NI, Bosch Rexroth, Cisco, Intel, KUKA, Schneider Electric and TTTech announce their collaboration within the Industrial Internet Consortium to develop a test bench dedicated to Time Sensitive Networking.
The main objective is to improve the network infrastructure so that it supports the evolutions of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Industry 4.0. New digital capabilities call for designers and users to have more reliable and secure access to intelligent equipment at the network edge. Standard network technologies must evolve to meet the demands of this new generation of industrial systems, and to perfect the management and operation of machines, power grids and transport systems.
The purpose of this test bed is to demonstrate the value of emerging IEEE 802 Ethernet standards, known as TSN, within an ecosystem of applications specific to the industrial sector. TSN applies to a standard, open network infrastructure that supports integration and interoperability between equipment from different manufacturers, guaranteeing better network performance. This technology supports real-time synchronization and control mechanisms - for example, between axis control applications and robots - over a single Ethernet network.
TSN can also transport data typically found in factories, facilitating the convergence of IT and operational technologies. Previously, many real-time control applications were deployed via customized, non-standard protocols, making data and devices much more difficult to access, if not totally inaccessible. TSN is a convergence factor that enhances connectivity and provides access to the critical data needed to fulfill the promise of IIoT - improving operations through Big Data analytics strategies, and promoting new business models based on connected, intelligent machines and systems.
"Test benches are at the heart of the concerns and activities of the IIC and its members. It is here that new technologies, applications, products, services and processes are conceived, studied and rigorously tested to determine their usefulness and viability before they are introduced to the market", explains Dr Richard Soley, IIC Executive Director.
This test bench :
- will combine various critical control flows (of the OPC UA type) and Best effort on a single resilient network based on IEEE 802.1 TSN standards;
- will demonstrate the real-time capabilities of TSN and the interoperability of equipment from different manufacturers using standard Ethernet as a converged network;
- determine the safety benefits of the TSN and certify that the TSN's initial functions have been fulfilled;
- will demonstrate the IIoT's ability to integrate high-performance, latency-sensitive applications;
- will enable the integration of intelligent real-time control/command systems forEdge computing in IIoT applications and infrastructure.
Learn more: https://www.iiconsortium.org/time-sensitive-networks.htm