We propose fitting a distributed Real Time Ethernet (RTE) device with more than one RTE communication stack. We target this proposal for increasing flexibility for the manufacturing and system commissioning phases as well as facilitating more innovative network topologies and use-cases. We discuss these potential use-cases and the ramifications of replacing the protocol-specific layer-2 bandwidth management protocol with a universal TSN protocol. We also develop a methodology for porting and characterizing the likely performance of the stack on embedded platforms.

An implementation of safe and dependable artificial intelligence necessitates generation of safe models and reliable execution of those models. Unfortunately, the AI domain is not in a position to manufacture safe models. Fortunately, not every classification class will require reliable processing. We propose a variant of the Single Protected Channel pattern with a reliable function validating certain classifications of a convolutional network. We report on first results.

The industrial automation industry is rapidly evolving, and with it, the way that industrial communication protocol certification testing is conducted. Protocol providers offer field device manufacturers conformance testing suites with integration interfaces, enabling them to embed these tests into their development cycle. However, there is a lack of clear instructions and readily available literature on how to build such integrated testing frameworks. This paper discusses the integration of two certification software suites, PROFINET and EthernetIP, into a regression test environment utilizing CI/CD pipelines and Azure DevOps cloud-based infrastructure. Automated orchestration facilitates the creation of a unit-to-validation test environment, accelerating time to market. Upon completion of this work, significant implications emerge regarding the traditional V-Model and the certification procedure. This paper details the work-achieved towards providing a complete verification and validation framework, presents performance characteristics to underline our arguments, and discusses the resulting impact on the traditional V-Model.

In this body of work we describe preliminary work implementing a Berkely Packet Filter, in its original conception, in an FPGA. The purpose is packet filtering and ingress traffic shaping in security-relevant applications in distributed embedded nodes. We specifically target PROFINET nodes in hard real-time applications where network security is an open issue. We describe the motivation, implementation and verification including performance characteristics. We conclude that such a filter can be used to not only for protection against simple denial-of-service attacks but also for ingress protocol management and potentially for the implementation of system-wide security policies.

Real-Time Ethernet protocols are currently undergoing specification updates to include security features. These features generally take the form of a public key infrastructure and associated network node and message authentication and, occasionally, message encryption. The addition of authentication and encryption in hard real-time applications adds substantial expense to both initial implementation and post-commissioning maintenance. In this body of work, we seek to manage this cost and complexity using high-level synthesis to generate field programmable gate array IP from an open-source security stack. We detail the motivation, first steps in the establishment of a process and first results.

Lockstep processing is a recognized technique for helping to secure functional-safety relevant processing against, for instance, single upset errors that might cause faulty execution of code. Lockstepping processors does however bind processing resources in a fashion not beneficial to architectures and applications that would benefit from multi-core/-processors. We propose a novel on-demand synchronizing of cores/processors for lock-step operation featuring post-processing resource release, a concept that facilitates the implementation of modularly redundant core/processor arrays. We discuss the fundamentals of the design and some implementation notes on work achieved to date.

In many industrial sectors such as factory automation and process control sensor redundancy is required to ensure reliable and highly-available operation. Measured values from N-redundant sensors are typically subjected to some voting scheme to determine a value which is used in further processing. In this paper we present a voting framework which allows the sensors and the voting scheme to be configured at system-configuration time. The voting scheme is designed as a Real Time Ethernet profile. We describe the structure of the voting system and the design and verification of the framework. We argue the applicability of this subsystem based on a successful prototype implementation.

Recent times have seen an increasing demand for access to process-data from the field level through to the Internet. This vertical integration of industrial control systems into the IT infrastructure exhibits major drawbacks in the context of security. Such systems now suffer exposure to cyber security attacks well-known from the IT environment. Successful attacks on industrial control systems can lead to downtimes, malfunction of production machinery, cause financial damage and may present a hazard for human life and health. Current automation communication systems generally lack a comprehensive security concept. PROFINET is a widespread Industrial Ethernet standard, fulfilling general communication requirements on automation systems as well as explicit real-time requirements. We elaborate the challenges of protecting the realtime component of PROFINET. We specify the requirements and a concept for ensuring integrity and authenticity using a keyed-hash message authentication code (HMAC) in combination with the cryptographic hash algorithm SHA-3. With a proof of concept implementation of a PROFINET RT protection layer, the performance overhead for generation and transmission of this HMAC and other required data fields, e.g. to prevent replay attacks, could be analyzed. Based on these data the limitations of security technology on real-time systems were explored as was the optimization potential of hardware acceleration.

As examples of computationally cheap and robust sensors the eyes of a fly are well known in literature. Attempts to replicate the function of the eye in electronic technology has resulted in several algorithms and implementations based on those algorithms. These implementations are either impractical for industrial use or use costly Application Specific Integrated Circuits. In an attempt to use a low-cost Commercial off the Shelf camera as a sensor in a real-world robot navigation use-case we investigate two commonly used algorithms and find them unsuitable. We develop a new algorithm – the Distance of Travel algorithm – show its suitability and investigate its properties in both simulation and practical experiments.

In this paper we describe a Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) designed and implemented for an autonomous robot. We concentrate in particular on the ultra-low power radio aspects. We compare and contrast standard and proprietary solutions before deciding on a proprietary radio SoC in the 2.4 GHz. band. We describe the protocol implementation and tests on both a test jig and on the robot itself at sampling rates of up to 1 kHz. and conclude that the principle of a robot based WBAN works well. We also show that the proposed WBAN is suitable for connection by nodes employing energy harvesting.

Designed for efficient real time traffic at low cycle times, EtherCAT is known to display several inefficiencies which include high quality master-slave synchronization. In this paper we examine a prototype circuit that allows us to achieve high quality time synchronization between master and slave device using PTCP embedded in EtherCAT frames. This circuit is backward compatible to existing EtherCAT networks. We provide measurement data and make proposals for future work.

Modern Real Time Ethernet technologies rely on well-described hardware acceleration techniques to ensure that hard real-time deadlines are met. Real Time Ethernet is also often used in situations where appreciable non real-time bandwidth is used and where throughput is important. In this paper, using the example of PROFINET, we examine the performance of various communication controller architectures in non-real-time data handling. Finding the performance not up to industry requirements we propose a multiprocessor architecture and describe an implementation and measurement results. This architecture allows better partitioning of communication and application processing whilst supporting maximum bandwidth utilization for non-real-time traffic.

In this paper we propose the use of a redundant array of structured light scanning cameras to monitor a collaborative robot workspace. We present the model and suggest a minimum number of such cameras required to monitor a particular area. We then propose a concept for segmenting the workspace into different sub volumes to allow for different categories of obstacles. We then propose that a voting scheme will allow us to process multiple camera inputs in real-time in a safe fashion. We perform initial experiments and draw appropriate conclusions before defining further work.

Real Time Ethernet systems, when viewed from the OSI layer 2, offer attractive characteristics for developers of generic embedded systems requiring real time communications. An important feature of mission critical systems is media redundancy to ensure connectivity under difficult conditions. Since MRPD, the PROFINET IRT redundancy protocol is not considered useful in non-PROFINET environments we investigate the use of HSR as a redundancy protocol and show that whilst an implementation does not necessarily scale well to non real-time traffic, HSR is certainly useful for hard real-time scheduled traffic in generic (non-automation) applications.

Real Time Ethernet protocols have become commonplace in automation orientated communication. An important applied research question is whether generic embedded applications can benefit from these new protocols. This industry practice paper investigates the “embeddability” of EtherNet/IP on resource constrained platforms. We show that, within the cost structure of RTE implementations in general, EtherNet/IP can be implemented in resource constrained hardware and in fact can be successfully be ported to existing embedded, Ethernet enabled, hardware.

The standard paradigm in Real Time Ethernet systems is the master/slave configuration and although intrinsically allowed by many protocols, peer-to-peer system architectures have received little exposure. In this paper the authors present a high performance peer-to-peer Ethernet POWERLINK implementation. Instead of using a Managing Node it builds on the concept of a bus master whose sole purpose is to schedule traffic on the bus enabling the nodes to communicate with each other using the cross-traffic facility. The authors present the solution architecture, discuss implementation aspects and propose a change to the POWERLINK standard based on drawn conclusions.

A software implementation of a modified version of the pre-standard HSR redundancy protocol was implemented on a NIOS II soft-core running under eCOS in conjunction with a PROFINET RT stack. The modifications allowed the achievement of true multi-topology performance. This paper describes elements of the current HSR draft, the author's modifications and the resulting implementation.