Bachelor and Master Theses

To apply for conducting this thesis, please contact the thesis supervisor(s).
Title: Towards an integrated TSN-5G network for real-time applications
Subject: Computer science, Embedded systems, Computer network engineering
Level: Basic, Advanced
Description:

Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) is a set of standards introduced to provide real-time capabilities and high bandwidth over switched Ethernet. The potential components of TSN like time synchronization, ultra-reliability, bounded low latency and dedicated resources make it an enabler of Industry 4.0 providing full connectivity for a smart factory. However, TSN is missing the flexibility of a mobile connection, as it is restricted only in the areas where cable connection is feasible. 5G is the most promising candidate that can overcome this limitation while still guaranteeing the bounded low latency and high bandwidth requirement of real-time applications. This project aims to create an end-to-end communication of the TSN-5G network, which requires a gateway between both networks to translate the traffic and also to map the QoS-es needs from the TSN traffic to 5G QoS profiles and vice-versa.

We are looking for 2 students to investigate the integration of a Time- Sensitive Network (TSN) with 5G cellular network for an indoor scenario. Our use case is divided into two parts: the local network and the private 5G network as presented in Fig. 1. The local network includes the wired TSN network and CAN bus which coexist within a vehicle/quarry. There are different ECUs or nodes running on the vehicle like sensors, cameras, lidars, etc., which send signals via the TSN network. On the other hand, TSN domain connects to the private 5G network to send and receive data. As these networks are very different by nature, one is wired and the other one is wireless, there is a need for a gateway in between to translate the traffic and map to appropriate QoS flows in 5G. This a time-critical application, therefore there are data frames or flows that need to be sent with some level of guarantees in latency and packet error rates. The thesis goal is to implement the gateway and achieve this end-to-end communication of the TSN-5G network.

Fig. 1: Use case of TSN-5G integration for the vehicular domain

 

In our Lab, we have a full setup of a private 5G network provided by the Firecell Equipment. Here is a list of the things you can do with Firecell:

  1. Deploy and update a cellular network by using the Firecell’s command line scripts.

  2. Configure the central frequency band, bandwidth, modulation and coding scheme.

  3. View the protocol messages between network elements with Wireshark.

  4. Inspect extensive log files and view the detailed list of network events.

  5. Modify and recompile the source code.

The students will have to configure the network (play with network management functions and data traffic routing) and analyze the end-to-end transmission delay traversing both wired (TSN Network) and wireless (5G) systems while considering all the delay components such as Communication delay, processing delay, etc.

 

 
Start date: 2024-01-30
End date: 2024-06-30
Prerequisites:

Suitable for 2 students with good knowledge in Embedded Real-Time Systems, Networking, C language, and Ubuntu.
IDT supervisors: Zenepe Satka Saad Mubeen
Examiner: Mohammad Ashjaei
Comments:

Some references:

  1. M. Ashjaei, L. L. Bello, M. Daneshtalab, G. Patti, S. Saponara, S. Mubeen, “Time-Sensitive Networking in automotive embedded sys- tems: State of the art and research opportunities”, Journal of Systems Architecture, August 2021.
  2. D. Bahria, S. Saud, Z. Satka and S. Mubeen, “An experimental study analysis of a TSN and 4G integrated network”, Master Thesis 2022
  3. Z. Satka et al., "Developing a Translation Technique for Converged TSN-5G Communication," 2022 IEEE 18th International Conference on Factory Communication Systems (WFCS), Pavia, Italy, 2022, pp. 1- 8, doi: 10.1109/WFCS53837.2022.9779191.
  4. Z. Satka, M. Ashjaei, H. Fotouhi, M. Daneshtalab, M. Sjödin, and S. Mubeen, “A comprehensive systematic review of integration of time sensitive networking and 5g communication,” Journal of Systems Architecture, vol. 138, 2023.
  5. Dave Cavalcanti and Stephen Bush and Marc Illouz and Genio Kronauer and Alon Regev and Ganesh Venkatesan , “Wireless TSN - Definitions, Use Cases & Standards Roadmap,” Avnu Alliance white paper, 2020, accessed: 2023-05-24. [Online]. Available: https://avnu.org/wirelessTSN/
  6. Z. Satka, M. Ashjaei, H. Fotouhi, M. Daneshtalab, M. Sjödin and S. Mubeen, "QoS-MAN: A Novel QoS Mapping Algorithm for TSN-5G Flows," 2022 IEEE 28th International Conference on Embedded and Real-Time Computing Systems and Applications (RTCSA), Taipei, Taiwan, 2022, pp. 220-227, doi: 10.1109/RTCSA55878.2022.00030.
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