A novel MAC proposal for critical and emergency communications in industrial wireless sensor networks

In this paper, three MAC protocols, EE-MAC, CF-MAC and OD-MAC, are proposed. EE-MAC incorporates emergency communication and allows immediate channel access for emergency traffic. CF-MAC compensates regulatory and open-loop control traffic and introduces a prioritized access for high priority nodes. It also allows nodes with critical data to reserve communication slots using control channel. Whereas OD-MAC presents a deadline based dynamic scheduler which ensures timely delivery of time-critical information. The paper presents mathematical modelling of the proposed protocols. For evaluation purposes, the performance of the proposed protocols is compared to IEEE 802.15.4e LLDN. The results show that the proposed protocols offer up to 92% reduction in delay in emergency communications at the cost of 5% to 15% increase in delay of time-insensitive data. A 60% and 85% reduction was observed in the channel access delay for regulatory and open-loop control traffic respectively along with notable improvements in communications reliability

Wireless Sensor Technology Selection for I4.0 Manufacturing Systems

The term smart manufacturing has surfaced as an industrial revolution in Germany known as Industry 4.0 (I4.0); this revolution aims to help the manufacturers adapt to turbulent market trends. Its main scope is implementing machine communication, both vertically and horizontally across the manufacturing hierarchy through Internet of things (IoT), technologies and servitization concepts. The main objective of this research is to help manufacturers manage the high levels of variety and the extreme turbulence of market trends through developing a selection tool that utilizes Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) techniques to recommend a suitable industrial wireless sensor network (IWSN) technology that fits their manufacturing requirements.In this thesis, IWSN technologies and their properties were identified, analyzed and compared to identify their potential suitability for different industrial manufacturing system application areas. The study included the identification and analysis of different industrial system types, their application areas, scenarios and respective communication requirements. The developed tool’s sensitivity is also tested to recommend different IWSN technology options with changing influential factors. Also, a prioritizing protocol is introduced in the case where more than one IWSN technology options are recommended by the AHP tool.A real industrial case study with the collaboration of SPM Automation Inc. is presented, where the industrial systems’ class, communication traffic types, and communication requirements were analyzed to recommend a suitable IWSN technology that fits their requirements and assists their shift towards I4.0 through utilizing AHP techniques. The results of this research will serve as a step forward, in the transformation process of manufacturing towards a more digitalized and better connected cyber-physical systems; thus, enhancing manufacturing attributes such as flexibility, reconfigurability, scalability and easing the shift towards implementing I4.0