Bachelor and Master Theses

Modern industrial networks must be both reliable and time-deterministic. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) introduces mechanisms such as time-aware shaper (TAS) and credit-based shaper (CBS) to guarantee low latency and deterministic delivery. At the same time, OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) PubSub provides flexible and interoperable data exchange to ensure reliability. Thus, the convergence of TSN and OPC UA is central to enabling reliable, time-deterministic communication in Industry 4.0 systems.

This thesis project aims to develop and evaluate simulation models of OPC UA PubSub over TSN in OMNeT++. Possible alternatives for integrating the OPC UA PubSub open 62541 implementation into OMNeT++ will be assessed, such as using a PubSub publisher as an external node that communicates with OMNeT++ interfaces or integrating the PubSub implementation into OMNeT++ modules. On the TSN side, only CBS will be employed.

The students will measure and analyze relevant performance parameters, such as network utilization, latency, jitter, deadlines, throughput, packet loss, under different network and traffic configurations. The work is scalable: students can start with a simple baseline (Only evaluating network utilization) and extend the study depending on time and level (Bachelor/Master).

The results are expected to provide a reference implementation for OPC UA PubSub over TSN in OMNeT++, with potential for scientific publication.

Tasks

1. Study OPC UA PubSub and UADP over UDP transmission, and review TSN’s CBS mechanism.
2. Explore available OMNeT++ simulation frameworks (INET, CoRE4INET, NeSTiNG, Trace files, CyclicSim, or other relevant modules).
3. Integrate OPC UA PubSub Open Implementation into OMNeT++.
4. Based on the module found in step 2, configure CBS based on the use case that will be defined during the project.
5. Perform experiments to evaluate performance metrics (start with utilization, and if time allows, extend to latency/deadline, jitter, and packet loss).
6. Document the results. If you are interested, we will prepare material for a conference paper together.

Learning outcomes

• Gain knowledge of TSN and OPC UA in industrial networks
• Hands-on experience with OMNeT++ and simulation frameworks
• Practical skills in performance analysis and evaluation
• Potential to contribute to a conference publication

• Programming skills (C++).
• Basic knowledge of computer networks and communication protocols.
• Familiarity with simulation environments such as OMNeT++ (If not, you will study OMNET++ during the project).
• Knowledge of real-time or embedded systems is a plus.
• One or two students can work on this project.

The thesis project can be conducted at either the Elskilstuna or Västerås campus.