CC-Link IE TSN is the world's first network to adopt TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) based on the standard Ethernet specification. It further enhances network openness while effectively strengthening the performance and functionality of CC-Link IE through an efficient protocol.
White Paper: A Complete Introduction to CC-Link IE TSN
As communication technology advances, human society is about to enter the 5G era. Driven by the wave of digitalization, the integration of next-generation information and communication technologies — big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence — with manufacturing is moving from conceptual promotion to practical application, and 5G is playing a powerful enabling role in manufacturing as well. 2019 marked the first year of 5G commercial deployment. With transmission speeds comparable to fiber optics, ubiquitous connectivity for the Internet of Everything, and real-time capabilities approaching those of industrial fieldbuses, 5G is steadily penetrating the industrial sector, triggering a wave of convergent innovations and transformations and creating historic opportunities for the upgrade and transformation of manufacturing. 5G networks will provide diversified, high-quality communications for intelligent manufacturing systems, enabling the seamless flow of massive information across every stage of the process. Thanks to its high real-time performance and reliability, 5G can support not only industrial scenarios but also personal mobile Internet applications. The development of 5G helps manufacturers move away from the previously fragmented use of wireless networking technologies, which is of positive significance for advancing the Industrial Internet and deepening the transformation toward intelligent manufacturing. Looking ahead, in the "5G+" era, the intelligent upgrade of manufacturing will become more comprehensive and in-depth, and 5G-centric convergent innovation will serve as a powerful engine and strong support for the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry.
CC-Link IE TSN adopts TSN technology, further enhancing network openness while effectively strengthening the performance and functionality of CC-Link IE through an efficient protocol.
- When building a smart factory, a key priority is collecting information from the production floor in real time, processing it through edge computing, and seamlessly transmitting it to IT systems.
- With 5G's continuous wide-area coverage and high mobility, user-experienced data rates reach 100 Mbit/s, with flexible automatic adjustment between networks.
Application Cases
While delivering real-time communication of control information, it can communicate with other open networks and exchange information with IT systems on the same network, enabling a smart factory.
- Factory intelligence through the convergence of control information and management information
- Devices can connect IP-based products and perform high-precision motion control on the same network
- Using CC-Link IE TSN-compatible servo amplifiers and vision sensors enables time synchronization, allowing the vision sensor to accurately detect workpiece positions even while the servo motor is moving the workpiece. This greatly reduces cycle time and wiring.
- At the same time, vision sensors can transmit large volumes of image data over IP communication on the same network without affecting servo control, saving wiring.
Features
- Convergence of control information and management information communication
- Rapid system setup and advanced predictive maintenance
- Maximized motion control performance to minimize network scan time
- Extensive range of compatible products
5G Empowering Flexible Production Lines
As mass production hits its limits, consumers' demand for personalization grows stronger. Flexible manufacturing emerged in response to "mass customization" production. Characterized by small batches and a wide variety of products, it achieves efficient control of the production process through careful planning. There is no doubt that flexible production will be a key focus for many manufacturers in the future. As it transforms manufacturing processes, it will also have a major impact on manufacturing business models. A flexible production line can flexibly adjust production tasks in response to order changes, making it the key foundation for diversified, personalized, customized production. 5G empowers flexible production lines in two ways. First, it improves the line's flexible deployment capability. The manufacturing modules of future flexible production lines need to be quickly and flexibly redeployable at low modification and upgrade costs. With 5G networks in the factory, line equipment is freed from cables: devices connect wirelessly to cloud platforms for rapid feature updates and expansion, and can be freely moved, split, and recombined to reconfigure the line flexibly within a short period. Second, it provides elastic network deployment. The SDN (Software-Defined Networking), NFV (Network Function Virtualization), and network slicing capabilities of 5G allow manufacturers to flexibly orchestrate network architectures for different business scenarios, build dedicated transport networks on demand, and allocate network resources according to different transmission requirements. Through bandwidth limiting, priority configuration, and similar mechanisms, each production stage receives suitable network control functions and performance guarantees. Under such an architecture, the operations of a flexible production line can change with variations in raw materials and orders, and the networking and communication relationships between devices change accordingly.
5G Empowering Cloud Robotics
The defining feature of cloud robotics is a cloud-based control platform that uses advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to command local robots to perform tasks. Cloud robots exchange enormous volumes of real-time data with the cloud platform, requiring wireless networks with high bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability. With China's push in 5G communication technology, cloud robotics has also entered a new phase of development. On July 10, 2017, GTI, together with China Mobile, SoftBank, Huawei Wireless X Labs, CloudMinds, and SKYMIND, jointly released the Cloud Robotics White Paper. Centered on "5G networks and cloud robotics," the white paper elaborates on the concept of cloud robotics, technology and market trends, the industry chain, and business models, with a focus on the immense value and business opportunities that 5G brings to cloud robotics. According to the white paper, global cloud robot shipments will reach 50 million units from 2016 to 2020; by 2025, household cloud robot penetration will reach 12%, fundamentally changing people's lives. From logistics robots to surveillance robots, and from entertainment and educational robots to domestic robots, the advantages of cloudification will become increasingly evident. A month later, Huawei and Festo signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly research the application of cloud robotics based on 5G network slicing in intelligent manufacturing, driving the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. Under the MOU, the two parties will primarily test 5G cloud robots based on the "Robot as a Service" (RaaS) concept, further exploring value-added applications of 5G cloud robotics in the digital transformation of manufacturing, ultimately achieving large-scale customized production in smart factories. The powerful networking capabilities of 5G readily meet robots' demands for bandwidth and latency, while 5G network slicing and MEC provide end-to-end, customized support for robot applications. Specifically, 5G empowers industrial cloud robotics in three ways. First, it strengthens collaboration between robots. 5G provides high-speed network support for communication between industrial robots, giving them self-organizing and collaborative capabilities. By working together, industrial robots can complete tasks that a single robot could not accomplish alone. In addition, higher-privilege leader robots can direct groups of executor robots over 5G networks to complete tasks efficiently. Second, it makes robots more agile and safer when collaborating with workers. 5G's high reliability and ultra-low latency enable robots to perceive workers' movements in real time, respond and coordinate deftly, and always maintain a safe distance from workers, ensuring safe human-robot collaboration. Third, it enables real-time remote control of robots. In production environments where workers cannot enter — such as high-temperature or high-pressure areas — operators can control robots remotely in real time from a monitoring center over the 5G network, completing scheduled work targets synchronously and safely.
