Driving real time control applications by wireless communications.

Communication und control of production through an innovative wireless communications system (Source: Universität Bremen, Lenze Automation).

HiFlecs is a research project co-funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) starting in February 2015. The project objective is to develop innovative wireless technologies for industrial real-time closed-loop applications. It lays the foundation for future Industry 4.0 wireless communication systems by pursuing an integrated system design addressing ultra low latency, high reliability and secure wireless communications. The HiFlecs consortium consists of 12 partners spanning key industrial players and research institutes of wireless automation and academia.

Motivation

Future industrial plants are characterized by complex networks of sensors and actuators, machinery and control units that require wireless connectivity. However, today's wireless communication systems are far from delivering ultra low latency, highly reliable, deterministic, and secure communications as required by future Industry 4.0 applications.

Objectives and approach

HiFlecs will respond to these challenges and develop innovative key technologies for an industrial wireless communication system that offers new functionalities and features for real-time control applications. HiFlecs will leverage on newest research results in secure wireless communications and will also deliver technical solutions for migration and partial expansion of existing automation systems. HiFlecs targets an industrial wireless communication system with an integrated design of adaptive and flexible PHY-/MAC-layer and network control management functionalities that allows for a huge variety of automation and production applications. Coexistence management and information security concepts will ensure reliable and trusted communication. HiFlecs will provide a proof-of-concept by means of simulations, HW-demonstration platforms of key technologies, and an overall integrated HiFlecs demonstration platform. The latter targets a wireless automation manufacturing system finally supporting given industrial applications as well as enabling novel automation concepts in industrial production. Industry 4.0 is regarded as an economically important field of research and development in the field of industrial communications and automation.

HiFlecs is co-funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as a collaborative project with 12 partners spanning key industrial players and research institutes of wireless automation and academia. The project runs from 2015/02 – 2018/1 and the project volume is 6.5 Mio. €.

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