Design and development of a gateway between time-sensitive networking (TSN) and 5G networks

Abstract

This bachelors degree thesis includes the design and development of a gateway between a 5G network and a Time-Sensitive Network (TSN). On the one hand, TSN is defined as a series of standards developed by the IEEE 802.1 group with the objective of achieving temporal determinism of the frames in Ethernet networks (wired networks), thus granting quality of service in industrial network scenarios, by means of the classification of flows depending on its criticality. This is performed thanks to the use of techniques like scheduling through the IEEE 802.1Qbv (Time Aware Shaper), the temporal synchronization of the involved devices (802.1AS), or the credit-based fair queueing mechanism (802.1Qav), among others. On the other hand, 5G is constituted as the fifth generation of mobile communication technologies. The improvements in bandwidth and latency compared to its predecessor, the 4G, turn it into a good option to develop new applications in the industrial and internet of things (IoT) environments, where parameters as the delay are critical, and provides mobility and flexibility, for instance, in the distribution of PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers) of the machines that are involved in the industrial process. The 3GPP organization is in charge of establishing the specifications regarding the 5G technology, and defines various ways of functioning of the aforementioned technology in the 5G-TSN integration, which can act as a cable or as a switch. Therefore, the objective of the project is to carry out an approximation that contributes to integrate a 5G network inside a network with TSN traffic, focusing on the time synchronization of the devices and the quality of service mapping from TSN to 5G. The proposed scenario in this bachelors degree thesis contemplates the use of hardware which is suitable to work in TSN networks, combined with emulators that will imitate the behaviour of a 5G network, both the user plane and the control plane.

Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::9 - Indústria, Innovació i Infraestructura