but that failed because transmission from mobile devices (the harvest carts) was not supported".
"On top of that, the local support was below our expectations, so we scouted the market again for a better supplier".
"We found that GreenPeak is the only company that can provide a wireless mesh network solution that really works and is well supported".
Kronos has been working with GreenPeak for more than a year now, but GreenPeak's technology advantage was not the only differentiator.
According to Van der Hoeven: "In addition to GreenPeak's expertise and outstanding competence in the IEEE802.15.4/ZigBee area, we also appreciate their high level of customer support and responsiveness".
"We enjoy working with their team, and we have built a partnership, rather than a customer/supplier relationship".
"I'm confident we will continue working with GreenPeak for other wireless applications as well".
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