Digital Technologies and Iot for Agriculture
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
Know the general characteristics of the main embedded and IoT systems.Understand the operating principles of the main sensors used in agricultural processes and actuators used in the regulation of machines and plants. Study the various types of databases. Acquire the logical fundamentals of data communication systems for intra- and extra-farm use.
Expected learning outcomes
Be able to understand and manage an ICT system starting from data collection, subsequent processing and storage. Know how data are acquired by sensors and their use within partial and/or full process automation systems.
Lesson period: First semester
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
First semester
Course syllabus
LECTURES (4 CFU, 40 Hours)
1. Fundamentals (8 hours)
- Encoding of information. Binary, hexadecimal and floating-point encoding. Strings. Date, time and timestamp.
- Structured data formats. JSON format. XML format Binary formats.
- Signals. The analog signal. Amplitude and frequency. Sampling. Quantization. The digital signal.
- Fundamental physical quantities. Voltage, current, power, energy. Other quantities.
2. Embedded systems and IoT (12 hours)
- General characteristics. Constraints. Application domains. Reference schema. Elements of an embedded system.
- Printed Circuit Boards. Characteristics. Production and assembly
- Power supply. Mains power supply. Primary Batteries. Rechargeable batteries. Solar panels. Voltage regulators.
- Microcontroller. Structure and characteristics. Types of microcontrollers. Internal peripherals.
- Memories. Volatile memories. Non-volatile memories. Flash. EPROM/EEPROM. SD-Card.
- Interconnection systems. Parallel and serial buses. Synchronous and asynchronous buses. Main buses: I2C, SPI, UART. Other buses (overview).
3. Sensors (8 hours)
- Introduction. Structure of a sensor. Principles of transduction. Analogue and digital sensors. Relationship between sensor and application area. Characterization of a sensor.
- Sensors. Temperature. Relative humidity. Water content. Luminosity. Microphones. Gases. Organic compounds. Air speed and direction. Pluviometers. Level sensors.
- Signal conditioning. Amplification. Anti-alias filters. Noise reduction. Analog and digital filters.
- Examples of signal processing.
4. Actuators (4 hours)
- Introduction. Types of actuators. Relationship between actuator and application area.
- Actuators. Relays. Solenoid valves. Electric motors. Pumps.
- Control mechanisms. Discrete control. Hysteresis. Open loop control. Closed loop control. P, PI and PID controllers.
- Control examples.
5. Database (4 hours)
- Introduction. Types. Relational databases. Non-relational databases. Timeseries.
- Entity-relationship model. Tuples. Tables. Relations. Views. Keys. Normalisation.
- Introduction to the SQL language. Select. Insert. Update. Delete. Join
5. Communication Systems (4 hours)
- The communication stack. Physical layer. Logical layer.
- Wired protocols. RS232. RS485/422. Ethernet.
- Wireless protocols. LoRa and LoRa WAN. WiFi. Bluetooth. Zigbee. ZWave.
- Logical level. Modbus. MQTT, REST
EXERCISES (1 CFU, 16 hours)
7. Exercises (16 hours)
- Information encoding
- Energy balance in embedded systems
- Examples of sensor signal processing
- Databases and SQL
The course has no differences in the syllabus between attending and non-attending students.
1. Fundamentals (8 hours)
- Encoding of information. Binary, hexadecimal and floating-point encoding. Strings. Date, time and timestamp.
- Structured data formats. JSON format. XML format Binary formats.
- Signals. The analog signal. Amplitude and frequency. Sampling. Quantization. The digital signal.
- Fundamental physical quantities. Voltage, current, power, energy. Other quantities.
2. Embedded systems and IoT (12 hours)
- General characteristics. Constraints. Application domains. Reference schema. Elements of an embedded system.
- Printed Circuit Boards. Characteristics. Production and assembly
- Power supply. Mains power supply. Primary Batteries. Rechargeable batteries. Solar panels. Voltage regulators.
- Microcontroller. Structure and characteristics. Types of microcontrollers. Internal peripherals.
- Memories. Volatile memories. Non-volatile memories. Flash. EPROM/EEPROM. SD-Card.
- Interconnection systems. Parallel and serial buses. Synchronous and asynchronous buses. Main buses: I2C, SPI, UART. Other buses (overview).
3. Sensors (8 hours)
- Introduction. Structure of a sensor. Principles of transduction. Analogue and digital sensors. Relationship between sensor and application area. Characterization of a sensor.
- Sensors. Temperature. Relative humidity. Water content. Luminosity. Microphones. Gases. Organic compounds. Air speed and direction. Pluviometers. Level sensors.
- Signal conditioning. Amplification. Anti-alias filters. Noise reduction. Analog and digital filters.
- Examples of signal processing.
4. Actuators (4 hours)
- Introduction. Types of actuators. Relationship between actuator and application area.
- Actuators. Relays. Solenoid valves. Electric motors. Pumps.
- Control mechanisms. Discrete control. Hysteresis. Open loop control. Closed loop control. P, PI and PID controllers.
- Control examples.
5. Database (4 hours)
- Introduction. Types. Relational databases. Non-relational databases. Timeseries.
- Entity-relationship model. Tuples. Tables. Relations. Views. Keys. Normalisation.
- Introduction to the SQL language. Select. Insert. Update. Delete. Join
5. Communication Systems (4 hours)
- The communication stack. Physical layer. Logical layer.
- Wired protocols. RS232. RS485/422. Ethernet.
- Wireless protocols. LoRa and LoRa WAN. WiFi. Bluetooth. Zigbee. ZWave.
- Logical level. Modbus. MQTT, REST
EXERCISES (1 CFU, 16 hours)
7. Exercises (16 hours)
- Information encoding
- Energy balance in embedded systems
- Examples of sensor signal processing
- Databases and SQL
The course has no differences in the syllabus between attending and non-attending students.
Prerequisites for admission
The course requires a knowledge of the fundamental concepts of information technology.
Teaching methods
The teaching methods consist of lectures on the theory and practical exercises carried out in the classroom with the support of the teacher. The course does not require mandatory attendance.
Teaching Resources
The teaching material consists of the slides provided by the teacher and published on the course page on the MyAriel website.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam consists of an oral individual discussion aimed at verifying the degree of understanding of the topics covered by the course and the capability of affording simple problems.
ING-INF/05 - INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEMS - University credits: 6
Practicals: 16 hours
Lessons: 40 hours
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor:
Brandolese Carlo
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)