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Title: “Time Sensitive Networking Ethernet: Architecture, Implementation and Applications”
Supervisors
Principal supervisor: Associate Professor Michael Stübert Berger, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Associate Professor Sarah Ruepp, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU, Denmark
Co-supervisor: , Denmark
Evaluation Board
Associate Professor Henrik Wessing. Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU, Denmark
Senior Engineer Anders Rasmussen, Xena Networks, Denmark
Senior Lecturer Mohammad Ashjaei, Mälardalen University, Sweden
Master of the Ceremony
Associate Professor Lars Staalhagen
Abstract:
This Industrial Ph.D. thesis addresses the challenges of implementing Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) Ethernet switches in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices. TSN is a set of IEEE standards that extend packet-switched Ethernet for real-time applications, which must fulfill timing requirements. That is, in real time applications it is necessary to guarantee, that the information will be available at a precise time, in addition to being correct. Imagine a postal service, which can precisely tell you an exact time when your parcel will arrive at the door.
Real-time applications are found in various areas, from industrial automation to in-vehicle networking. In those areas, they are often responsible for providing sensory data to physical entities. For example, an in-car radar can detect an obstacle in front of the car and engage the breaks to avoid collision.
TSN aims to replace proprietary technologies used in this type of scenarios and consequently reduce their cost, allowing for wider adoption. FPGAs allow the (still-developing) TSN technology to benefit from the performance of Integrated Circuits (ICs).
In this thesis we specifically look at how a certain proven digital architecture of an Ethernet switch can be enhanced with TSN features, such that TSN can be used in networks with a lot of data traffic. We also present a method for generating traffic schedules for networks using this architecture. A traffic schedule is in principle very similar to departure timetables at train stations. These timetables must be coordinated across all train-stations, such that trains arrive to their destinations safely and on time. Coordinating traffic schedules achieves the same for data packets.
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