行業(yè)計(jì)劃測(cè)試新5G移動(dòng)技術(shù)的六九(99.9999%)功能

Brendan O’Dowd， General Manager， Industrial Automation

Brendan O’Dowd，工業(yè)自動(dòng)化總經(jīng)理

Until the launch of 5G， every previous generation of mobile phone technology was primarily intended to improve the operation of the handset. First-generation mobile phone networks were analog systems that provided just enough bandwidth for voice calls. Introduced in the early 1990s， 2G was the first digital mobile technology， while 3G in the late 1990s made it possible for handsets to carry email messages and provide rudimentary access to web pages.

在5G問(wèn)世之前，每一代手機(jī)技術(shù)的主要目的都是改善手機(jī)運(yùn)行。第一代手機(jī)網(wǎng)絡(luò)屬于模擬系統(tǒng)，帶寬僅夠語(yǔ)音通話使用。2G是首個(gè)數(shù)字移動(dòng)技術(shù)，于20世紀(jì)90年代早期問(wèn)世；3G于20世紀(jì)90年代晚期問(wèn)世，允許手機(jī)傳輸電子郵件信息，并提供對(duì)網(wǎng)頁(yè)的基本訪問(wèn)。

It was not until the adoption of 4G technology in 2008 that real smartphone capability was enabled： 4G mobile broadband led to the development of smartphone apps， the proliferation of multimedia and streaming services， and access to high speed internet on-the-go.

直到2008年采用4G技術(shù)，智能手機(jī)功能才真正實(shí)現(xiàn)：以4G移動(dòng)寬帶為基礎(chǔ)，開(kāi)發(fā)出智能手機(jī)應(yīng)用、多媒體和流傳輸服務(wù)，且可以隨時(shí)訪問(wèn)高速互聯(lián)網(wǎng)。

The recent installation of 5G networks marks the first time that a new generation of mobile technology has been built around the needs of machines and systems rather than handset users. The telecommunications industry’s plan for 5G envisaged technical breakthroughs in three main parameters：

最近安裝的5G網(wǎng)絡(luò)標(biāo)志著新一代的移動(dòng)技術(shù)首次以設(shè)備和系統(tǒng)需求為核心，而不是手機(jī)用戶。電信行業(yè)的5G計(jì)劃設(shè)想在三個(gè)主要參數(shù)上實(shí)現(xiàn)技術(shù)突破：

• Latency， reliability， and determinism
• 延遲、可靠性和確定性
• Connection density
• 連接密度
• Bandwidth and the speed of data transfer
• 帶寬和數(shù)據(jù)傳輸速度

The reason for enhancing performance in these parameters was to enable real-time monitoring and control of dense concentrations of devices communicating concurrently. In a smart city scenario， for instance， 5G is expected to enable real-time information about the location of available on-street parking spaces to be displayed in the navigation system of cars in the vicinity. Such a smart parking system will require the simultaneous connection of thousands of proximity sensors or cameras and thousands of cars in a small area， continually transferring real-time data about space availability and location.

之所以提高這些參數(shù)的性能，是為了實(shí)時(shí)監(jiān)測(cè)和控制同時(shí)通信的設(shè)備的密集程度。例如，在智慧城市場(chǎng)景中，我們期望5G能夠?qū)崟r(shí)提供街邊空余停車位的位置信息，并顯示在附近的車輛的導(dǎo)航系統(tǒng)中。這樣的智能停車系統(tǒng)需要同時(shí)連接小范圍內(nèi)的數(shù)千個(gè)接近傳感器或攝像頭以及小范圍內(nèi)的數(shù)千輛汽車，不斷傳輸關(guān)于空余停車位及其位置的實(shí)時(shí)數(shù)據(jù)。

The requirement of this and other applications for latency， density， and bandwidth is met by three technology enhancements embodied in the 5G standard specifications：

該應(yīng)用和其他應(yīng)用對(duì)延遲、密度和帶寬的要求通過(guò)5G標(biāo)準(zhǔn)規(guī)范中的三項(xiàng)技術(shù)改進(jìn)來(lái)滿足：

• Ultra-reliable low latency communication （URLLC） for real time-control systems
• 實(shí)時(shí)控制系統(tǒng)的超可靠低延遲通信（URLLC）
• Enhanced mobile broadband （eMBB） to support new bandwidth-dependent use cases， including augmented and virtual reality
• 增強(qiáng)型移動(dòng)寬帶（eMBB），用于支持基于帶寬的新用例，包括增強(qiáng)現(xiàn)實(shí)和虛擬顯示現(xiàn)實(shí)
• Enhanced/massive machine type communications （eMTC） for low power， wide area wireless networking
• 面向低功率、廣域無(wú)線網(wǎng)絡(luò)的增強(qiáng)/大型機(jī)械式機(jī)器類通信（eMTC）

These 5G technology features make it capable of supporting the requirements of factory control systems for real-time determinism and six nines （99.9999%） availability. Yet the real-world experience of most mobile handset users accessing 2G， 3G， or 4G networks still involves black spots where coverage is weak or nonexistent， and of occasional and unpredictable dropped connections.

這些5G技術(shù)特性使其能夠支持工廠控制系統(tǒng)對(duì)實(shí)時(shí)確定性和六九（99.9999%）可用性的要求。但是，在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中，大多數(shù)手機(jī)用戶在訪問(wèn)2G、3G或4G網(wǎng)絡(luò)時(shí)，仍然會(huì)遇到黑點(diǎn)（網(wǎng)絡(luò)覆蓋較弱或不存在），偶爾還會(huì)發(fā)生意外掉線。

So is there a realistic prospect that mobile phone technology will be used to connect mission-critical， time-sensitive industrial machines？

那么，使用手機(jī)技術(shù)來(lái)連接任務(wù)關(guān)鍵型且對(duì)時(shí)間敏感的工業(yè)設(shè)備是否有前景？

Replacement of the Mature 4 mA to 20 mA Technology

替代成熟的4 mA至20 mA技術(shù)

For all the hype around state-of-the-art 5G technology， the reality is that most process equipment installations today include a provision for control via mature wired 4 mA to 20 mA links—a proven， dependable technology that dates back to the 1950s. This speaks to industry’s need for certainty and the avoidance of risk when implementing mission- or safety-critical control systems.

盡管圍繞先進(jìn)的5G技術(shù)進(jìn)行了大肆宣傳，但現(xiàn)實(shí)情況是，如今的大部分工藝設(shè)備裝置都通過(guò)成熟的有線4 mA至20 mA鏈接實(shí)施控制，這是20世紀(jì)50年代推出的技術(shù)，久經(jīng)考驗(yàn)。這說(shuō)明行業(yè)在執(zhí)行任務(wù)關(guān)鍵型或安全關(guān)鍵型控制系統(tǒng)時(shí)，需要保證確定性，規(guī)避風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

But the tides of change cannot be beaten back forever， and innovations in the way factories operate give control system designers good reason to evaluate alternatives to 4 mA to 20 mA technology. As Industry 4.0 and other global phenomena accelerate the pace at which factory operations evolve， two trends are driving the introduction of new networking technologies： the introduction of autonomous mobile machinery and the development of more flexible manufacturing facilities to meet growing consumer demand for personalized or configured products.

但是，改革浪潮無(wú)法阻擋，隨著工廠運(yùn)營(yíng)的方式不斷創(chuàng)新，控制系統(tǒng)設(shè)計(jì)人員開(kāi)始評(píng)估可以替代4 mA至20 mA技術(shù)的技術(shù)。隨著工業(yè)4.0和全球局勢(shì)迫使工廠不斷改變運(yùn)營(yíng)方式，兩種趨勢(shì)迫切需要新的網(wǎng)絡(luò)技術(shù)：引入自動(dòng)移動(dòng)設(shè)備；開(kāi)發(fā)更靈活的制造設(shè)備以滿足消費(fèi)者對(duì)個(gè)性化或配置產(chǎn)品不斷增長(zhǎng)的需求。

In factory and warehouse settings， the use of autonomous guided vehicles （AGVs）， cobots， and other types of autonomous mobile devices offer an effective way to increase efficiency and productivity. As automated equipment takes on the burden of performing repetitive and mundane tasks， workers are freed to transfer to higher value and more interesting factory operations that machines cannot perform.

工廠和倉(cāng)庫(kù)環(huán)境中會(huì)使用無(wú)人搬運(yùn)車（AGV）、協(xié)作機(jī)器人和其他類型的自主移動(dòng)設(shè)備，以便快速提高效率和生產(chǎn)力。隨著自動(dòng)化設(shè)備接手執(zhí)行單調(diào)的重復(fù)性任務(wù)，工人可以轉(zhuǎn)而執(zhí)行價(jià)值更高、更有趣且機(jī)器無(wú)法執(zhí)行的工廠操作。

The new generation of autonomous mobile devices such as AGVs requires a wireless communications connection that offers low latency for real-time control， high bandwidth to carry the signals from multiple sensors such as LIDAR scanners and video cameras， and high immunity to interference—the hallmarks of 5G mobile networks.

新一代自主移動(dòng)設(shè)備（例如AGV）需要低延遲無(wú)線通信網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接來(lái)提供實(shí)時(shí)控制，需要高帶寬來(lái)傳輸來(lái)自多個(gè)傳感器（例如LIDAR掃描儀和攝像機(jī)）的信號(hào)，且需要高抗擾度——這是5G移動(dòng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)的特點(diǎn)。

When factory operators replace wired with wireless connections， they also gain the flexibility to quickly reconfigure factory equipment to meet new or varied demands from consumers. The rise of e-commerce raised expectations from consumers for near-instant delivery of ordered products and for the ability to choose from a wider range of product options than ever before. The ability to move production or process equipment more quickly and easily is growing in value. A fixed， wired communications infrastructure is less flexible than a wireless network to which equipment can connect from any location. Wireless networks also reduce the cost， inconvenience， and technical difficulty involved in installing communications cabling.

工廠運(yùn)營(yíng)商將有線連接替換為無(wú)線連接之后，也獲得了靈活性，可以快速重新配置工廠設(shè)備，以滿足消費(fèi)者的新需求。電子商務(wù)的興起拔高了消費(fèi)者的期望，他們希望購(gòu)買的商品能夠近乎即時(shí)送達(dá)，且可挑選的商品名錄比以往更廣泛。更快速、更輕松地移動(dòng)生產(chǎn)或工藝設(shè)備，這種能力也在不斷升值。固定的有線通信基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施不如無(wú)線網(wǎng)絡(luò)靈活，后者支持從任意位置連接設(shè)備。無(wú)線網(wǎng)絡(luò)減少了安裝通信電纜時(shí)的成本、麻煩和技術(shù)難度。

Over the long-term， then， factory operators are open to the benefits of wireless control capability alongside established wired communications technologies. In the immediate future， however， industry must prioritize its most important requirements， which are：

因此長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看，在成熟的有線通信技術(shù)之外，工廠運(yùn)營(yíng)商樂(lè)于接受無(wú)線控制網(wǎng)絡(luò)帶來(lái)的好處。但是，在不久的將來(lái)，行業(yè)會(huì)優(yōu)先考慮對(duì)其而言最重要的要求，包括：

• High reliability and availability
• 高可靠性和可用性
• Security
• 安全性
• Robustness to cope with challenging industrial operating conditions
• 應(yīng)對(duì)挑戰(zhàn)性工業(yè)操作條件的耐用性
• Ultralow latency
• 超低延遲

These factors underlie the longevity of the 4 mA to 20 mA standard for factory communications. And while factory operators are looking to replace 4 mA to 20 mA technology， their focus today is on the implementation of the time sensitive networking （TSN） standard for wired Industrial Ethernet communications， rather than for anything wireless.

這些因素決定了4 mA至20 mA工廠通信標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的使用期限。雖然工廠運(yùn)營(yíng)商希望替換4 mA至20 mA技術(shù)，但現(xiàn)在，他們傾向于面向有線工業(yè)以太網(wǎng)通信的時(shí)間敏感性網(wǎng)絡(luò)（TSN）標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，而不是無(wú)線技術(shù)。

TSN has emerged as the preferred standard for high bandwidth， wired data communications in the factory， since it offers the ideal combination of reliability， robustness， a high data transfer rate， low latency measured in microseconds， and easy integration with enterprise IT network systems.

TSN已成為工廠高帶寬有線數(shù)據(jù)通信的首選標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，因?yàn)樗婢呖煽啃?、耐用性、高?shù)據(jù)傳輸速率、低延遲（以微秒為測(cè)量單位），且易于與企業(yè)IT網(wǎng)絡(luò)系統(tǒng)集成。

And because the TSN specification is a standard benefiting from cross-industry support， it is rapidly developing a rich ecosystem of suppliers of TSN components and systems， which includes Analog Devices.

TSN規(guī)范是一項(xiàng)得到跨行業(yè)支持的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，所以它快速建立了豐富的TSN組件和系統(tǒng)供應(yīng)商生態(tài)系統(tǒng)，也包ADI公司含在內(nèi)。

OpenRAN： Non-Public Networks Enable the Validation of Claims Made for 5G Performance

OpenRAN：非公共網(wǎng)絡(luò)支持驗(yàn)證關(guān)于5G性能的言論

Alongside the implementation of TSN networks， the scope for enhancing factory operations through the implementation of wireless networking is also coming under active evaluation. Some early adopters in the industrial community have already begun the work of testing， validating， and evaluating the operation of 5G networking systems inside the factory， while concurrently replacing legacy 4 mA to 20 mA systems with new TSN Ethernet networks. This validation process will find the most suitable applications for 5G technology.

除了推行TSN網(wǎng)絡(luò)外，我們也在積極評(píng)估通過(guò)采用無(wú)線網(wǎng)絡(luò)來(lái)改善工廠運(yùn)營(yíng)的范圍。工業(yè)領(lǐng)域的一些早期采用者已開(kāi)始測(cè)試、驗(yàn)證和評(píng)估工廠內(nèi)5G網(wǎng)絡(luò)系統(tǒng)的運(yùn)行效果，同時(shí)使用新推出的TSN以太網(wǎng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)來(lái)替換傳統(tǒng)的4 mA至20 mA系統(tǒng)。這一驗(yàn)證過(guò)程將找到最合適的5G技術(shù)應(yīng)用。

So factory operators are now starting to test the innovative features of the 5G specification， such as massive MIMO capability—the use of arrays of antennas to provide multiple physical transmission paths between a transmitter and receiver. An array may be configured to form multi-antenna beams transmitting to multiple receivers. This allows the implementation of techniques such as channel hardening， beamforming， rapid channel estimation， and antenna （spatial） diversity， the effects of which are to dramatically improve reliability and reduce latency compared to 4G mobile networking.

工廠運(yùn)營(yíng)商現(xiàn)在已開(kāi)始測(cè)試5G技術(shù)的創(chuàng)新特性，例如大規(guī)模MIMO功能——使用天線陣列在發(fā)射器和接收器之間提供多條物理傳輸路徑。陣列可以配置為形成多個(gè)天線波束，以發(fā)送至多個(gè)接收器。這樣就可以采用信道加固、波束成型、快速信道評(píng)估和天線（空間）分集等技術(shù)，與使用4G移動(dòng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)相比，可以顯著提高可靠性和降低延遲。

Indeed， one of the aims of the developers of the 5G standard was to enable wireless networks to achieve six nines reliability for packet delivery， comparable to that of a wired Ethernet network， and equivalent to a packet error ratio of 1:1，000，000. Latency of just 1 ms is also possible， which is well within the limit imposed by many industrial control applications.

事實(shí)上，5G標(biāo)準(zhǔn)開(kāi)發(fā)人員的目標(biāo)之一是使無(wú)線網(wǎng)絡(luò)在數(shù)據(jù)包傳輸方面達(dá)到99.9999%的可靠性，與有線以太網(wǎng)的可靠性相當(dāng)，相當(dāng)于數(shù)據(jù)包的錯(cuò)誤率為1:1，000，000。延遲達(dá)到1 ms也是可期的，完全符合許多工業(yè)控制應(yīng)用的要求。

The question is， can this performance be achieved in the real-world conditions experienced inside a factory， where communications equipment might be subject to multiple sources of high amplitude radio frequency interference， transient voltage events， high temperatures， and other disturbances？

但在真實(shí)工廠環(huán)境中，通信設(shè)備可能受到多個(gè)高振幅射頻干擾源、瞬態(tài)電壓事件、高溫和其他干擾的影響，這種性能能否實(shí)現(xiàn)？

In validating the real-world performance of a 5G installation， factory system designers have a choice： they can， of course， take advantage of 5G coverage provided by mobile network service providers. But the 5G standard also makes provision for the implementation of private systems， or so-called non-public networks （NPNs） that cover， for example， an industrial campus or a large factory complex. Different industrial users and use cases will favor a different choice of public or private network.

在驗(yàn)證5G設(shè)備的真實(shí)性能時(shí)，工廠系統(tǒng)設(shè)計(jì)人員有一個(gè)選擇：利用移動(dòng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)服務(wù)提供商提供的5G覆蓋。但是，5G標(biāo)準(zhǔn)也為實(shí)施私有系統(tǒng)或所謂的非公開(kāi)網(wǎng)絡(luò)（NPN）做了規(guī)定，例如覆蓋工業(yè)園區(qū)或大型工廠的網(wǎng)絡(luò)。不同的工業(yè)用戶和用例會(huì)選擇不同的公共網(wǎng)絡(luò)或?qū)Ｓ镁W(wǎng)絡(luò)。

The implementation of 5G networking in the factory is also facilitated by developments from mobile network operators of the OpenRAN （Open Radio Access Network） specification. This has opened the market for 5G radio and core equipment to a broader range of suppliers in addition to those which traditionally served the telecoms equipment market. This has the potential to broaden the choice of equipment available to meet the needs of use cases different from those of mass-market public network operators and to encourage the development of 5G products by suppliers that are focused on the industrial market.

移動(dòng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)運(yùn)營(yíng)商制定OpenRAN（開(kāi)放式無(wú)線接入網(wǎng)絡(luò)）規(guī)范，這也推動(dòng)了工廠的5G網(wǎng)絡(luò)部署。除了傳統(tǒng)服務(wù)于電信設(shè)備市場(chǎng)的提供商之外，更多供應(yīng)商即將進(jìn)入5G射頻和核心設(shè)備市場(chǎng)。這有可能擴(kuò)大可用設(shè)備的選擇范圍，滿足與大眾市場(chǎng)公共網(wǎng)絡(luò)運(yùn)營(yíng)商不同的用例，鼓勵(lì)工業(yè)市場(chǎng)供應(yīng)商開(kāi)發(fā)5G產(chǎn)品。

As a supplier of physical layer components and protocol software to manufacturers both of TSN equipment and of 5G infrastructure， Analog Devices is ideally placed to assess the prospects of each technology for implementation in industrial control systems. While the immediate future belongs to wired Industrial Ethernet technology， it is easy to imagine a future where AGVs and robots inside the factory transmit and receive time- and mission-critical data payloads via a 5G network—and the availability of 5G network coverage means that this is an actual rather than a theoretical possibility today.

作為為T(mén)SN設(shè)備和5G基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施制造商提供物理層組件和協(xié)議軟件的供應(yīng)商，ADI公司可以公正地評(píng)估用于實(shí)施工業(yè)控制系統(tǒng)的各種技術(shù)。雖然當(dāng)下有線工業(yè)以太網(wǎng)技術(shù)仍占主導(dǎo)，但可以想象，未來(lái)工廠內(nèi)的AGV和機(jī)器人將通過(guò)5G網(wǎng)絡(luò)發(fā)送和接收時(shí)間關(guān)鍵型和任務(wù)關(guān)鍵型數(shù)據(jù)負(fù)載——5G網(wǎng)絡(luò)的覆蓋意味著這一夢(mèng)想已經(jīng)成為現(xiàn)實(shí)，不再是理論上的可能性。

About the Author

作者簡(jiǎn)介

Brendan O’Dowd has over 30 years of experience in the industry working for companies like Tellabs， Apple， and Analog Devices. He is currently the general manager of Analog Devices’ industrial automation business. He can be reached at brendan.odowd@analog.com.

Brendan O’Dowd擁有30多年的工業(yè)行業(yè)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，他曾就職于Tellabs、Apple和ADI公司。他目前擔(dān)任ADI公司工業(yè)自動(dòng)化業(yè)務(wù)部總經(jīng)理。