Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Florian Zeiger

Hans-Peter Huth

Markus Sauer

Reinhard Frank

Johannes Riedl

Andreas Zirkler

Joachim Walewski

Vivek Kulkarni

Siegfried Richter

Bernhard Kloiber

Andreas Kornbichler

Nicola Michailow

Various embodiments of the teachings herein include a method for configuring an industrial communication network. The method may include: deploying an application to a digital twin set up to represent an industrial communication system, devices connected to the network, processes, and physical interactions; running the application on the digital twin; collecting data of the application's communication traffic; classifying the application's end points and communication characteristics based on the collected communication traffic; changing the communication characteristics of the communication links until reaching limits of performance quality; deriving network parameters required by the application; and configuring the industrial communication network based on the determined network parameters.

Automated application service detection for configuring industrial communication networks

Various embodiments include a control device for setting up and/or providing a working environment with at least one performance unit to perform at least one factory task by means of machines comprising: a resource management unit programmed to request resources necessary for the working environment; and a comparison unit programmed to compare the requested resources with at least one resource agreed upon in a binding agreement stored in a distributed database and to approve the requested resource in dependence on the comparison result. The control device is programmed to set up and/or provide the working environment with at least one compared and approved resource. The at least one performance unit is programmed to coordinate the checking for complete factory task performance by one or more units involved in the working environment.

Device and method for setting up and/or providing a working environment

The disclosure relates to methods for a communication between a sensor and a satellite, and sensors for carrying out such a method. The sensor has a transmission unit for transmitting sensor data from the sensor to the satellite and a computing unit for calculating the position of the satellite at a specified point in time. The satellite is configured to receive and forward the sensor data. The method includes calculating a coverage duration using path parameters of the satellite and the position of the sensor, activating the transmission unit of the sensor during a transmission duration based on the calculated coverage duration, and transmitting the sensor data from the sensor to the satellite during the transmission duration.

Energy-efficient communication between sensor and satellite

The disclosure relates to a method for transmitting sensor data from multiple sensors to a satellite. In a first phase, which is designated as a registration phase, the satellite registers the sensors in question and allocates each sensor a time window for transmitting the respective sensor data, and in a second phase, which is designated as a transmission phase, the satellite requests the sensor data in the individual sensors in a controlled manner, e.g., according to a list generated by the satellite during the registration phase. Thus, it is possible for satellites to access a ground-based sensor system in an optimized and self-learning manner. The disclosure additionally relates to a satellite suitable for carrying out the aforementioned method.

Collision-free transmission of sensor data of multiple sensors to a satellite

The disclosure is directed to providing virtual network functions to a customer node by a communication system with a provider node in an automatic, traceable, and auditable way. The provider node includes a retrieving module, a validation module, and a deployment module. The retrieving module is configured to retrieve a notification signal, wherein the notification signal is indicative of a selected one of a plurality of virtual network functions and the customer node. The validation module is configured to establish service level agreement data and to validate the agreement service level data, based on the notification signal. The deployment module is configured to selectively transmit a deployment signal to a communication node depending on the validation of the service level agreement data for providing the selected virtual network function to the customer node.

Communication system, provider node, communication node, and method for providing a virtual network function to a customer node

Various embodiments include an apparatus for operating a software-defined network having a number of network elements comprising: a memory unit storing an image of the software-defined network; a control unit programmed to use the stored image as a basis for controlling forwarding of data streams by the number of network elements; and a comparison unit programmed to compare the stored image against a network image published in a ledger of a blockchain.

Apparatus, system and method for operating a software-defined network

According to various examples, an operational constraint associated with an operational function&#x2014;e.g., a virtual network function&#x2014;implemented on a field device can be configured. According to further examples, the fulfillment of the operational constraint can be tracked. For these purposes, a distributed database is used, e.g., a blockchain.

Operational constraints for operational functions of field devices

The disclosure relates to a method for allocating at least one digital resource of a local, modular computer network. The computer network has at least two computing modules. Each of the computing modules is assigned a resource value for a digital resource. In accordance with a resource request having a demand value, at least one of the digital resources is allocated to the request. The demand value is compared with at least one of the resource values. The method acts and the associated algorithms may be stored in particular in an image file. Because of the high flexibility of the method, mobile computing modules, etc., may also be integrated into the local, modular computer network. The computer network thus exhibits the modular and flexible character of the computer network. The computer network is not configured as a fixed structure, but rather may also dynamically expand and contract.

Allocation of digital resources within a local, modular computer network (edge cloud)

A radio communication system for an industrial automation system includes at least one first communication device operated as a radio base station, and several second radio communication devices operated as radio subscriber stations, wherein the first communication device is arranged or movable on a vehicle, where the first communication device and the second communication devices can be assigned to a group of communication devices and can only be connected to one another in a wireless manner within the same group of communication devices, where the first communication device and the second communication devices detect within their assigned communication device group distances between the first communication device and the respective second communication device, on the basis of signal strength measurement values or position data and where, depending on the detected distances, the first communication device allocates radio resources for a radio communication with the respective second communication device.

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Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, Germany

Florian Zeiger