Enabling Deterministic Communications for End-to-End Connectivity with Software-Defined Time-Sensitive Networking

TLDR

Industry 4.0 demands deterministic transmission over shared networks, and TSN provides bounded delay, low jitter, and zero loss, yet its benefits are currently confined to closed networks, making interconnection of multiple TSN networks through non‑TSN links a major challenge. This article proposes a software‑defined TSN interconnection scheme to enable deterministic communications among multiple closed networks. The scheme employs a centralized controller and service orchestrator to manage interoperability, while time‑synchronization and traffic‑scheduling mechanisms link TSN and non‑TSN networks. Prototype testbed validation demonstrates the scheme’s effectiveness in achieving time synchronization and delay guarantees.

Abstract

Industrial Internet, or Industry 4.0, has presented strict requirements for deterministic transmission capability over a shared network of multiple applications. Time-sensitive metworking (TSN) is recognized as an efficient networking solution for the features of bounded delay, low delay variation, and zero congestion loss. However, the benefits of TSN are limited to closed networks now. The interconnection of several TSN networks through non-TSN networks is a main upcoming challenge for emerging applications. This article proposes an interconnection scheme following a software-defined TSN (SD-TSN) paradigm to enable deter-ministic communications among multiple closed networks. The networks are controlled by a centralized entity with a network controller and service orchestrator for interoperability. The time synchro-nization and traffic scheduling mechanisms are designed to connect TSN and non-TSN networks. The proposed scheme is validated in a prototype testbed, and obtained results show its effectiveness in time synchronization and delay guarantees.