Abstract
The adoption of dense wireless sensor networks in industrial plants is mandatorily paired with the development of methods and tools for connectivity prediction. These are needed to certify the quality (or reliability) of the network information flow in industrial scenarios which are typically characterized by harsh propagation conditions. Connectivity prediction must account for the possible coexistence of heterogeneous radio-access technologies, as part of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) paradigm, and easily allow postlayout validation steps. The goal of this paper is to provide a practical evaluation of relevant coexistence problems that may occur between industrial networks employing standards such as WirelessHART IEC 62591, IEEE 802.15.4, and IEEE 802.11. A number of coexistence scenarios are experimentally tested using different radio platforms. For each case, experimental results are analyzed to assess tolerable interference levels and sensitivity thresholds for different configurations of channel overlapping. Finally, the problem of over-the-air spectrum sensing is investigated in real scenarios with heterogeneous industrial networks to enable a cognitive resource allocation that avoids intolerable interference conditions.
Highlights
Automation systems have undergone a progressive cable reduction in the last decades since the traditional 4–20 mA for analog communication to digital communication over bus networks such as Fieldbus, Hart and Profibus protocols [1]
This experiment considers a high traffic load scenario [13]: the WiFi network is characterized by a maximum utilization factor while the IEEE 802.15.4 transmitter continuously sends packets of 123 bytes to its peer receiver
This work presented an overview of coexistence issues in wireless network standards for Industrial Internet of Things
Summary
Automation systems have undergone a progressive cable reduction in the last decades since the traditional 4–20 mA for analog communication to digital communication over bus networks such as Fieldbus, Hart and Profibus protocols [1]. The well-known benefits provided by wireless technologies motivated the introduction of different wireless standards for a huge quantity of applications. These circumstances lead to an usual presence of heterogeneous wireless systems in the same coverage area which, many times, compete for the same frequency band. The coexistence of different wireless communication standards may result in interference with detrimental effects such as data loss, jitter, delay in transmission, and loss of synchronization between devices. These issues can often result in unreliable communication that might cause large losses and process failures. The IEEE 802.11 standard has a large interoperability between vendors and it is currently well appointed for non-critical industrial applications (e.g., providing connectivity to mobile operators inside the plant [3])
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