How GNSS antennas conquer agriculture positioning challenges
Agricultural machinery is revolutionising farming by automating tasks like planting, spraying, and harvesting with precision and efficiency. Central to their navigation and operation is the integration of GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antennas into their positioning systems.
These antennas enable robots to determine their exact location using signals from satellites like GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. However, integrating GNSS antennas into agricultural robots presents unique challenges, from signal reliability to hardware compatibility. This article explores these issues and how Harxon, a leader in GNSS technology, provides tailored solutions to ensure seamless performance.
The critical role of GNSS antennas in agricultural navigation
GNSS antennas are the gateway to satellite signals, feeding data to a robot’s receiver to calculate its position with high accuracy – often down to centimetres when enhanced with technologies like RTK (Real-Time Kinematic). This precision is critical for following pre-mapped routes, avoiding obstacles, and executing tasks without overlap or waste.
Integration involves embedding the antenna into the robot’s structure, connecting it to a GNSS module, and ensuring it works with other sensors (e.g., IMUs, cameras) for robust navigation. The antenna must be strategically placed – typically on top of the robot – to maximise sky visibility while enduring the harsh outdoor conditions on farms.
Challenges of the option and integration of GNSS antennas
Integrating GNSS antennas into precision agricultural machinery poses practical challenges that can undermine performance. In dense crop environments, such as orchards or tall maize fields, foliage can block satellite signals, reducing positioning reliability critical for tasks like automated spraying.
Harsh weather conditions – heavy rain, snow, or extreme heat – may degrade antenna performance or cause signal loss, especially during time-sensitive operations like planting or harvesting. Additionally, the antenna’s durability is tested by relentless vibrations from uneven farmland or machinery, risking physical wear or misalignment that can interrupt positioning continuity, especially during peak farming seasons when uninterrupted operation is critical.
How Harxon GNSS antennas can deal with these challenges
Harxon offers specialised antennas designed to tackle these issues. Their products are widely used in precision agriculture, and their focus on customisation and performance makes them a go-to choice for agricultural machinery.
- Reliable positioning stability across all weather conditions
Harxon GNSS antennas feature multi-point feeding technology and stable phase centres, ensuring millimetre-level accuracy even in obstructed environments. Their strong anti-interference capabilities filter out multipath noise, while wide beam widths allow tracking of low-elevation satellites – crucial in fields with uneven terrain. For extreme conditions, Harxon’s Anti-Jamming Antenna (JH001 & JH002 & JH003) uses beamforming technology and polarisation suppressors to suppress interference from high-power sources or reflections, maintaining reliable positioning.
- Ensuring durability against harsh farm conditions
Harxon builds ruggedised antennas to endure agricultural demands. The HX-CVX600A, with its IP69K-rated housing and metal base, resists dust, water, and vibrations, making it ideal for robots traversing muddy or rocky fields. The HX-CSX633A supports flexible mounting options (magnetic, screw, or pole), allowing secure installation on moving platforms without signal degradation.
- Solving space constraints with compact designs
For space-constrained robots, Harxon offers helix and OEM GNSS antennas tailored to demanding applications. The lightweight, compact helix antennas deliver impressive gain (up to 4.2 dBi) and excellent low-elevation performance, ideal for precision tasks. Meanwhile, the OEM GNSS antennas integrate seamlessly with GNSS receivers, providing cost-effective, reliable solutions that blend effortlessly into drones or compact field robots.
- Simplifying integration with compatible systems
Harxon smart antennas are engineered for seamless integration with top-tier GNSS modules, such as Unicore and NovAtel. For example, the TS112 Pro smart antenna merges a GNSS antenna and receiver into a single unit, delivering RTK precision for tractors through various differential correction techniques. Similarly, the antenna-integrated-with-module series provides a straightforward integration solution for robotics. This all-in-one design minimises complexity, enhances compatibility with existing robotic systems, and accelerates development timelines.
- Reducing costs without sacrificing reliability
Harxon also offers economical solutions tailored to applications with moderate precision needs or budget constraints. For instance, the HX-CSX627A is a cost-effective choice for ordinary use. Additionally, Harxon’s air-dielectric antenna options provide a lower-cost alternative without compromising reliable positioning. Smart antennas like the TS112 SE further enhance value, offering standalone accuracy (5-20 cm) without the need for costly differential links, cutting operational expenses.
- Customisation for tailored integration
Harxon excels in custom tuning and configuration, expertly optimising GNSS antennas for seamless integration into diverse positioning ecosystems. By fine-tuning frequency bands, customising connectors and cables, Harxon ensures its antennas align perfectly with specific receiver requirements and operational demands, simplifying system integration. Additionally, these antennas deliver clean signal isolation and low noise output, preventing interference with other positioning components. This harmonious coordination boosts overall system reliability and efficiency.
Explore the test data for Harxon’s HX-CSX600A GNSS antenna to understand how it empowers agricultural applications.
The HX-CSX600A antenna delivers standout performance tailored for agricultural applications. Its full-band gain exceeding 5.5 dBi, peaking at 7 dBi, ensures robust signal reception across vast farmlands, supporting uninterrupted navigation for autonomous tractors or robots. A 20-degree elevation gain of ≥-1.5 dB guarantees reliable signal capture in challenging terrains like field edges or hilly areas.
With a vertex axial ratio below 1 dB and a front-to-back ratio over 15 dB, it effectively mitigates multipath interference from soil or machinery, enhancing precision for tasks like variable-rate fertilisation. Additionally, its support for L-band satellite-based augmentation and high low-elevation gain make it ideal for high-accuracy farming globally, from tropical low-latitude plantations to high-latitude pastures.
Harxon’s agricultural clients span the globe, and whether in remote areas, rugged terrain, or harsh climates, Harxon antennas consistently meet customers’ positioning needs, including field robots, autonomous tractors, agricultural transport vehicles, and farm drones. For each application, Harxon provides expert system integration advice and antenna tuning services, ensuring precision from prototyping to large-scale deployment. Reach Harxon for further information.
