Ausgabe zur SPS 2019

5 Ausg.Nr._23/2019 SPS 2019 A t the final review of the Celtic-Plus project “ReI- COvAir – Reliable Indus- trial Communication Over the Air” the project team, led by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, presented a new test system for industrial wireless communication. The developed test systemconsists of a software- based and a hardware-based test bed solution. Both test beds are proof-of-concept solutions for testing the performance of wireless transmission systems, e.g., in terms of measuring and evaluating reliability, latency and throughput. To date, there is lack of standard- ized methods and test systems for measuring the reliability and general performance of wireless communication systems in indus- trial scenarios. Over the last three years, this problem has been ad- dressed within the “ReICOvAir” project. The project findings and initial versions of a software and a hardware test bed were now pre- sented at the final project review in Magdeburg on July 18, 2019. Software and hardware test bed Both test beds are based on ex- tensive research. In a first step, the parameters of industrial en- vironments were characterized through intensive channel and interference measurements in typical industrial communication scenarios. These findings were used to build a comprehensive propagation channel model for industrial use cases. The thereby extended QuaDRiGa channel model is implemented in both test beds. The software test bed offers functions for applying the chan- nel characteristics to PC-based simulation models of wireless communication systems, whereas the hardware test bed includes a channel emulator and serves for testing of real industrial commu- nication hardware. Benchmarking the reliability of industrial wireless systems The project consortium empha- sized that great care was taken to disseminate the results and pro- vide the findings to standardiza- tion bodies. “The findings of the project pushed forward the required test- ing and qualification of wireless transmission as it now becomes feasible to realistically assess the behavior of wireless systems in industrial environments. Stand- ardized rating systems and cri- teria together with suitable test beds will enable companies to decide from a neutral standpoint on the most suitable transmission system for a given use case”, said Thomas Heyn, group manager at Fraunhofer IIS and project coordi- nator of “ReICOvAir”. European collaboration in “ReICOvAir” “ReICOvAir” has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Busi- ness Finland and the Spanish Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda in the framework of the Celtic-Plus Programme. Celtic-Next, formerly Celtic-Plus, is an industry-driven European research initiative to define, per- form and finance through pub- lic and private funding common research projects in the area of telecommunications, new media, future Internet, and applications and services focusing on a new “Smart Connected World” para- digm. The project consortium was led by Fraunhofer IIS and comprises re- search and industry partners from Germany, Finland and Spain: CET- ECOM GmbH, Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications (Heinrich Hertz Institute, HHI), GHMT AG, ifak e.V. Magdeburg, Kaltio Tech- nologies Oy, Qosmotec GmbH, Sapotech Oy, Software Quality Systems S.A., Trimek S.A., Univer- sity of Oulu and Verkotan Oy.  Text: Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS Am Wolfsmantel 33 D-91058 Erlangen The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS is one of the world’s leading application-oriented research institutions for microelectronic and IT system solutions and services. It is the largest of all Fraunhofer Institutes. Research at Fraunhofer IIS revolves around two guiding to- pics: In the area of “Audio and Media Technologies”, the institute has been shaping the digitalization of media for more than 30 years now. Fraunhofer IIS was instrumental in the development of mp3 and AAC and played a significant role in the digitalization of the cinema. Current developments are opening up whole new sound worlds and are being used in virtual reality, automotive sound systems, mobile telephony, streaming and broadcasting. In the context of “cognitive sensor technologies”, the institute re- searches technologies for sensor technology, data transmission techno- logy, data analysis methods and the exploitation of data as part of data- driven services and their accompanying business models. This adds a cognitive component to the function of the conventional “smart” sensor. Research project “ReICOvAir”: closing the gap of test systems for industrial wireless communication