operations, and system maintenance. In Section 1.5, we discussed cellular and mobile technologies in detail, and next we focus on the future vision to address its challenges.
1.9.2.1 Possible Solutions
Industrial 5G is not still fully widespread and available; however, various operators and companies propose solutions for future smart manufacturing based on 5G. For instance, an industrial 5G router is proposed in [216] that could provide private stand-alone 5G network in an industrial environment. A 5G starter kit is also developed in [217] as a future-proof wireless and cellular networking solutions for industrial communication and IIoT that could be deployed within sites and buildings and between factories. Various frameworks offer 5G connectivity fully aligned with the vision of Industry 4.0 and offer advanced discrete automation, flexible control over smart robot motion, and AR lenses for remote monitoring in future mining and ports [218, 219].
5 Gang is another novel networking architecture for future industrial communication that leverages SDN, Edge, and slicing technologies to combine 5G, wireless communication standards, and wired technologies in production facilities [220]. It retrofits conventional machines and advanced equipment to the network via minimal human intervention and efficiently adapts their configuration to the system requirements. Based on the capacity and needs of a smart factory, 5 Gang could work on both private and public cellular networks, and its architecture could be deployed on existing 5G architectures.
Apart from the distinguishing features of 5G and the rapid deployment of Industry 4.0, the connection density and throughput of 5G is expected to fall short of the stringent requirements of the upcoming Industry X.0. Furthermore, an increasing number of smart devices and applications in industrial environments require better power efficiency in the next generation of cellular networks. To address these challenges and to fill capability gaps of 5G, a 6G mobile network is proposed to support future cellular networks by the year 2030. To highlight the vision of connectivity with 6G, Table 1.3 compares the main parameters of 5G and 6G mobile networks. Since the standard performance metrics of 6G have not yet been identified by standardization bodies, we have shown only some provisional values [221, 222]. It should be noted that 5G assists in the deployment of Industry 4.0, but 6G will foster the potential use cases of smart industry and will exploit advanced technologies to resolve 5G limitations in the future.
Table 1.3 Comparison of 5G and 6G Cellular Networks [221, 222].
| Key Performance Indicators (KPI) | 5G | 6G |
|---|---|---|
| Peak data rate | 20 Gbps | ≥ 1 Tbps |
| Peak spectral efficiency | 30 b/s/Hz | 60 b/s/Hz |
| Area traffic capacity | 10 Mb/s/m2 | 1 Gb/s/m2 |
| Connection density | 106 devices/km2 | 107 devices/km2 |
| Network energy efficiency | not specified | 1 Tb/J |
| Latency | 1 ms | 10–100 μs |
| Jitter | not specified | 1μs |
| Mobility | 500 km/h | ≥ 1000 km/h |
1.9.3 Interoperability of Wireless Communication in Industry 4.0
Given that different communication technologies offer specific equipment and often use proprietary protocols and RFs, the interoperability of various networks is not yet guaranteed in industrial deployment. This results in complexity for both systems and end users. In addition, some current industrial networks are not practical in the near future. For instance, the standard bandwidth of an industrial control network is 100 Mb, which will not be able to handle the required data rates just a few years from now [223]. On the other hand, most of existing wireless communications target control systems and non-critical monitoring, and it is necessary to propose a viable wireless network for real-time services and process systems.
1.9.3.1 Possible Solutions
The future trend to use wireless communication in Industry 4.0 use cases is to standardize network protocols and technologies and to provide feasible deployment across equipment vendors, applications, and geo-locations. In the coming years, some wireless standards will be reviewed, standardized, and enhanced for some application domains. Currently, several wireless communication technologies offer partially modified and updated versions to cope with the industry and technology demands [214]. For instance, Wi-Fi6 is an initiative of the IEEE 802.11 family that will offer extended range and higher bandwidth in the coming years [87].
1.10 Conclusion
Industry 4.0 is a blueprint that digitizes the value chain and is highly instrumental in bringing physical production processes and their inherent real-time control functionalities to life. An essential aspect of implementing Industry 4.0 is the seamless connectivity of all value creation factors: service user, marketplace, and service provider. This concept envisages smart environments that offer a certain degree of automated control and processing, with minimum human interventions. At the core of this networking and integrated data concept is seamless communication that connects industrial environments and production areas. Diverse wireless standards and technologies are available to accelerate the deployment of smart technologies in process control and automation applications.
In this chapter, we first reviewed the concept of Industry 4.0 along with its technological requirements and applications. Subsequently, we detailed wireless technologies and international standards in this context. Since each wireless solution has its own pros and cons, we compared them based on a set of technical performance metrics to assist in choosing the appropriate wireless communication for a given application. Considering that existing wireless systems will be complemented or replaced by new developments such as cellular networks and MTC communications, such technologies were also fully covered in this chapter. A list of objectives in terms of resource and service indicators was also provided for an efficient design of wireless networks in IIoT environment. Finally, MAC protocols and smart sensors were discussed to address the key issues in the design process of wireless connectivity in the industrial Internet. We also reviewed a number of future research trends and directions in wireless communication for Industry 4.0.
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