Advancing Digital Twin-Based Collision Avoidance: A Comprehensive Analysis of Communication Networks for Safety-Critical Applications in Industry 4.0.

This study presents a theoretical framework for defining the performance level of wireless safety functions within industrial environments. While acknowledging the simplifications inherent in our approach-primarily based on packet loss rates as a measure of system performance-the study underscores the dynamic challenges posed by real-world warehouses. Through an in situ measurement study of a forklift truck safety system, we validate the proposed method and emphasize the need for a more nuanced examination of wireless communication in complex settings. The study advocates for an expanded theoretical framework that considers fluctuations in warehouse dynamics, accounting for their impact on packet loss rates and, consequently, the precision of performance-level assessments. Furthermore, the research highlights the complexity introduced by wireless system characteristics not addressed in the simplified model, urging future investigations to incorporate these factors for a comprehensive understanding of wireless safety systems. The absence of specific criteria for wireless systems within existing standards emphasizes the necessity for a specialized framework in addressing safety aspects unique to wireless applications.

Experimental Evaluation of IEEE 802.15.4z UWB Ranging Performance under Interference.

The rise of precise wireless localization for industrial and consumer use is continuing to challenge a significant amount of research. Recently the new ultra-wideband standard IEEE 802.15.4z was released to increase both the robustness and security of the underlying message exchanges. Due to the lack of accessible transceivers, most of the current research on this is of theoretical nature though. This work provides the first experimental evaluation of the ranging performance in realistic environments and also assesses the robustness to different sources of interference. To evaluate the individual aspects, a set of three different experiments are conducted. One experiment with realistic movement and two additional with targeted interference. It could be shown that the cryptographic additions of the new standard can provide sufficient information to improve the reliability of the ranging results under multi-user interference significantly.