Real-time WLAN for industry

The introduction of the 5G mobile communications standard should not only revolutionize wireless communication for the consumer market, but also pave the way for Industry 4.0 with fully networked, intelligent factories. However, to date, commercial 5G and numerous WLAN systems are usually unable to meet the real-time requirements of industrial applications: Delays in data transmission (latencies) often lead to system stops and entire systems failing. The Dresden-based start-up Fünfeinhalb Funksysteme has set itself the goal of changing this and is launching 'Blitzfunk', a real-time WLAN system with predictable latency guarantees and latency-free roaming.

Fünfeinhalb Funksysteme was founded in 2023 as a spin-off from TU Dresden with the aim of fulfilling the unfulfilled promises of the 5G mobile communications standard and making it usable for applications in the industrial environment. To this end, the five-member founding team led by Managing Director Dr. Lucas Scheuvens developed Blitzfunk. The wireless system - consisting of access points and clients - is designed to act as a coordinated unit. The user devices (machines, controllers or sensors) are connected to the system via Ethernet.

Latency-free roaming without interruption

Dr. Lucas Scheuvens is Managing Director of the start-up Fünfeinhalb Funksysteme © Fünfeinhalb Funksysteme

Dr. Lucas Scheuvens summarizes one of the biggest USPs of Blitzfunk as follows: "In a classic roaming process, which is always necessary in larger networks, the client is only connected to one access point at a time. Before it leaves its range, it must be linked to the next access point. This means that the connection to the first access point is disconnected and reconnected to the next access point. Various solutions can do this particularly quickly, but there is always a time lag. This is not the case with Blitzfunk, as our access points all act as a single, logical access point and therefore guarantee latency-free roaming. They automatically coordinate in the background so that they do not interfere with each other. As roaming in the Blitzfunk system has no negative effects whatsoever, there is no need for time-consuming and cost-intensive radio network planning."

Developed for Industry 4.0

Flash radio guarantees fast data transmission - even with several connected devices (clients): For 99.9999 % of all transmission attempts, the latency has been proven to be a maximum of 2 × (N + 1) milliseconds, where N is the number of simultaneously active devices - and this with a maximum Ethernet frame size of 1500 bytes. A single client in the system therefore has a guaranteed latency of 4 ms, with ten clients 22 ms can be expected. This guarantee also applies in the event of roaming, which enables completely uninterrupted data connections for the most demanding industrial applications.

Blitzfunk behaves like a distributed Ethernet switch and therefore offers plug & play compatibility with all Ethernet-based protocols, including Profinet, Profisafe, Ethernet/IP, CIP Safety and MQTT. Commissioning and management are carried out via a web browser, which is possible without any special technical knowledge. Thanks to the built-in troubleshooting function, the wireless system can be clearly identified as a source of error (e.g. in the event of an overload) or excluded. In terms of security, Blitzfunk offers device-specific, quantum-safe encryption and authentication.

Mobile applications in logistics and production

With Blitzfunk, Fünfeinhalb Funksysteme is aimed in particular at manufacturers and system integrators who need mobile networking for their machines that works just as reliably as a cable connection. Scheuvens explains: "Although Blitzfunk can also be used to replace existing cable installations, this is not our main aim. The system was primarily designed for use in production scenarios involving mobile robots or vehicles. However, Blitzfunk is also suitable for slide systems and rotating elements - or generally anywhere where cables interfere or are not technically feasible. Projects that have already been successfully implemented include the networking of welding robots, overhead cranes and driverless transport vehicles, both in the safety and non-safety areas.

A look into the future

"Blitzfunk is currently based on classic standard components designed for the broad mass market. This makes the solution immediately usable and offers great added value compared to other systems, but only demonstrates a fraction of what is possible. We are currently working on a fully integrated real-time WLAN system that will be able to improve even Blitzfunk by a factor of two to ten in terms of size, number of simultaneously supported devices, reliability, latency and energy consumption," says Scheuvens, outlining the company's future roadmap.