Connecting Harvester Telemetry to Field-Service Insight
Specialized Engineering Scope & Mission Challenge
An agricultural equipment OEM needed to support high-intensity harvesting seasons where combine harvesters run 20 hours a day for three consecutive weeks. Unplanned field breakdowns during harvest leave grain rotting and alienate commercial farmers. Existing telematics systems relied on sporadic SMS pings with no detailed diagnostics. The OEM wanted to connect machine performance metrics (engine load, moisture levels, rotor RPM, hydraulic temperature) to dealership field-service vans in real time, enabling mobile technicians to dispatch proactively with the exact replacement hydraulic pump or sensor in hand.
Granular Competency & Technical Requirement Matrix
Critical Engineering & Integration Complexities
- Patchy 3G/4G connectivity across rural farmlands requiring continuous telemetry retention across multi-day disconnects.
- High burst traffic during peak autumn harvesting seasons demanding elastic cloud infrastructure scaling.
- Protecting sensitive farmer harvest yield data while sharing necessary mechanical telemetry with independent dealerships.
- Harsh mechanical vibration and electromagnetic interference from heavy harvester motors disrupting edge electronics.
Engineered Delivery & Execution Workflow
ISOBUS Protocol Decoding
Built an embedded telematics stack decoding ISO 11783 CAN frames directly from the combine harvester bus.
Optimized Binary Telemetry
Designed an ultra-compact CBOR-encoded telemetry format cutting cellular payload bandwidth by 70%.
Resilient Local Edge Cache
Implemented local SQLite caching retaining 30 days of full telemetry on the in-cab display unit.
Cloud Fleet Processor
Deployed an AWS IoT Core and DynamoDB architecture ingesting fleet-wide machine telemetry in real time.
Early Fault Detection Rules
Programmed rule engines detecting rotor belt slippage and hydraulic overheating patterns before mechanical failure.
Technician Dispatch App
Built an offline-capable mobile app guiding field technicians to machine GPS coordinates with diagnostic logs.
Pilot Season Field Trials
Supported 50 commercial harvesters through a full harvest season, validating proactive dispatch reliability.
Production Toolchains, Protocols & Frameworks
06 | PROJECT TARGETS
Project Targets and Business Impact
Customer Confidentiality Note: Customer identity, proprietary codebases, and commercial program specifics have been anonymized in accordance with non-disclosure agreements.