Machines that talk to each other
Researchers at Industrial Communication Technologies (ICT) support these sectors as they develop and operate their respective future-oriented I&C technologies. At ICT, approximately 60 Siemens experts are working in two technology fields in a network that stretches from Beijing to Munich and Vienna.
In the past, the purpose of telecommunication technology was to connect people. Today, such technology is also enabling more and more vehicles, drive systems, devices, and entire facilities to “talk” to one another. Machine-tomachine data communication offers industry the opportunity to utilize systems such as those used for automation more precisely and reliably and to adapt such systems to the requirements of individual applications. To achieve such communication, the numerous embedded processors distributed throughout state-of-the-art industrial facilities that monitor, control, and regulate equipment and processes must be connected to one another.
Processors in driverless subway trains, for example, control everything from the door opening and closing units to the braking and air conditioning systems. The same is true of the electronic circuit breakers, sensors, and switches used for electricity substations or control units along an assembly line. And in the healthcare field, the processors in CT machines must also be able to communicate with one another in order to generate images.
Many of the systems produced by the Energy, Industry, and Healthcare Sectors are increasingly using the Internet to transmit information over long distances. For example, this is how X-ray images are transferred from radiology centers to local doctors’ offices, and it’s also the method used for remotely reading intelligent electricity meters. In order to increase road safety and improve the flow of traffic, in the future vehicles will also be able to communicate with one another and to exchange information with the surrounding road infrastructure, such as traffic lights, in real time.
Communication is not just about transferring data, however. Participating systems and machines must also understand the information they exchange, just as two people talking on the telephone need to speak the same language in order to understand each other. Specialists from the Communication Systems & Control Networks technology field are utilizing innovative systems for their research in this area. More specifically, they’re taking standardized communication systems and interfaces and adapting them to the specialized requirements of the Healthcare, Industry, and Energy sectors, as well as developing the necessary software platforms.
Whether it’s smart grids, industrial automation, train control systems, or building automation, individual system components must be able to communicate with one another. CT scientists are therefore researching the form the data models for various applications should take, the protocols to be used for exchanging information, and the infrastructures that would be most suitable in each case. For example, data can travel “piggyback” along with electricity via so-called Powerline Communication systems, or travel via the Internet or a radio network.
Intelligent automatic networking
Another key area of research involves the automated configuration and operation of the networks in question. If, for example, thousands of households and electric vehicles are to be connected simultaneously to a smart grid, system components must be able to automatically adapt themselves to one another. Manual configuration of such large and complex systems is practically impossible and would also be extremely inefficient. Another application example involves the automated networking of wind turbines at an offshore wind park. The aim of this application is to eliminate configuration errors, since every maintenance visit to such a facility generates huge costs.
Researchers are also focusing on the smart electricity grid of the future. The intelligent aspect here is that I&C technologies will be integrated into the power network in order to improve the monitoring and controlling of energy distribution processes. This is important because electricity output at wind and solar facilities fluctuates, and such facilities are also affected by peaks in consumer demand.
Among other things, CT researchers are working here on systems that register data about the state of the grid at any given moment, and then regulate processes in a way that ensures that the grid operates reliably, i.e. with as few outages as possible. Such systems could, for example, be used to manage the battery recharging process for electric vehicles in a manner that optimally exploits available energy and also prevents grid overloads. This type of setup requires communication between charging stations and vehicles, and to this end specialists at ICT have developed protocols for deciding which information should be ex-changed and how.
The Internet of the future will play a major role in all of these applications in two ways. First, it will serve as a communication medium that is available everywhere to apply the solutions offered by the Siemens sectors; secondly, it will be a source of new and widely used communication technologies and the components designed for them. A good example of such a development was the triumphal emergence and establishment of the Internet Protocol (IP). Siemens experts are therefore working with industrial and research partners on the development of the Internet of the future within the framework of a major EU initiative known as PPP Future Internet. The goal of the initiative is to ensure that new Internet technologies meet the requirements of industrial applications, such assafety and reliability.
I&C technologies are in use in the Nuremberg subway system, electric cars, parking guidance systems, and industrial radio systems.
Parking meters and subway trains on the air
CT specialists in the Wireless Communications (WLC) technology field are not only conducting research but also developing finished products, which is an unusual assignment for experts at Corporate Technology. The focus here is on transforming research results into market-ready products that the Siemens sectors can use for their systems. For example, experts for wireless industrial sensor networks have developed a radio module for automated parking meters that is now ready to go into production. For parking guidance systems that use illuminated displays to provide information regarding available parking spaces, Siemens’ Mobility Division looked into a solution that would cost less than the one in which automated meters communicate with one another and with a control center via a mobile GPRS system. CT experts developed a wireless transfer system that sends data from meter to meter and then to the control center via radio in the ISM (industrial, scientific, and medical) band. Only the final connection to a control center has to be made with a GPRS link, for which a fee is charged. Depending on how much the GPRS connections cost at the location of the parking system, this approach could save parking garage operators several thousands of dollars or euros per month.
WLAN systems for industry have to be much more robust than those used in offices, for example. Specialists in this technology field develop highly reliable communication architectures that can do things like automatically switching frequency bands in the event of a radio transmission problem. WLC developers also write communication protocols that ensure reliable network connections without interruptions. CT researchers get involved as early as the bidding stage when a call for tenders is issued for driverless subway trains such as those built by Siemens, which are used for energy-efficient mobility in many cities around the world. These automated trains are controlled through signals transmitted by an industrial radio system developed by CT researchers. The researchers measure signal propagation in the tunnels where trains are to be operated, and then use the resulting data to plan the associated infrastructure. Specialists are thus able to determine how many transmitters must be placed along a route in order to ensure reliable communication with a control center.
Traffic lights that talk to cars
Tomorrow’s cooperative communications for intelligent transport systems (ITS) present a major challenge for the automobile industry as well as the manufacturers and operators of road infrastructures. The objective is to network all of the devices in a traffic system – such as traffic lights and road signs – and individual drivers and pedestrians via radio. The network will enable very dynamic ad hoc communication between many participants – with a high data transfer rate in real time at high speeds.
A sophisticated radio communications system will be required to accomplish this. For example, life-saving messages must take priority over other messages that simply transfer information. Furthermore, communications must be secured with signatures so as to prevent messages from being manipulated.
This in turn will require a new, low-cost cryptographic process and the construction of an international PKI (Public Key Infrastructure). Corporate Technology researchers are therefore participating in various standardization bodies worldwide in order to design future standards together with the automobile and infrastructure industries. The first prototypes for cooperative communication systems developed by CT in cooperation with Mobility and IT Solutions have already undergone successful trials in research projects in Europe and the USA.