5G configured grant scheduling for seamless integration with TSN industrial networks

The integration of 5G (5th Generation) and TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) networks is key for the support of emerging Industry 4.0 applications, where the flexibility and adaptability of 5G will be combined with the deterministic communications features provided by TSN. For an effective and efficient 5G-TSN integration both networks need to be coordinated. However, 5G has not been designed to provide deterministic communications. In this context, this paper proposes a 5G configured grant scheduling scheme that coordinates its decision with the TSN scheduling to satisfy the deterministic and end-to-end latency requirements of industrial applications. The proposed scheme avoids scheduling conflicts that can happen when packets of different TSN flows are generated with different periodicities. The proposed scheme efficiently coordinates the access to the radio resources of different TSN flows and complies with the 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) standard requirements.