A 5G private network deployment method based on three-network integration of the steel industry

Abstract

This invention discloses a 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry, belonging to the field of communication networks. This invention decentralizes the entire 5G core network to the steel plant area, adopting an NFV virtualization architecture; the transmission network uses a dual-ring network of 2 aggregation devices + 14 access devices; the wireless network uses distributed coverage of macro and micro base stations; the core network adopts a slicing scheme with shared control plane and dedicated user plane, divided into four slices: industrial control, video surveillance, office, and public network; and secure integration of the 5G core network with the steel enterprise's information backbone network, production control network, and video private network is achieved through two sets of primary and backup firewalls, enabling NAT translation and port restriction policies. This invention ensures that private network data does not leave the plant area, with end-to-end latency ≤10ms, network reliability ≥99.99%, and plant area coverage ≥98%, effectively meeting the communication needs of smart manufacturing in the steel industry and providing strong support for the digital transformation of the steel industry.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to communication networks, and more particularly to a method for deploying a 5G private network based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry. Background Technology

[0002] As a crucial pillar of the national economy, the steel industry involves numerous complex processes, such as raw material transportation, smelting, and rolling. In traditional steel production, information systems are often siloed, resulting in poor communication between systems. Existing communication networks suffer from insufficient coverage and limited capacity flexibility, failing to meet the demands of smart manufacturing. With the development of the Industrial Internet and the steel industry's urgent need for intelligent transformation, achieving efficient communication and real-time data transmission and processing in the production process has become critical. 5G technology, with its low latency, high bandwidth, and wide connectivity, provides strong support for the steel industry's digital transformation. A key challenge is how to deeply integrate 5G technology with the steel industry's information backbone, production control network, and video private network to construct an efficient, stable, and secure 5G private network deployment solution. Currently, while there are some attempts at 5G network deployment in the industrial sector, a three-network convergence 5G private network deployment method specifically tailored to the complex production processes and unique environmental requirements of the steel industry still needs improvement and innovation. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention: The purpose of this invention is to provide a 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry, in order to solve the problems of poor information communication, insufficient coverage, lack of capacity flexibility, and inability to meet the requirements of smart manufacturing in the existing communication networks of the steel industry, so as to achieve deep integration of information backbone network, production control network, and video private network, improve production efficiency, ensure production safety, and help the steel industry's intelligent transformation.

[0004] Technical Solution: A method for deploying a 5G private network based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry, comprising the following steps:

[0005] S1, 5G core network deployment: The entire 5G core network will be deployed to the communication equipment room in the steel plant area, using an NFV virtualization architecture and configuring core network elements;

[0006] S2 and 5G transmission network deployment: Deploy transmission aggregation equipment and transmission access equipment within the steel plant area to form a dual-ring network structure;

[0007] S3 and 5G wireless network deployment: A distributed deployment approach is adopted, with macro base stations and micro base stations set up according to different areas of the factory and business needs to achieve full signal coverage of the factory area;

[0008] S4. Secure access through triple-play integration: Securely isolate and integrate the 5G core network with the steel enterprise's internal information backbone network, production control network, and video private network through a firewall, and enable NAT translation and port restriction policies.

[0009] Furthermore, the 5G core network described in step S1 adopts an NFV virtualization architecture, which separates control, computing, and storage functions based on a general-purpose x86 server, and configures core network elements such as mobility management entity, service gateway, and packet data network gateway. The 5G core network is completely isolated from the operator's public network. User terminals need to complete two-way authentication to access the network. The terminal reads the PLMN, IMSI, and key parameters in the SIM card and authenticates with the core network. Private network users must use a dedicated user card to access the network.

[0010] Furthermore, the 5G transmission network described in step S2 is divided into two layers: access and aggregation. The aggregation layer deploys two transmission aggregation devices to form a primary and backup protection structure. The access layer deploys 14 transmission access devices in a ring network structure. When a single node fails and the loop is broken, the service is switched on the other side of the ring to ensure that the transmission does not leave the park and that there is sufficient security inside.

[0011] Furthermore, in step S3, the 5G wireless network reuses the operator's public network base station. Industrial users and ordinary users use different PLMN network numbers through SIM cards. When accessing the 5G base station, they access the steel enterprise's dedicated 5G core network or the operator's public network core network according to the different PLMN network numbers. By configuring the transmission power, antenna azimuth angle, and cell parameters to optimize network performance, comprehensive signal coverage in complex factory environments can be achieved.

[0012] Furthermore, it also includes the 5G core network slicing deployment steps, adopting a scheme of shared core network control plane elements and dedicated user plane elements, dividing the network into four types of slices: steel enterprise office, industrial control, video surveillance, and public network service. Among them, the public network service slices are directly routed to the operator's core network to access Internet services, while the steel enterprise office, video surveillance, and industrial control slices deploy different UPF user plane functions, with the industrial control slice having the highest priority.

[0013] Furthermore, the two firewalls described in step S4 adopt a primary-backup structure and are deployed at the boundary between the 5G core network and the steel enterprise's internal network. They use Network Address Translation (NAT) technology to translate the private IP addresses of the steel enterprise's internal devices, thus hiding the internal network structure. Based on the port restriction policy, only specific ports closely related to specific business operations are opened to prevent external illegal port scanning and port vulnerability attacks.

[0014] Furthermore, the three networks within the steel enterprise specifically refer to an information backbone network serving production operation management, a production control network serving production process control, and a video private network serving safety monitoring; the 5G core network is self-contained, achieving independent end-to-end deployment of wireless, transmission, and core network.

[0015] Furthermore, the QoS guarantee mechanism for the four types of slices is as follows: the industrial control slice is set with end-to-end latency ≤10ms and reliability ≥99.999%; the video surveillance slice is set with bandwidth ≥100Mbps / channel; and the office slice is set with concurrent connection count ≥10000. The differentiated QoS configuration meets the communication needs of different business scenarios in the steel industry.

[0016] Beneficial effects:

[0017] (1) This invention is a 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry. It adopts the independent sinking of the 5G core network to the factory communication room and the distributed deployment of 5G base stations. Through key technologies such as network slicing and edge computing, the convergence of the information backbone network, the production control network and the video private network is realized, which effectively improves the steel production efficiency, ensures production safety, enhances the network performance in complex industrial scenarios, and provides strong support for the intelligent transformation of the steel industry.

[0018] (2) The present invention adopts a 5G transmission network layered deployment method. The aggregation layer is paired to form a primary and backup protection; the access layer adopts a ring network structure. When a single node fails and the loop is opened, the service is switched on the other side through the ring route, so that the service has higher reliability.

[0019] (3) The present invention adopts a core network control plane element sharing scheme and user plane element exclusive deployment scheme, which is divided into four types of slices: steel enterprise office, industrial control, video surveillance and public network service. Among them, the public network service adopts the public network scheme and directly routes to the operator's core network to access the corresponding Internet services. The steel enterprise office, video surveillance and industrial control slices are deployed with different UPF and priorities to ensure the isolation, security and reliability requirements between steel enterprise services.

[0020] (4) The present invention uses two firewalls to securely isolate the 5G core network from the three internal networks of the steel enterprise. NAT translation and port restriction are enabled on the firewalls to achieve network integration, reduce the risk of external attacks, effectively prevent external illegal port scanning and attacks launched by exploiting port vulnerabilities, and ensure the overall security of the network. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the technical solution of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] Example

[0024] This embodiment uses a large integrated iron and steel enterprise as the application scenario, deploying a 5G private network covering the entire plant area, including ironmaking, steelmaking, hot rolling, cold rolling, and raw material storage yard.

[0025] Step 1: 5G Core Network Deployment

[0026] A 5G core network was deployed in the central communication room of the steel plant area. It adopted an NFV virtualization architecture, was built on general-purpose x86 servers, and configured with core network elements such as the Mobility Management Entity (MME), Service Gateway (SGW), and Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW). Control, computing, and storage functions were deployed separately to improve network resilience and scalability.

[0027] The 5G core network is completely physically isolated from the operator's public network, ensuring that private network data does not leave the campus. User terminal access employs a two-way authentication mechanism: the terminal reads parameters such as the PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) number, IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), and encryption key from the SIM card and initiates an access request to the core network; the core network verifies the user's identity, while the terminal verifies the core network's identity; only after successful two-way authentication can the user access the network. Private network users must use enterprise-specific SIM cards to access the 5G private network; using public network cards only allows access to the operator's public network, achieving strict isolation between the private and public networks.

[0028] Step 2: 5G transmission network deployment

[0029] Two transmission aggregation devices and 14 transmission access devices are deployed within the steel plant area, forming a dual-ring network structure. The transmission network consists of two layers: access and aggregation.

[0030] Aggregation layer: Two transmission aggregation devices are deployed in pairs to form a primary and backup protection structure. When the primary device fails, it automatically switches to the backup device with a switching time of <50ms.

[0031] Access Layer: 14 transmission access devices adopt a dual-ring network structure, covering 14 main areas including raw material storage yard, ironmaking area, steelmaking area, hot rolling area, cold rolling area, and office area; when a single node in the access layer fails and causes the ring network to open, the service will automatically switch to the other side of the ring route, with a switching time of <50ms.

[0032] Through the above deployment, it is ensured that the transmission does not leave the park, and the network reliability reaches more than 99.99%, meeting the requirements of continuous operation of steel production 24 / 7.

[0033] Step 3: 5G Wireless Network Deployment

[0034] A distributed deployment approach is adopted, flexibly setting up macro and micro sites according to different areas of the steel plant and business needs:

[0035] In open areas such as raw material storage yards and factory front areas: deploy 3 5G macro base stations, using 64T64R Massive MIMO antennas to achieve large-area continuous coverage;

[0036] In areas with high temperature and strong electromagnetic interference, such as iron and steel smelting: deploy 5 macro stations + 8 micro stations, adopt high-gain antennas and anti-interference algorithms, and optimize transmission power and antenna azimuth angle;

[0037] Complex indoor environments such as hot rolling and cold rolling workshops: Deploy 12 indoor distribution systems and micro-stations to achieve no dead angle coverage in the workshop.

[0038] The wireless network reuses public network base station resources from operators, and industrial users and ordinary users are distinguished by using different PLMN network numbers on their SIM cards: industrial users' SIM cards are configured with private network PLMN network numbers, and when accessing 5G base stations, they are routed to the steel enterprise's dedicated 5G core network; ordinary users' SIM cards are configured with public network PLMN network numbers, and when accessing 5G base stations, they are routed to the operator's public network core network. Logical network isolation under the same physical base station is achieved through PLMN network numbers, saving base station investment while ensuring the independence of the private network.

[0039] By optimizing network performance through configuration of transmit power, antenna azimuth angle, and cell handover parameters, the signal coverage rate in the factory area reached over 98%, with an average downlink speed of >500Mbps and an average uplink speed of >150Mbps, meeting the communication needs of various businesses in the steel industry.

[0040] Step 4: 5G Core Network Slicing Deployment

[0041] Network slicing is deployed using a scheme of shared core network control plane elements and dedicated user plane elements, dividing the 5G private network into four types of service slices:

[0042] Industrial control slice: Deploy independent UPF (User Plane Function), set end-to-end latency ≤10ms, reliability ≥99.999%, jitter <1ms, for production control business such as AGV intelligent scheduling, remote equipment control, and robot operation;

[0043] Video surveillance slicing: Deploy an independent UPF, set a single-channel bandwidth of ≥100Mbps, and a concurrent channel count of ≥200 channels for high-definition video surveillance and AI intelligent analysis video backhaul;

[0044] Office-related slice for steel enterprises: Deploy an independent UPF, set the number of concurrent connections to ≥10000, and the bandwidth to ≥10Gbps, for daily office work and access to ERP / MES systems;

[0045] Public network service slicing: adopts a public network solution, directly routes to the operator's core network, and is used for employee internet access.

[0046] Among the four types of slices, industrial control slices have the highest priority. They employ a resource reservation mechanism to ensure ultra-low latency and ultra-high reliability of industrial control services even during network congestion. Slices are strictly isolated from each other, so a failure in one slice does not affect the operation of services in other slices.

[0047] Step 5: Secure Access via Triple Play

[0048] Two firewalls with primary and backup structures are deployed at the boundary between the 5G core network and the three internal networks of the steel enterprise to achieve secure integration of the 5G core network with the information backbone network, production control network, and video private network.

[0049] NAT (Network Address Translation): Using network address translation technology, the private IP addresses of internal devices in steel companies are translated into the external IP addresses of the firewall, effectively hiding the internal network structure and topology and preventing attackers from conducting network reconnaissance through IP address probing.

[0050] Port restriction policy: Based on specific business needs, only specific ports closely related to the business are opened, such as opening the OPC protocol port for production control business, opening the RTSP port for video surveillance business, and opening the HTTP / HTTPS port for office business; all other ports are closed to effectively prevent external illegal port scanning and attacks launched by exploiting port vulnerabilities.

[0051] Primary and backup redundancy: The two firewalls adopt a primary and backup working mode. When the primary firewall fails, it will automatically switch to the backup firewall with a switching time of less than 1 second to ensure uninterrupted service.

[0052] Through the above triple security protection mechanism, the 5G private network security protection level of this embodiment reaches the requirements of the national network security level protection level three, effectively resisting various network security threats such as DDoS attacks, SQL injection, and Trojan viruses, with a network attack interception rate of >99%.

[0053] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of this patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for deploying a 5G private network based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, 5G core network deployment: The entire 5G core network will be deployed to the communication equipment room in the steel plant area, using an NFV virtualization architecture and configuring core network elements; S2 and 5G transmission network deployment: Deploy transmission aggregation equipment and transmission access equipment within the steel plant area to form a dual-ring network structure; S3 and 5G wireless network deployment: A distributed deployment approach is adopted, with macro base stations and micro base stations set up according to different areas of the factory and business needs to achieve full signal coverage of the factory area; S4. Secure access through triple-play integration: Securely isolate and integrate the 5G core network with the steel enterprise's internal information backbone network, production control network, and video private network through a firewall, and enable NAT translation and port restriction policies.

2. The 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The 5G core network described in step S1 adopts an NFV virtualization architecture, which separates control, computing, and storage functions based on a general-purpose x86 server, and configures core network elements such as mobility management entity, service gateway, and packet data network gateway. The 5G core network is completely isolated from the operator's public network. User terminals need to complete two-way authentication to access the network. The terminal reads the PLMN, IMSI, and key parameters in the SIM card and authenticates with the core network. Private network users must use a dedicated user card to access the network.

3. The 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The 5G transmission network described in step S2 is divided into two layers: access and aggregation. The aggregation layer deploys two transmission aggregation devices to form a primary and backup protection structure. The access layer deploys 14 transmission access devices in a ring network structure. When a single node fails and the loop is broken, the service is switched to the other side of the ring to ensure that the transmission does not leave the park and that there is sufficient security inside.

4. The 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, the 5G wireless network reuses the operator's public network base station. Industrial users and ordinary users use different PLMN network numbers through SIM cards. When accessing the 5G base station, they access the steel enterprise's dedicated 5G core network or the operator's public network core network according to the different PLMN network numbers. By configuring the transmission power, antenna azimuth angle, and cell parameters, the network performance is optimized to achieve comprehensive signal coverage in the complex environment of the factory area.

5. The 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes the 5G core network slicing deployment steps, adopting a scheme of shared core network control plane elements and dedicated user plane elements, dividing the network into four types of slices: steel enterprise office, industrial control, video surveillance, and public network service. Among them, the public network service slices are directly routed to the operator's core network to access Internet services, and the steel enterprise office, video surveillance, and industrial control slices deploy different UPF user plane functions, with the industrial control slice having the highest priority.

6. The 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two firewalls mentioned in step S4 adopt a primary and backup structure and are deployed at the boundary between the 5G core network and the steel enterprise's internal network. They use Network Address Translation (NAT) technology to translate the private IP addresses of the steel enterprise's internal devices, thus hiding the internal network structure. Based on the port restriction policy, only specific ports closely related to specific business are opened to prevent external illegal port scanning and port vulnerability attacks.

7. The 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry according to claim 1, characterized in that, The three networks within the steel enterprise are specifically: an information backbone network serving production and operation management, a production control network serving production process control, and a video private network serving safety monitoring; the 5G core network is self-contained, achieving independent end-to-end deployment of wireless, transmission, and core network.

8. The 5G private network deployment method based on the convergence of three networks in the steel industry according to claim 5, characterized in that, The QoS guarantee mechanism for the four types of slices is as follows: industrial control slices are set with end-to-end latency ≤10ms and reliability ≥99.999%; video surveillance slices are set with bandwidth ≥100Mbps / channel; and office slices are set with concurrent connection count ≥10000. Differentiated QoS configurations meet the communication needs of different business scenarios in the steel industry.

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