System and method for synchronized data transfer in industrial networks

Abstract

A method for synchronizing data transmission in an industrial network is disclosed. The industrial network includes: a first subnet comprising a first industrial device and a first base station; a second subnet comprising a second industrial device and a first routing device; a first wireless device configured to provide communication between the first industrial device and the first base station; a network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device; and a reference clock. The method includes: providing first timing information to the first subnet and providing second timing information to the second subnet; configuring the first wireless device to transmit data from the first industrial device to the network controller based on the first timing information; receiving data from the first subnet; and using the second timing information, transmitting the data received from the network controller to the second industrial device via the routing device to the second subnet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to telecommunications and networking, and more specifically, to systems and methods for synchronous communication in industrial networks. Background Technology

[0002] It is worth noting that industrial networks handle the transmission of large amounts of data between numerous devices (i.e., industrial equipment) connected within an industrial environment. In this respect, industrial networks need to enable connectivity between industrial devices scattered across large spatial areas of the industrial environment, and further, to allow synchronous communication between them. Furthermore, industrial networks need to meet the real-time (i.e., time-sensitive or synchronous) requirements of data transmission between numerous industrial devices in the industrial environment. In addition, industrial environments require reliable connections between industrial devices, which may be distributed across cellular and fixed infrastructure of communication networks.

[0003] However, current network infrastructure deployed in industrial networks cannot enable time-sensitive data transmission for Industrial Internet applications in a synchronous manner. Furthermore, in congested environments, the limited availability of communication links or channels for data transmission restricts the number of industrial devices that can be attached to the communication network. In such situations, traditional systems cannot meet the transmission requests of every industrial device in the industrial network, resulting in operational delays.

[0004] Furthermore, cellular infrastructure typically uses a single communication technology (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, etc.). It also cannot create network slices with duplicated data between different communication technologies used for data transmission. Additionally, industrial devices attached to the cellular infrastructure are randomly assigned available communication links based on the time they attach. Since there is no pre-allocated plan or pre-assigned communication link for each industrial device, data transmission between industrial devices using this cellular infrastructure is unreliable. Subsequently, industrial devices receive downlink data via unicast based on communication links randomly assigned by the base station. Therefore, for downlink communication, cellular infrastructure cannot broadcast unstructured data simultaneously to all devices like Ethernet broadcast. Moreover, due to the limited number of communication links and channels provided by the communication technologies, the number of industrial devices attached to the cellular infrastructure that can be allocated network resources by the base station reaches a limit. In this situation, if the base station runs out of available communication links, connection requests from industrial devices to the base station may be rejected.

[0005] Furthermore, currently deployed industrial networks fail to integrate wired infrastructure (specifically, industrial equipment operating within wired infrastructure) with wireless infrastructure (specifically, industrial equipment operating within cellular infrastructure) to perform reliable bidirectional data transmission and improve time-sensitive data transmission from remote locations. Therefore, current industrial networks face a critical challenge due to the increasing number of industrial devices deployed within cellular infrastructure for remote operation in industrial environments, and the lack of a means to synchronize data transmission between industrial devices operating within cellular infrastructure and those operating within fixed infrastructure.

[0006] Furthermore, industrial networks lack a mechanism for connecting industrial devices within them to receive data transmission requests with varying priorities. Consequently, traditional industrial networks cannot reliably manage data with different priorities based on associated requirements such as encapsulation, replication, resource allocation, and slicing. Additionally, industrial networks do not provide an environment for unstructured data transmission by industrial devices operating within cellular infrastructures. Moreover, currently deployed industrial networks fail to provide an environment for industrial devices operating within cellular infrastructures that allows pre-planned uplink unicast data transmission to be integrated with downlink broadcast transmissions, equivalent to protocols based on Industrial Ethernet (such as EtherCAT, PROFINET, PROFIBUS, Universal Industrial Protocol, HART, POWERLINK, Modbus-TCP, and Ethernet / IP).

[0007] Therefore, based on the above discussion, there is a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with traditional industrial networks in order to transmit data between multiple industrial devices. Summary of the Invention

[0008] This disclosure aims to provide a method for performing synchronous data transmission in an industrial network. It also aims to provide a system for performing synchronous data transmission in an industrial network. This disclosure aims to provide a solution to the existing problems of asynchronous data transmission in industrial networks (i.e., the inability to integrate uplink unidirectional transmission with broadcast downlink transmission in pre-planned time slots). The purpose of this disclosure is to provide solutions that at least partially overcome the problems encountered in the prior art, and to provide a system and method for performing synchronous data transmission in an industrial network based on pre-planned time slots.

[0009] In one aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for synchronizing data transmission in an industrial network, wherein the industrial network includes:

[0010] -A first subnet comprising a first base station and at least one first industrial device;

[0011] -A second subnet comprising a first routing device and at least one second industrial device;

[0012] - A first wireless device is configured to provide communication between at least one first industrial device and a first base station;

[0013] -The network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device, and

[0014] - Reference clock;

[0015] The method includes the following steps:

[0016] - Provide the first timing information to the first subnet;

[0017] - Provide second timing information to the second subnet;

[0018] - Configure a first wireless device to transmit data from at least one first industrial device to a network controller based on first timing information;

[0019] - Receive data from the first subnet via the network controller; and

[0020] - Using second timing information, data received from the network controller is transmitted via a first routing device to at least one second industrial device in a second subnet.

[0021] In another aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a system for synchronizing data transmission in an industrial network, wherein the industrial network includes:

[0022] -A first subnet comprising a first base station and at least one first industrial device;

[0023] -A second subnet comprising a first routing device and at least one second industrial device;

[0024] - A first wireless device is configured to provide communication between a first industrial device and a first base station;

[0025] -The network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device, and

[0026] - Reference clock;

[0027] The network controller is configured as follows:

[0028] - Provide the first timing information to the first subnet;

[0029] - Provide second timing information to the second subnet;

[0030] - Configure a first wireless device to transmit data from at least one first industrial device to a network controller based on first timing information;

[0031] - Receive data from the first subnet; and

[0032] - Using second timing information, data received from the network controller is sent via a first routing device to at least one second industrial device in the second subnet.

[0033] The embodiments of this disclosure greatly eliminate or at least partially solve the aforementioned problems existing in the prior art, and realize a data transmission mechanism that enables all industrial devices connected via cellular or fixed networks to receive ultra-reliable, low-latency structured and unstructured data transmitted uplink or downlink by each cellular or fixed industrial device.

[0034] Other aspects, advantages, features, and objectives of this disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description of the illustrative embodiments, as explained in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

[0035] It is understood that the features of this disclosure can be combined in various ways without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments can be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of illustrating this disclosure, exemplary structures of the present disclosure are shown in the figures. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific methods and means disclosed herein. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are not drawn to scale. Where possible, similar elements are represented by the same numbers.

[0037] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following figures, in which:

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a system for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 3A and Figure 3B These are schematic diagrams of a first wireless device according to different embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a network controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0042] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps of a method for synchronizing data transmission in an industrial network according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] In the accompanying drawings, underlined numbers indicate the item to which the underlined number is located or the item adjacent to the underlined number. Ununderlined numbers refer to the item identified by the line connecting the ununderlined number to the item. When a number does not have an underline and is accompanied by an associated arrow, the ununderlined number is used to identify the general item that the arrow points to. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of the present disclosure and ways in which these embodiments can be implemented. Although some modes of implementing the present disclosure have been disclosed, those skilled in the art will recognize that other embodiments for performing or implementing the present disclosure are also possible.

[0045] In one aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for synchronizing data transmission in an industrial network, wherein the industrial network includes:

[0046] -A first subnet comprising a first base station and at least one first industrial device;

[0047] -A second subnet comprising a first routing device and at least one second industrial device;

[0048] - A first wireless device is configured to provide communication between at least one first industrial device and a first base station;

[0049] -The network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device, and

[0050] - Reference clock;

[0051] The method includes the following steps:

[0052] - Provide the first timing information to the first subnet;

[0053] - Provide second timing information to the second subnet;

[0054] - Configure a first wireless device to transmit data from at least one first industrial device to a network controller based on first timing information;

[0055] - Receive data from the first subnet via the network controller; and

[0056] - Using second timing information, data received from the network controller is transmitted via a first routing device to at least one second industrial device in a second subnet.

[0057] In another aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a system for synchronizing data transmission in an industrial network, wherein the industrial network includes:

[0058] -A first subnet comprising a first base station and at least one first industrial device;

[0059] -A second subnet comprising a first routing device and at least one second industrial device;

[0060] - A first wireless device is configured to provide communication between a first industrial device and a first base station;

[0061] -The network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device, and

[0062] - Reference clock;

[0063] The network controller is configured as follows:

[0064] - Provide the first timing information to the first subnet;

[0065] - Provide second timing information to the second subnet;

[0066] - Configure a first wireless device to transmit data from at least one first industrial device to a network controller based on first timing information;

[0067] - Receive data from the first subnet; and

[0068] - Using second timing information, data received from the network controller is sent via a first routing device to at least one second industrial device in the second subnet.

[0069] This disclosure provides a method and system for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network. The method and system disclosed herein aim to implement Industrial Internet protocols, enabling time-sensitive data transmission and networking within industrial networks. The method and system described herein enable time-sensitive data transmission between at least one first industrial device connected for synchronous communication and at least one second industrial device connected for asynchronous communication. Notably, a first wireless device, a network controller, and a routing device are installed in the industrial network. Advantageously, the network controller generates timing information for the industrial devices, which operate based on the associated timing information to provide uplink data and receive downlink data. Furthermore, the timing information ensures that time slots are allocated to each industrial device, thereby avoiding events where service is denied to industrial devices during congestion or collisions during data transmission. Furthermore, the method and system disclosed herein integrates pre-planned unicast uplink transmissions from the industrial devices with broadcast downlink transmissions to the industrial devices, wherein the industrial devices are connected using cellular, wireless, and fixed network infrastructure. Moreover, this transmission is equivalent to fixed synchronous data transmission.

[0070] Advantageously, the method and system operate (e.g., using 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, Ethernet) to aggregate multiple communication links or channels, enabling reliable synchronous data transmission in industrial networks. Furthermore, this disclosure offers advantages in transmitting both structured and unstructured data, with no computational overhead and low latency.

[0071] The system and method described herein overcome the shortcomings associated with currently used PROFINET (Process Field Network) systems deployed for data transmission over industrial Ethernet in industrial networks. Furthermore, the system and method overcome the limitations associated with deploying traditional cellular networks as industrial networks. The system and method can be deployed in industrial networks such as power plants, smart grids, power plants, production facilities, warehouses, and manufacturing facilities.

[0072] It is worth noting that cellular networks enable long-distance data transmission without the use of wires, cables, or any other form of electrical conductor. In other words, cellular networks enable data transmission between two points (e.g., two industrial devices) without any physical connection. Wireless communication using cellular networks is facilitated by, for example, the electromagnetic wave (i.e., radio wave) spectrum. Furthermore, such a cellular network employs at least one base transceiver (e.g., a first base station; as discussed in detail later herein). Optionally, the radio wave frequency used for data transmission is in the range of 3 kHz to 300 GHz. More preferably, the radio wave frequency used for data transmission is in the range of 30 kHz to 100 kHz.

[0073] This disclosure provides a method and system for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network. It is understood that synchronous data transmission refers to the transmission of asynchronous data (i.e., asymmetric data) from a data source (i.e., industrial equipment) through a synchronous transmission system (i.e., an industrial network). In this case, each data source is given a fixed time to transmit data (specifically, data packets). Typically, the data source to be transmitted sends data at any time interval suitable for it. Subsequently, the data is received by a transmission device (e.g., a first base station and / or a network controller) within the fixed time associated with the data source. Optionally, no error checking mechanism is implemented for synchronous data transmission. Furthermore, optionally, the time for receiving data from each data source strictly adheres to the fixed time allocated to each data source.

[0074] Furthermore, industrial networks refer to communication infrastructure for industry. In this paper, an industrial network refers to a single network, or a collection of single networks interconnected and operating as a single large network. Optionally, such industrial networks are implemented through wired communication networks, wireless (or cellular) communication networks, or a combination thereof. It is understood that physical connections are established for wired communication networks, while wireless communication networks utilize electromagnetic waves. Examples of such industrial networks include, but are not limited to: Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), Wireless Wide Area Networks (WWANs), Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs), the Internet, second-generation (2G) telecommunications networks, third-generation (3G) telecommunications networks, fourth-generation (4G) telecommunications networks, fifth-generation (5G) telecommunications networks, and Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX), as well as different generations of wireless access networks (WiFia, b, an, ac, ax).

[0075] For example, industry can refer to power distribution plants, power plants, smart grids, production facilities, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, factories, etc. It is understood that industry includes multiple industrial devices. In this paper, multiple industrial devices are interconnected and communicatively coupled through an industrial network.

[0076] It is worth noting that industrial equipment refers to electronic equipment, mechanical equipment, electromechanical equipment, etc., associated with (or used in) industrial networks. Industrial equipment is capable of performing specific tasks associated with the aforementioned systems and methods, such as sending and / or receiving data. Furthermore, industrial equipment is intended to be broadly interpreted to include any electronic device that can be used for voice and / or data communication via wired or wireless communication networks. Examples of industrial equipment include, but are not limited to: cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices, wireless modems, laptops, personal computers, electric motors, electric actuators, controllers, transmission equipment, transceivers, routers, robots, sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) based devices, and network devices. Advantageously, industrial equipment is connected to industrial networks to enable time-sensitive data transmission.

[0077] Additionally, industrial equipment optionally includes a housing, functional units, memory, processor, network interface card, microphone, speaker, keyboard, display, transmitter, and receiver. Furthermore, industrial equipment should be interpreted broadly to include various types of devices that operate to perform functions (e.g., electrical equipment, mechanical equipment, electronic equipment, etc.). Optionally, in industry, the functions performed by industrial equipment are managed or facilitated by data provided by an industrial network. In this example, industrial equipment in the industry operates based on instructions received as data from another device via an industrial network.

[0078] The industrial network includes a first subnet, which includes a first base station and at least one first industrial device. Specifically, the first subnet establishes communication infrastructure for transmitting data from at least one first industrial device to the first base station in a pre-planned manner. Notably, the at least one first industrial device includes time synchronization and scheduling capabilities, wherein the time synchronization and scheduling capabilities enable the at least one first industrial device to transmit data in a processed manner according to associated time slots. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the first subnet establishes synchronous communication within the industrial network. Furthermore, at least one first industrial device refers to industrial equipment capable of synchronous data transmission via a communication link (e.g., a cellular network).

[0079] Furthermore, the first base station refers to a fixed communication point used for wireless communication in an industrial network (e.g., a cellular network). It is understood that in an industrial network, there may be multiple base stations used to establish wireless communication methods. Optionally, the first base station provides information to one or more transmitting / receiving units and receives information from one or more transmitting / receiving units. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the first base station relays data to and from at least one first industrial device, a first wireless device, and / or a network controller. The first base station is configured to allocate a control radio channel (CCH) and a data radio channel (DCCH) for unicast uplink transmission of data from at least one first industrial device, a first wireless device, and / or a network controller. Furthermore, the first base station is configured to allocate different radio control channels (MCCH) and traffic radio channels (MTCH) for downlink reception of data for at least one first industrial device, a first wireless device, and / or a network controller.

[0080] Optionally, multiple base stations are configured together to establish wireless communication within an industrial network. These base stations are managed by a network controller (as discussed in detail later herein). Optionally, a first subnet provides the communication infrastructure for synchronous data transmission.

[0081] It is understood that wireless communication (specifically, cellular network) refers to a wireless communication network in which cellular networks are distributed across land via cells. Specifically, each cell includes a transceiver at a fixed location, such as a first base station. It is understood that wireless communication enables asymmetric transmission between at least one first industrial device, a first wireless device, and a network controller; and further transmission of data facilitated by the cellular network includes Internet Protocol (IP)-based data. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the cellular network employs low-power wide-area network wireless interfaces, such as Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and Long Term Evolution-Machine Type Communications (LTE-M), to enable device-to-device communication over the cellular network by facilitating the transmission of non-IP data.

[0082] The industrial network includes a second subnet, which comprises a first routing device and at least one second industrial device. Specifically, the second subnet establishes a communication infrastructure for transmitting data from the at least one second industrial device in an unplanned manner. Notably, the at least one second industrial device does not include a unique time synchronizer and time scheduler. Therefore, the at least one second industrial device can send raw uplink data without relying on associated allocated time slots. Optionally, the at least one second industrial device is configured to perform asynchronous data transmission within the second subnet. Furthermore, the at least one second industrial device is an asynchronous industrial device capable of transmitting data unplanned over a communication link (e.g., Ethernet).

[0083] The first routing device and at least one second industrial device are interconnected using, for example, a cellular network, cable, fiber optic cable, etc. In the example, the connection between the at least one second industrial device and the first routing device forms a local area network (LAN) in the industrial network. More preferably, the LAN is a software-defined local area network (SD-LAN). More preferably, a PROFINET cable can be used for this wired communication between the at least one second industrial device and the first routing device, thereby providing the advantages of Ethernet cable communication in the industrial network.

[0084] Furthermore, a routing device (or a first routing device) refers to a device configured to forward data (specifically, data packets) from at least one second industrial device. It is understood that the routing device implements a routing protocol to reliably forward data packets to their associated destination address. Examples of routing protocols include, but are not limited to: Routing Information Protocol (RIP), Interior Gateway Protocol (IGRP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Exterior Gateway Protocol (EGP), Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), and Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS). Optionally, the routing device employs the TCP / IP protocol.

[0085] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a routing device in a second subnet is configured to set a routing policy for at least one second industrial device in the second subnet. It is understood that the at least one second industrial device cannot perform pre-planned data transmission. Therefore, the routing policy set by the routing device is used to establish a network slice (as discussed in detail later herein) between the at least one second industrial device and the first wireless device, thereby enabling communication between the at least one second industrial device and the at least one first industrial device. It is understood that the routing device can connect to multiple second industrial devices to provide time-sensitive networking capabilities to the at least one second industrial device.

[0086] Optionally, the routing device may be communicatively coupled to at least one of: a first wireless device, a network controller, a first base station, at least one first industrial device, and at least one second industrial device. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the routing device may be communicatively coupled to at least one second industrial device via a wired or wireless communication channel to effectively establish a routing policy for the at least one second industrial device. Furthermore, the routing device may be communicatively coupled to the first wireless device via, for example, a wired communication channel, to enable the at least one second industrial device to network on a time-scheduled basis. In one example, the routing device operates to forward data packets received from the second industrial device (among the at least one second industrial device) to the first base station via the first wireless device. In another example, the routing device operates to forward data received from the first base station to the second industrial device (among the at least one second industrial device) via the first wireless device.

[0087] More optionally, the second subnet includes a server. It is worth noting that a server refers to a structure and / or module that includes programmable and / or non-programmable components configured to store, process, and / or share information. Optionally, the server includes any arrangement of physical or virtual computing entities capable of enhancing information to perform various computational tasks. Furthermore, the server receives unstructured data (or data frames) from transmitting devices (e.g., at least one second industrial network, one first wireless device, one network controller, and at least one first industrial device). Additionally, the server encapsulates and decapsulates unstructured data across multiple communication links (e.g., fixed network links, cellular network links, wireless network links, etc.) so that it can be simultaneously received by each device (e.g., at least one second industrial network, one first wireless device, one network controller, and at least one first industrial device) within the industrial network.

[0088] Optionally, the routing device is configured to connect the second subnet to the server and the first base station for transmitting data from at least one second industrial device to at least one first industrial device. The routing device operates based on network slicing configured by the network controller using a network management module (e.g., SDN technology). The routing device supports packet duplication of data to be transmitted from the first wireless device and / or the network controller. Furthermore, the routing device is configured to de-duplicate data from multiple communication links to send a single data message to at least one second industrial device.

[0089] In the example, the routing device is configured to synchronize the transmission and reception scheduling system of industrial equipment (e.g., at least one second industrial device) connected to the core of a cellular network via, for example, fixed network infrastructure, to send and receive data to and from the industrial equipment connected to, for example, the cellular network infrastructure. The routing device synchronizes the scheduling system with the same equipment as the industrial equipment connected to the cellular network infrastructure to enable synchronized data transmission within the industrial network.

[0090] Furthermore, the term "timing information" as used herein refers to data or a set of data representing a specific time schedule or time series for each industrial device in an industrial network. Specifically, the specific time schedule or time series describes a time slot for each industrial device. More specifically, a given industrial device operates to transmit data according to a given time slot specified in the timing information and corresponding to that given industrial device. In the example, the timing information is represented as a list containing time slots corresponding to unique identifiers associated with each industrial device in the industrial network. Specifically, the timing information enables time stamping of industrial devices, thereby synchronizing them. Advantageously, the timing information is generated by the network controller (as discussed in detail later herein) to avoid collisions between industrial devices during data transmission, thereby minimizing latency and optimizing operation in the industrial environment. Optionally, the timing information is stored as data in a file or folder.

[0091] The timing information is converted into multiple timing packets for each industrial device in the industrial network to receive. Specifically, the network controller breaks down the long timing information into smaller packets (i.e., multiple timing packets). Understandably, each of these multiple timing packets is traversed back and forth between the source (i.e., the network controller) and the receiver (i.e., each industrial device). These multiple timing packets are provided as a downlink broadcast to each industrial device in the industrial network.

[0092] Optionally, the first timing information associated with at least one first industrial device and the second timing information associated with at least one second industrial device include at least one of the following: uplink time slots and downlink time slots, respectively, for each of the at least one first industrial device and each of the at least one second industrial device. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the term "uplink time slot" refers to a time slot when an industrial device transmits or uploads data for communication. Furthermore, the term "downlink time slot" refers to a time slot when an industrial device operates to receive or listen to previously uploaded data. In an example, an industrial device in an industrial network operates to receive data according to the downlink time slot specified in the timing information and corresponding to the device. Alternatively, in another example, the industrial device operates to receive all downlink data communicated by, for example, a first base station.

[0093] According to embodiments of this disclosure, an industrial network includes at least one first industrial device employing a communication network for planned data transmission, and at least one second industrial device employing a communication network for planned data transmission. Furthermore, the industrial devices in the industrial network, including at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device, are configured to transmit data between the industrial devices using at least one of the following: network cable (e.g., Ethernet cable), routing device, first wireless device, base station, and network controller.

[0094] The method includes providing first timing information to a first subnet. The method also includes providing second timing information to a second subnet. Notably, a network controller (as discussed in detail later herein) is configured to generate timing information. Specifically, the timing information constitutes first timing information for the first subnet and second timing information for the second subnet. More specifically, the first timing information includes time slots for each of the at least one first industrial device used for data communication, and the second timing information includes time slots for each of the at least one second industrial device used for data communication. Furthermore, the network controller broadcasts the timing information via a first base station and / or a routing device to provide timing information to each of the at least one first industrial device, the routing device, and the first wireless device. Optionally, the network controller provides the first timing information as a downlink broadcast to the at least one first industrial device and the first wireless device via the first base station; and further provides the second timing information to the routing device via the first base station or a wired channel.

[0095] Furthermore, the industrial network includes a reference clock. Notably, the network controller is configured to generate timing information using the reference clock. Specifically, the reference clock enables the network controller to implement precise time slots for generating the timing information. Optionally, the time reference clock is enabled via a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, or an atomic clock. Additionally, optionally, the network controller receives a reference for the timing information from the reference clock. In this case, the network controller encapsulates the reference for the timing information provided by the reference clock to generate the timing information. Furthermore, optionally, the network controller encrypts the timing information before broadcasting it.

[0096] Optionally, providing the first timing information and the second timing information includes synchronizing the internal clock of the first wireless device, the internal clock of at least one first industrial device, and the internal clock of at least one second industrial device with a reference clock. Specifically, the internal clocks of the first wireless device and at least one first industrial device are synchronized based on the first timing information, and the internal clocks of at least one second industrial device and the routing device are synchronized based on the second timing information. It is worth noting that synchronizing the internal clocks of the devices (e.g., at least one first industrial device, the first wireless device, at least one second industrial device, and the routing device) with a reference clock enables the devices to communicate precisely with the first base station within their allocated time slots, thereby preventing any overlap in data communication.

[0097] The method includes configuring a first wireless device to transmit data from at least one first industrial device to a network controller based on first timing information. It is understood that the data is transmitted as multiple data packets or data frames. Furthermore, the data transmitted by the at least one first industrial device is received by the first wireless device via a first base station in a first subnet. Additionally, the first wireless device is configured to provide data to the network controller using the first base station. At this point, the first wireless device and the network controller are communicatively coupled via a wireless network infrastructure, including, for example, a cellular network, a wireless access terminal, a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi), etc. Furthermore, the data is provided to the network controller based on the first timing information, wherein the first timing information specifies uplink and downlink time slots for the at least one first industrial device. In an embodiment, the first industrial device among the at least one first industrial device can send data to be transmitted to a second industrial device among at least one second industrial device to the first wireless device at any time via the first base station. In this case, the first wireless device schedules the data based on the uplink time slot associated with the first industrial device specified in the first timing information. In another embodiment, the first industrial device sends data to be transmitted to the second industrial device to the first wireless device via an uplink time slot specified in the first timing information and associated with the first industrial device. In this case, the first wireless device simultaneously routes the data to the network controller for subsequent operations.

[0098] The industrial network includes a first wireless device configured to provide communication between at least one first industrial device and a first base station. Notably, the first wireless device refers to the hardware device that connects at least one first industrial device to the first base station to establish a communication network. In this regard, the first wireless device can use at least one of the following to provide communication between the at least one first industrial device and the base station: telephone line, cable (e.g., optical cable, fiber optic cable), cellular network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), or Wi-Fi. Subsequently, the wireless device is manufactured to include a cellular modem, a wired modem, and a wireless modem. Optionally, the first wireless device is operable to perform modulation and demodulation on transmitted and received data, respectively.

[0099] It is understood that the first wireless device may be part of a single device or a proxy that can connect to many other devices that utilize the first wireless device as an aggregator for synchronous data transmission. Furthermore, at least one first industrial device connected to the first wireless device via a wireless or wired link is a synchronous industrial device. Additionally, the first wireless device aggregates data from at least one first industrial device to transmit the data to a second subnet including asynchronous industrial devices (i.e., at least one second industrial device) using the system described in this disclosure. The first wireless device uses multiple communication links to transmit data to the second subnet, wherein at least one second industrial device connected to a routing device via a wireless or wired link presents an end-to-end wired connection, and at least one second industrial device is unaware of the communication links used by the first wireless device.

[0100] In one example, the first wireless device connected to at least one first industrial device includes a cellular and wireless modem, and further includes a module for processing functions associated with the wireless communication infrastructure. In another example, the first wireless device connected to at least one first industrial device includes, in addition to the cellular and wireless modem, a fixed socket, wherein at least one first industrial device is connected to the first wireless device via the fixed socket. In this document, at least one first industrial device is connected to the first wireless device via a cable; and further, the first wireless device is connected to a first base station via a cellular network (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G), a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi), or a combination thereof. Advantageously, the first wireless device enables at least one first industrial device to perform time-sensitive networking.

[0101] Optionally, the first wireless device includes: at least one first wireless access network; a time synchronization and scheduling module for receiving first timing information from a network controller; a failover and data multiplexing module for multiplexing data on at least one communication link within a plurality of communication links; a resource slicing module for allocating network and wireless resources to create network slices; a wireless device manager module for requesting communication links within the plurality of communication links from the network controller; a network management module for managing network resources; a resource allocation module for analyzing resources; and at least one of the following: a cellular modem, a wireless modem, and at least one socket. It is noteworthy that the modules included in the first wireless device are operable to convert at least one first industrial device into a time-sensitive networking (TSN) device based on synchronized, planned, and reliable communication. This communication is established using dual or triple connections based on two or more of, for example, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, and wired connections. Furthermore, the first wireless device in the industrial network enables ultra-reliable data transmission via multiple communication links through a failover system to ensure robust communication of data (especially IP and non-IP data) between the first subnet and the first base station, thereby further enabling communication with the second subnet.

[0102] Optionally, at least one first radio access network (RAN) establishes a communication link between the network controller of the industrial network and the first wireless device via a first base station. Specifically, at least one first RAN includes a base station (e.g., a first base station). At least one first RAN corresponds to a base station for, for example, cellular network infrastructure (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G), wireless network infrastructure (e.g., Wi-Fi access points), and fixed network infrastructure (e.g., Ethernet cables).

[0103] Optionally, the time synchronization and scheduling module is operable to receive first timing information from the network controller, wherein the broadcast first timing information corresponds to at least one first industrial device and is further adopted by the first wireless device to schedule uplink and downlink data from the at least one first industrial device to the first base station. The time synchronization and scheduling module enables the first wireless device to synchronize its internal clock with the internal clock of at least one second industrial device to conform to time slots based on the second timing information, thereby enabling synchronized transmission between the at least one first industrial device and the at least one second industrial device connected to the first wireless device.

[0104] Additionally, optionally, the failover and data multiplexing module is operable to replicate data provided as an uplink by the first industrial device on at least one of multiple communication links to ensure reliability. The failover and data multiplexing module replicates each input data packet and further distributes the replicated data packets across different active communication links within the multiple communication links to ensure reliability.

[0105] Optionally, the resource slicing module is operable to allocate network and wireless resources to create network slices for data transmission. The resource slicing module is operable to allocate different network and communication resources to create network slices, wherein different data services (data from different sources) are assigned different network slices based on priority indices and / or requirements in areas such as bandwidth, latency, and packet loss. Specifically, the resource slicing module separates services (uplink data) and further isolates services with higher priority indices from other less critical services. Additionally, optionally, the resource slicing module in the first wireless device interacts with the resource slicing module in the network controller to deploy end-to-end network slices between the first wireless device and the second industrial device to which the data is transmitted.

[0106] Optionally, the wireless device manager module is operable to request communication links within multiple communication links from the network controller to create network slices for data transmission. The wireless device manager receives requests from the first wireless device to allocate new communication links or allocate existing communication links to modulate the capacity of the communication links, thereby ensuring reliable data communication. The wireless device manager module interacts with the first base station to request additional communication links within the communication links provided by the first base station, for example, to increase capacity and request different qualities of service in terms of latency, bit rate, etc. Based on the packet requests, the wireless device manager module ensures that data packets are transmitted from the first wireless device, through the first base station, to at least one second industrial device with low latency and high reliability.

[0107] Optionally, a network management (e.g., software-defined networking (SDN) management) module is operable to manage network resources in the first wireless device used for operations (e.g., packet encapsulation, packet fragmentation, packet tagging, packet format modification, etc.) to create different slices for different data services collected in the first wireless device, wherein different data services are received from different first industrial devices in at least one first industrial device. Furthermore, the network management module (specifically, the software-defined networking (SDN) controller) manages the network interfaces in the wireless device and manages packets in the first wireless device to assign different priority indices and / or modify the packet format of data packets to be transmitted, thereby improving data transmission reliability and reducing latency. In other words, the SDN controller in the first wireless device assigns different priority indices to services (i.e., uplink data from different sources) and classifies services to be transmitted over multiple communication links.

[0108] Optionally, the resource allocation module is operable to analyze the available resources of the first wireless device and their further use. Additionally, optionally, at least one socket is used to establish a communication link between the first industrial equipment and the first wireless device via a wired means (e.g., a cable).

[0109] Additionally, optionally, the cellular modem and / or wireless modem are operable to establish a communication link between the first wireless device and at least one first industrial device and / or between the first wireless device and a first base station, wherein the cellular modem employs broadband cellular network technology (e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.) and the wireless modem employs wireless network technology (e.g., Wi-Fi).

[0110] Alternatively, the first wireless device is managed by its aforementioned modules. Specifically, the modules of the first wireless device manage data transmission between at least one second industrial device and the first wireless device, data transmission between the first wireless device and at least one first industrial device, and further, data transmission between a first base station and the first wireless device in the industrial network. By providing a reliable communication link in the industrial network, the first wireless device connects at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device.

[0111] Optionally, the first wireless device is configured as follows:

[0112] - Receive the first timing information and time slot from the network controller, and schedule the received time slot to the first industrial device;

[0113] -Reuse the received data; and

[0114] - Activate multiple communication links to establish communication interfaces for at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device, enabling synchronous data transmission in the industrial network.

[0115] At this point, the first wireless device receives first timing information from the network controller, which broadcasts the first timing information. Optionally, the first wireless device uses a common transport layer to receive the broadcast first timing information. It is understood that the common transport layer enables low-latency reception of structured and unstructured data for a fixed network interface in the first wireless device. Furthermore, optionally, the first wireless device and at least one first industrial device receive the first timing information, which will be used by the at least one industrial device to synchronize the internal clock of the at least one industrial device for synchronized data transmission and reception. Additionally, when receiving data from the at least one first industrial device, the first wireless device multiplexes traffic, wherein uplink data from the at least one first industrial device forms traffic. Subsequently, specifically, multiple modules of the first wireless device activate multiple communication links to establish communication interfaces for the at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device, enabling synchronized data transmission in the industrial network.

[0116] Optionally, configuring the first wireless device includes:

[0117] -Activate multiple communication links to establish a communication interface for at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device using a first wireless device, enabling synchronous data transmission in the industrial network;

[0118] - The aggregation capability for synchronous data transmission in industrial networks allows for the slicing of active communication links across multiple communication links to create network slices; and

[0119] - Data is transmitted by specifying the communication link of the slice based on the priority index associated with the data.

[0120] In this regard, a first wireless device with fixed, cellular, and wireless interfaces includes multiple modules (such as those described above) to activate multiple communication links, for example, simultaneously activating multiple wireless technologies and multiple wireless channels within each wireless technology. In this document, multiple wireless technologies are established via cellular networks (e.g., LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G), wireless networks (e.g., Wi-Fi), and fixed networks (e.g., Ethernet). Subsequently, the first wireless device activates multiple communication links (or several communication links) for uplink transmission of structured and unstructured data (e.g., IP data, non-IP data, Ethernet data, raw data). Specifically, a network management module (e.g., an SDN module) is configured to activate multiple communication links to establish communication interfaces for at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device, enabling synchronous data transmission within the industrial network. Furthermore, a resource slicing module is operable to slice the activated communication links among the multiple communication links based on the aggregation capability for synchronous data transmission within the industrial network, thereby creating network slices. Specifically, the first wireless device aggregates, schedules, and multiplexes data transmissions on the activated communication links to create network slices for reliable data transmission. In addition, the wireless device manager and network management module ensure the allocation of network resources (specifically, network slices) for data transmission based on a data priority index, where the data priority index is defined by the source industrial device sending the data.

[0121] In this respect, the first wireless device includes multiple modules that operate to perform the aforementioned steps to configure the first wireless device. Notably, the first wireless device includes a fixed interface for fixed connections, as well as a cellular modem and a wireless modem, to utilize optimized network bearers (i.e., 4G, 5G, 6G, Wi-Fi) and wireless channels for uplink and downlink transmission of structured and unstructured data. Optionally, the fixed interface for fixed connections is used for public data transmission of structured and unstructured data with high reliability and low latency (e.g., 1 millisecond (ms)). Furthermore, optionally, the first wireless device and at least one first industrial device can transmit data in uplink time slots specified in timing information to ensure full synchronization with other devices (e.g., routing devices, network controllers, and at least one second industrial device) to avoid collisions in the industrial network. Additionally, if users of the industrial network select a "non-real-time" or "asynchronous" mode, the first wireless device and at least one first industrial device can transmit data without planned uplink time slots.

[0122] It is understood that an industrial network can have multiple first wireless devices that are communicatively coupled to at least one first industrial device. In the example, the industrial network has two first wireless devices. In this case, the first and second wireless devices have substantially similar functions and configurations. Furthermore, the first wireless device is connected to the first industrial device "A" via a cellular network; and the second wireless device is connected to the first industrial devices "B" and "C" via wired networks. Subsequently, the first and second wireless devices establish communication links between the first industrial devices "A", "B", and "C" and a first base station. Alternatively, the industrial network may include multiple base stations. In this case, the first and second wireless devices are configured to establish communication links between the first industrial devices "A", "B", and "C" and available base stations among the multiple base stations, based on the configuration of the first industrial devices "A", "B", and "C" (e.g., cellular, wired, wireless, etc.).

[0123] The method includes receiving data from a first subnet via a network controller. Specifically, the network controller receives data from a first wireless device based on timing information. More specifically, the first wireless device transmits data to the network controller via a first base station based on timing information (especially uplink time slots) associated with a first industrial device (i.e., the data sender). Alternatively, the first industrial device may directly transmit data to the network controller via the first base station based on the associated timing information.

[0124] It is worth noting that the industrial network includes a network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device. Specifically, the network controller refers to a structure and / or module that includes programmable and / or non-programmable components configured to store, process, and / or share information. Optionally, the network controller includes any arrangement of physical or virtual computing entities capable of enhancing information to perform various computational tasks. Furthermore, it is understood that the network controller can be a single hardware device and / or multiple hardware devices operating in a parallel or distributed architecture. In the example, the network controller may include components such as memory, processor, network adapter, etc., to store information, process information, and / or share information with other computing components (e.g., industrial equipment, the first wireless device, the routing device). Optionally, the network controller implements computer programs to provide various services (e.g., database services, processing services, etc.) to other devices, modules, or apparatuses.

[0125] It is worth noting that the network controller includes core network functions, enabling uplink and downlink connections from at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device. Specifically, the network controller provides high-capacity communication facilities connecting the master node. The network controller provides paths (i.e., communication links) for data exchange between different subnets. In the example, the network controller acquires data from a source device (e.g., the first industrial device) via a wireless communication network and further transmits the data to a fixed communication network (e.g., a fixed Ethernet network) for communicating the data to a receiving device (e.g., the second industrial device). Alternatively, the source device and the receiving device may be the second industrial device and the first industrial device, respectively. Optionally, the network controller has a planar topology or a mesh topology. More preferably, the network controller employs circuit switching, packet switching, or a combination thereof.

[0126] In one example, the network controller provides broadband cellular network technologies such as 4G Packet Core Evolution (EPC) or 5G Core (5GC). In this case, the network controller includes at least one of the following components: Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Unified Data Management (UDM), Serving Gateway (SGW), Session Management Function (SMF), Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN GW), User Plane Function (UPF), Mobility Management Entity (MME), and Access Mobility Management Function (AMF). These components enable the network controller to efficiently route data from one device (i.e., the source device) to another device (i.e., the receiving device). In another example, the network controller provides Service Capability Open Function (SCEF) in 4G or SCS (Service Capability Server) in 5G. The 4G SCEF is integrated with the Network Open Function (NEF), which becomes the SCS supporting cellular-optimized IoT communications in 5G. It is understood that the SCEF or SCS network controller is implemented via a radio interface (e.g., NB-IoT and LTE-M), enabling the exchange of non-IP data using Ethernet frames between multiple devices. In another example, the network controller provides wireless networking technologies (e.g., Wi-Fi). Such wireless networking technologies operate to carry a wireless LAN. In another example, the network controller provides wired networking technologies (e.g., PROFINET, Ethernet cable, etc.). According to embodiments of this disclosure, the network controller provides two or more of the above-described networking technologies. It is understood that the network controller may include repeaters or switches to eliminate any network dead zones or provide reliable communication throughout the entire spatial area of ​​an industrial network.

[0127] Optionally, the network controller includes: at least one second wireless access network; a time synchronization and scheduling controller for providing first timing information to the first subnet and second timing information to the second subnet; a failover and packet replication controller for aggregating multiplexed data and allocating communication links to the industrial network; a resource slicing controller for setting policies to create network slices; a wireless device controller for receiving requests from wireless devices for allocating communication links; a network management controller for communicating with routers and switches in the industrial network; and a resource allocation controller for managing network resources and allocating network slices. Notably, the modules included in the network controller are operable to convert at least one second industrial device into a time-sensitive networking (TSN) device based on synchronized, planned, and reliable communication. This communication is established using dual or triple connections based on two or more of, for example, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, and wired connections. Furthermore, the network controller in the industrial network enables ultra-reliable data transmission using multiple communication links via a failover system to ensure robust communication of data (especially IP and non-IP data) between the first and second subnets.

[0128] Optionally, at least one second radio access network (RAN) establishes a communication link between the network controller and the first wireless device and routing device. Specifically, at least one second RAN includes a communication link established by the network core of the network controller using the first base station. At least one second RAN corresponds to a base station for, for example, cellular network infrastructure (e.g., 3G, 4G, 5G), wireless network infrastructure (e.g., Wi-Fi access points), and fixed network infrastructure (e.g., Ethernet cables).

[0129] Optionally, the time synchronization and scheduling controller is operable to provide first timing information to a first subnet and second timing information to a second subnet. This timing information is provided as a downlink broadcast message to a first wireless device, a routing device, at least one first industrial device, and at least one second industrial device. The time synchronization and scheduling module enables the network controller to synchronize its internal clock with a reference clock to generate the first and second timing information, thereby enabling synchronized transmission between at least one first industrial device and at least one second industrial device.

[0130] Additionally, optionally, the failover and packet replication controller can operate to aggregate multiplexed data and allocate communication links to the industrial network. Specifically, the failover and packet replication controller aggregates replicated data packets received through multiple communication links, or allocates replicated data packets from a second subnet communication link up to a terminal device, which is a second industrial device in the second subnet that receives data.

[0131] Optionally, the resource slicing controller is operable to set policies for creating network slices. In this respect, the resource slicing controller sets policies for at least one of the first wireless device and the routing device. Furthermore, the resource slicing module configures at least one of the first wireless device and the routing device to adequately allocate network slices for communication data based on factors such as size, quality, priority index, bandwidth, latency, and packet loss.

[0132] Optionally, the wireless device controller may be operable to receive a request from the first wireless device to allocate a communication link. Specifically, the request from the first wireless device to allocate a new communication link within an existing communication link is for, for example, to increase data transmission capacity or reliability, and to request different qualities of service in terms of latency, bit rate, etc.

[0133] Optionally, the network management controller is operable to communicate with routing devices in the industrial network. Specifically, the network management controller (e.g., an SDN controller) is operable to manage network resources allocated to various services from the first and second subnets. Furthermore, the network management controller manages network resources based on priority indices and associated required characteristics. Additionally, the network management controller assigns different priority indices to services from the first wireless device or the first subnet and further classifies multiple communication links to transmit services to the second subnet. The SDN controller in the network controller sets routing policies in the routing devices of the second subnet to isolate services requiring low latency or high reliability from other less critical services received from the first wireless device or at least one industrial device in the first industrial device, and prioritizes services requiring low latency or high reliability. Furthermore, the network management module of the first wireless device communicates with the network management controller of the network controller to manage network resources in the second subnet to allocate network slices that will be used to isolate services received from multiple communication links and transmit services received from multiple communication links to the second subnet.

[0134] Alternatively, the resource allocation controller can be operated to manage network resources and allocate network slices while transmitting data.

[0135] Optionally, the network controller is connected to a first routing device in the second subnet, wherein the first routing device is connected to at least one second industrial device for unicast and broadcast communication using routing policies specified by the network controller. It is understood that the second subnet may include multiple routing devices. In this case, the network controller is communicatively coupled to each of the multiple routing devices and is further operable to configure the multiple routing devices via associated routing policies and rules to allocate network resources to each network slice and separate services with different priority indices within the second subnet.

[0136] Optionally, the network controller manages multiple base stations in the industrial network, wherein the network controller dynamically configures the multiple base stations (e.g., cellular base stations, wireless access base stations, etc.) to provide multiple communication links with different communication resources on each of the multiple base stations. These multiple communication links provide common communication resources for each industrial device in at least one first industrial device, enabling it to transmit data (or data frames, or multiple data packets) from the multiple communication links to at least one second industrial device with the necessary reliability and low latency.

[0137] Alternatively, the network controller connects to multiple base stations (e.g., the first base station) or other network technologies (e.g., wireless access technologies), which are connected to the first wireless device for uplink and downlink connections. Furthermore, the multiple base stations or other network technologies are part of a common transport layer for simultaneously sending and receiving duplicate data packets to and from the first wireless device. The network controller then synchronizes the devices in the industrial network to ensure that all devices accurately receive timing information. Additionally, the time synchronization and scheduling module of the first wireless device receives timing information from the network controller for each of the at least one first industrial device to select an uplink time slot for each of the at least one first industrial device.

[0138] Furthermore, the method includes: using second timing information, transmitting data received from a network controller via a first routing device to at least one second industrial device in a second subnet. At this point, the network controller provides the data received from the first subnet to the routing device, wherein the routing device is configured by a routing policy. Subsequently, based on the second timing information associated with the at least one second industrial device, the routing device routes the data to be received by the at least one second industrial device. It is understood that the routing device provides the data to the at least one second industrial device based on the downlink time slot associated with the at least one second industrial device.

[0139] Optionally, transmitting the received data includes: configuring a routing device to transmit data from the network controller to at least one second industrial device based on second timing information. It is understood that the at least one second industrial device lacks time scheduling capabilities and is connected to the network controller via the routing device. Subsequently, the network controller configures the routing device through routing policies and rules to allocate network resources to each network slice for transmitting data from the at least one second industrial device and to separate data services with different priority indices. Furthermore, the routing device aggregates the data received from the at least one second industrial device and further communicates different data according to the second timing information and the routing policies and rules, thereby providing the data from the at least one second industrial device to the first base station in a planned manner.

[0140] Optionally, the network controller configures network resources in the first subnet for the first base station, and also uses the SDN controller to configure network resources in the second subnet to create network slices, and further interacts with the SDN module in the first wireless device to set up network slices for transmitting data from the first wireless device to the network controller or to an end-to-end network slice between the first wireless device and at least one second industrial device.

[0141] Alternatively, the network controller may receive replicated data from different communication links and further de-replicate the data before sending it as a single data item to the second subnet. Alternatively, the network controller may transmit replicated data through multiple communication links in a manner with different encapsulation structures until it reaches a first routing device, wherein the first routing device operates to de-replicate the data replicated from multiple communication channels.

[0142] In addition, the network controller will synchronously transmit timing information for the first wireless device with at least one first industrial device so that data can be synchronously transmitted from the first wireless device to at least one second industrial device in the second subnet.

[0143] Optionally, the method further includes employing a machine learning algorithm to implement operations associated with at least one of the network controller and the first wireless device. It is worth noting that the term "machine learning algorithm" refers to a class of algorithms employed by a device implementing a software application. Machine learning algorithms enable devices to become more accurate in predicting outcomes and / or performing tasks associated with the software application without explicit programming. Specifically, machine learning algorithms are used to manually train the device so that it can automatically learn from analyzing training datasets and improving output or performance empirically, without explicit programming, to effectively execute the software application.

[0144] Optionally, the machine learning algorithm is executed by at least one of the network controller and the first wireless device. It is understood that the device executing the machine learning algorithm is trained using a training dataset. More preferably, the machine learning algorithm is trained using a training dataset that includes labeled data, unlabeled data, or a combination thereof. At this point, the machine learning algorithm undergoes at least one of the following: unsupervised training, supervised training, reinforcement training, or semi-supervised training. Furthermore, the machine learning algorithm is trained to obtain the desired output by interpreting patterns in the training dataset and adjusting the algorithm accordingly.

[0145] Optionally, the first wireless device includes a machine learning module to monitor and analyze available network resources and optimize their use to ensure ultra-reliable and low-latency data transmission. Furthermore, the first wireless device operates on network resources and / or data packets to prioritize and modify packet structure for optimal utilization of available network resources, and applies different network strategies to data packets; this is performed based on machine learning algorithms. Additionally, the resource allocation module of the first wireless device includes machine learning capabilities to continuously analyze existing network resources beyond input traffic, time synchronization offsets, device computing and storage resources, and status information of other modules of the first wireless device, to ensure data transmission quality or to send warning or alarm messages to users of the industrial network (e.g., network operators) informing them of equipment malfunctions.

[0146] Optionally, the network controller includes a machine learning module for monitoring and collecting data from different modules of the network controller, and processing the data to find optimal use of network resources. The machine learning module of the network controller communicates with the machine learning module of the first wireless device, enabling optimal allocation of network resources between the first wireless device and at least one first industrial device, between the first wireless device and the network controller, or between the first wireless device and a routing device or at least one second industrial device.

[0147] In an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, a first wireless device is configured to activate multiple communication links (e.g., wireless interfaces, wired interfaces, or combinations thereof via cellular and wireless networks), wherein data to be transmitted is replicated on the multiple communication links and transmitted via the activated communication links. Furthermore, the first wireless device synchronizes its internal clock, and the internal clock of each of at least one first industrial device, with a reference clock for first timing information to a nanosecond or lower level. Additionally, the first wireless device is connected to multiple first industrial devices via wired, wireless, or cellular network infrastructure. Furthermore, a routing device configured by a network controller using a routing policy synchronizes the internal clock of the routing device, and the internal clock of each of at least one second industrial device, with a reference clock for second timing information to a nanosecond or lower level to support planned synchronous communication in the industrial network. Furthermore, based on the aggregated capacity for uplink data transmitted from the first subnet, the first wireless device creates network slices to ensure that services obtain the necessary network resources (e.g., bandwidth, latency, quality, etc.) and further performs preemption of communication links to ensure time-sensitive communication in the industrial network. Furthermore, the wireless device manager of the first wireless device communicates with the network controller to negotiate and request the allocation of more network resources for transmitting certain data, such as data with a higher priority index, data with higher quality requirements, or data on a new network bearer with higher Quality of Service (QoS) in terms of guaranteed bit rate and bandwidth. Uplink data from at least one first industrial device is multiplexed and further replicated for transmission over multiple active communication links. Additionally, based on first timing information, the multiplexed data from the first wireless device is sent to the network controller via the first base station. The network controller further operates to de-reproduce data received over the multiple active communication links and further provides the data as a single message to the routing device. The routing device (typically configured by the network controller) further allocates network resources for transmitting the received data to at least one second industrial device. Optionally, at this point, based on the downlink time associated with the second industrial device, the routing device transmits data to the second industrial device or broadcasts data to be acquired by the associated at least one second industrial device. It is understood that, in another example, data from at least one second industrial device will be transmitted to at least one first industrial device. In this scenario, the routing device aggregates uplink data from at least one second industrial device to provide the data to the network controller, which further provides the data to the first wireless device to broadcast the data to at least one first industrial device.

[0148] Detailed description of the attached figures

[0149] As requested, specific embodiments of this disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples of this disclosure, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting, but merely as the basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to employ this disclosure in a wide variety of ways in virtually any suitably detailed structure.

[0150] Various other objects, advantages and features of this disclosure will become more apparent to those skilled in the art when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the drawings.

[0151] Reference Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a system for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network 100 according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the industrial network 100 includes a first subnet 114, which includes at least one first industrial device (depicted as first industrial devices 104A, 104B, and 104C) and a first base station (not shown). The industrial network 100 includes a second subnet 116, which includes at least one second industrial device (depicted as second industrial device 110) and a first routing device 108. Furthermore, the industrial network 100 includes wireless devices (depicted as first wireless device 102A and second wireless device 102B) configured to provide communication between the first industrial devices 104A, 104B, and 104C and the first base station. As shown, the first industrial device 104A is connected to the first wireless device 102A via a wireless network infrastructure, and the first industrial devices 104B and 104C are connected to the second wireless device 102B via a wired network infrastructure. Furthermore, the industrial network 100 includes a network controller 106 coupled to a first base station and a first routing device 108, and a reference clock 112. The network controller 106 is configured to provide first timing information to a first subnet 114 and second timing information to a second subnet 116. Additionally, the network controller 106 is configured to configure wireless devices 102A and 102B to transmit data from first industrial devices 104A, 104B, and 104C to the network controller 106 based on the first timing information. Furthermore, the network controller 106 is configured to receive data from the first subnet 114 and, using the second timing information, transmit data received from the network controller 106 to a second industrial device 110 in the second subnet 116 via the routing device 108.

[0152] Reference Figure 2This diagram illustrates a system for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network 200 according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the industrial network 200 includes a first subnet 114, which includes at least one first industrial device (depicted as first industrial devices 104A, 104B, and 104C) and a first base station 202. As shown, the first base station 202 includes multiple base stations to establish multiple communication links for data transmission via 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi. The industrial network 200 includes a second subnet 116, which includes at least one second industrial device (depicted as second industrial devices 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, and 110F) and routing devices (depicted as routing devices 108A, 108B, and 108C). Furthermore, the industrial network 200 includes wireless devices (depicted as first wireless device 102A and second wireless device 102B) configured to provide communication between first industrial devices 104A, 104B, 104C and a first base station 202. As shown, first industrial device 104A is connected to first wireless device 102A via a wireless network infrastructure, and first industrial devices 104B and 104C are connected to second wireless device 102B via a wired network infrastructure using at least one socket (not shown). Additionally, the industrial network 200 includes a network controller 106 coupled to the first base station and routing devices 108A, 108B, 108C, and a reference clock 112. The network controller 106 is configured to provide first timing information to a first subnet 114 and second timing information to a second subnet 116. Router 108A is connected to second industrial devices 110A and 110B, router 108B is connected to second industrial devices 110C and 110D, and router 108C is connected to second industrial devices 110E and 110F via a wired connection. Furthermore, routers 108A, 108B, and 108C form a local SDN-LAN for synchronous data communication with second industrial devices 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, and 110F based on second timing information. Additionally, network controller 106 is configured to configure wireless devices 102A and 102B to transmit data from first industrial devices 104A, 104B, and 104C to network controller 106 based on first timing information. In addition, network controller 106 is configured to receive data from first subnet 114 and, using second timing information, transmit the data received from network controller 106 to second industrial devices 110A, 110B, 110C, 110D, 110E, and 110F in second subnet 116 via routing devices 108A, 108B, and 108C.

[0153] Reference Figure 3A and Figure 3BA schematic diagram of a first wireless device 102 according to different embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The first wireless device 102 includes: at least one first radio access network (RAN) (depicted as RAN 302, 304, 306 and 308); a time synchronization and scheduling module 310 for receiving first timing information from a network controller; a failover and data multiplexing module 312 for multiplexing data on at least one communication link among a plurality of communication links; a resource slicing module 314 for allocating network and radio resources to create network slices; a wireless device manager module 316 for requesting communication links among the plurality of communication links from the network controller; a network management module 318 for managing network resources; a resource allocation module 320 for analyzing resources; a cellular modem 322 and a wireless modem 324.

[0154] Reference Figure 3B The first wireless device 102 further includes a socket 326, wherein the socket 326 enables the first wireless device to be connected to at least one first industrial device via a wired network infrastructure.

[0155] Reference Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a network controller 106 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The network controller 106 includes: at least one second radio access network (RAN) (depicted as RAN 402, 404, 406, and 408); a time synchronization and scheduling controller 410 for providing first timing information to a first subnet and second timing information to a second subnet; a failover and packet replication controller 412 for aggregating multiplexed data and allocating communication links to the industrial network; a resource slicing controller 414 for setting policies to create network slices; a wireless device controller 416 for receiving requests from wireless devices to allocate communication links; a network management controller 418 for communicating with routers and switches in the industrial network; and a resource allocation controller 420 for managing network resources and allocating network slices.

[0156] Reference Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the steps of a method 500 for synchronizing data transmission in an industrial network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 500 is implemented in an industrial network comprising: a first subnet including a first base station and at least one first industrial device; a second subnet including a first routing device and at least one second industrial device; a first wireless device configured to provide communication between the at least one first industrial device and the first base station; a network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device; and a reference clock.

[0157] In step 502, first timing information is provided to the first subnet. In step 504, second timing information is provided to the second subnet. In step 506, the first wireless device is configured to transmit data from at least one first industrial device to the network controller based on the first timing information. In step 508, data from the first subnet is received via the network controller. In step 510, using the second timing information, the received data is transmitted from the network controller to at least one second industrial device in the second subnet via a routing device.

[0158] Steps 502, 504, 506, 508, and 510 are merely illustrative, and other alternatives may be provided, wherein one or more steps are added, one or more steps are deleted, or one or more steps are provided in a different order without departing from the scope of the claims herein.

[0159] Modifications to the embodiments of this disclosure described above may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Expressions used to describe and declare this disclosure, such as “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “having,” and “is,” are intended to be interpreted in a non-exclusive manner, allowing for the presence of items, components, or elements not explicitly described. Singular references may also be interpreted in relation to the plural.

Claims

1. A method for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network, wherein, The industrial network includes: - A first subnet comprising a first base station and at least one first industrial device; - A second subnet comprising a first routing device and at least one second industrial device; - A first wireless device, configured to provide communication between the at least one first industrial device and the first base station, the first wireless device including at least a resource slicing module and a time synchronization and scheduling module, the resource slicing module being used to allocate network and wireless resources to create network slices, wherein different network slices are created for different data service types collected in the first wireless device; - A network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device, the network controller including at least a resource slicing controller, the resource slicing controller being configured to set policies for creating network slices; and - Reference clock; The method includes the following steps: - The network controller provides first timing information to the first subnet, the first timing information being associated with the at least one first industrial device; - The network controller provides second timing information to the second subnet, the second timing information being associated with the at least one second industrial device; - The network controller configures the first wireless device to transmit data from the at least one first industrial device to the network controller based on the first timing information; - The network controller receives data from the first subnet; and - The network controller uses the second timing information to transmit the received data from the first subnet from the network controller to the at least one second industrial device in the second subnet via the first routing device. The network controller is used to synchronize the internal clock of the first wireless device, the internal clock of the at least one first industrial device, and the internal clock of the at least one second industrial device with the reference clock to generate the first timing information and the second timing information for synchronous transmission between the at least one first industrial device and the at least one second industrial device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first timing information associated with the at least one first industrial device includes at least one of the following: uplink time slots for each of the at least one first industrial device, and downlink time slots for each of the at least one first industrial device; The second timing information associated with the at least one second industrial device includes at least one of the following: uplink time slots for each of the at least one second industrial device and downlink time slots for each of the at least one second industrial device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Configuring the first wireless device includes: - Activate multiple communication links to establish a communication interface for the at least one first industrial device and the at least one second industrial device using the first wireless device, so that synchronous data transmission can be performed in the industrial network; - Based on the aggregation capability of synchronous data transmission in the industrial network, the activated communication links among the multiple communication links are sliced ​​to create network slices; and - Data is transmitted by specifying the communication link of the slice based on the priority index associated with the data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, Transmitting the received data from the first subnet includes: configuring the routing device to transmit the received data from the first subnet from the network controller to the at least one second industrial device based on the second timing information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein, The method further includes: employing a machine learning algorithm to implement operations associated with at least one of the network controller and the first wireless device.

6. A system for synchronous data transmission in an industrial network, wherein, The industrial network includes: - A first subnet comprising a first base station and at least one first industrial device; - A second subnet comprising a first routing device and at least one second industrial device; - A first wireless device, configured to provide communication between the at least one first industrial device and the first base station, the first wireless device including at least a resource slicing module and a time synchronization and scheduling module, the resource slicing module being used to allocate network and wireless resources to create network slices, wherein different network slices are created for different data service types collected in the first wireless device; - A network controller coupled to the first base station and the first routing device, the network controller including at least a resource slicing controller, the resource slicing controller being configured to set policies for creating network slices; and - Reference clock; The network controller is configured as follows: - Provide first timing information to the first subnet, the first timing information being associated with the at least one first industrial device; - Provide second timing information to the second subnet, the second timing information being associated with the at least one second industrial device; - Configure the first wireless device to transmit data from the at least one first industrial device to the network controller based on the first timing information; - Receive data from the first subnet; and - Using the second timing information, the data received from the first subnet is transmitted from the network controller to the at least one second industrial device in the second subnet via the first routing device. The network controller synchronizes the internal clock of the first wireless device, the internal clock of the at least one first industrial device, and the internal clock of the at least one second industrial device with the reference clock to generate the first timing information and the second timing information for synchronous transmission between the at least one first industrial device and the at least one second industrial device.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein, The network controller is further configured to configure the routing device to send data from the at least one second industrial device to the network controller based on the second timing information.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein, The first wireless device includes: at least one first wireless access network; a time synchronization and scheduling module for receiving the first timing information from the network controller; a failover and data multiplexing module for multiplexing data on at least one communication link among a plurality of communication links; a wireless device manager module for requesting communication links among the plurality of communication links from the network controller; a network management module for managing network resources; a resource allocation module for analyzing resources; and at least one of the following: a cellular modem, a wireless modem, and at least one socket.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein, The network controller includes: at least one second wireless access network; a time synchronization and scheduling controller for providing the first timing information to the first subnet and the second timing information to the second subnet; a failover and packet replication controller for aggregating multiplexed data and allocating communication links to the industrial network; a wireless device controller for receiving requests from the wireless devices to allocate communication links; a network management controller for communicating with routers and switches in the industrial network; and a resource allocation controller for managing network resources and allocating network slices.

10. The system according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein, The first wireless device is configured as follows: - Receive the first timing information and time slot from the network controller, and schedule the received time slot to the at least one first industrial device; - Reuse the received data; as well as - Activate multiple communication links to establish wireless communication interfaces for the at least one first industrial device and the at least one second industrial device, enabling synchronous data transmission in the industrial network.

11. The system according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein, Machine learning algorithms are used to implement operations associated with at least one of the network controller and the first wireless device.

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