Advances in Managing Cotton Modules Using RFID Technology - System Development Update

Thursday, January 9, 2020: 4:00 PM
JW Grand Salon 3 (JW Marriott Austin Hotel)
John D. Wanjura , USDA-ARS Cotton Production and Processing Research Unit
Gregory A. Holt , USDA ARS
Mathew G. Pelletier , USDA ARS CPPRU
Edward M. Barnes , Cotton Incorporated
Over the last several years, work has been ongoing at CPPRU in Lubbock on the development of an electronic module management system which makes use of the RFID identification tags in round modules produced by John Deere cotton harvesters.  Work in 2018 focused on beta testing the system to check the functionality of the PC based data management utility, RFID Module Scan mobile application, and a new scanning system developed for use on module trucks.  Additional work was conducted to document the influence of antenna transmit power and sensitivity settings on interrogation range and the occurrence of unintended tag reads.  The system was later installed at a ginning facility in Louisiana for field testing under commercial conditions.  In 2019, new antenna bridge scanning systems were added at the truck scale and module feeder in addition to a logging system at the bale press scale that facilitates auto-association of lint bales to round modules.  Performance results and experiences observed during 2018 and 2019 will be presented in addition to comments on the direction of future developments.