A Software-Defined Channel Sounder for Industrial Environments with Fast Time Variance

Novel industrial wireless applications require wideband, real-time channel characterization due to complex multipath propagation. Rapid machine motion leads to fast time variance of the channel's reflective behavior, which must be captured for radio channel characterization. Additionally, inhomogeneous radio channels demand highly flexible measurements. Existing approaches for radio channel measurements either lack flexibility or wide-band, real-time performance with fast time variance. In this paper, we propose a correlative channel sounding approach utilizing a software-defined architecture. The approach enables real-time, wide-band measurements with fast time variance immune to active interference. The desired performance is validated with a demanding industrial application example.Comment: Submitted to the 15th International Symposium on Wireless Communication Systems (ISWCS 2018

A Software-Defined Channel Sounder for Industrial Environments with Fast Time Variance

Novel industrial wireless applications require wideband, real-time channel characterization due to complex multipath propagation. Rapid machine motion leads to fast time variance of the channel's reflective behavior, which must be captured for radio channel characterization. Additionally, inhomogeneous radio channels demand highly flexible measurements. Existing approaches for radio channel measurements either lack flexibility or wide-band, real-time performance with fast time variance. In this paper, we propose a correlative channel sounding approach utilizing a software-defined architecture. The approach enables wide-band measurements with fast time variance immune to active interference. Furthermore, its real-time capability allows live processing on demand. The desired performance is validated with a demanding industrial application example

Performance Analysis of a High-Reliable Real-Time Wireless Transmission System with Near Field Coupling

Wireless industrial environments are dominated by multipath propagation and interference. In order to handle spatial diversity, a possible approach is dividing the physical area into many small cells. The spatial diversity is turned into FDMA by utilizing different frequency bands for neighboring cells. A challenging use case with fast vehicles traveling over long distances in a short time is the packaging industry. It would require many fast handoffs for each vehicle. Thus, a small cell FDMA approach is not appropriate. Conversely, employing radiating lines eliminates FDMA-based handoff issues, and reduces multipath delay spread and signal attenuation compared to centralized approaches. Additionally, radiating lines perform well in high-speed, low-power and long-range environments. In this paper, we realize a novel radiating-line-based, high-reliable, real-time transmission system with near-field coupling. This wireless transmission method results in a frequency-flat, time-invariant radio channel for the given requirements. Employing antenna diversity results in significant improvements in the system's performance compared to single antenna solutions

A Software-Defined Channel Sounder for Industrial Environments with Fast Time Variance

Novel industrial wireless applications require wideband, real-time channel characterization due to complex multipath propagation. Rapid machine motion leads to fast time variance of the channel's reflective behavior, which must be captured for radio channel characterization. Additionally, inhomogeneous radio channels demand highly flexible measurements. Existing approaches for radio channel measurements either lack flexibility or wide-band, real-time performance with fast time variance. In this paper, we propose a correlative channel sounding approach utilizing a software-defined architecture. The approach enables wide-band measurements with fast time variance immune to active interference. Furthermore, its real-time capability allows live processing on demand. The desired performance is validated with a demanding industrial application example

Performance Analysis of a High-Reliable Real-Time Wireless Transmission System with Near Field Coupling

Wireless industrial environments are dominated by multipath propagation and interference. In order to handle spatial diversity, a possible approach is dividing the physical area into many small cells. The spatial diversity is turned into FDMA by utilizing different frequency bands for neighboring cells. A challenging use case with fast vehicles traveling over long distances in a short time is the packaging industry. It would require many fast handoffs for each vehicle. Thus, a small cell FDMA approach is not appropriate. Conversely, employing radiating lines eliminates FDMA-based handoff issues, and reduces multipath delay spread and signal attenuation compared to centralized approaches. Additionally, radiating lines perform well in high-speed, low-power and long-range environments. In this paper, we realize a novel radiating-line-based, high-reliable, real-time transmission system with near-field coupling. This wireless transmission method results in a frequency-flat, time-invariant radio channel for the given requirements. Employing antenna diversity results in significant improvements in the system's performance compared to single antenna solutions

Wireless channel measurement data sets for reproducible performance evaluation in industrial environments

Industrial wireless communication in license-free spectrum bands such as the 2.4-GHz-ISM band suffer from motion and multipath effects, which cause a high time- and frequency-variant channel attenuation. Additionally, mutual interference from heterogeneous wireless technologies limits real-time capabilities of industrial wireless technologies. Therefore, performance validations of industrial wireless technologies within appropriate industrial wireless environments are necessary. In this paper, we present the first raw measurement data set publication of an industrial wireless environment characterization in a data repository for free public access to enable transparent industrial wireless technology validation and to enhance their comparability. We characterize the whole license-free 2.4-GHz-ISM band with a time resolution of 110 μs and a frequency resolution of 1MHz in a coexistence scenario with four antennas obstructed by robot arm movements. Additionally, the frequency and time variance of the measured channel attenuations are analyzed

Multi-Connectivity in 5G Industrial Environments

In industriellen Szenarien wächst seit Längerem der Bedarf an drahtloser und zuverlässiger Kommunikation. Es gibt hierzu einige aus der IT-Welt adaptierte Standards, welche in vielen Anwendungen im industriellen Umfeld nicht ausreichen. Daher wurde bei der Spezifikation des neuen 5G-Standards explizit die Nutzung im industriellen Umfeld mit berücksichtigt. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Vorteilen der Multi-Connectivity (MC), welche sich durch die Architektur des neuen 5G-NR Standards in der Automatisierungstechnik ergeben können. Hierzu wurden im ersten Schritt Funkkanalmessungen in einer industrienahen Umgebung – der SmartFactoryOWL – durchgeführt, und im weiteren Verlauf die MC in einen Kommunikationsstack integriert und die Zuverlässigkeit (Reliability) (REL) bei verschiedenen MCKonfigurationen ermittelt. Im praktischen Aufbau konnte eine erhöhte REL der drahtlosen Kommunikation im industriellen Kontext unter Einsatz der MC nachgewiesen werden