The ISOBUS travels in the direction of the future

The future of agriculture is unimaginable without a compatible data interface for the connection of tractor, mounted implements, and on-board computer. The information era and, hence, thinking in systems have been firmly established in the industry for a long time. The time of insular solutions is over. In the long run, neither the farmers nor the individual manufacturers profit from them. In the past, for example, the development of the three-point hitch and the PTO therefore pursued the goal of standardizing the mechanical connections of the tractor.

Now, practice requires the same in the field of electrical and electronic equipment as well as information processing – ”systematic” standardization which is represented by a uniform plug.

At the end of the 80s, the idea of synchronizing communication in modern agriculture beyond the manufacturer level was born. Thus, LBS, as a milestone solution on the way to compatibility, standardizes data exchange between several job computers and the user station. At the European level, LBSplus systems have been introduced on the market. In order to guarantee the required data exchange with regard to the demands of tomorrow, the agricultural machinery industry provided the basis for the future with the extensive ISO 11783 (www.iso.ch). With ISOBUS, this internationally standardized system will be introduced in agricultural machinery.

ISOBUS provides investment security

ISOBUS realizes system communication beyond the manufacturer level because all companies involved – from the market leader to the niche supplier – will support ISOBUS. They are already pursuing concrete strategies for the changeover to this standard. For practical application, this means that LBS will become part of ISOBUS. For some manufacturers, the upgrading of the job computers means supplementation of hard- and software. For most companies, software adaptation as part of an upgrade is sufficient. Independent of the individual requirements, this means that all manufacturers must offer their customers solutions which meet the demands of the future and are downward compatible.

Investment security for the farmers is the most important goal of all those involved.

• ISOBUS standardizes hardware (plugs and cables) and software (the kind of data exchange) under system aspects.
• ISOBUS generates universal tractors and terminals.
• ISOBUS allows machinery and implements to be used, combined, and coordinated beyond the level of individual manufacturers such that optimal function is guaranteed.
• ISOBUS automates machinery- and implement settings for different operations and thus combines the tractor, the mounted implements, and the terminal into a system with the qualities of a self-propelled machine.
• ISOBUS extends the possibilities of precision farming through 'more intelligent' functions and GPS data integration.
• ISOBUS standardizes order processing by agricultural service providers.
• ISOBUS simplifies and standardizes operator prompting on the terminal for all jobs.
• ISOBUS ergonomically combines the operation of all mounted implements.
• ISOBUS also supports the control of the lighting systems and allows an additional plug to be dispensed with.
• ISOBUS makes double information collection and -storage unnecessary.
• Thanks to ISOBUS, farmers must support only one system in production.
• Thanks to ISOBUS, implement manufacturers are compatible with all tractors.

The sign of compatibility: ISOBUS TEST

ISOBUS TEST is the common initiative of the German agriculture society (DLG) and the manufacturer's association VDMA with the objective of increasing certitude by means of an independently assigned test certificate when deciding on investments in agricultural engineering and, at the same time, to support the manufacturers in system development. With this common initiative, VDMA and DLG combine their competencies in the field of electronics for a maximum benefit of agriculture and industry and in order to realise synergies. The DLG competence centre effects the testing of conformity with the ISOBUS, the compatibility and the functionality of the systems (2002-07-05).