FIND: Future Industrial Network Architecture

Motivation

A wide variety of systems are working together in a modern production plant. Examples of such systems are robots, CNC machines, sensors, and control devices. For communication technologies, it is a great challenge to network all of these systems and their components in such a way that they meet the requirements of flexibility and self-organisation. Current internet or mobile radio technologies, which are already in widespread use today, do not yet achieve this to the necessary extent. The use of corresponding technologies brings considerable cost advantages, which have so far only been used in production to a very limited extent.

Goals

The aim of the project FIND is to develop concepts for the efficient, safe, and user-friendly networking of systems in production plants for Industrie 4.0. An architecture is being created that brings together the communication of existing systems and their components and those to be newly developed. Current developments in the fifth generation of mobile communications (5G), such as cloud and virtualisation technologies, are being taken into account. One of the most important results is the design and implementation of a new type of network control system. This guarantees, for example, that connected components, such as sensors or actuators, meet their requirements for data rates and real-time capability. Other research topics include the development of control algorithms, interfaces, and adapters for integrating systems into the FIND architecture. This creates a complex management system that not only gives users a higher-level view of all network resources involved, but also enables central control over the individual components.

Innovations

The solutions developed in the FIND project enable the integration of systems and components of production plants as well as the management of complex communication networks in the context of Industrie 4.0. The use of the latest Internet and mobile technologies brings significant cost advantages. The new FIND architecture is used, for example, in access management, which ensures continuous traceability of all aspects of a production process. With the help of a uniform security model, the user-friendly presentation of all security-relevant processes is also made possible. With FIND, the user has control over the entire production process. The results achieved in the project are also made available to small and medium-sized enterprises in particular. FIND thus creates access to the advantages of Industry 4.0 for all companies.