Selected Aspects and Approaches on Improving Dependability in Industrial Radio Networks

Dependable wireless communications is considered to be one of the key enablers for digital, flexible, and smart production systems in industry. However, what are the design requirements of industrial radio systems (IRSs) if highly dependable industrial applications are to be implemented with them? Does an IRS need to guarantee maximum packet loss rates on a link level of, e.g., 10−9? Are new and more precise performance metrics and design approaches needed to characterize, evaluate, and improve radio access technologies to become reliable for ultra-dependable and time-critical industrial applications? This chapter highlights selected aspects and approaches to assist in finding answers to these questions.