wilamowski-b-m-irwin-j-d-industrial-communication-systems-2011

67
Trends and Challenges
for Industrial
Communication Systems
Peter Palensky
Austrian Institute
of Technology
67.1 Introduction..................................................................................... 67-1
67.2 Ubiquitous Global Connectivity and Digital Identity.............. 67-1
67.3 Vertical Integration......................................................................... 67-2
67.4 Hybrid Local Networks and Quality of Service......................... 67-2
67.5 M2M Communication................................................................... 67-3
67.6 Scalability in Hardware and Software......................................... 67-4
References.................................................................................................... 67-5
67.1 Introduction
In the era of ever-increasing connectivity, every possible industrial process is tapped with sensors,
networks, and automation infrastructure to improve efficiency, safety, and transparency. This leads,
depending on the domain-specific requirement, to specific technologies and methods, just as networks
for mines are different from automotive networks. Some are still hoping for “the one,” universal solution,
but that seems a bit far-fetched. There are, however, several points where existing networks will
experience improvements toward a more universal technology. This chapter lists major challenges that
industrial communication systems (ICS) will face in the near future:
• Ubiquitous global connectivity and digital identity
• Vertical integration
• Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication
• Scalability of hardware and software
67.2 Ubiquitous Global Connectivity and Digital Identity
Personal experience tells us, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity is ubiquitous. Cell phones and PDAs
grab 3G or Wi-Fi signals and connect to the World Wide Web without much trouble. This delusive
simplicity makes us believe that M2M communication enjoys the same luxury. This is, however, not the
case. Global connectivity in this context shall mean mobile (but not necessarily wireless) connectivity
over a certain region and maybe even over borders. It boils down to plugging a device into some network
socket or registering it against some wireless network without much hassle.
One usual prerequisite for global connectivity is a subscription to a certain type of service plan. The
service provider might be a public Internet provider, a telephone company, a corporate IT department, or
some other IT operator. The subscriber’s identity is typically defined via a subscriber identity module (SIM)
67-1
© 2011 by Taylor and Francis Group, LLC