CoSiNeT : A Lightweight Clock Synchronization Algorithm for Industrial IoT

• Recent advances in industrial internet of things~(IIoT) and cyber-physical systems drive Industry 4.0 and lead to advanced applications. The adequate performance of time-critical automation applications depends on a clock synchronization scheme used by control systems. Network packet delay variations adversely impact the clock synchronization performance. The impact is significant in industrial sites, where software and hardware resources heavily contribute to delay variations, and where harsh environmental conditions interfere with communication network dynamics. While existing time synchronization methods for IIoT devices, e.g., Simple Network Time Protocol~(SNTP), provide adequate synchronization in good operating conditions, their performance degrades significantly with deteriorating network conditions. To overcome this issue, we propose a scalable, software-based, lightweight clock synchronization method, called CoSiNeT, for IIoT devices that maintains precise synchronization performance in a wide range of operating conditions. We have conducted measurements in local network deployments such as home and a university campus in order to evaluate the proposed algorithm performance. The results show that CoSiNeT matches well with SNTP and state-of-the-art method in good network conditions in terms of accuracy and precision; however, it outperforms them in degrading network scenarios. In our measurements, in fair network conditions, CoSiNeT improves synchronization performance by 23% and 25% compared to SNTP and state-of-the-art method. In the case of poor network conditions, it improves performance by 43% and 26%, respectively.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Datorsystem (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Computer Systems (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Clock Synchronization

Industrial Automation

Cyber-physical systems

Industrial internet of things

Wireless networks

SNTP

NTP

Round Trip Delay

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