Research on Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Wireless Communications in Smart Factory with Finite Block-Length

In 4G, the design of most wireless communication systems is typically based on the Shannon theorem, which shows how to efficiently transmit data packets under loose latency constraint, i.e., infinite block-length. However, the upcoming 5G wireless communication is envisioned to support connectivity for a wide range of devices that endowed with a novel trans./rece. mode, i.e., finite block-length. For example, such packets represent the most common forms of traffic generated by sensors and other devices involved in a machine-to-machine networks, as encountered for example in a industrial scenario. Furthermore, mission-critical automation systems may require communication at a latency not exceeding a few milliseconds, with packet error rate lower than 10−9. In this paper, based on the recently developed results for the coding rate under the finite block-length regime, we derive a more accurate packet error model in an assembly production line scenario. The simulation results show that our error model is accurate and it is necessary to take the finite block-length effects into account when the machine type communication is considered.