TSN Technology
Wireless TSN is coming: KPIs to consider now SOURCE: AVNU
Wireless TSN can make factory floors safer, more efficient, and more transparent. Wireless TSN use cases will necessarily differ from wired networks, but we can already enable a number of wireless applications. As TSN and wireless capabilities evolve, more applications and new key performance indicators may be supported.
802.1Qbv gate control concept. INDUSTRY 4.0 NEEDS TIME-SENSITIVE networking (TSN). Everyone in the value chain, from silicon manufacturers, to network equipment vendors, to industrial network managers, recognizes the value of a uniform network, based on standard connectivity, with the security, guaranteed latency, and determinism features required for industrial automation. As previously explored in this publication, a real-time network based on open IEEE Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and Local Area Network (LAN) standards could allow traffic and devices of all types to coexist on the same network. This not only simplifies infrastructure; it’s a crucial step towards a fully converged network, where all compatible devices can interact, share data, and be subject to centralized management and control. Since 2018, the joint IEEE/IEC 60802 Task Group has been working to define TSN profiles for industrial applications. When complete, these profiles will define features, options, 04.202 2
default configurations, protocols, and more for industrial automation networks, ensuring that time-sensitive operations traffic can coexist with other data on the same network. These specifications are expected to be finalized this year. The world won’t wait – as IEEE/IEC 60802 nears ratification, stakeholders across the value chain must plan for real-world deployment of industrial TSN, both wired and wireless. Wireless TSN can make factory floors safer, more efficient, and more transparent. Wireless TSN use cases will necessarily differ from wired networks, but we expect that TSN capabilities over wireless, such as time synchronization and time-aware scheduling, can already enable a number of wireless applications. We can also anticipate that as TSN and wireless capabilities evolve, more applications and new KPIs (key performance indicators) may be supported. What will be required for futureproof industrial wireless networks? In a February 2022 white paper (link at end of ths article), the Avnu Alliance documented
i n d u str i a l e th e r n e t b o o k
market requirements and expectations for wireless TSN including how wireless segments will interface with wired networks. As the current phase of early wireless TSN technology development, trials, and testing proceeds, these findings represent a set of common targets for discussion and alignment.
Wireless TSN KPIs
The Avnu whitepaper examines wireless TSN industrial use cases alongside use cases for the professional audiovisual and AV/VR markets. They found that, in order to support time-sensitive traffic, wireless networks would need to meet KPIs across five categories: • Time Synchronization: Capability to synchronize to a primary clock across the network, as defined by the IEEE 802.1AS protocol. This is a fundamental, mandatory requirement for all TSN implementations, wired and wireless. • Bounded latency: Worst case latency for time-sensitive data packets over a given link.
27
