Internet of Things (IoT) is an emerging domain that promises ubiquitous connection to the Internet, turning common objects into connected devices. The IoT paradigm is changing the way people interact with things around them. It paves the way for creating pervasively connected infrastructures to support innovative services and promises better flexibility and efficiency. Such advantages are attractive not only for consumer applications, but also for the industrial domain. Over the last few years, we have been witnessing the IoT paradigm making its way into the industry marketplace with purposely designed solutions. In this paper, we clarify the concepts of IoT, Industrial IoT, and Industry 4.0. We highlight the opportunities brought in by this paradigm shift as well as the challenges for its realization. In particular, we focus on the challenges associated with the need of energy efficiency, real-time performance, coexistence, interoperability, and security and privacy. We also provide a systematic overview of the state-of-the-art research efforts and potential research directions to solve Industrial IoT challenges.

Industrial Internet of Things: Challenges, Opportunities, and Directions

With the introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) and cyberphysical system (CPS) concepts in industrial application scenarios, industrial automation is undergoing a tremendous change. This is made possible in part by recent advances in technology that allow interconnection on a wider and more fine-grained scale. The purpose of this article is to review technological trends and the impact they may have on industrial communication. We will review the impact of IoT and CPSs on industrial automation from an industry 4.0 perspective, give a survey of the current state of work on Ethernet time-sensitive networking (TSN), and shed light on the role of fifth-generation (5G) telecom networks in automation. Moreover, we will point out the need for harmonization beyond networking.

The Future of Industrial Communication: Automation Networks in the Era of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0

One of the most significant advances in the development of computer science, information and communication technologies is represented by the cyber-physical systems (CPS). They are systems of collaborating computational entities which are in intensive connection with the surrounding physical world and its on-going processes, providing and using, at the same time, data-accessing and data-processing services available on the Internet. Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS), relying on the latest, and the foreseeable further developments of computer science, information and communication technologies on one hand, and of manufacturing science and technology, on the other, may lead to the 4th industrial revolution, frequently noted as Industrie 4.0. The paper underlines that there are significant roots in general – and in particular to the CIRP community – which point towards CPPS. Expectations towards research in and implementation of CPS and CPPS are outlined and some case studies are introduced. Related new R&D challenges are highlighted.

Cyber-physical systems in manufacturing

This paper provides an overview of the recent developments in data-based techniques focused on modern industrial applications. As one of the hottest research topics for complicated processes, the data-based techniques have been rapidly developed over the past two decades and widely used in numerous industrial sectors nowadays. The core of data-based techniques is to take full advantage of the huge amounts of available process data, aiming to acquire the useful information within. Compared with the well-developed model-based approaches, data-based techniques provide efficient alternative solutions for different industrial issues under various operating conditions. The main objective of this paper is to review and summarize the recent achievements in data-based techniques, especially for complicated industrial applications, thus providing a referee for further study on the related topics both from academic and practical points of view. This paper begins with a brief evolutionary overview of data-based techniques in the last two decades. Then, the methodologies only based on process measurements and the model-data integrated techniques will be further introduced. The recent developments for modern industrial applications are, respectively, presented mainly from perspectives of monitoring and control. The new trends of data-based technique as well as potential application fields are finally discussed.

Data-Based Techniques Focused on Modern Industry: An Overview

In this paper we discuss a selection of promising and interesting research areas in the design of protocols and systems for wireless industrial communications. We have selected topics that have either emerged as hot topics in the industrial communications community in the last few years (like wireless sensor networks), or which could be worthwhile research topics in the next few years (for example cooperative diversity techniques for error control, cognitive radio/opportunistic spectrum access for mitigation of external interferences).

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Recent and Emerging Topics in Wireless Industrial Communications: A Selection

An Ethernet switch has a header device with a crossbar device and a number of downstream interface modules with a first number of a series of ports and a second number of a series of ports, respectively, such that in each case the same one in the series of the first number of ports is connected to a switching control unit coupled to an interface device, and the further ports in the series of the first number of ports are connected to a port in the second number of the series of ports via respective data lines routed in cascade form.

No-addressing modular-assembly Ethernet switch with a G.Link

The Ethernet switch has a main stage (1) coupled to a management system (8) that is typically a CPU. This connects with a crossbar unit or G link handling a number of bus lines. The interface modules (2) have a first series of ports (5a,5b,5c,.) and a second series of ports (6a,6b,6c,.). The first port in the first series (51a,51b,51c,.) connect to interface modules (4) and switching control modules (3). The following ports in the first series connect with those in the second series.

Modular Ethernet Switch architecture with G.Link and without Interface module addressing

Die Inbetriebnahme von Automatisierungssystemen auf der Feldebene ist untrennbar mit einem hohen manuellen Konfigurationsaufwand verbunden: Feldgerate mussen in die Steuerungsapplikation integriert werden und die zur Vernetzung zwischen Feld- und Steuerungsebene eingesetzten Kommunikationssysteme mussen parametriert werden. In der Informationstechnik gibt es ahnliche Problemstellungen: So mussen Peripheriegerate uber einen Kommunikationsbus an einen PC angeschlossen werden oder in einem Heimnetz verteilte Gerate mussen miteinander interagieren. Hierzu gibt es etablierte Ansatze wie USB oder UPnP, welche dem Endanwender ein “Plug&Play” bieten, sodass er sich im Idealfall mit keinerlei Konfigurationsarbeiten befassen muss. In diesem Beitrag wird untersucht, wie “Plug&Play” (PnP) im Bereich der Informationstechnik realisiert wird und ob und ggf. wie sich diese Mechanismen auf die Automatisierungstechnik ubertragen lassen.

Übertragbarkeit des Plug&Play-Prinzips aus der Informationstechnik auf die Automatisierungstechnik

Received: 10 January 2011 Abstract Accepted: 7 February 2011 Nowadays there is a high demand to produce more, for a lower price and at the same time offer diversity of products. To achieve these aims, production lines need to be more flexible. The current network communications systems are dominated by the Ethernet technology and dedicated industrial protocols. Ethernet based industrial protocols have many advantages like: full duplex communication without collisions, high bandwidth or high communication reliability. However, they have one big disadvantage, limited mobility. Since a network device needs to be connected using cable, its placement is rather fixed. Apart from that, costs related with wired network infrastructure or further extensions are expensive and frequently complicated. Due to these reasons, the industrial users are looking towards wireless communication. A prominent candidate is the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard, as it has comparable with the Ethernet data rates and resembles data link layer. An overview of how the WLAN standard fits to the industrial environment and a discussion about the current usage of the WLAN in industrial environments as well as outlook for future deployments will be given.

Wireless local area networks and its impact on current and future production processes

The method involves providing data paths (710, 910, 1011, 1112) for transmission of time and/or non-time critical data between two network devices. The data paths are analyzed for time and non time-critical data separately in relation to functional and/ or physical conditioned data processing times. An evaluation of upper time limits is carried out in relation to the transmission of time critical data between the devices. An independent claim is also included for a system for projecting of a packet switching network.

Upper time limits evaluation method for switched EthernetRTM network, involves analyzing data paths for time and non-time critical data, and carrying out evaluation of limits in relation to transmission of time data between network devices

Jurgen Jasperneite

Papers

No-addressing modular-assembly Ethernet switch with a G.Link

Modular Ethernet Switch architecture with G.Link and without Interface module addressing

Übertragbarkeit des Plug&Play-Prinzips aus der Informationstechnik auf die Automatisierungstechnik

Wireless local area networks and its impact on current and future production processes

Upper time limits evaluation method for switched EthernetRTM network, involves analyzing data paths for time and non-time critical data, and carrying out evaluation of limits in relation to transmission of time data between network devices