Using GNU/Linux and other Free Software for Remote Data

Collection, Analysis and Control of Silos in Mexico

Don W. Carr, Juan Villalvazo Naranjo, Ruben Ruelas, Benjamin Ojeda Magana
Universidad de Guadalajara
Jose Guadalupe Zuno 48, Col. Los Belenes, C.P. 45101, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
doncarr@gmail.com

Abstract
We have developed a system based on GNU/Linux, Apache, PostgreSQL, Zend Framework, the RE-
ACT control engine, and various free software projects to create a system for remote data collection,
analysis, and control of grain silos. This system allows grain operators to monitor/manage grain silos
from a distance. The system includes a GNU Linux based computer, locally on site at the silo, with the
REACT control engine installed, and, a GNU/Linux server in the cloud running the Zend Framework
and the PostgreSQL database. Communication with the server is via GET/POST.

1 Introduction 2 What is monitored and con-

trolled at each site
In this section, we describe what is monitored and
controlled at each site. Locally we must be able
to monitor the temperature and relative humidity
For grain operators to be able to monitor/manage of the environment, and columns of temperature of
grain silos from a distance, they must have access the grain inside of the silo. We must also be able
to grain quality evaluations done locally on-site at to turn the ventilation fans for the silos on and off,
the silo, history of outside temperature, relative hu- and also sense when they are on to be sure they are
midity, and history of temperature measurements in- working or to know when they have been turned on
side the silo. In addition, operators must be able to manually.
set the grain ventilation parameters remotely so that
ventilation can then happen automatically on-site,
with no need to have a person locally checking tem-
perature and relative humidity and deciding when
the fans should be turned on and off. All of this can
be automated except that the grain quality evalua-
tions must be done by an actual human being using
laboratory equipment. We can however provide web
forms so that the data from these evaluations get into
the database on the website the same day that they
are carried out. This design also allows the manage-
ment team to be distributed at any location around
the world where there is Internet service. It of course
also allows all interested parties such as those that
own the grain, or loaned the money for the grain, to
verify that the grain is still in the silo and in good FIGURE 1: Temperature and Relative Hu-
condition. midity Data from Poncitlan, Mexico

1
The temperature columns are typically located such 1-Wire cable runs, via a 16:1 multiplexor. Each ca-
that there is a maximum of 5 meters to the next ble run can be up to 50 meters long, and is for one
column, or 2.5 meters from the wall to the nearest column of temperatures inside the silo. Each column
sensor, such that there will be a temperature mea- must be hung from the ceiling of the silo and bound
surement no farther than 2.5 meters from every point together with a 1/4 inch steel cable using shrink-fit
in the silo. Vertically the temperature sensors have tubing. The steel cable is necessary due to the ex-
been located every 1.5 meters, but, will switch to treme forces that can be generated when the body of
every 0.5 meters to be able to more accurately esti- grain moves as the silo is being unloaded. The Dallas
mate the height of the grain. More on how we esti- 1-Wire temperature sensors must be soldered every
mate the height of the grain later. The number of 0.5 meters or 1.5 meters depending on the accuracy
temperatures measured inside a silo can run into the of volume measurements desired.
hundreds, depending on the size of the silo. Every
Finally, to turn the ventilator fans on/off, we
10 minutes, the outside temperature, relative humid-
need a relay board with two relays, one that is nor-
ity, all of the temperatures in the columns inside the
mally open and goes in parallel with the ON button,
silo, and the status of the ventilation fans, are logged
and one that is normally closed, and goes in series
locally for backup, and, also communicated to the re-
with the OFF button. The ON relay is pulsed to turn
mote web server. At the same time, we check for new
the ventilator fan on, and, the OFF relay is pulsed
control parameters, and download that at the same
to turn the ventilator fan off. This allows both au-
time, if necessary.
tomatic and manual control of the ventilator fans.
A graph of temperature and relative humidity
The architecture for an installation using 900
taken from near Poncitlan, Jalisco, for one of the
MHz radios is shown below. The SBC7300 is the
initial tests, is shown in Figure 1.
GNU/Linux hardened computer, the CL4490 is a 900
MHz radio, the X505 is a master controller for ven-
tilation fans that can connect multiple relay boards,
3 How the monitoring is done the X105 is a slave device in case that more venti-
lation fans need to be connected, and the W100 is
On site, we use one hardened GNU/Linux computer a weather station. The T200 is the PCB for read-
running our REACT control engine [1],[2],3] to read ing up to 16 temperature columns, and can be daisy
the values from all of the data acquisition devices. chained with an RS-485 port.
We are currently using the Technologic Systems TS-
7300 single board computer, but, we are also testing
the TS-7500 and TS-7553 and plan to switch to one
of these for future projects, as they are cheaper and
more compact. None of these have moving parts, and
will withstand temperature up to 70 degrees Celsius.
They all have SD card slots for gigabytes of local
storage. All of the data acquisition devices that we
use support the MODBUS protocol, and we com-
municate via RS-232, RS-485, and 900 MHz radios.
The GNU/Linux computer is connected to the Inter-
net via Cellular modem, or DSL modem, or the local
network, depending on availability.
FIGURE 2: Temperature and Relative Hu-
The temperature and relative humidity are read midity Data from Poncitlan, Mexico
using a small PCB with micro-controller and inter-
face for a GE Chipcap-D temperature/relative hu-
midity sensor. The GE Chipcap-D is soldered to a 4 The Server
small PCB that must be located close to the micro-
controller, and protected from the weather. Dis-
The server where all of the data is logged can be
cussing the optimum location of this system is be-
located anywhere in the world where there is an
yond the scope of this paper.
Internet connection. The actual servers we use
The temperatures inside of a silo are read us- for this project are located in Karlsruhe, Germany,
ing Dallas 1-Wire temperature sensors, and con- and run Debian GNU/Linux, with the Zend Frame-
nected via Category 5, UTP cable. There is a micro- work, and PostgreSQL database installed. The
controller that can communicate with up to 16 Dallas monitored data at each silo is uploaded every 10

2
minitues via HTTP/POST, and the ventilation pa-
rameters are checked for changes every 10 minutes
via HTTP/GET. If we go for more than 20 minutes
without communications from a particular site, we
mark it as offline. We use only HTTPS for these re-
quests, and, each request must be accompanied by
the correct security key for each silo, or the request
is rejected. Notice that the ventilation parameters
for each silo can be set from anywhere in the world
with Internet access, and they will be transferred and
applied at the local site within 10 minutes. Thus,
the team managing the silos must only log into the
server for all management functions of the various
silos. Onsite at each silo, we will not require grain
conservation experts, only technical people to main-
tain the equipment. There must be experts on grain
certification/quality to visit all of the silos periodi-
cally and carry out quality analysis and certify the
quality of the grain using portable laboratory equip-
ment.
FIGURE 3: Overall System Architecture
5 Control algorithms and anal-
ysis of the data
The basic algorithm for controlling the ventilation
fans is to turn the ventilation fans on when the rel-
ative humidity and temperature are in the correct
range, and, we are not in the hours when electricity
is most expensive, if specified. Obviously, the fans
are then turned off when the conditions are not met.
Further, when managers determine that the grain is
adequately ventilated, and ventilation is no longer
3
necessary, they will be able to disable ventilation en-
tirely via the web page for the silo in question. To
start, the managers must put in the range of humid-
itys/temperatures to ventilate the grain. For corn
for instance, if you ventilate the grain in the range
of 70-75% relative humidity, you will end up with
grain that is 13.5 - 14% humidity by weight. We do
plan to automate the process further, by letting the
manager only put the target humidity of the grain,
and the algorithm will then automatically try to hit
that target. We should note, that the parameter of
the grain that matters more than all others is the
humidity. If it is too humid, then there will be mold
and other things that will destroy the grain. If it is
too dry, the grain will crack and break. After hu-
midity, we then want the grain as cool as possible.
If the grain is just above zero degrees Celsius, it can
be stored for years. If it is over 30 degrees Celsius, it
will only last a matter of months. In hotter regions
like the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, when the humidity
is in the correct range, the temperature is typically
much hotter than we would like, and, thus, the grain
stored in Sinaloa must be used in a relatively short
period of time.
To estimate how much grain is in a silo, we ba-
sically need to know the level of the grain in the
silo. From this, using simple geometry, we can cal-
culate how many cubic meters of grain are in each
silo. We can then estimate the number of metric tons
of grain in the silo using the approximate number of
metric tons of grain per cubic meter. So, the ques-
tion is now can we estimate the level of grain in the
silos? The answer is in the temperature readings.
In the silo, the temperature above the grain makes
wide swings based on the outside temperature, sun
hitting the silo, cloud cover, weather conditions in
general. Grain, however, is a natural insulator, and,
temperatures inside the grain remain very constant.
FIGURE 4: Data from one Temperature
Column in a Silo
6 Conclusions
We have developed a novel system using GNU/Linux
and other free software projects, that allows silos
to be managed/monitored from a distance, so that
there is no need for grain conservation experts at
each site, and, so that all stakeholders have access
to the grain quality and also the quantity of grain
in each silo. The system allows managers to set
the parameters of humidity and temperature when
the grain will be ventilated, and then monitor the
progress/effectiveness of the ventilation via the qual-
ity analysis done periodically on-site, and, disable
ventilation when goals have been reached. Because
of GNU/Linux and the many other free software
projects, we were able to complete this project much
quicker and at a lower cost.
References
[1] Don W. Carr, R. Ruelas, Ramon Reynoso, Anne
Santerre, 2006, An Extensible Object-Oriented
Instrument Controller for Linux, The Eighth
Real-Time Linux Workshop, Lanzhou,
Gansu, China.
[2] Donald Wayne Carr Finch, Ruben Ruelas, Raul
Aquino Santos, Apolinar Gonzalez Potes, 2007,
Interlocks For An Object-Oriented Control En-
gine, The 3rd Balkan Conference in In-
formatics, Sofia, Bulgaria.
[3] Donald Wayne Carr Finch, Ruben Ruelas, Apoli-
nar Gonzalez Potes, Raul Aquino Santos, 2007,
REACT: An Object-Oriented Control Engine for
Rapidly Building Control Systems, Conference
on Electronics, Robotics, and Automo-
tive Mechanics, Cuernavaca, Mexico.