Implementation of the Industrie 4.0 concept requires further development of the communications infrastructure. The degree of networking will increase and with it the number of mobile components in production. Therefore, wireless communication systems will increase strongly in the industrial environment. This will lead to intensive use of the wireless medium, which can cause delays and errors in data transmission. To avoid these negative consequences, the wireless medium must be used efficiently at all times. Automated coexistence management is required for this purpose, especially because of the increasing flexibility of applications. At present, the following requirements cannot be met:
- The recovery of the coexistence state should be performed according to the definition in IEC/EN 62657-2 (application perspective).
- The medium occupancy should be determined not only in terms of frequency, but also in terms of time and location, so that the wireless medium can be used efficiently.
- Transmission sequences are to be coordinated between all radio communication systems involved and the corresponding configurations are to be transmitted to the wireless devices.
- A possibility shall be provided to specifically release the wireless communication of wireless systems or radio devices if it is assessed that the coexistence condition is not endangered.
- The coexistence management shall be automated as far as possible.
In the REBAKO project, the following solution approaches are being pursued:
- Application-oriented coexistence management by using a multivariable controller
- Acquisition unit that records the medium usage in a time-resolved manner
- Use of a uniform time base for all wireless systems, their applications and the elements of controller-based coexistence management
