To prepare future (electrical) engineers for challenges in their professional life, the fundamentals of measurement engineering with the respective sub-aspects are an essential component. This paper describes the design and implementation of a modern laboratory exercise for the precise measurement of small, rapidly changing currents using an example of the varying current consumption of a small micro-controller caused by cryptographic algorithms. Encryption and decryption is implemented for a wireless communication system dedicated for industrial applications to be taught as practical skills embedded into a typical real-world engineering task. To determine measurement uncertainties, the Gaussian error propagation law is employed as described in the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM). Additionally, students learn about the relationships between signal representation in the time and frequency domain. The paper contains a detailed description of the experimental setup, theoretical knowledge, exemplary measurements as well as experiences and a first evaluation by the students.

The growth of parcel shipments for end-customer delivery led to the emergence of robotic sorting systems, which offer improved flexibility and cost-effectiveness compared to conveyor-based sorting systems. Controlling large fleets of mobile robots for sorting tasks remains a challenge, as it requires solving a complex multi-agent path finding problem. One possible solution is the recently introduced rolling horizon collision resolution framework, which is actively discussed in the literature. However, its configuration to suit robotic sorting systems concerning real-time capabilities and throughput is still the object of ongoing investigation. To address this research gap, this study investigates the application of the rolling horizon collision resolution framework on two types of robotic sorting systems and a parameter study is conducted to assess its potential in terms of real-time capability and sorting performance.

Wireless networks support highly flexible manufacturing processes and are recognized as a crucial pillar towards the digitization of industrial production (automation). While 5G is currently being marketed as universal solution for future wireless communication, high density of sensor and actuator nodes in industrial manufacturing environments with respect to latency times and reliability, still represents an enormous technical challenge. In the field of production automation standards, IO-Link Wireless (IOLW) is already in operation offering energy-efficient and cost-effective solutions, even with battery-powered smart sensor devices. In this paper, the deterministic ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) features of 5G are combined with the outstanding performance characteristics of IOLW with respect to robustness and latency to realize even highly demanding safety applications in industrial environments.

Wireless communication systems are enabler technologies for modern and flexible production concepts, essentially within the Industry 4.0 directive. For reliable low-latency wireless communication, the availability of frequency spectrum is a general prerequisite. IO-Link Wireless (IOLW) is a vendor-independent wireless communication standard, which operates in the 2.4 GHz ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) band and especially addresses the requirements of industrial discrete manufacturing processes. The 2.4 GHz ISM band is used by various other radio systems, making coexistence management a fundamental challenge. Blacklisting and frequency hopping schemes are specified to increase the IOLWcoexistence behavior. In this paper coexistence management methods and tools, which can be employed for IOLW are presented. These tools can be used to enhance the coexistence behavior and thus the reliability, and at the same time, reduce energy consumption. After an introduction and a detailed presentation of IOLW, a software tool is presented that allows to implement an intelligent frequency management by adapting blacklists to the respective coexistence and boundary conditions. This is based on generic measurements, which are also shown in this paper. Finally, a conclusion and an outlook for further integration into an overall system are given.

Wireless technologies are intensively used in industrial environments and wireless sensor/actuator networks play a key role for highly flexible automation plants, especially within the Industry 4.0 initiative. In order to achieve a highly robust system behavior also an attentive antenna selection and placement within a manufacturing cell is of interest resulting in an enhanced system reserve. In this paper different strategies for base station antenna placement are investigated with the focus on star-topologies, i.e. a central base station and a multitude of remotely located wireless sensors and actuators. A probabilistic approach has been chosen for modeling path loss, multipath fading and coexistence behavior with respect to adjoining manufacturing cells. Also cable attenuation for remote antennas connected to the base station are taken into account.

The increase of wireless devices due to the implementation of wireless sensor networks, cyber-physical systems with wireless communication interfaces and mobile monitoring as well as the installation of diagnosis applications into the shop floor improves real-time transparency of machine conditions and production processes. For a minimal invasive integration of such technologies into the brownfield the proposed solution has to consider wireless coexistence, e.g. wireless spectrum-sharing. This paper presents a communication concept dedicated to wireless sensor networks in production environments. As evidence of the functionality of the developed solution measurement results are presented and discussed.