Integrating 5G Components into a TSN Discrete Event Simulation Framework

Sammanfattning: TSN has for many years been the staple of reliable communication over traditional switched Ethernet and, has been used to advance the industrial automation sector. However, TSN is not mobile, which is needed to fully enable Industry 4.0. The development of 5G and its promised URLLC combined with TSN would give both a mobile and reliable heterogeneous network. The 3GPP has suggested different designs for a 5G and TSN integration. This thesis investigates the different proposed integration designs. Besides the integration design, one of the most essential steps towards validity of the integration is to evaluate the TSN-5G networks based on simulation. Currently, this simulation environment is missing. The investigation in this thesis shows that the most exhaustive work had been done on the Logical TSN Bridge design for simulators, such as the ones based on OMNeT++. Capabilities of the simulator itself are also investigated, where aspects such as the lack of a 5G medium and clock synchronization are presented. In this thesis, we implement the 5G-TSN component that results in a translator which sets different 5G channel parameters depending on the Ethernet packet's priority and its corresponding value. To verify the functionality of the translator that is developed within the simulator, it is tested in a use case inspired by the vehicle industry, containing both TSN and 5G devices. Results from the use case indicate that the translation is performed correctly.