22nd International IEEE Conference on Factory Communication Systems (WFCS 2026)
Offenburg, Germany – April 21-24, 2026
Welcome
In 2026, Offenburg University has the great honor of hosting the 22nd International IEEE Conference on Factory Communication Systems (WFCS 2026). The WFCS is the only IEEE conference dedicated specifically to communication for industrial automation systems. It will take place in Offenburg for the first time.
The conference will be hosted by the Institute of Reliable Embedded Systems and Communication Electronics (ivESK) of Offenburg (Germany) and organized in collaboration with the Institute of Electronics, Computer and Telecommunication Engineering CNR-IEIIT (Italy). The WFCS is supported by IEEE and IES and coordinated by the IEEE Technical Committee on Factory Automation (TCFA). The local organizers from Offenburg University, the Department of Electrical Engineering, Medical Engineering and Computer Science (EMI), and ivESK invite all interested parties to participate in this exciting event and exchange ideas with international experts.
Venue
The tutorial day will take place on April 21, 2026, the conference between April 22 and 24, 2026 at the main campus of the university (77652 Offenburg, Badstrasse 24).
How to reach us
The WFCS conference will be held at the main campus of Hochschule Offenburg in the city of Offenburg in the beautiful Ortenau region, neighbored by the Black Forest on the East and by Alsace on the West. You can travel to Offenburg by plane, train, bus, or car.
Locally, you can use Offenburg's versatile public transport to commute between the city and the university or you can walk. From most of the hotels in the city center, the walking distance is 10 to 15 minutes.
More information on how to reach the venue can be found here.
By plane
The best connection certainly will be via Frankfurt International Airport (IATA code: FRA), the largest airport in Germany. From there, you will reach Offenburg Main Station in about 90 minutes with a direct hourly high speed train connection (ICE, see below).
Strassbourg Airport (Aéroport Strassbourg, IATA code: SXB) on the French is also close by, however, offers much less connections. Offenburg can be reached via regional transport.
EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg (IATA code: BSL) can also be an alternative, however, the public transport connections are not so well supported.
By train
Being located at the major North-South connection from Frankfurt to Switzerland and Italy, Offenburg is easily accessible by train. For a seamless journey to the WFCS 2026 venue or your hotel, consider Deutsche Bahn's City Ticket option, which includes local public transport within Offenburg. For more information and booking, please visit Deutsche Bahn.
By intercity bus
Intercity bus services, primarily operated by Flixbus, offer direct routes to many cities across Germany and Europe. Flixbus is stopping at Messeplatz, close to the venue and most of the hotels.
Additionally, Offenburg is well connected to the regional train services, also with Strassbourg and the Black Forest region.
By car
Offenburg is situated near the A5 motorway, one of the major North-South connections. Use Offenburg Junction (exist 55). For easy navigation to the conference venue or your hotel, you can use online map services like Google Maps or Bing Maps to plan your route efficiently.
Local and regional transport
The city’s transport services are part of the public transport association TGO Tarifverbund Ortenau GmbH. All TGO members share the same ticket system, allowing easy transfers between trains, trams, buses, and ferries without needing to purchase a new ticket for each change. Journey planning within Offenburg is easy with the TGO web app, and a complete map of routes and tariff zones is available on the TGO website.
Tickets can be purchased at suburban train stations or on board most trams and buses. Tickets bought on vehicles usually are pre-validated, whereas tickets from ticket machines require stamping before use.
We recommend using mobile ticketing apps for a seamless travel experience in Offenburg. Deutsche Bahn customers may find it convenient to use the DB Navigator app to manage both local and long-distance tickets in one place. Alternatively, the TGO mobile ticketing app offers some additional features for local travel making it a versatile tool beyond ride planning and ticketing.
Call and Dates
Call for Papers, Demonstrators, Tutorials
Call for Papers
WFCS2026_CFP.pdf
Call for Special Sessions
WFCS2026_CFSS.pdf
Submission template
WFCS2026SS_Template.docx
Call for Demonstrators
WFCS2026_CFD.pdf
Call for Tutorials
WFCS2026_CFT.pdf
Special Sessions
List of accepted special sessions
SS01 Reliable High-Speed Industrial Wireless in the Unlicensed Spectrum (PDF)
SS02 TSN and Beyond: Architectures for Reliable and Real-Time Industrial Communication (PDF)
SS03 Interoperability in Industrial Communication Systems (PDF)
SS04 Distributed & Intelligent Edge Computing for Industrial IoT (PDF)
SS05 Wireless System Performance for Industrial Premises (PDF)
SS06 Joint Communication and Sensing (JCAS) in Industrial IoT (PDF)
SS07 Real Time Communication for AGVs, UAVs and Self-Driving-Machines in Vertical Industries (PDF)
Work in Progress and Demonstration submission
Deadline: February 27, 2026
Final Extended Deadline: March 6, 2026
Notifications: March 22, 2026
Final versions: March 29, 2026
Important Dates
Regular & Special Session Paper Submissions
Special Session Proposals:
Deadline: November 17, 2025
Notifications: November 21, 2025
Regular and Special Session paper submissions:
Deadline: January 11, 2026
Final Extended Deadline: February 1, 2026
Notifications: February 27, 2026
Final versions: March 06, 2026
Commitees
For more information, please contact the general chairs Axel Sikora and Stefano Scanzio.
General Co-Chairs
Technical Program Co-Chairs
WIP Co-Chairs
Special Session Co-Chairs
Publication Co-Chairs
Publicity Co-Chairs
Industry Co-Chairs
Tutorials Co-Chairs
Demonstrations Co-Chairs
Financial Chairs
Technical Program Committee
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Registration & Hotels
Conference fees
With one full registration, you have the opportunity to present a maximum of 2 papers. Registration for this event is open. Please note that the registration process is carried out by the external registration service provider Orgalution.
Please note that the registration does not include the reservation/booking of suitable accommodation. Furthermore, hotel accommodation fees are not included in the conference fees.
Please note registration closes 13. April 2026!
Accommodation
B&B HOTEL Offenburg-Hbf
Maria-und-Georg-Dietrich-Straße 14, 77652 Offenburg
Holiday Inn Express Offenburg
Maria-und Georg-Dietrich-Strasse 8, 77652 Offenburg
B&B HOTEL Offenburg-City
Freiburger Straße 43 , 77652 Offenburg
ibis Styles Offenburg City
Okenstr. 15-17, 77652 Offenburg
Mercure Hotel am Messeplatz Offenburg
Schutterwälderstrasse 1a, 77656 Offenburg
Hotel Liberty Offenburg
Grabenallee 8, 77652 Offenburg
Hotel Union
Hauptstraße 19, 77652 Offenburg
Haus Zauberflöte
Lindenplatz 12, 77652 Offenburg
Submission
Presentation of regular papers
The suggested presentation time is limited to 15 minutes, plus 5 minutes for discussions. The auditorium for presentations is equipped with a laptop connected to a projector. You should transfer your presentation to the laptop via a USB-memory-stick in the break before your session, and you should also contact your session chair. The laptop is equipped with a Microsoft Windows 11, Microsoft 365, Acrobat Reader. In case of questions or any special needs, please contact the conference secretariat or our supporting staff on site.
Presentation of WiP papers
Each Work-in-Progress paper will be presented in a 5 min-presentation in a dedicated Work-in-Progress session. The technical conditions are the same as for the regular papers. Furthermore, a poster will be on display after the WiP session for further discussions. The posters shall not exceed the DIN A0 format (1189 mm x 841 mm). The poster orientation should be portrait. Posters must be hung in the spaces provided during the lunch break of the day of the WiP session. All necessary materials to put the poster up will be provided on site.
Presentation Guidelines for Demonstrations
The demo presentations will take place in two parts. The first part consists of the demo pitches. Each speaker has a strict 3-minute time limit to advertise and highlight the key features of their demo. This allows conference attendees to better decide which demos match their interests and which demo booths they would like to visit first. The second part covers the remainder of the session, during which attendees can visit the demo booths for in-depth discussions and direct interaction with the presenters.
For the demo pitches, each presenter is asked to prepare up to 3 slides in PDF format to be presented within the 3-minute pitch. Please upload the slides and all requirements in by April 14, 2026. The submitted slides will be compiled into a single presentation, from which each speaker will present their individual pitch. To coordinate demo requirements and equipment (both those provided by the organizers and those brought by the presenters), the demo co-chairs will reach out to presenters via email.
Paper submission
Regular and Special Session Papers: up to 8 double-column pages, following the IEEE conference template.
Work-in-Progress (WiP) Papers: up to 4 double-column pages, following the IEEE conference template.
Demonstration Paper: 2/3 double-column pages, following the IEEE conference template.
All accepted regular, special session, and WiP papers that will be presented at the conference will be published in IEEE proceedings and will appear in IEEE Xplore.
Submission of the final versions of papers
The final versions of papers, prepared according to the IEEE conference template, must be checked to verify that they comply with the IEEE rules.
Please use the IEEE PDF eXpress tool to check that everything is fine.
Accepted papers that fail this check or exceed the allowed number of pages will NOT be included in the WFCS 2026 conference proceedings.
First-time users must create an account, providing 67029X as a Conference ID.
Remark for Demo Submissions
Please do not forget to additionally upload any requirements necessary for presenting your demo at the IEEE WFCS 2026.
Program
Program, Tuesday, 21. April 2026
08:30-09:00 |
| Registration |
09:00-09:15 |
| Welcome to Tutorial Day and Demonstration Session |
09:15-10:15 |
| Tutorial 1.1: Dr. Mahin Ahmed Silicon Austria Labs GmbH |
10:15-10:40 |
| Coffee Break |
10:40-11:40 |
| Tutorial 1.2: |
11:40-12:15 |
| Guided tour through ivESK |
12:15-13:30 |
| LUNCH |
13:30-15:00 |
| Tutorial 2: Wolfram Strauß, Fraunhofer IIS Nürnberg |
15:00-15:30 |
| Coffee Break |
15:30-16:00 |
| DEMO Pitch |
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| Demonstration of an Automated Testbed for UWB Localization Experiments. |
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| Demonstration of End-to-End Time Synchronization over 5G-TSN. |
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| Demonstration of Device Discovery on Device-Side 5G-TSN Bridge Translator. |
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| A Discrete-Event Simulator for TSCH Networks. |
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| Remote PID Control over 5G-TSN: A Self-Balancing Robot as Demonstration of Traffic Convergence and Dejittering. |
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| Wireless Enabled Situationally Aware Robot Collaboration in Industrial Environments. |
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| Demonstrating High-Precision Time Synchronization for Industrial Applications over 5G. |
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| A Multi-Technology Experimentation Platform for Heterogeneous Industrial IoT Communications: From LPWAN to Private 5G Towards 6G-IoT Testbeds. |
16:00-17:15 |
| DEMOS |
Program, Wednesday, 22. April 2026
08:30-09:00 |
| Registration |
09:00-09:20 |
| Welcome: Opening Session |
09:20-10:20 |
| Keynote 1: Dr. Lena Yoshihara-Lisch, DIEHL Metering |
10:20-10:45 |
| Coffee Break |
10:45-12:05 |
| Regular Session 4: Cybersecurity in OT Environments (4 papers) |
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| 10:45-11:05 |
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| 11:05- 11:25 |
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| 11:25-11:45 |
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| 11:45-12:05 |
12:05-13:30 |
| Lunch |
13:30-15:00 |
| Regular Session 3 - Management and Communication in Distributed Systems (6 papers) |
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| 13:30-13:50 |
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| 13:50-14:10 |
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| 14:10-14:30 |
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| 14:30-14:50 |
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| 14:50-15:10 |
15:10-15:40 |
| Coffee Break |
15:40-17:00 |
| Special Session 5 - Wireless System Performance for industrial Premises (4 papers) |
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| 15:40-16:00 |
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| 16:00-16:20 |
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| 16:20-16:40 |
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| 16:40-17:00 |
17:00 |
| End of session |
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17:15-19:45 |
| Welcome reception |
Program, Thursday, 23. April 2026
08:30-09:00 |
| Registration |
09:00-10:00 |
| Keynote 2: Dr. Friedrich Wiemer, Robert Bosch GmbH |
10:00-10:25 |
| Coffee Break |
10:25-12:05 |
| Regular Session 1 - Wireless Industrial Networks (5 papers) |
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| 10:25-10:45 |
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| 10:45-11:05 |
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| 11:05-11:25 |
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| 11:25-11:45 |
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| 11:45-12:05 |
12:05-13:30 |
| Lunch |
13:30-15:30 |
| WIP Session |
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| 13:30-13:35 |
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| 13:35-13:40 |
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| 13:40-13:45 |
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| 13:45-13:50 |
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| 13:50-13:55 |
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| 13:55-14:00 |
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| 14:00-14:05 |
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| 14:05-14:10 |
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| 14:10-14:15 |
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| 14:15-14:20 |
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| 14:20-14:25 |
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| 14:25-14:30 |
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| 14:30-14:35 |
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| 14:35-14:40 |
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| 14:40-14:45 |
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| 14:45-14:50 |
14:50-15:30 |
| Poster session of WiP papers |
15:30-15:55 |
| Coffee Break |
15:55-16:35 |
| Regular Session 2 (part I) - High Performance Wired Industrial Networks (2 papers) |
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| 15:55-16:15 |
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| 16:15-16:35 |
16:35 |
| End of session |
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17:00 |
| Guided City Tour |
18:30 |
| Gala Dinner |
Program, Friday, 24. April 2026
08:30-09:00 |
| Registration |
09:00-10:00 |
| Regular Session 2 (part II) - High Performance Wired Industrial Networks (3 papers) |
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| 09:00- 09:20 |
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| 09:20-09:40 |
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| 09:40-10:00 |
10:00-10:15 |
| Coffee Break |
10:15-12:15 |
| Industry Forum |
12:15-13:30 |
| Lunch |
13:30-14:50 |
| Special Session 3: Interoperability in Industrial Communication Systems (4 papers) |
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| 13:30-13:50 |
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| 13:50-14:10 |
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| 14:10-14:30 |
14:30-14:50 |
| 14:30-14:50 |
14:50-15:00 |
| Closing Session |
15:00 |
| End of the conference |
Keynotes
Keynote 1: Wireless Resilient Data Communication Networks for Intelligent Applications in Smart Cities and Smart Industries
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Lena Yoshihara-Lisch, Chief Expert Innovation Management and Transformation Program Lead, Diehl Metering GmbH
The digital revolution is fundamentally transforming cities and industries: intelligent sensors, big data and AI are optimizing traffic flows, energy consumption and production processes. Factories are becoming more autonomous, cities smarter. Decisions are increasingly based on (real-time) data, which significantly improves efficiency, sustainability and quality of life. The future will be data-driven and networked.
As cities and industry increasingly rely on digital technologies, data and AI, data communication networks must be particularly efficient and resilient. They form the backbone of these networked systems and ensure that critical infrastructures such as energy supply, traffic management systems and production facilities remain functional even under difficult conditions. A failure can have far-reaching consequences - from economic damage to threats to public safety. Resilient networks are secure against cyber-attacks, natural disasters and technical defects by enabling redundancy, self-healing and rapid recovery. Only robust communication structures can make the digital transformation secure, reliable and sustainable - and ensure long-term trust in smart technologies.
In this keynote, Dr. Yoshihara-Lisch will explain with the use-case of smart metering, which requirements such resilient communication networks have to meet. She will also give an insight on the impact of the digital revolution on companies, and how they try to cope with these challenges. Solutions include technological advances, profound and steady modernization of organizations, and collaboration with market partners.
Keynote 2: Foundational Security from Car to Factory
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Friedrich Wiemer , Senior Security Expert for In-Vehicle Communication, Robert Bosch GmbH
As factory automation networks converge on Ethernet and face mounting regulatory pressure from IEC 62443 and the EU Cyber Resilience Act, securing communication at the link layer becomes urgent. The automotive industry -- driven by UN R155 and ISO/SAE 21434 -- has already built a comprehensive Layer 2 security architecture around IEEE 802.1AE MACsec that factory automation can directly adopt. This keynote explores how that architecture transfers from car to factory floor.
We present the Open Alliance TC17 Automotive MACsec Profile -- line-rate, hardware-accelerated integrity and confidentiality at Layer 2, with optimized key agreement meeting real-time boot-time budgets -- and show how it provides a foundational deny-by-default trust layer independent of the protocol running on top. Building on MACsec, we outline a path toward Zero Trust networking using CORECONF/YANG-based SDN management, aligning with the same IETF/IEEE standards ecosystem that OPC UA and PROFINET are converging toward. For shared-medium topologies common in both domains -- 10BASE-T1S multi-drop segments and CAN buses -- we present the Automotive MKA Profile v2 with simulation results achieving key agreement below 200 ms for up to eight nodes.
Beyond Ethernet, we introduce CANsec for CAN XL, which reuses an unmodified MACsec engine via a mapping to virtual Ethernet frames, and the CAN FD Adaptation Layer (FDAL), which tunnels CAN XL -- and thus MACsec-secured Ethernet -- over legacy CAN FD. A proof-of-concept demonstrates a full application stack running on a CAN FD bus, proving that a single security architecture can unify Ethernet and CAN across automotive and industrial networks.
Tutorials
Time Synchronization in Industrial Networks
Time Synchronization in Industrial Networks: Fundamentals, Protocols, and Hands-On Exercises
Dr. Mahin Ahmed (Silicon Austria Labs GmbH) & Lucas Haug (Institute for Parallel and Distributed Systems, University of Stuttgart)
Abstract:
Accurate time synchronization is essential for modern industrial communication systems, enabling deterministic communication, coordinated control, distributed sensing, and safety-
critical applications.
The first unit of the tutorial introduces the fundamentals of time synchronization for industrial networks, covering clock models, performance metrics, and key protocols such as IEEE
1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP), industrial Ethernet profiles, and emerging wireless solutions. It focuses on Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and 5G, explaining how synchronization is implemented and how industrial requirements are met, including in integrated 5G-TSN networks.
The second unit of the tutorial includes a hands-on session complements the theory, allowing participants to simulate, configure, and evaluate time synchronization using practical tools for industrial network scenarios.
Description:
Accurate and reliable time synchronization is a fundamental enabler for modern industrial communication systems, supporting deterministic communication, coordinated control, distributed sensing, and safety-critical applications. As industrial networks evolve toward converged wired–wireless architectures, achieving precise end-to-end time alignment across heterogeneous technologies has become both more critical and more challenging.
This tutorial provides a comprehensive and structured introduction to time synchronization in industrial networks. It starts with fundamental concepts, including clock models, synchronization accuracy and precision, error sources, and commonly used performance metrics. Building on these foundations, the tutorial surveys the main synchronization protocols used in industry. A particular emphasis is placed on Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and 5G. The tutorial explains how time synchronization is realized within each technology, how stringent industrial requirements are addressed, and how synchronization performance impacts real-time communication. Furthermore, the tutorial explores integrated 5G-TSN networks, discussing architectural aspects, synchronization distribution across wired and wireless domains, and the challenges of achieving end-to-end time alignment in converged industrial systems. Additionally, the tutorial will also focus on introducing fault-tolerance in time synchronization protocols.
In addition to the theoretical foundations, the tutorial includes a hands-on session in which participants will actively use practical tools to simulate, configure, and evaluate time synchronization in representative industrial network scenarios using reproducible, tool-based exercises. This session directly connects theoretical concepts from the earlier units with measured synchronization performance, enabling practical understanding and application. This combination of theory, discussion, and practical exercises ensures that participants gain both conceptual understanding and actionable skills relevant for research, system design, and deployment.
Outline:
Introduction and Motivation
Role of time synchronization in industrial automation
Use cases: deterministic networking, coordinated control, distributed sensing
Overview of challenges in modern industrial systems
Fundamentals of Time Synchronization
Clock models and clock behavior
Accuracy vs. precision
Synchronization error sources
Performance metrics and evaluation criteria
Industrial Time Synchronization Protocols
Synchronization mechanisms in TSN
5G time synchronization concepts and architecture
Requirements and performance considerations for industrial use cases
Integrated 5G-TSN Networks
Architectural overview
Synchronization distribution across wired and wireless domains
Key challenges for end-to-end synchronization
Fault-Tolerance in Time synchronization
Types of faults
Fault-tolerance mechanisms
Standardized approaches
Hands-On Session and Discussion
Simulation and configuration of synchronization scenarios
Evaluation of synchronization performance
Interactive discussion and Q&A
Low Power Wide Area Networks for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
Wolfram Strauß (Fraunhofer IIS Nürnberg)
Abstract:
LPWAN technologies are indispensable for IIoT, offering the necessary connectivity, scalability, and efficiency to support a wide array of industrial applications. To make a well founded decision, it is important to have a basic understanding of key strengths and weaknesses of the technology in general and of the different systems within the LPWAN family.
In the first part of the tutorial, an application context with example uses cases, a technology overview, and the main representatives are presented. The second portion elaborates on technological details of selected systems. In the last section, two systems (LoRaWAN, mioty) are compared, based on key features.
Description:
Data driven processes are transforming all sectors of our life, such as manufacturing. Better efficiency, more transparency, quicker response time and less use of resources are demanded. Especially environmental concerns are becoming a focal point in the industrial context, which is emphasized by e.g. the EU directive „Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive“ (CSRD). To collect necessary data in complex and dynamic industrial processes, wireless technologies are key. Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) can provide an important contribution to solve these tasks.
To make an informed decision for the use case at hand, a technological background is needed, which shows key features, but also weaknesses of the LPWAN technology as a whole. Furthermore a distinction between
Outline
Introduction
Personal background / IIS
Context / motivation
Use cases
LPWAN overview
Representatives: LoraWAN, mioty, NB-IoT / LTE-M, Sigfox, ...
Selection
Break
LPWANs in detail
LoRaWAN
mioty
NB-IoT
Break
LPWAN comparison
Cell-based - non-cellular based
Key performance indicators
LoRaWAN - mioty
Conclusion
Q&A
Sponsors
Industrial Sponsor
