Design of an efficient Communication Architecture for Cyber-Physical Production Systems

Current industrial plants are typically equipped with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) in fixed hierarchical structures. A key paradigm in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is the design of distributed smart embedded systems replacing PLCs and extending their capability to enable energy-efficient, scalable systems offering performance and self-adaptivity to changing economical, environmental and process conditions. To be applicable in industrial contexts, these Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPS) have to satisfy strict realtime requirements while providing cost-efficiency and user-friendliness. In addition, the intellectual property of the system stakeholders like business logic and control algorithms must be protected against manipulation and theft within the distributed system. In this paper, we analyze communication approaches and provide a CPPS architecture fulfilling these requirements.